The 2024 Pokémon TCG World Championships will soon start: the tournament runs from 16 to 18 August and will be held in Honolulu. As is the case at every edition of the Pokémon TCG World Championships, certain deck archetypes will likely be predominant on the biggest stage of the Pokémon TCG.

For those new to the Pokémon TCG and wondering which decks to start with, those following their favorite players and looking to understand their tactics better, or experienced players analyzing the current metagame to level up their play, here’s our list of decks expected to make a major impact at Worlds in Hawaii.

Click on each heading for a link to our article on that deck.

Regidrago VSTAR

Notes: A highly versatile deck that enables its titular Pokémon to use a wide range of the deck’s other Dragon-type Pokémon’s attacks, the deck’s impressive consistency also allows the players to land crucial late-game sequences involving various Item and Supporter cards to put the player in a commanding position and make a comeback by the opponent extremely difficult.

Gardevoir ex

Notes: This deck’s impressive offensive firepower is fueled by Kirlia’s Ability of Refinement as well as the titular card’s Ability of Psychic Embrace. The inclusions of two Munkidori and Technical Machine: Devolution cards apiece serve to reinforce the deck’s main attackers.

Charizard ex

Notes: The deck’s titular card pairs well with Dusknoir; this is because Dusknoir’s Cursed Blast Ability inflicts massive damage on the opponent before self-KOing; this additional Prize card taken by the opponent powers up Charizard ex’s Burning Darkness attack. The deck’s Item cards prioritize consistency and flexibility; they’re often used to bring in and set up Radiant Charizard for additional support.

Lugia VSTAR

Notes: Legacy Energy is a crucial part of the deck’s strategy; attaching this card to Cinccino essentially turns it into a decoy while Iron Hands ex can attack more freely as it becomes a single-Prize Pokémon. Wyrdeer V and Drapion V are included to provide the deck with matchup advantages.

Raging Bolt ex

Notes: This deck is built around Energy ramping via Professor Sada’s Ability and Teal Dance, Teal Mask Ogerpon ex’s Ability. This allows for massive damage to be dealt with—preferably before the opponent has had a chance to set up properly. Night Stretcher and Fezandipiti ex recover key cards from the discard pile and play around disruptive tactics respectively.

Snorlax

Notes: The Item card and Pokémon selection of this deck are chosen to favor specific matchups as well as provide additional disruption capabilities. Multiple copies of key Supporter and Item cards ensure that the player doesn’t end up looping the deck and is thus locked into an unwinnable situation.

Lost Zone Box

Notes: A fast-paced and aggressive deck, this is a high-risk yet high-reward deck in the current meta. New variants including cards such as Iron Thorns ex and Kyurem have been used to give this deck better matchups against specific opponents.

In other TCG-related news, check out the Superior Energy Retrieval card from Clay Burst [SV2D]. Alternatively, you can also head over to the SNKRDUNK App via the banner below and find the top trending and latest single cards and boxes.