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In this guide players can learn which anti-meta Pokemon TCG decks might end up surprising players at Worlds 2025.
There are certain decks like Gardevoir ex, Gholdengo ex, and Dragapult ex that are expected to do well at Worlds 2025. However, there are certain anti-meta picks that could end up surprising players. Especially as last year, Iron Thorns ex beat out decks like Regidrago V and Lugia V to win Worlds. As such, it would be shocking to see a dark horse take the win. Like Ray Chen’s fifth place finish at NAIC with an unorthodox Toedscruel ex deck.
Pokemon TCG Decks That Can Be Dark Horses at Worlds 2025
These are the decks that may leave an impact at Worlds 2025 and surprise players at the highest level:
- Ethan’s Typhlosion
- Joltik Toolbox
- Milotic ex
- N’s Zoroark ex
- Charizard ex and Pidgeot ex
5) Ethan’s Typhlosion
It should be fair to include a single Prize attacker in this list. At this point, Ethan’s Typhlosion from Destined Rivals is the strongest single Prize attacker and fairly consistent. This is because of its move Buddy Blast, which becomes more powerful based on the number of Ethan’s Adventure cards in the discard pile. Buddy Blast can reach a ceiling of 280 if all four of them have been discarded. This can get a further boost with Pokemon Tools like Brave Bangle, Maximum Belt, or Defiance Band.
4) Joltik Toolbox
Joltik Toolbox has fallen a bit in recent times. Most of the decks that are at the highest level of play in the meta do not take double damage from their allies. However, the damage dealt by this deck is not inconsistent and is fairly powerful. So it could spring quite a few surprises on unsuspecting players not prepared to deal with it.
3) Milotic Ex
As this deck is one of the best wall decks in the format right now, it tends to always show up at tournaments. Milotic ex is a stellar anti-meta pick that every player has to take into account while deckbuilding, as Tera Pokemon cannot harm it. To further make this deck hard to break through, cards like Farigiraf ex and Cornerstone Mask Ogerpon ex can block attackers like Basic Pokemon ex and those with abilities.
2) N’s Zoroark Ex
Similar to Marnie’s Grimmsnarl ex, N’s Zoroark ex is a nice counter to Gardevoir ex. However, Marnie’s Grimmsnarl ex is a lot simpler to use, while N’s Zoroark ex’s move Night Joker relies on other N’s Pokemon like N’s Darmanitan or N’s Reshiram to deal severe enough damage. Still, this isn’t an issue for skilled players who can pilot this deck pretty well. There are also some useful cards that work well with N’s Pokemon. This includes N’s Castle, which removes their Retreat Cost, and N’s PP Up, which can attach a Basic Energy from the discard pile to one of your Benched N’s Pokemon.
1) Charizard Ex and Pidgeot Ex
The Charizard ex/ Pidgeot ex combo has risen as a surprising archetype over the last few months. Gabriel Fernandez reached 1st place in the Senior Division with it at NAIC 2025, so this deck certainly has validity. The strategy of this deck is to attack with Charizard ex, whose move Burning Darkness becomes stronger with each Prize the opponent takes. Meanwhile, Pidgeot ex’s ability Quick Search is very useful for finding the one card you need each turn depending on how the game is going. With offense and utility both available, this deck might see surprisingly high usage at Worlds 2025.
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