Wailord ex

What Wailord ex looks like when you open the box

Across the 41 lists we counted, this deck runs 10 to 22 Pokémon, 28 to 38 Trainers and 10 to 16 Energy. Its attacks are paid for in Water.

On results pages and on stream you will see it written « wailord-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: 10 to 16 out of 60, when half the 125 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.

It sets up fast. Wailord ex is a Stage 1 Pokémon: a Basic, one evolution on top, and you are attacking. Two cards instead of three. You lose fewer turns building, and you rebuild much more easily when an early knockout lands on you.

Look at the Trainers: 28 to 38 cards out of 60, against a median of 31 across the 125 decks we track. Inside that, 10 to 20 Supporters, and the rule there is strict — one a turn, even if you are holding three. The 9 to 21 Items you can play all of in the same turn. It also brings up to 3 Stadiums, and 118 of the 125 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.

How Wailord ex actually wins

Wailord ex attacks with Falling Down for 270. It needs 5 Water Energy attached, and it has 380 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: "This Pokémon is now Asleep."

The cost of Falling Down decides your first few turns. You only get to attach one Energy a turn, and that attack asks for 5. On your own attachments alone, your first real swing lands on turn 5. Except you are not on your own. Misty's Vitality, which the list runs 3 of, goes into your deck for Energy and attaches it. That is where this deck buys its turns, and it is the first thing to look for in your opening hand.

Energy is not your only clock. Wailmer has to climb a step before it becomes Wailord ex, and an evolution asleep at the bottom of your deck does you no good at all. The list has that covered. Hilda, which the list runs 2 of, goes into your deck for an evolution. Careful, though: only 24 of the 41 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 Wailord ex back to the Bench you have to discard 4 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 4 Energy you spent 4 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.

Wailord ex carries the "ex" suffix, and your opponent takes 2 Prize cards instead of one when Wailord 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 Wailord exStage 1	380	Falling Down	270		Lightning ×2	4
Close WailmerBasic	130	Wave Splash	80		Lightning ×2	4

The core: the 8 cards every list runs

These 8 cards appear in all 41 lists, without a single exception. That is 32 of the 60 slots. The other 28 are decided player by player.

Look at how those 32 slots break down: 13 Trainers, 7 Pokémon, 12 Energy. Nothing stands out in that split. What sets this deck apart is how thick its core is: 32 of the 60 slots are the same for everybody, when half the 125 decks we track fix 26 or fewer. Fewer choices left to you than usual, and fewer ways to get them wrong.

8 of those 8 cards do not sit at the same count from list to list: Wailmer (3 to 4), Wailord ex (3 to 4) and Lillie's Determination (2 to 4), plus 5 more. Add those spreads up and you get 19 copies the 41 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 Wailmer	PBL 15	Pokémon
3–4	Close Wailord ex	PBL 16	Pokémon
2–4	Close Lillie's Determination	MEG 119	Trainer
2–4	Close Poké Pad	POR 81	Trainer
1–4	Close Misty's Vitality	PBL 80	Trainer
1–4	Close Boss's Orders	MEG 114	Trainer
6–10	Water Energy	MEE 3	Energy
1–4	Close Bubbly Water Energy	CRI 84	Energy

The 87 cards that change from list to list

87 cards fight over the 28 slots that are left: 4 above three lists in four, 70 below one in four, and the percentage on each row says how many players took it.

The most agreed on first: Ultra Ball at 93 %, Heavy Baton at 90 % and Jumbo Ice Cream at 85 %, plus 1 more above 75 %. Add those to the core and you have the common build.

The dividing line runs through Team Rocket's Petrel, at 54 %: 22 of 41 players took it, 19 put something else there. The ones who run it bring 4 copies. Right at the bottom of the table, Great Haul Net (9 lists out of 41) and Switch (8 lists out of 41).

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 %38/41	Close Ultra Ball	1–4	MEG 131	Trainer
90 %37/41	Close Heavy Baton	1–3	TEF 151	Trainer
85 %35/41	Close Jumbo Ice Cream	1–4	PFL 91	Trainer
80 %33/41	Close Surfing Beach	1–3	MEG 129	Trainer
71 %29/41	Close Night Stretcher	1–2	ASC 196	Trainer
63 %26/41	Close Pokégear 3.0	2–4	SVI 186	Trainer
59 %24/41	Close Hilda	1–3	WHT 84	Trainer
54 %22/41	Close Team Rocket's Petrel	1–4	DRI 176	Trainer
37 %15/41	Close Cinderace	3–4	MEG 28	Pokémon
37 %15/41	Close Dudunsparce	1–3	TEF 129	Pokémon
37 %15/41	Close Meowth ex	1–2	POR 62	Pokémon
37 %15/41	Close Hero's Cape	1	TEF 152	Trainer
29 %12/41	Close Munkidori	3–4	TWM 95	Pokémon
29 %12/41	Close Dunsparce	2–3	JTG 120	Pokémon
29 %12/41	Close Secret Box	1	TWM 163	Trainer
29 %12/41	Darkness Energy	2–4	MEE 7	Energy
27 %11/41	Close Special Red Card	1	CRI 82	Trainer
22 %9/41	Close Great Haul Net	1–2	CRI 78	Trainer
20 %8/41	Close Switch	1–4	MEG 130	Trainer
20 %8/41	Close Crispin	1–3	SCR 133	Trainer
17 %7/41	Close Ninetales	2–3	CRI 9	Pokémon
17 %7/41	Close Vulpix	2–3	CRI 8	Pokémon
17 %7/41	Close Buddy-Buddy Poffin	2–3	TEF 144	Trainer
17 %7/41	Fire Energy	2–3	MEE 2	Energy
15 %6/41	Close Air Balloon	1–3	ASC 181	Trainer
15 %6/41	Close Energy Recycler	1–2	DRI 164	Trainer
12 %5/41	Close Psyduck	1	ASC 39	Pokémon
12 %5/41	Close Judge	1–2	POR 76	Trainer
12 %5/41	Close Precious Trolley	1	SSP 185	Trainer
10 %4/41	Close Wailord	1–2	JTG 41	Pokémon
10 %4/41	Close Xerosic's Machinations	1–2	SFA 64	Trainer
10 %4/41	Close Kieran	1–2	TWM 154	Trainer
10 %4/41	Close Maximum Belt	1	TEF 154	Trainer
7 %3/41	Close Mega Kangaskhan ex	4	MEG 104	Pokémon
7 %3/41	Close Dunsparce	1–3	TEF 128	Pokémon
7 %3/41	Close Alomomola	1	BLK 24	Pokémon
7 %3/41	Close Lana's Aid	1	TWM 155	Trainer
7 %3/41	Close Prime Catcher	1	TEF 157	Trainer
5 %2/41	Close Snorunt	1–3	ASC 46	Pokémon
5 %2/41	Close Dewgong	1–2	POR 19	Pokémon
5 %2/41	Close Mega Froslass ex	1–2	ASC 47	Pokémon
5 %2/41	Close Seel	1–2	POR 18	Pokémon
5 %2/41	Close Fezandipiti ex	1	ASC 142	Pokémon
5 %2/41	Close AZ's Tranquility	1–2	CRI 76	Trainer
5 %2/41	Close Battle Cage	1–2	PFL 85	Trainer
5 %2/41	Close Brock's Scouting	2	JTG 146	Trainer
5 %2/41	Close Gwynn	2	PBL 78	Trainer
5 %2/41	Close Super Potion	1–2	JTG 158	Trainer
5 %2/41	Close Handheld Fan	1	TWM 150	Trainer
2 %1/41	Close Froakie	3	CRI 20	Pokémon
2 %1/41	Close Amaura	2	POR 23	Pokémon
2 %1/41	Close Aurorus	2	POR 24	Pokémon
2 %1/41	Close Budew	2	ASC 16	Pokémon
2 %1/41	Close Drakloak	2	TWM 129	Pokémon
2 %1/41	Close Dreepy	2	TWM 128	Pokémon
2 %1/41	Close Fan Rotom	2	SCR 118	Pokémon
2 %1/41	Close Feebas	2	SSP 41	Pokémon
2 %1/41	Close Frogadier	2	CRI 21	Pokémon
2 %1/41	Close Mega Greninja ex	2	CRI 22	Pokémon
2 %1/41	Close Clauncher	1	MEG 37	Pokémon
2 %1/41	Close Clawitzer	1	MEG 38	Pokémon
2 %1/41	Close Dudunsparce ex	1	JTG 121	Pokémon
2 %1/41	Close Glalie	1	TWM 52	Pokémon
2 %1/41	Close Keldeo	1	CRI 19	Pokémon
2 %1/41	Close Latias ex	1	SSP 76	Pokémon
2 %1/41	Close Milotic ex	1	SSP 42	Pokémon
2 %1/41	Close Moltres	1	PFL 14	Pokémon
2 %1/41	Close Shaymin	1	DRI 10	Pokémon
2 %1/41	Close Snorlax	1	POR 63	Pokémon
2 %1/41	Close Team Rocket's Articuno	1	DRI 51	Pokémon
2 %1/41	Close Antique Sail Fossil	2	POR 69	Trainer
2 %1/41	Close Call Bell	2	SSP 165	Trainer
2 %1/41	Close Dark Bell	2	PBL 75	Trainer
2 %1/41	Close Energy Switch	2	MEG 115	Trainer
2 %1/41	Close Enhanced Hammer	2	TWM 148	Trainer
2 %1/41	Close Lumiose City	2	POR 77	Trainer
2 %1/41	Close Rare Candy	2	MEG 125	Trainer
2 %1/41	Close Team Rocket's Factory	2	DRI 173	Trainer
2 %1/41	Close Acerola's Mischief	1	MEG 113	Trainer
2 %1/41	Close Bianca's Devotion	1	TEF 142	Trainer
2 %1/41	Close Energy Coin	1	BLK 81	Trainer
2 %1/41	Close Lucian	1	TWM 157	Trainer
2 %1/41	Close Poké Vital A	1	SFA 62	Trainer
2 %1/41	Close Ruffian	1	JTG 157	Trainer
2 %1/41	Close Salvatore	1	TEF 160	Trainer
2 %1/41	Close Tool Scrapper	1	ASC 212	Trainer
2 %1/41	Close Prism Energy	2	ASC 216	Energy

The most common Wailord ex list, all 60 cards

Here they are in full, ready to build. 32 slots come from the core, the cards all 41 lists run. The remaining 28 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 9 more cards to reach 60. The whole thing comes to 11 Pokémon, 37 Trainers and 12 Energy.

One thing to know before you build it: the 41 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.

One thing to fix before you play: there is no ACE SPEC card in these 60. Players split that slot so many ways that none of their cards climbed high enough to get in, and 40 of the 41 lists carry one. Take Hero's Cape, the most chosen, and drop a card from the bottom of the table to make room.

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: 11
4 Wailmer PBL 15
3 Wailord ex PBL 16
4 Cinderace MEG 28

Trainer: 37
4 Lillie's Determination MEG 119
4 Poké Pad POR 81
3 Misty's Vitality PBL 80
2 Boss's Orders MEG 114
4 Ultra Ball MEG 131
2 Heavy Baton TEF 151
4 Jumbo Ice Cream PFL 91
2 Surfing Beach MEG 129
2 Night Stretcher ASC 196
4 Pokégear 3.0 SVI 186
2 Hilda WHT 84
4 Team Rocket's Petrel DRI 176

Energy: 12
8 Water Energy MEE 3
4 Bubbly Water Energy CRI 84

Total Cards: 60

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

You need 95 different cards to cover every version of this deck, 8 of which nobody argues about. The rest is where lists differ from one another, and that is where you have room to choose.

40 of these 41 lists bring an ACE SPEC, and that is where they part ways: 15 took Hero's Cape, 12 took Secret Box and 5 took Precious Trolley. The flex table shows you all 6. 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 Hero's Cape 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 8 core cards carries the letter H, the one that goes at the next rotation. This deck walks through the change whole.

What Wailord ex struggles against

The attackers in this deck are Weak to Lightning, so they take DOUBLE damage from that type. 9 of the 125 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 125 we track. The other 116 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 Water, and 13 of the decks we track have an attacker Weak to one of those: Dragapult ex / Blaziken ex, Ethan's Typhlosion and Ceruledge ex, among others. That is you doubling, for once. Second half of the table.