Latias ex / Mega Kangaskhan ex

What Latias ex / Mega Kangaskhan ex looks like when you open the box

Across the 107 lists we counted, this deck runs 17 to 23 Pokémon, 24 to 30 Trainers and 10 to 15 Energy. Its attacks are paid for in Psychic and Water.

On results pages and on stream you will see this deck written « basic-box-m ». That word does not point at any one card in the list, so we did not turn it into a name. The name you are reading comes from the deck's main attackers — the cards you will actually put on the table, and the ones your opponent will learn to fear.

Look at the Energy: 10 to 15 out of 60, when half the 126 decks we track run 11 or fewer. This one carries more than most, and you feel it at the table — it wants to load up a big Pokémon and swing hard, even if that means drawing a spare Energy now and then.

Nothing here needs evolving — everything that attacks is a Basic Pokémon. Put it down, charge it, swing. That is as fast as the game gets, and it makes those turns where you draw nothing far less painful.

Look at the Trainers: 24 to 30 cards out of 60, against a median of 31 across the 126 decks we track. Inside that, 8 to 12 Supporters, and the rule there is strict — one a turn, even if you are holding three. The 10 to 17 Items you can play all of in the same turn. It also brings up to 4 Stadiums, and 87 of the 126 decks we track bring that many or more. Only one Stadium sits on the table at a time: the one you play sends the one already there to the discard pile.

What Tools and Stadiums do — the two Trainer families we skipped here — and why the Energy count says so much: how to read a deck list.

What the cards in this deck's name actually do

Latias ex and Mega Kangaskhan ex give this deck its name. Here is what is written on them.

Latias ex is in all 107 lists, 2 copies of it. Its Ability is called Skyliner, and here is what is printed on it, word for word: « Your Basic Pokémon in play have no Retreat Cost. »

Mega Kangaskhan ex is in all 107 lists, 4 copies of it. Its Ability is called Run Errand, and here is what is printed on it, word for word: « Once during your turn, if this Pokémon is in the Active Spot, you may use this Ability. Draw 2 cards. You can't use more than 1 Run Errand Ability each turn. »

How Latias ex / Mega Kangaskhan ex actually wins

Latias ex attacks with Eon Blade for 200. It needs 3 Energy, 2 Psychic and 1 Colorless attached, and it has 210 HP. And the number is not everything the card says. There is one more line printed under the attack, and it is the one everybody skips: "During your next turn, this Pokémon can't attack."

The cost of Eon Blade decides your first few turns. You only get to attach one Energy a turn, and that attack asks for 3. On your own attachments alone, your first real swing lands on turn 3. Except you are not on your own. Teal Mask Ogerpon ex, which the list runs 2 of, has an Ability called Teal Dance: it attaches Energy from your hand on top of the one you already play. An Ability costs you nothing: not your attack, not your card for the turn. Crispin does the same job. That is where this deck buys its turns, and it is the first thing to look for in your opening hand.

Here is the detail that quietly loses games. To pull Latias ex back to the Bench you have to discard 2 Energy attached to it. Retreating does not cost you your turn, you can step back and still swing right after. What it costs you is the 2 Energy you spent 2 turns attaching, and you start that climb again from nothing. Pack a card that moves it for free, or send it up knowing it stays up.

Mega Kangaskhan ex is a Mega Evolution ex, and that is the most expensive rule in the game: your opponent takes 3 Prize cards instead of one the turn it goes down. They need 6 to win the game, so 2 well-placed knockouts on that card beat you, where it would take 6 knockouts anywhere else on your Bench. Meowth ex, Latias ex, Lillie's Clefairy ex, Teal Mask Ogerpon ex, Fezandipiti ex and Wellspring Mask Ogerpon ex carry the plain "ex" suffix, and give up 2. That is already a lot, and it is less than the Mega.

The attackers in the deck's core, with their best attack, its cost and their Weakness

Pokémon	HP	Attack	Damage	Cost	Weakness	Retreat
Close Latias exBasic	210	Eon Blade	200		Darkness ×2	2
Close Mega Kangaskhan exBasic	300	Rapid-Fire Combo	200+		Fighting ×2	3
Close Wellspring Mask Ogerpon exBasic	210	Torrential Pump	100		Lightning ×2	1
Close Meowth exBasic	170	Tuck Tail	60		Fighting ×2	1

The core: the 13 cards every list runs

These 13 cards appear in all 107 lists, without a single exception. That is 36 of the 60 slots. The other 24 are decided player by player.

Look at how those 36 slots break down: 15 Trainers, 15 Pokémon, 6 Energy. Nothing stands out in that split. What sets this deck apart is how thick its core is: 36 of the 60 slots are the same for everybody, when half the 126 decks we track fix 25 or fewer. Fewer choices left to you than usual, and fewer ways to get them wrong.

13 of those 13 cards do not sit at the same count from list to list: Mega Kangaskhan ex (1 to 4), Meowth ex (1 to 4) and Latias ex (1 to 2), plus 10 more. Add those spreads up and you get 29 copies the 107 lists do not agree on, inside the core itself.

What "3 to 4" means in the copies column, what the "TWM 130" code under each name is for, and why we count dozens of lists instead of one: how to read a deck list.

The cards present in every list counted, with the number of copies

Copies	Card	Printing	Kind	Rotation
1–4	Close Mega Kangaskhan ex	MEG 104	Pokémon	stays
1–4	Close Meowth ex	POR 62	Pokémon	stays
1–2	Close Latias ex	SSP 76	Pokémon	leaves
1–3	Close Lillie's Clefairy ex	JTG 56	Pokémon	stays
1–4	Close Teal Mask Ogerpon ex	TWM 25	Pokémon	leaves
1–2	Close Fezandipiti ex	ASC 142	Pokémon	leaves
1–2	Close Wellspring Mask Ogerpon ex	TWM 64	Pokémon	leaves
2–4	Close Energy Switch	MEG 115	Trainer	stays
3–4	Close Ultra Ball	MEG 131	Trainer	stays
2–4	Close Area Zero Underdepths	SCR 131	Trainer	leaves
1–3	Close Boss's Orders	MEG 114	Trainer	stays
1–2	Close Night Stretcher	ASC 196	Trainer	leaves
4–11	Grass Energy	MEE 1	Energy	stays

The 64 cards that change from list to list

64 cards fight over the 24 slots that are left: 3 above three lists in four, 44 below one in four, and the percentage on each row says how many players took it.

The most agreed on first: Ciphermaniac's Codebreaking at 93 %, Chien-Pao at 84 % and Iron Leaves ex at 82 %. Add those to the core and you have the common build.

The dividing line runs through Iron Crown ex, at 53 %: 57 of 107 players took it, 50 put something else there. The ones who run it bring 1 copy. Right at the bottom of the table, Paldean Tauros (27 lists out of 107) and Prime Catcher (27 lists out of 107).

Why a card at 45 % is not a bad card, and what order to buy all this in: how to read a deck list.

The cards some lists run and others don't, most common first

Lists running it	Card	Copies	Printing	Kind
93 %100/107	Close Ciphermaniac's Codebreaking	1–2	TEF 145	Trainer
84 %90/107	Close Chien-Pao	1	SSP 56	Pokémon
82 %88/107	Close Iron Leaves ex	1	TEF 25	Pokémon
73 %78/107	Close Cyrano	1–2	SSP 170	Trainer
73 %78/107	Psychic Energy	1–4	MEE 5	Energy
69 %74/107	Close Crispin	4	SCR 133	Trainer
69 %74/107	Water Energy	1–2	MEE 3	Energy
66 %71/107	Fighting Energy	1–2	MEE 6	Energy
63 %67/107	Close Raging Bolt ex	1	TEF 123	Pokémon
63 %67/107	Lightning Energy	1–2	MEE 4	Energy
59 %63/107	Close Glass Trumpet	1–2	SCR 135	Trainer
58 %62/107	Close Special Red Card	1	CRI 82	Trainer
54 %58/107	Close Unfair Stamp	1	TWM 165	Trainer
53 %57/107	Close Iron Crown ex	1	TEF 81	Pokémon
43 %46/107	Close Lillie's Determination	1–4	MEG 119	Trainer
33 %35/107	Close Prism Energy	2–4	ASC 216	Energy
31 %33/107	Close Pecharunt	1–2	SVP 149	Pokémon
31 %33/107	Close Bug Catching Set	2–4	TWM 143	Trainer
31 %33/107	Close N's Plan	1	BLK 83	Trainer
30 %32/107	Close Enamorus	1	TWM 93	Pokémon
25 %27/107	Close Paldean Tauros	1	SSP 18	Pokémon
25 %27/107	Close Prime Catcher	1	TEF 157	Trainer
24 %26/107	Close Munkidori	1	TWM 95	Pokémon
19 %20/107	Close Hero's Cape	1	TEF 152	Trainer
17 %18/107	Close Passimian	1	SSP 111	Pokémon
17 %18/107	Fire Energy	1	MEE 2	Energy
16 %17/107	Close Chi-Yu	1	TWM 39	Pokémon
14 %15/107	Close Jamming Tower	1	TWM 153	Trainer
9 %10/107	Close Tera Orb	1	SSP 189	Trainer
9 %10/107	Close Xerosic's Machinations	1–2	SFA 64	Trainer
8 %9/107	Close Koraidon ex	1	ASC 121	Pokémon
7 %8/107	Close Judge	1	POR 76	Trainer
7 %7/107	Close Lillie's Pearl	1–2	JTG 151	Trainer
6 %6/107	Close Moltres	1	PFL 14	Pokémon
6 %6/107	Close Brock's Scouting	1–2	JTG 146	Trainer
6 %6/107	Close Switch	1	MEG 130	Trainer
5 %5/107	Close Pecharunt ex	1	SFA 39	Pokémon
3 %3/107	Close Bloodmoon Ursaluna ex	1	TWM 141	Pokémon
3 %3/107	Close Jirachi ex	1	30C 102	Pokémon
3 %3/107	Close Maractus	1	JTG 8	Pokémon
3 %3/107	Close Tool Scrapper	1	ASC 212	Trainer
2 %2/107	Close Fan Rotom	1–2	SCR 118	Pokémon
2 %2/107	Close Hoothoot	2	SCR 114	Pokémon
2 %2/107	Close Noctowl	2	SCR 115	Pokémon
2 %2/107	Close Cornerstone Mask Ogerpon ex	1	TWM 112	Pokémon
2 %2/107	Close Stunfisk	1	ASC 62	Pokémon
2 %2/107	Close Poké Pad	2	POR 81	Trainer
2 %2/107	Close Briar	1	SCR 132	Trainer
2 %2/107	Close Energy Retrieval	1	SVI 171	Trainer
2 %2/107	Close Energy Search	1	POR 72	Trainer
2 %2/107	Close Team Rocket's Watchtower	1	DRI 180	Trainer
2 %2/107	Darkness Energy	2–3	MEE 7	Energy
2 %2/107	Close Legacy Energy	1	TWM 167	Energy
1 %1/107	Close Flutter Mane	1	TEF 78	Pokémon
1 %1/107	Close Iron Boulder ex	1	TEF 99	Pokémon
1 %1/107	Close Mew ex	1	30C 66	Pokémon
1 %1/107	Close Psyduck	1	ASC 39	Pokémon
1 %1/107	Close Dusk Ball	4	SSP 175	Trainer
1 %1/107	Close AZ's Tranquility	1	CRI 76	Trainer
1 %1/107	Close Battle Cage	1	PFL 85	Trainer
1 %1/107	Close Handheld Fan	1	TWM 150	Trainer
1 %1/107	Close Kieran	1	TWM 154	Trainer
1 %1/107	Close Wondrous Patch	1	PFL 94	Trainer
1 %1/107	Close Telepathic Psychic Energy	2	POR 88	Energy

The most common Latias ex / Mega Kangaskhan ex list, all 60 cards

Here they are in full, ready to build. 36 slots come from the core, the cards all 107 lists run. The remaining 24 come from the table just above, working down it: the cards the most players chose, each at its most common copy count, until the total lands on 60.

This list is nobody's list in particular. It takes, slot by slot, what the most people played, under the guardrails a judge would hold you to: never more than four copies of a card, and one ACE SPEC. Behind the core it took 15 more cards to reach 60. The whole thing comes to 19 Pokémon, 28 Trainers and 13 Energy.

One thing to know before you build it: the 107 lists we counted are all from players who came in the top twenty of their tournament. Nobody publishes the lists of the players who lost. So what you have in front of you is what the players finishing near the top bring most often.

The text under the table is the one the game expects: copy it, paste it into the deck manager, and the list builds itself.

Why we only read lists from players who came in the top twenty of their tournament, and what that changes about every percentage on this page: how to read a deck list.

Pokémon: 19
4 Mega Kangaskhan ex MEG 104
3 Meowth ex POR 62
2 Latias ex SSP 76
2 Lillie's Clefairy ex JTG 56
2 Teal Mask Ogerpon ex TWM 25
1 Fezandipiti ex ASC 142
1 Wellspring Mask Ogerpon ex TWM 64
1 Chien-Pao SSP 56
1 Iron Leaves ex TEF 25
1 Raging Bolt ex TEF 123
1 Iron Crown ex TEF 81

Trainer: 28
4 Energy Switch MEG 115
4 Ultra Ball MEG 131
3 Area Zero Underdepths SCR 131
2 Boss's Orders MEG 114
2 Night Stretcher ASC 196
1 Ciphermaniac's Codebreaking TEF 145
2 Cyrano SSP 170
4 Crispin SCR 133
1 Glass Trumpet SCR 135
1 Special Red Card CRI 82
1 Unfair Stamp TWM 165
3 Lillie's Determination MEG 119

Energy: 13
6 Grass Energy MEE 1
2 Psychic Energy MEE 5
1 Water Energy MEE 3
2 Fighting Energy MEE 6
2 Lightning Energy MEE 4

Total Cards: 60

Which decks beat Latias ex / Mega Kangaskhan ex at tournaments

Here is how Latias ex / Mega Kangaskhan ex did against every other deck at tournaments. Real games, real players sitting across the table from each other, and the platform those tournaments run on counts them one by one. All of them were played after 30th Celebration became legal for tournaments, and we read the table on 23 October 2026.

The format matters more than people think. When the next set lands, decks get rebuilt around the new cards, and a matchup that leaned one way can swing the other. What you are reading holds for today's format.

We start with the opponent that gives you the most trouble, because that is where the work is before your next tournament. The further down the list you go, the better it goes for you.

Always look at the number of games next to the score. Six wins out of ten happens on its own, even with a middling deck: it is the same as flipping six heads in ten tries. Six hundred out of a thousand, and luck has nothing to do with it. Below 100 games we show nothing at all, because at that count half the matchups look like they lean one way when they lean nowhere.

Against Teal Mask Ogerpon ex / Meganium / Hydrapple ex: over 221 games, 80 won and 133 lost. 8 ended with no winner.

Against Crustle: over 123 games, 48 won and 74 lost. One ended with no winner.

Against Dragapult ex / Blaziken ex: over 214 games, 101 won and 104 lost. 9 ended with no winner.

Against Slowking: over 341 games, 166 won and 173 lost. 2 ended with no winner.

Against Alakazam / Dudunsparce: over 276 games, 133 won and 139 lost. 4 ended with no winner.

Against Alakazam / Dusknoir: over 159 games, 74 won and 84 lost. One ended with no winner.

Against Dragapult ex: over 827 games, 443 won and 365 lost. 19 ended with no winner.

Against N's Zoroark ex: over 351 games, 182 won and 161 lost. 8 ended with no winner.

Against Mega Excadrill ex: over 208 games, 107 won and 99 lost. 2 ended with no winner.

Against Dragapult ex / Dusknoir: over 281 games, 150 won and 126 lost. 5 ended with no winner.

Against Mega Lucario ex / Hariyama: over 230 games, 124 won and 105 lost. One ended with no winner.

Against Mega Lopunny ex / Dudunsparce: over 169 games, 90 won and 79 lost.

Against Festival Lead: over 155 games, 83 won and 70 lost. 2 ended with no winner.

Against Mega Sharpedo ex / Toxtricity: over 185 games, 103 won and 77 lost. 5 ended with no winner.

Against Marnie's Grimmsnarl ex / Froslass: over 104 games, 56 won and 48 lost.

Against Dhelmise: over 314 games, 185 won and 127 lost. 2 ended with no winner.

Against Cynthia's Garchomp ex: over 111 games, 62 won and 49 lost.

Against Mega Lopunny ex / Dusknoir: over 110 games, 74 won and 35 lost. One ended with no winner.

How many different cards Latias ex / Mega Kangaskhan ex needs, and how long it will last

You need 77 different cards to cover every version of this deck, 13 of which nobody argues about. The rest is where lists differ from one another, and that is where you have room to choose.

All 107 lists bring an ACE SPEC, and that is where they part ways: 58 took Unfair Stamp, 27 took Prime Catcher and 20 took Hero's Cape. The flex table shows you all 4. You are allowed ONE ACE SPEC card in your whole deck, so a single copy covers it whatever it costs. New to this deck? Take Unfair Stamp and watch what the others do with theirs before you switch.

Then there is time. 6 of the 13 core cards carry the letter H, the one that goes at the next rotation: Latias ex, Teal Mask Ogerpon ex, Fezandipiti ex and Wellspring Mask Ogerpon ex, plus 2 more. The core table marks every one of them. In copies, that is 11 of the 36 slots the core fills. Which day it lands, we do not know yet.

What Latias ex / Mega Kangaskhan ex struggles against

The attackers in this deck are Weak to Darkness, Fighting and Lightning, so they take DOUBLE damage from those types. 41 of the 126 decks we track attack in exactly those types.

Concretely, here is what is waiting for you: N's Zoroark ex, Mega Lucario ex / Hariyama and Mega Sharpedo ex / Toxtricity, plus 38 more decks. The table below takes them one at a time, and those are the lists you practise against first before an event.

This table counts one thing, Weakness, and that comes to 41 decks out of the 126 we track. The other 85 do not attack into yours, and this table says nothing about them. You will still run into them.

Going the other way, your attackers are Psychic and Water, and 18 of the decks we track have an attacker Weak to one of those: Mega Lucario ex / Hariyama, Dragapult ex / Blaziken ex and Mega Lucario ex, among others. That is you doubling, for once. Second half of the table.