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

What Wailord ex looks like when you open the box

Across the 26 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 97 decks we track run 10 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 97 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 91 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.

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 4 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 15 of the 26 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	Water + Water + Water + Water + Water	Lightning ×2	4
Close WailmerBasic	130	Wave Splash	80	Water + Water + Water	Lightning ×2	4

The core: the 8 cards every list runs

These 8 cards appear in all 26 lists, without a single exception. That is 33 of the 60 slots. The other 27 are decided player by player.

Look at how those 33 slots break down: 14 Trainers, 7 Pokémon, 12 Energy. Nothing stands out in that split. What sets this deck apart is how thick its core is: 33 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.

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 18 copies the 26 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
1–4	Close Misty's Vitality	PBL 80	Trainer
2–4	Close Poké Pad	POR 81	Trainer
2–4	Close Boss's Orders	MEG 114	Trainer
6–10	Water Energy	MEE 3	Energy
1–4	Close Bubbly Water Energy	CRI 84	Energy

The 69 cards that change from list to list

69 cards fight over the 27 slots that are left: 4 above three lists in four, 54 below one in four, and the percentage on each row says how many players took it.

The most agreed on first: Jumbo Ice Cream at 92 %, Heavy Baton at 92 % and Ultra Ball at 88 %, plus 1 more above 75 %. Add those to the core and you have the common build.

The dividing line runs through Pokégear 3.0, at 58 %: 15 of 26 players took it, 11 put something else there. The ones who run it bring 4 copies. Right at the bottom of the table, Switch (6 lists out of 26) and Meowth ex (5 lists out of 26).

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
92 %24/26	Close Jumbo Ice Cream	1–4	PFL 91	Trainer
92 %24/26	Close Heavy Baton	1–3	TEF 151	Trainer
88 %23/26	Close Ultra Ball	1–4	MEG 131	Trainer
77 %20/26	Close Surfing Beach	1–3	MEG 129	Trainer
65 %17/26	Close Team Rocket's Petrel	1–4	DRI 176	Trainer
62 %16/26	Close Night Stretcher	1–2	ASC 196	Trainer
58 %15/26	Close Pokégear 3.0	2–4	SVI 186	Trainer
58 %15/26	Close Hilda	1–3	WHT 84	Trainer
42 %11/26	Close Dudunsparce	1–3	TEF 129	Pokémon
35 %9/26	Close Cinderace	3–4	MEG 28	Pokémon
35 %9/26	Close Dunsparce	2–3	JTG 120	Pokémon
31 %8/26	Close Hero's Cape	1	TEF 152	Trainer
31 %8/26	Close Secret Box	1	TWM 163	Trainer
27 %7/26	Close Munkidori	3–4	TWM 95	Pokémon
27 %7/26	Darkness Energy	2–4	MEE 7	Energy
23 %6/26	Close Switch	1–4	MEG 130	Trainer
19 %5/26	Close Meowth ex	1	POR 62	Pokémon
19 %5/26	Close Crispin	1–2	SCR 133	Trainer
19 %5/26	Close Energy Recycler	1–2	DRI 164	Trainer
19 %5/26	Close Special Red Card	1	CRI 82	Trainer
15 %4/26	Close Ninetales	2	CRI 9	Pokémon
15 %4/26	Close Vulpix	2–3	CRI 8	Pokémon
15 %4/26	Close Buddy-Buddy Poffin	2–3	TEF 144	Trainer
15 %4/26	Close Air Balloon	1–3	ASC 181	Trainer
15 %4/26	Close Great Haul Net	1–2	CRI 78	Trainer
15 %4/26	Close Maximum Belt	1	TEF 154	Trainer
15 %4/26	Close Precious Trolley	1	SSP 185	Trainer
15 %4/26	Fire Energy	2–3	MEE 2	Energy
12 %3/26	Close Mega Kangaskhan ex	4	MEG 104	Pokémon
12 %3/26	Close Wailord	1–2	JTG 41	Pokémon
8 %2/26	Close Dunsparce	1–3	TEF 128	Pokémon
8 %2/26	Close Psyduck	1	ASC 39	Pokémon
8 %2/26	Close Brock's Scouting	2	JTG 146	Trainer
8 %2/26	Close Judge	1–2	POR 76	Trainer
8 %2/26	Close Xerosic's Machinations	1–2	SFA 64	Trainer
8 %2/26	Close Handheld Fan	1	TWM 150	Trainer
4 %1/26	Close Froakie	3	CRI 20	Pokémon
4 %1/26	Close Snorunt	3	ASC 46	Pokémon
4 %1/26	Close Amaura	2	POR 23	Pokémon
4 %1/26	Close Aurorus	2	POR 24	Pokémon
4 %1/26	Close Budew	2	ASC 16	Pokémon
4 %1/26	Close Dewgong	2	POR 19	Pokémon
4 %1/26	Close Drakloak	2	TWM 129	Pokémon
4 %1/26	Close Dreepy	2	TWM 128	Pokémon
4 %1/26	Close Frogadier	2	CRI 21	Pokémon
4 %1/26	Close Mega Froslass ex	2	ASC 47	Pokémon
4 %1/26	Close Mega Greninja ex	2	CRI 22	Pokémon
4 %1/26	Close Seel	2	POR 18	Pokémon
4 %1/26	Close Alomomola	1	BLK 24	Pokémon
4 %1/26	Close Keldeo	1	CRI 19	Pokémon
4 %1/26	Close Latias ex	1	SSP 76	Pokémon
4 %1/26	Close Moltres	1	PFL 14	Pokémon
4 %1/26	Close Shaymin	1	DRI 10	Pokémon
4 %1/26	Close Antique Sail Fossil	2	POR 69	Trainer
4 %1/26	Close Call Bell	2	SSP 165	Trainer
4 %1/26	Close Dark Bell	2	PBL 75	Trainer
4 %1/26	Close Energy Switch	2	MEG 115	Trainer
4 %1/26	Close Gwynn	2	PBL 78	Trainer
4 %1/26	Close Rare Candy	2	MEG 125	Trainer
4 %1/26	Close Super Potion	2	JTG 158	Trainer
4 %1/26	Close Team Rocket's Factory	2	DRI 173	Trainer
4 %1/26	Close Acerola's Mischief	1	MEG 113	Trainer
4 %1/26	Close AZ's Tranquility	1	CRI 76	Trainer
4 %1/26	Close Battle Cage	1	PFL 85	Trainer
4 %1/26	Close Bianca's Devotion	1	TEF 142	Trainer
4 %1/26	Close Lana's Aid	1	TWM 155	Trainer
4 %1/26	Close Lucian	1	TWM 157	Trainer
4 %1/26	Close Poké Vital A	1	SFA 62	Trainer
4 %1/26	Close Prism Energy	2	ASC 216	Energy

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

You need 77 different cards to cover every version of this deck, 8 of which nobody argues about. We do not have card prices, so we are not going to put a number on it.

25 of these 26 lists bring an ACE SPEC, and that is where they part ways: 8 took Hero's Cape, 8 took Secret Box and 4 took Maximum Belt. The flex table shows you all 5. 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. 5 of the 97 decks we track attack in exactly that type.

Concretely, here is what is waiting for you: Mega Manectric ex / Eelektrik, Iono's Bellibolt ex and Joltik, plus 2 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 5 decks out of the 97 we track. The other 92 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 10 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.

Questions people ask

What is the Wailord ex deck list?

There isn't one. Across 26 tournament lists harvested between 16 August 2026 and 1 September 2026, 8 cards turn up in every single one, 33 slots out of 60. The remaining 27 change from player to player, with 69 different cards competing for them. Both tables are above.

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

26 lists, played across 22 different tournaments, harvested between 16 August 2026 and 1 September 2026 from play.limitlesstcg.com. All 26 were read card by card, and every card recognised.

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

With the whole core: 8 cards, 33 slots. Inside it, buy the 14 Trainer slots and the 12 Energy first: they carry over into your next deck. Leave the 7 Pokémon slots for last. Only then work down the flex table and add the cards the most lists agree on, starting with Jumbo Ice Cream at 92 % and Heavy Baton at 92 %.

What beats Wailord ex?

Its attackers are Weak to Lightning, so they take double damage from an attacker of that type. 5 of the 97 decks we track play an attacker of that type: Mega Manectric ex / Eelektrik, Iono's Bellibolt ex, Joltik and Raging Bolt ex / Iono's Bellibolt ex, among others.

Will Wailord ex survive the next rotation?

Yes, whole: not one of the 8 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 Wailord ex?

We have read 26 lists of it, which puts it 61st of the 97 decks we track by lists read. The platform those tournaments run on counts 36 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.