Following the conclusion of the Japan Championships and the Pokémon North America International Championships (NAIC) in early June, the Pokémon TCG season has almost come to a close. Only the showpiece event—the World Championships to be held in Honolulu this August—remains.

As the world’s best players gear up for the final showdown in Hawaii, certain decks have clearly emerged as the meta’s standout performers and are likely to be among the leading contenders to finish as 2024’s World Championship-winning deck.

With the latest results and statistics in, these are the decks now at the summit of the Pokémon TCG metagame.

Gardevoir ex

While the Gardevoir ex deck had been a major force in the meta ever since the beginning of the current rotation, it was the release of Mask of Change [SV6] that sent it rocketing to its status as the single most dominant deck right now. That’s because the set introduced Munkidori—a card that in tandem with Cresselia, maximizes the deck’s damage counter manipulation. Both cards take damage counters from the player’s Pokémon and put them on the opponents’ Pokémon, setting up easy pick-offs.

The deck’s titular Gardevoir ex card plays into this as well via Psychic Embrace, its Ability. In addition to loading up the deck’s Pokémon with Energy cards, the Ability also places two damage counters on that Pokémon, allowing Munkidori and Cresselia to subsequently send those damage counters to the opponent’s side. Gardevoir ex itself can also dish out major damage with Miracle Force.

The Gardevoir ex clearly established itself as the deck to beat at NAIC where eight of the top 12 finishers, including everyone who placed between second and seventh, used this deck. Heading into Worlds, this deck will almost certainly be regarded by every player not wielding it as “the deck to beat”.

Dragapult ex

This deck actually didn’t live up to expectations at NAIC; its best finish there was 22nd place in the hands of US player Chaz Finchum. That being said, prior to NAIC this deck had been on a strong run and will undoubtedly be among the decks that will be in contention for the title—especially in the hands of Japanese players who have in general taken to this deck more readily than their Western counterparts.

Dragapult ex’s Phantom Dive attack doesn’t just inflict a massive 200 damage for just two Energy cards; it also spreads six damage counters across the opponent’s Benched Pokémon in any desired arrangement to not only potentially pick up big KO’s, but also leave the opponent’s Benched Pokémon vulnerable. Thanks to its HP of 320 and lack of weakness, Dragapult ex also possesses impressive bulk.

The deck’s main supporting cards are Xatu and Rotom V. Clairvoyant Sense, Xatu’s Ability, enables the player to draw two cards once the player attaches a Psychic Energy card to a Benched Pokémon. Rotom V’s Instant Charge Ability, meanwhile, allows the player to draw three cards but forfeiting the player’s right to attack that turn—but that’s not usually an issue in the early game, when that Ability should primarily be used.

Lugia VSTAR

This deck dominated the Japan Championships, emerging with the title; it also finished fourth, fifth, and sixth. The Lugia VSTAR deck has also seen notable recent success elsewhere, coming in second, fourth, and ninth at the Los Angeles Regionals; fifth and sixth at the Mexico City Special Event; and ninth at the Indonesia Championships. After a slump earlier this year, this deck is evidently back at the top.

Summoning Star, Lugia VSTAR’s VSTAR Power, allows the player to bring in Archeops without having to evolve an Archen. Archeops’ Primal Turbo Ability then sets up Cinccino by loading it up with Special Energy cards. Once it has all those Special Energy cards attached, Cinccino can then run riot with Special Roll, its attack that deals 70 damage per Special Energy attached—a figure that if left unchecked by the opponent, can easily spiral out of hand.

The Lugia VSTAR deck was also handed a boost by the release of Mask of Change [SV6]. That set brought with it Jamming Tower and Carmine. Carmine serves as a crucial draw engine that also enables a hand reset to prevent bricking while Jamming Tower aptly disrupts many opposing decks by blocking the use of Pokémon Tool cards.

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