Ever since the release of its titular card in Heat Wave Arena [SV9a], the Cynthia’s Garchomp ex deck has admittedly found tournament success relatively difficult to come by. The deck’s best result to date is just 60th place at the Pokémon North America International Championships (NAIC) in June 2025 in the hands of Frenchman Fabien Pujol. Despite this, ahead of the Pokémon TCG World Championships in August, some players believe that this deck could be primed for a big surge.

Strategy

This deck is primarily known for its setup consistency. The deck’s primary setup piece is the Cynthia’s Gabite card from Heat Wave Arena [SV9a]. Via its Ability of Champion’s Call, Cynthia’s Gabite works in tandem with cards like Arven from Violet ex [SV1V], Technical Machine: Evolution from Future Flash [SV4M], and Buddy-Buddy Poffin from Wild Force [SV5K] to not only supply the player with the Pokémon needed but also with everything required to power them up.

Another important card in the Cynthia’s Garchomp ex deck is Cynthia’s Power Weight, another Heat Wave Arena [SV9a] card. Cynthia’s Power Weight adds 70 HP to any of Cynthia’s Pokémon when attached to one such Pokémon. As such, when it’s attached to Cynthia’s Garchomp ex, Cynthia’s Power Weight turns the deck’s centerpiece into a 400 HP behemoth capable of striking for more than 300 damage in a single blow with its Draconic Buster attack, making it potentially one of the most unstoppable forces in the metagame.

Corkscrew Dive, Cynthia’s Garchomp ex’s other attack, has notable utility as well. Dealing 100 damage for just one Fighting Energy card, Corkscrew Dive also allows the player to draw cards until the player has 6 in hand, making it a reliable draw engine as well. This attack thus sets up plays for later on while also adding pressure on the opponent.

Price

Buying every card in the Cynthia’s Garchomp ex deck will cost at least 6,450 JPY (~US$44).

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