(For the deck’s competitive history before April 2025, please refer to the gallery.)

[Update 18 Jun 2025] Following its domination of the Pokémon North America International Championships (NAIC) where Gardevoir ex deck players finished first, second, and fourth, this deck has now made Pokémon TCG history by becoming the first deck to win over US$1 million in tournament prize money.

[Update 16 Jun 2025] The Gardevoir ex deck showed that it’s far and away the Best Deck in Format (BDIF) with a dominant showing at the Pokémon North America International Championships (NAIC) where US player Isaiah Bradner beat Canadian Riley McKay in a Gardevoir ex mirror match final. In addition, Greg Minklei, another American player, took this deck to fourth place—meaning that three of the top four at NAIC did so with the Gardevoir ex deck.

[Update 21 May 2025] This deck has arguably surpassed the Dragapult ex deck as the Best Deck in Format (BDIF) following victories at the Melbourne and Santiago Regionals by Brent Tonisson and William Azevedo respectively. The Gardevoir ex deck was especially dominant in Melbourne, claiming five of the top six finishes.

Tonisson is one of several Gardevoir ex players who have been utilizing a new build featuring Cleffa from Ruler of the Black Flame [SV3] for its card-drawing capabilities.

[Update 2 May 2025] Several players have recently been experimenting with even more new variants of this deck. Among the cards included in these new variants are N’s Zoroark ex from Battle Partners [SV9], Rescue Board from Crimson Haze [SV5a], and Morty’s Conviction from Wild Force [SV5M].

[Update 25 Apr 2025] Following rotation, this deck now typically includes the Lillie’s Clefairy ex card from Battle Partners [SV9] for a matchup advantage against the Dragapult ex deck because Lillie’s Clefairy ex has the Ability of Fairy Zone which changes the weakness of opposing Dragon-type Pokémon to Psychic—this deck’s primary type.

Some variants of this deck also include the Brilliant Blender card from Stellar Tera Type Starter Set Ceruledge ex [SVLS] to fill up the discard pile with Psychic Energy cards, allowing the deck’s titular card from Scarlet ex [SV1S] to use its Ability of Psychic Embrace to attach those Energy cards to the player’s Pokémon.

[Update 9 Apr 2025] The Gardevoir ex deck roared back to the top of the metagame with a dominant showing at Champions League Miyagi. Despite not winning the tournament, four of the top seven finishers used it including runner-up Riku Miyoshi.

It may seem counter-intuitive to run a Pokémon TCG deck with multiple “glass cannons”. However, this Gardevoir ex deck uses this concept of frail but hard-hitting Pokémon to tremendous effect. When paired with this deck’s signature Pokémon and its Ability, this deck can do a lot more than what one might initially assume.

The Gardevoir ex card from Shiny Treasure ex [SV4a] is as useful for setup as it is for attack. Its Psychic Embrace Ability attaches a Psychic Energy card from the discard pile to one of the player’s Psychic-type Pokémon. The Pokémon receiving the Energy card then has two damage counters placed on it. While this may seem to be a negative effect, it makes perfect sense when considering what other Pokémon are in this deck.

To get the most out of Psychic Embrace, use it to power up Scream Tail from Ancient Roar [SV4K] and Drifloon from Scarlet ex [SV1S]. Both Pokémon have attacks that increase in power as damage accumulates. Thus, although they have low maximum HP totals, they can do a great deal of damage via Psychic Embrace before they succumb—likely sooner rather than later. It’s also why Drifloon remains unevolved in this deck; no Drifblim card has an attack that powers up with more damage sustained.

Once Scream Tail and Drifloon have gone down, Gardevoir ex should be well-placed to finish opponents off. Dealing 190 damage for three Energy cards, Miracle Force will often serve as this deck’s final blow. However, in the event that the opponent is using a Pokémon VMAX, Zacian V from the VSTAR Special Set [SP6] and its Behemoth Blade is just the thing to clinch the W.

The latest prices show that the total cost of all the cards in a Gardevoir ex deck is at least ¥6,000 (~US$40).

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