Decidueye ex deck: the core, the flex slots, and what beats it

What Decidueye ex looks like when you open the box

Across the 25 lists we counted, this deck runs 19 to 27 Pokémon, 26 to 32 Trainers and 5 to 11 Energy. Its attacks are paid for in Grass.

On results pages and on stream you will see it written « decidueye-ex ». Every card named in that label turns up in the tables below, which is what makes it a fair name for the deck.

Look at the Energy: 5 to 11 out of 60, when half the 97 decks we track run 10 or more. This one is lean. It lives on cheap attacks and leans on Trainers to find the right Energy at the right moment rather than stockpiling it.

It takes a while to set up. Decidueye ex is a Stage 2 Pokémon: you put down the baby, you evolve it, and then you evolve it again. Three cards stacked before anything attacks. That is what the hardest-hitting decks cost you, and it is also where they crack — a fast opponent can bury you before the line is standing.

Look at the Trainers: 26 to 32 cards out of 60, against a median of 31 across the 97 decks we track. Inside that, 9 to 15 Supporters, and the rule there is strict — one a turn, even if you are holding three. The 9 to 16 Items you can play all of in the same turn. It also brings up to 4 Stadiums, and 57 of the 97 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 card in this deck's name actually does

Decidueye ex gives this deck its name. Here is what is written on it.

Decidueye ex is in all 25 lists, 3 copies of it. Its Ability is called Sniper's Eye, and here is what is printed on it, word for word: « If your opponent has exactly 4 cards in their hand, ignore all {C} Energy in the costs of attacks used by this Pokémon. »

How Decidueye ex actually wins

Decidueye ex attacks with Crushing Arrow for 240. It needs 4 Energy, 1 Grass and 3 Colorless attached, and it has 320 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: "Discard an Energy from your opponent's Active Pokémon."

The cost of Crushing Arrow decides your first few turns. You only get to attach one Energy a turn, and that attack asks for 4. On your own attachments alone, your first real swing lands on turn 4. We have not found anything in this list that attaches Energy faster than that, so plan on holding out for 3 turns before you swing. Those turns still get played: you fill your Bench, you build your lines, and you keep something back to rebuild with when your attacker falls.

Energy is not your only clock. Rowlet has to climb two steps before it becomes Decidueye ex, and an evolution asleep at the bottom of your deck does you no good at all. The list has that covered. Dawn, which the list runs 4 of, goes into your deck for an evolution. Careful, though: only 23 of the 25 lists bring it, so it is a choice, and players are still arguing about it.

Here is the detail that quietly loses games. To pull Decidueye 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.

Decidueye ex carries the "ex" suffix, and your opponent takes 2 Prize cards instead of one when Decidueye ex falls. They need 6 to win: 3 well-placed knockouts on that card beat you, where it would take 6 anywhere else on your Bench.

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

Pokémon	HP	Attack	Damage	Cost	Weakness	Retreat
Close Decidueye exStage 2	320	Crushing Arrow	240	Grass + Colorless + Colorless + Colorless	Fire ×2	2
Close VivillonStage 2	120	Blow Through	60+	Grass	Fire ×2	1
Close DartrixStage 1	100	Leafage	20	Grass	Fire ×2	2

The core: the 7 cards every list runs

These 7 cards appear in all 25 lists, without a single exception. That is 22 of the 60 slots. The other 38 are decided player by player.

Look at how those 22 slots break down: 10 Trainers, 8 Pokémon, 4 Energy. Nothing stands out in that split. What sets this deck apart is how thick its core is: 22 of the 60 slots are the same for everybody, when half the 97 decks we track fix 34 or more. This one leaves more room than most, and two players can build it very differently.

7 of those 7 cards do not sit at the same count from list to list: Dartrix (2 to 4), Decidueye ex (3 to 4) and Vivillon (2 to 4), plus 4 more. Add those spreads up and you get 17 copies the 25 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
2–4	Close Dartrix	POR 11	Pokémon
3–4	Close Decidueye ex	POR 12	Pokémon
2–4	Close Vivillon	POR 9	Pokémon
3–4	Close Forest of Vitality	MEG 117	Trainer
2–4	Close Lillie's Determination	MEG 119	Trainer
1–2	Close Boss's Orders	MEG 114	Trainer
1–9	Grass Energy	MEE 1	Energy

The 62 cards that change from list to list

62 cards fight over the 38 slots that are left: 8 above three lists in four, 37 below one in four, and the percentage on each row says how many players took it.

The most agreed on first: Bug Catching Set at 96 %, Dawn at 92 % and Poké Pad at 88 %, plus 5 more above 75 %. Add those to the core and you have the common build.

The dividing line runs through Colress's Tenacity, at 52 %: 13 of 25 players took it, 12 put something else there. The ones who run it bring 1 copy. Right at the bottom of the table, Spewpa (6 lists out of 25) and Celebi (6 lists out of 25).

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
96 %24/25	Close Bug Catching Set	1–4	TWM 143	Trainer
92 %23/25	Close Dawn	1–4	PFL 87	Trainer
88 %22/25	Close Poké Pad	2–4	POR 81	Trainer
84 %21/25	Close Relicanth	1–2	TEF 84	Pokémon
84 %21/25	Close Growing Grass Energy	1–4	POR 86	Energy
80 %20/25	Close Night Stretcher	1–4	ASC 196	Trainer
76 %19/25	Close Rowlet	1–4	SFA 3	Pokémon
76 %19/25	Close Spewpa	2–3	POR 8	Pokémon
72 %18/25	Close Hilda	1–2	WHT 84	Trainer
68 %17/25	Close Fezandipiti ex	1	ASC 142	Pokémon
64 %16/25	Close Scatterbug	1–4	SSP 5	Pokémon
64 %16/25	Close Buddy-Buddy Poffin	1–4	TEF 144	Trainer
56 %14/25	Close Ultra Ball	1–3	MEG 131	Trainer
52 %13/25	Close Colress's Tenacity	1–2	SFA 57	Trainer
52 %13/25	Close Ignition Energy	1–2	WHT 86	Energy
48 %12/25	Close Meowth ex	1–2	POR 62	Pokémon
48 %12/25	Close Judge	1–4	POR 76	Trainer
44 %11/25	Close Rowlet	1–4	POR 10	Pokémon
44 %11/25	Close Air Balloon	1–2	ASC 181	Trainer
44 %11/25	Close Max Rod	1	PRE 116	Trainer
40 %10/25	Close Scatterbug	1–3	POR 7	Pokémon
40 %10/25	Close Shaymin	1	DRI 10	Pokémon
36 %9/25	Close Dudunsparce	2	TEF 129	Pokémon
36 %9/25	Close Budew	1–2	ASC 16	Pokémon
28 %7/25	Close Dunsparce	2–3	JTG 120	Pokémon
24 %6/25	Close Spewpa	2–3	SSP 6	Pokémon
24 %6/25	Close Celebi	1–3	MEG 12	Pokémon
24 %6/25	Close Decidueye	1	SFA 5	Pokémon
24 %6/25	Close Team Rocket's Petrel	1–2	DRI 176	Trainer
16 %4/25	Close Patrat	1	CRI 70	Pokémon
16 %4/25	Close Psyduck	1	ASC 39	Pokémon
16 %4/25	Close Rabsca	1	TEF 24	Pokémon
16 %4/25	Close Hero's Cape	1	TEF 152	Trainer
16 %4/25	Close Sacred Ash	1	DRI 168	Trainer
16 %4/25	Close Secret Box	1	TWM 163	Trainer
16 %4/25	Close Switch	1–2	MEG 130	Trainer
12 %3/25	Close Rellor	1	DRI 24	Pokémon
12 %3/25	Close Rare Candy	2–4	MEG 125	Trainer
12 %3/25	Close Gwynn	1–3	PBL 78	Trainer
12 %3/25	Close Brock's Scouting	1	JTG 146	Trainer
12 %3/25	Close Energy Search	1–2	POR 72	Trainer
12 %3/25	Close Lana's Aid	1	TWM 155	Trainer
8 %2/25	Close Dunsparce	2	TEF 128	Pokémon
8 %2/25	Close Crushing Hammer	2	POR 71	Trainer
8 %2/25	Close Handheld Fan	1	TWM 150	Trainer
8 %2/25	Close Maximum Belt	1	TEF 154	Trainer
8 %2/25	Close Enriching Energy	1	SSP 191	Energy
4 %1/25	Close Cottonee	2	WHT 4	Pokémon
4 %1/25	Close Teal Mask Ogerpon ex	2	TWM 25	Pokémon
4 %1/25	Close Arboliva ex	1	DRI 23	Pokémon
4 %1/25	Close Dolliv	1	DRI 22	Pokémon
4 %1/25	Close Rellor	1	TEF 23	Pokémon
4 %1/25	Close Smoliv	1	DRI 21	Pokémon
4 %1/25	Close Tatsugiri	1	TWM 131	Pokémon
4 %1/25	Close Whimsicott ex	1	WHT 5	Pokémon
4 %1/25	Close Brave Bangle	2	WHT 80	Trainer
4 %1/25	Close Battle Cage	1	PFL 85	Trainer
4 %1/25	Close Cyrano	1	SSP 170	Trainer
4 %1/25	Close Iris's Fighting Spirit	1	JTG 149	Trainer
4 %1/25	Close Prime Catcher	1	TEF 157	Trainer
4 %1/25	Close Special Red Card	1	CRI 82	Trainer
4 %1/25	Close Legacy Energy	1	TWM 167	Energy

What Decidueye ex costs to build, and how long it will last

You need 69 different cards to cover every version of this deck, 7 of which nobody argues about. We do not have card prices, so we are not going to put a number on it.

All 25 lists bring an ACE SPEC, and that is where they part ways: 11 took Max Rod, 4 took Hero's Cape and 4 took Secret Box. The flex table shows you all 7. 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 Max Rod and watch what the others do with theirs before you switch.

Then there is time, and the answer is a good one: not one of the 7 core cards carries the letter H, the one that goes at the next rotation. This deck walks through the change whole.

What Decidueye ex struggles against

The attackers in this deck are Weak to Fire, so they take DOUBLE damage from that type. 10 of the 97 decks we track attack in exactly that type.

Concretely, here is what is waiting for you: Dragapult ex / Blaziken ex, Ethan's Typhlosion and Ceruledge ex, plus 7 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 10 decks out of the 97 we track. The other 87 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 Grass, and 18 of the decks we track have an attacker Weak to one of those: N's Zoroark ex, Marnie's Grimmsnarl ex / Froslass and Mega Lucario ex, among others. That is you doubling, for once. Second half of the table.

Questions people ask

What is the Decidueye ex deck list?

There isn't one. Across 25 tournament lists harvested between 16 August 2026 and 29 August 2026, 7 cards turn up in every single one, 22 slots out of 60. The remaining 38 change from player to player, with 62 different cards competing for them. Both tables are above.

How many lists is this counted on, and where do they come from?

25 lists, played across 24 different tournaments, harvested between 16 August 2026 and 29 August 2026 from play.limitlesstcg.com. All 25 were read card by card, and every card recognised.

Where do I start if I want to build Decidueye ex?

With the whole core: 7 cards, 22 slots. Inside it, buy the 10 Trainer slots and the 4 Energy first: they carry over into your next deck. Leave the 8 Pokémon slots for last. Only then work down the flex table and add the cards the most lists agree on, starting with Bug Catching Set at 96 % and Dawn at 92 %.

What beats Decidueye ex?

Its attackers are Weak to Fire, so they take double damage from an attacker of that type. 10 of the 97 decks we track play an attacker of that type: Dragapult ex / Blaziken ex, Ethan's Typhlosion, Ceruledge ex and Blaziken / N's Zoroark ex, among others.

Will Decidueye ex survive the next rotation?

Yes, whole: not one of the 7 core cards carries the letter H. At equal price, that is the argument that should settle where your money goes.

Are a lot of people playing Decidueye ex?

We have read 25 lists of it, which puts it 63rd of the 97 decks we track by lists read. The platform those tournaments run on counts 37 entries for it, 0.09 % of the field, across all its players. That figure is theirs.

These pages are about the same corner of the game. If you came away from this one still wondering about something, start with one of them.