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Learn how Ray Chen has been using an unorthodox pick in a Toedscruel ex deck to catch opponents off guard and make Top Cut at NAIC 2025.
At first glance, making a Toedscruel ex deck looks like a gimmick. Its ability, Protective Mycelium, is interesting as it prevents all effects of attacks except damage to any Pokemon on your side of the field that has energy attached. While certainly interesting, Toedscruel ex felt more situational than anything else.
However, not only has Ray Chen managed to reach 5th at NAIC 2025 with this deck, she has been doing well with it for some time now. So, let’s take a look at how Ray Chen has made Top Cut with Toedscruel ex at NAIC 2025.
Ray Chen’s Toedscruel Ex Deck Overview
All Cards in Ray Chen’s Toedscruel Ex Deck
Here’s the decklist of Ray Chen’s Toedscruel ex deck:
- Toedscool (Paradox Rift) x3
- Toedscool (Stellar Crown) x1
- Toedscruel ex x3
- Toedscruel x1
- Teal Mask Ogerpon ex x4
- Iron Leaves ex x1
- Squawkabilly ex x1
- Latias ex x1
- Fezandipiti ex x1
- Mew ex x1
- Budew x1
- Professor’s Research x4
- Iono x3
- Boss’s Orders x3
- Bug Catching Set x4
- Nest Ball x4
- Energy Switch x4
- Ultra Ball x2
- Super Rod x2
- Prime Catcher x1
- Area Zero Underdepths x3
- Basic Grass Energy x12
Ray Chen’s Toedscruel Ex Deck: Strategy and Key Cards
The strategy involved some rather unorthodox picks in this deck. Here’s how the key cards were involved.
- Toedscruel prevents the opponent from retrieving any cards from the discard pile. This troubles many decks like Gardevoir ex and Archaludon ex, which rely on being able to get Energy from the discard pile. Even decks like Gholdengo ex can struggle later from indiscriminate discarding early on, something that Ray took into account as she was looking specifically to counter that deck.
- Bug Catching Set allows players to look at the top 7 cards of their deck and take a combination of up to two Grass Energy or Pokemon. As this was an Item, she could use it a few times to have Grass Energy, which Teal Mask Ogerpon ex could attach it to.
- With the help of these two, Toedscruel ex and Teal Mask Ogerpon ex could deal damage, with Toedscruel ex’s ability preventing any effects of the attacks coming from the opponent’s Pokemon.
Other noteworthy cards include:
- Super Rod to retrieve any discarded energy.
- Energy Switch could swap around Grass Energy as needed.
- Prime Catcher to swap in her Pokemon for one of the opponent’s that would be at a disadvantage.
While Ray Chen took this deck to 12th place at Portugal Regionals, she managed to do even better with it at NAIC 2025. Not only did she make Top Cut for the first time, she also had a record of 12-2-1 (12 wins, 2 losses, and 1 tie).
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