[Update 11 Nov 2024] With the Regidrago VSTAR and Raging Bolt ex deck running the meta right now, the Ancient Box deck therefore finds itself in a solid position because it serves as viable counterplay against both. Additionally, the two main decks against which the Ancient Box deck struggles—the Charizard ex and Dragapult ex decks—have been losing metagame relevance recently.

[Update 2 Jul 2024] Due to the Gardevoir ex and Lost Box decks’ rises to the top of the metagame, the Ancient Box deck has in turn been ascending as well. This is because of all meta-relevant decks right now, the Ancient Box deck has perhaps the strongest matchups against the Gardevoir ex and Lost Box decks.

[Update 23 Apr 2024] A new variant of this deck claimed a second-place finish at the recent Orlando Regionals. American player Jake Ewart used a version including the Great Tusk card from Wild Force [SV5K] to serve as a counter to other Ancient Box decks.

Ewart’s variant also had a Fire Energy card in it, turning the Koraidon card from Wild Force [SV5K] into an attacker. By gaining access to Koraidon’s Shred attack, this deck can effectively counter the Noivern ex card from Clay Burst [SV2D] which would otherwise pose a matchup problem for this deck.

In the early days following its cards’ initial releases, the Ancient Box deck wasn’t one which necessarily gained all that much traction within Pokémon TCG tournament play; many players were wary of using it due to its many “glass cannons”. However, this has slowly but surely begun to change—and at the recent Pokémon Europe International Championships (EUIC), Brazilian player João Pedro Medeiros Zambrano turned heads by taking this deck to an impressive 11th-place finish.

This deck is very much offense-oriented and gradually ramps up the damage dealt as the game goes on. A key piece of this deck is the Koraidon card from Wild Force [SV5K]. Primordial Beatdown inflicts 30 damage for each of the player’s Ancient Pokémon in play—thus, there’s a possibility that Koraidon could deal up to 180 damage for just two Energy cards.

Roaring Moon, another Wild Force [SV5K] card, adds to the offensive onslaught. Vengeance Fletching deals 70 damage for every Ancient card in the player’s discard pile after just two Energy cards are attached. With so many the Ancient Pokémon and Trainer cards in this deck, Roaring Moon can easily tear through the opponent’s deck once fully set up if left unchecked.

The Ancient Box deck is also chock-full of Ancient Trainer cards such as Professor Sada’s Vitality and Earthen Vessel, both from Ancient Roar [SV4K], as well as Explorer’s Guidance from Wild Force [SV5K]. In addition to providing synergy and support, when they’re placed in the discard pile after use, they add further power to Roaring Moon’s Vengeance Fletching.

The total cost of the cards in an Ancient Box deck is at least 6,000 JPY (~US$39).

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