Dragapult ex Deck List and Guide from Twilight Masquerade

Right now, the most hotly anticipated deck to come out of Twilight Masquerade is likely Dragapult ex. It’s seen phenomenal success in Japan already, and the card is just really strong all around. In this guide, let’s take a look at a deck that won first place at a tournament already, and go into what makes it so good.

Dragapult ex Deck List

*1st Place City League Kanagawa 04/29 - ウル*

Pokémon: 20
4 Dreepy SV6 79
4 Drakloak SV6 80
3 Dragapult ex SV6 81
2 Natu PAF 25
2 Xatu PAF 26
1 Manaphy BRS 41
1 Tatsugiri SV6 82
1 Rotom V CRZ 45
1 Lumineon V BRS 40
1 Radiant Alakazam SIT 59
Trainer: 33
4 Arven OBF 186
3 Iono PAF 80
2 Boss's Orders PAL 172
4 Buddy-Buddy Poffin TEF 144
3 Ultra Ball PAF 91
3 Nest Ball PAF 84
2 Earthen Vessel PAR 163
2 Rare Candy PAF 89
1 Counter Catcher PAR 160
1 Super Rod PAL 188
1 Scoop Up Cyclone PLB 95
1 Forest Seal Stone SIT 156
1 Technical Machine: Devolution PAR 177
1 Technical Machine: Evolution PAR 178
1 Rescue Board TEF 159
1 Handy Fan SV6 95
2 Temple of Sinnoh ASR 155
Energy: 7
4 Psychic Energy 5
3 Fire Energy 2

Deck Breakdown by Card Type

How the Dragapult ex deck works

Looking for a fast deck that gets out the gate firing turn one or two? Dragapult ex is not that deck. Indeed, this deck requires some significant investment in time to set up. However, once that set up is complete, you can reap its many benefits that serve to make this deck top tier. Among those is the combination of 200 damage output combined with an impressive effect that dishes out additional damage to Pokemon that your opponent has in play.

As if that attack weren’t broken enough, Dragapult ex also benefits from unusually high HP, and the fact that it has no weakness thanks to its Draconic typing. If you were looking for an attacker to put the Charizard ex dominated meta at bay, Dragapult ex is that card.

Powerful support Pokemon enhance Dragapult ex’s effectiveness

Dragapult ex is able to take advantage of a range of powerful support Pokemon that makes this deck’s job easier. These Pokemon include Radiant Alakazam, Tatsugiri, Rotom V, and even the underrated Xatu from Paradox Rift. Let’s get into each of these supporting Pokemon and how they benefit your strategy.

If you are playing a deck that does strategic damage to Pokemon, chances are you might be running Radiant Alakazam. This card is insanely good at taking key knockouts against benched Pokemon by helping you move damage around conveniently to take selective knockouts against benched Pokemon, or even active ones. Use it in tandem with Dragapult’s Phantom Dive to set up and take multiple KOs in a single turn.

Tatsugiri is going to be your most powerful support Pokemon early on in the game. You are going to use this rockstar to search the top cards of your deck for a supporter card – the strongest of these being Arven. With Arven, you can pull a rare candy from your deck which makes getting a Dragapult ex into play much easier. Additionally this deck runs a range of Pokemon Tools Arven can search for you that help offset your opponent, ease your retreat cost, and more.

Xatu here is used to ease the burden of energy acceleration, making it easier to get energies onto your Dragapult and allowing you to draw extra cards in a turn.

Rotom V is a card that’s seen a lot of success in the powerhouse Charizard ex deck, enabling you to add an extra three cards into your hand. Because this deck requires so much setup, Rotom V is an ideal benchwarmer early in the game, helping you grab incremental cards from your deck that you can use the next turn to get your ultimate setup down.

Last but not least this deck also runs one Lumineon V which can be used in scenarios where it’s not practical to use Tastugiri. With Lumineon V you can choose any supporter from your entire deck and add that card to your hand.

Dragapult ex is not Rare Candy Dependent

While Rare Candy may be a handy tool at your disposal in this deck, one of the best things about Dragapult ex is that it is not dependent on Rare Candy to function. Indeed, this evolution line benefits from a powerful Stage One Pokemon: Drakloak.

Ideally you will have multiple Drakloaks in play, helping you with its powerful “Telling Spirit” draw ability that lets you keep your hand regularly replenished while also making you less vulnerable to sneaky techs like the Devolution TM that has plagued many a Charizard ex player.

The handiness of having an actually effective Stage One Pokemon in the evolution line brings to mind the still great Gardevoir ex and its Kirlia’s Refinement ability.

Dragapult ex’s biggest weakness

Dragapult looks like the perfect deck to challenge Charizard ex’s place at the top of the meta right now, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t come with its own fair share of weaknesses. The biggest among these is the fact that unlike Charizard ex, Dragapult ex can’t actually take OHKOs. While this won’t be an issue against decks that run plenty of weaker, low HP support Pokemon, it certainly will be an issue when you go head-to-head with decks like Arceus/Giratina VSTAR that could simply outpace you.

Additionally, while Dragapult’s damage spreading attack may be excellent, there are ways to tech against it. Namely, Mist Energy negates the effect, making it difficult for Dragpult ex to get ahead. If too many people start playing Dragapult ex, you could also start seeing Mist Energy become more popular and a threat to it.

All-in-all, it seems clear that Dragapult ex is a powerful, top-tier deck to come out of Twilight Masquerade, and certainly one to watch as we head into exciting new events and competitions.

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