Toucannon

What Toucannon looks like when you open the box

Across the 95 lists we counted, this deck runs 17 to 26 Pokémon, 27 to 36 Trainers and 5 to 10 Energy. Its attacks do not ask for any particular type of Energy.

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

The bit they tack on the end, « PBL », is a set code: Pitch Black. They spell it out because several cards share that name, and this deck plays that particular printing.

Look at the Energy: 5 to 10 out of 60, when half the 126 decks we track run 11 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. Toucannon 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: 27 to 36 cards out of 60, against a median of 31 across the 126 decks we track. Inside that, 6 to 14 Supporters, and the rule there is strict — one a turn, even if you are holding three. The 12 to 23 Items you can play all of in the same turn. It also brings up to 4 Stadiums, and 88 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 card in this deck's name actually does

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

Toucannon is in all 95 lists, 3 copies of it. Its Ability is called Aerial Draw, and here is what is printed on it, word for word: « Once during your turn, you may use this Ability. Draw a card. »

How Toucannon actually wins

Toucannon attacks with Feather Rondo. It needs 1 Colorless Energy attached, and it has 150 HP. Watch the damage box: "60+" is not a total. Here is what the card prints, word for word: "This attack does 20 more damage for each Benched Pokémon (both yours and your opponent's)."

One Energy to attack is enormous, and it means the attack cost will never be what slows you down. What slows you down here is getting Toucannon up. Once the line is standing you swing every turn with nothing to recharge, and you can start again immediately when your attacker falls.

Energy is not your only clock. Pikipek has to climb two steps before it becomes Toucannon, 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 54 of the 95 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 Toucannon 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.

Not one ex Pokémon in the core, and only 27 of the 126 decks we track are in that position. It is a hidden advantage: every knockout your opponent takes is worth a single Prize, so they need 6, where 3 would do against a deck stuffed with ex cards.

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

Pokémon	HP	Attack	Damage	Cost	Weakness	Retreat
Close ToucannonStage 2	150	Feather Rondo	60+		Lightning ×2	2
Close TrumbeakStage 1	90	Fly	30		Lightning ×2	1
Close PikipekBasic	70	Double Stab	10×		Lightning ×2	1

The core: the 5 cards every list runs

These 5 cards appear in all 95 lists, without a single exception. That is 14 of the 60 slots. The other 46 are decided player by player.

Look at how those 14 slots break down: 5 Trainers, 9 Pokémon, 0 Energy. Pokémon dominate, which is unusual: this deck needs bodies on the board, and it depends on any single attacker less than it looks.

5 of those 5 cards do not sit at the same count from list to list: Pikipek (3 to 4), Toucannon (3 to 4) and Trumbeak (1 to 4), plus 2 more. Add those spreads up and you get 11 copies the 95 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
3–4	Close Pikipek	PBL 66	Pokémon
3–4	Close Toucannon	PBL 68	Pokémon
1–4	Close Trumbeak	PBL 67	Pokémon
1–4	Close Rare Candy	MEG 125	Trainer
1–4	Close Boss's Orders	MEG 114	Trainer

The 140 cards that change from list to list

140 cards fight over the 46 slots that are left: 5 above three lists in four, 111 below one in four, and the percentage on each row says how many players took it.

The most agreed on first: Buddy-Buddy Poffin at 99 %, Poké Pad at 99 % and Fan Rotom at 95 %, plus 2 more above 75 %. Add those to the core and you have the common build.

The dividing line runs through Sacred Ash, at 51 %: 48 of 95 players took it, 47 put something else there. The ones who run it bring 1 copy. Right at the bottom of the table, Latias ex (24 lists out of 95) and Lana's Aid (24 lists out of 95).

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
99 %94/95	Close Buddy-Buddy Poffin	1–4	TEF 144	Trainer
99 %94/95	Close Poké Pad	3–4	POR 81	Trainer
95 %90/95	Close Fan Rotom	1–2	SCR 118	Pokémon
89 %85/95	Close Lillie's Determination	1–4	MEG 119	Trainer
86 %82/95	Close Night Stretcher	1–3	ASC 196	Trainer
64 %61/95	Close Area Zero Underdepths	2–4	SCR 131	Trainer
59 %56/95	Close Noctowl	1–3	SCR 115	Pokémon
59 %56/95	Close Air Balloon	1–4	ASC 181	Trainer
58 %55/95	Close Hoothoot	1–3	SCR 114	Pokémon
57 %54/95	Close Dawn	1–4	PFL 87	Trainer
55 %52/95	Close Shaymin	1	DRI 10	Pokémon
53 %50/95	Close Ultra Ball	1–4	MEG 131	Trainer
51 %48/95	Close Sacred Ash	1–2	DRI 168	Trainer
45 %43/95	Close Fezandipiti ex	1	ASC 142	Pokémon
42 %40/95	Close Brave Bangle	1–2	WHT 80	Trainer
40 %38/95	Close Battle Cage	1–4	PFL 85	Trainer
38 %36/95	Close Special Red Card	1	CRI 82	Trainer
36 %34/95	Close Mist Energy	3–4	TEF 161	Energy
35 %33/95	Close Cornerstone Mask Ogerpon ex	1–2	TWM 112	Pokémon
35 %33/95	Fighting Energy	1–8	MEE 6	Energy
32 %30/95	Close Spiky Energy	3–4	JTG 159	Energy
31 %29/95	Water Energy	1–3	MEE 3	Energy
29 %28/95	Close Tatsugiri	1–2	TWM 131	Pokémon
29 %28/95	Close Crispin	1–4	SCR 133	Trainer
29 %28/95	Close Kieran	1–2	TWM 154	Trainer
29 %28/95	Close Legacy Energy	1	TWM 167	Energy
28 %27/95	Close Meowth ex	1	POR 62	Pokémon
27 %26/95	Close Maximum Belt	1	TEF 154	Trainer
26 %25/95	Close Fighting Gong	2–4	MEG 116	Trainer
25 %24/95	Close Latias ex	1	SSP 76	Pokémon
25 %24/95	Close Lana's Aid	1	TWM 155	Trainer
25 %24/95	Grass Energy	1–10	MEE 1	Energy
24 %23/95	Close Patrat	1	CRI 70	Pokémon
24 %23/95	Close Hassel	1–4	TWM 151	Trainer
23 %22/95	Close Genesect	1	SFA 40	Pokémon
23 %22/95	Close Wellspring Mask Ogerpon ex	1–3	TWM 64	Pokémon
23 %22/95	Psychic Energy	1–5	MEE 5	Energy
20 %19/95	Close Chien-Pao	1	SSP 56	Pokémon
19 %18/95	Close Lillie's Clefairy ex	1	JTG 56	Pokémon
19 %18/95	Close Hilda	1–4	WHT 84	Trainer
17 %16/95	Close Dusknoir	1–2	PRE 37	Pokémon
17 %16/95	Close Duskull	1–2	PRE 35	Pokémon
17 %16/95	Close Dusclops	1–2	PRE 36	Pokémon
17 %16/95	Close Glass Trumpet	1	SCR 135	Trainer
16 %15/95	Close Unfair Stamp	1	TWM 165	Trainer
16 %15/95	Fire Energy	1–4	MEE 2	Energy
14 %13/95	Close Dudunsparce	2–3	TEF 129	Pokémon
14 %13/95	Close Terapagos ex	1–3	SCR 128	Pokémon
14 %13/95	Close Prime Catcher	1	TEF 157	Trainer
14 %13/95	Lightning Energy	1–5	MEE 4	Energy
13 %12/95	Close Teal Mask Ogerpon ex	2–4	TWM 25	Pokémon
13 %12/95	Close Energy Switch	1–2	MEG 115	Trainer
12 %11/95	Close Energy Search	1–2	POR 72	Trainer
11 %10/95	Close Hoothoot	1–2	PRE 77	Pokémon
11 %10/95	Close Moltres	1	PFL 14	Pokémon
8 %8/95	Close Dunsparce	2–4	JTG 120	Pokémon
7 %7/95	Close Pikachu ex	1–2	SSP 57	Pokémon
6 %6/95	Close Budew	1–2	ASC 16	Pokémon
6 %6/95	Close Iron Leaves ex	1	TEF 25	Pokémon
6 %6/95	Close Psyduck	1	ASC 39	Pokémon
6 %6/95	Close Judge	1	POR 76	Trainer
5 %5/95	Close Dreepy	2–4	TWM 128	Pokémon
5 %5/95	Close Drakloak	2–4	TWM 129	Pokémon
5 %5/95	Close Dunsparce	2	TEF 128	Pokémon
5 %5/95	Close Pokégear 3.0	1–3	SVI 186	Trainer
5 %5/95	Close Black Belt's Training	1	JTG 143	Trainer
5 %5/95	Close Switch	1–2	MEG 130	Trainer
4 %4/95	Close Togekiss	1	SSP 72	Pokémon
4 %4/95	Close Togepi	1	SSP 70	Pokémon
4 %4/95	Close Tera Orb	1–2	SSP 189	Trainer
4 %4/95	Close Prism Energy	1	ASC 216	Energy
3 %3/95	Close Maractus	1	JTG 8	Pokémon
3 %3/95	Close Team Rocket's Petrel	1–4	DRI 176	Trainer
3 %3/95	Close Colress's Tenacity	1–2	SFA 57	Trainer
3 %3/95	Close Jamming Tower	1	TWM 153	Trainer
3 %3/95	Close Rosa's Encouragement	1	POR 84	Trainer
3 %3/95	Close Secret Box	1	TWM 163	Trainer
3 %3/95	Close Sparkling Crystal	1	SCR 142	Trainer
3 %3/95	Close Enriching Energy	1	SSP 191	Energy
3 %3/95	Close Rocky Fighting Energy	1–2	POR 87	Energy
2 %2/95	Close Dragapult ex	2–3	TWM 130	Pokémon
2 %2/95	Close Empoleon ex	3	PFL 70	Pokémon
2 %2/95	Close Piplup	3	PFL 27	Pokémon
2 %2/95	Close Solrock	2–3	MEG 75	Pokémon
2 %2/95	Close Lunatone	2	MEG 74	Pokémon
2 %2/95	Close Hoothoot	1	TEF 126	Pokémon
2 %2/95	Close Koraidon ex	1	ASC 121	Pokémon
2 %2/95	Close Mew ex	1	30C 66	Pokémon
2 %2/95	Close Prinplup	1	PFL 28	Pokémon
2 %2/95	Close Crushing Hammer	4	POR 71	Trainer
2 %2/95	Close AZ's Tranquility	2	CRI 76	Trainer
2 %2/95	Close Brock's Scouting	2	JTG 146	Trainer
2 %2/95	Close Dusk Ball	2	SSP 175	Trainer
2 %2/95	Close Full Metal Lab	2	TEF 148	Trainer
2 %2/95	Close Philippe	2	CRI 79	Trainer
2 %2/95	Close Pokémon Catcher	2	POR 82	Trainer
2 %2/95	Close Jumbo Ice Cream	1	PFL 91	Trainer
2 %2/95	Close Surfer	1	SSP 187	Trainer
2 %2/95	Close Team Rocket's Watchtower	1	DRI 180	Trainer
2 %2/95	Close Xerosic's Machinations	1	SFA 64	Trainer
2 %2/95	Metal Energy	8	MEE 8	Energy
1 %1/95	Close Swinub	4	JTG 77	Pokémon
1 %1/95	Close Buneary	3	PFL 83	Pokémon
1 %1/95	Close Mamoswine ex	3	JTG 79	Pokémon
1 %1/95	Close Arboliva ex	2	DRI 23	Pokémon
1 %1/95	Close Cinderace	2	MEG 28	Pokémon
1 %1/95	Close Dolliv	2	DRI 22	Pokémon
1 %1/95	Close Dragonair	2	ASC 151	Pokémon
1 %1/95	Close Dratini	2	ASC 150	Pokémon
1 %1/95	Close Mega Dragonite ex	2	ASC 152	Pokémon
1 %1/95	Close Mega Lopunny ex	2	PFL 84	Pokémon
1 %1/95	Close Piloswine	2	JTG 78	Pokémon
1 %1/95	Close Smoliv	2	DRI 21	Pokémon
1 %1/95	Close Bloodmoon Ursaluna ex	1	TWM 141	Pokémon
1 %1/95	Close Chi-Yu	1	TWM 39	Pokémon
1 %1/95	Close Deoxys	1	CRI 34	Pokémon
1 %1/95	Close Klinklang	1	SCR 101	Pokémon
1 %1/95	Close Rabsca	1	TEF 24	Pokémon
1 %1/95	Close Rellor	1	TEF 23	Pokémon
1 %1/95	Close Skarmory	1	PBL 60	Pokémon
1 %1/95	Close Ting-Lu	1	TWM 110	Pokémon
1 %1/95	Close Togetic	1	SSP 71	Pokémon
1 %1/95	Close Yveltal	1	30C 100	Pokémon
1 %1/95	Close Nighttime Mine	3	ASC 197	Trainer
1 %1/95	Close Team Rocket's Factory	3	DRI 173	Trainer
1 %1/95	Close Wally's Compassion	3	MEG 132	Trainer
1 %1/95	Close Gwynn	2	PBL 78	Trainer
1 %1/95	Close Handheld Fan	2	TWM 150	Trainer
1 %1/95	Close Levincia	2	JTG 150	Trainer
1 %1/95	Close Backtrack Badge	1	PBL 74	Trainer
1 %1/95	Close Deluxe Bomb	1	SCR 134	Trainer
1 %1/95	Close Forest of Vitality	1	MEG 117	Trainer
1 %1/95	Close Grand Tree	1	SCR 136	Trainer
1 %1/95	Close Hero's Cape	1	TEF 152	Trainer
1 %1/95	Close Lillie's Pearl	1	JTG 151	Trainer
1 %1/95	Close Poké Vital A	1	SFA 62	Trainer
1 %1/95	Close Powerglass	1	SFA 63	Trainer
1 %1/95	Close Tool Scrapper	1	ASC 212	Trainer
1 %1/95	Close Wondrous Patch	1	PFL 94	Trainer
1 %1/95	Close Telepathic Psychic Energy	3	POR 88	Energy

Which decks beat Toucannon at tournaments

Here is how Toucannon 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 24 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 Dragapult ex: over 106 games, 35 won and 69 lost. 2 ended with no winner.

How many different cards Toucannon needs, and how long it will last

You need 145 different cards to cover every version of this deck, 5 of which nobody argues about. The rest is where lists differ from one another, and that is where you have room to choose.

All 95 lists bring an ACE SPEC, and that is where they part ways: 28 took Legacy Energy, 26 took Maximum Belt and 15 took Unfair Stamp. The flex table shows you all 11. 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 Legacy Energy 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 5 core cards carries the letter H, the one that goes at the next rotation. This deck walks through the change whole.

What Toucannon struggles against

The attackers in this deck are Weak to Lightning, so they take DOUBLE damage from that type. 9 of the 126 decks we track attack in exactly that type.

Concretely, here is what is waiting for you: Mega Manectric ex / Eelektrik, Eelektrik and Iono's Bellibolt ex, plus 6 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 9 decks out of the 126 we track. The other 117 do not attack into yours, and this table says nothing about them. You will still run into them.

Going the other way, none of the 126 decks we track have an attacker Weak to your types. So you are not going to win trades on Weakness — you will have to win them on raw damage.