N's Zoroark ex

Standard legality

2026 rotation confirmed: only regulation marks H, I, and J are legal in Standard right now (digital since March 26, 2026; paper since April 10, 2026). Every card in this list falls inside that window — nothing here rotates out before you finish building it.

Why this deck

This isn't a dedicated Dragapult ex counter dressed up as a full deck — independently, it's one of the best-performing decks in the entire current meta (Top 10 at both Worlds 2026 and NAIC 2026), and it happens to also be one of Dragapult's worst matchups.

Zoroark ex's own Ability Trade — "You must discard a card from your hand in order to use this Ability. Once during your turn, you may draw 2 cards" — matches or beats Dragapult's own consistency tools, so it doesn't lose the way slower decks do. And its second attack, Night Joker, borrows an attack straight off one of your Benched N's Pokémon — the card's own trickster identity, printed right on it.

The kill switch is a separate combo: Binding Mochi + Pecharunt ex's poison + Black Belt's Training/Transformation Tome is enough extra damage to one-shot an ex without needing a giant attacker at all.

Five serious alternatives were ruled out for concrete reasons: Team Rocket's Mewtwo ex is a real 49.25% against Dragapult (a coin flip) and needs 4 Team Rocket Pokémon in play just to turn on — slow. Mega Darkrai ex is favored against Dragapult but is a single-line combo deck with a real Grass weakness. Mega Excadrill ex hits hardest in the format but leans on a slower Stage 2 (Metang) engine. Alakazam is explicitly unfavored against Dragapult. Festival Lead is, by the community's own account, Dragapult's single worst matchup to be on the other side of.

Decklist — 60 cards

This is the actual list Öjvind Svinhufvud played to a Top 10 finish at Worlds 2026 — set codes and collector numbers included, so it imports directly into TCG Live.

Pokémon: 12
4 N's Zorua JTG 97
4 N's Zoroark ex JTG 98
2 N's Zekrom ASC 155
1 N's Darumaka JTG 26
1 N's Darmanitan JTG 27
1 Budew ASC 16
1 Yveltal MEG 88
1 Tatsugiri TWM 131
1 Munkidori TWM 95
1 Pecharunt ex SFA 39
1 Meowth ex POR 62
1 Fezandipiti ex ASC 142

Trainer: 14
4 Lillie's Determination MEG 119
3 Boss's Orders MEG 114
2 Cyrano SSP 170
1 Black Belt's Training JTG 143
4 Buddy-Buddy Poffin TEF 144
4 Transformation Tome CRI 83
3 N's PP Up JTG 153
3 Ultra Ball MEG 131
2 Poké Pad POR 81
1 Night Stretcher ASC 196
1 Special Red Card CRI 82
1 Secret Box TWM 163
2 Binding Mochi PRE 95
2 N's Castle JTG 152

Energy: 1
8 Darkness Energy MEE 7

Total Cards: 60

Strategy

Opening

Keep a hand with a Basic plus Ultra Ball or Buddy-Buddy Poffin. Priority turn 1 is getting N's Zorua and a second Basic down, then evolving into N's Zoroark ex as soon as you can — it's a plain Stage 1, no Rare Candy needed.

The engine

Trade gets used almost every turn once Zoroark ex is in play — it's not a luxury, it's the deck's engine. Don't save it "for the perfect moment": waiting for that moment is the most common way to lose tempo with this deck.

Win condition

It isn't one big attacker — you flood the bench cheaply (N's Zekrom, Munkidori, Fezandipiti ex, Pecharunt ex all cost little energy) and convert that into precise knockouts: Binding Mochi + Pecharunt ex's poison + Black Belt's Training/Transformation Tome is enough extra damage to drop an ex in one hit without a giant attacker.

Key combos

• Zoroark ex Trade + N's PP Up + Ultra Ball/Buddy-Buddy Poffin → the hand never dries up.
• N's Castle + Night Stretcher → recycle Zoroark ex if it gets knocked out.
• Binding Mochi + Pecharunt ex poison + a damage boost (Black Belt's Training/Transformation Tome) → OHKO without a big attacker.
• Secret Box (ACE SPEC) + Special Red Card → a burst of extra draw/disruption when the hand needs to reload fast.

Common misplays

• Don't use Trade with nothing worth discarding — wait for redundant Basics or spent Supporters.
• Don't over-commit Transformation Tome to something exposed on the bench — bench-snipe decks (Dragapult included) punish it.
• Don't hold Boss's Orders/Cyrano "just in case" — this deck lives on tempo; delaying them costs the KO window.

Why it beats Dragapult

Zoroark's draw engine matches or beats Dragapult's own consistency, so it doesn't lose the tempo race the way slower decks do against it. And the poison + damage-boost combo knocks Dragapult out in one hit instead of trading evenly with it turn after turn.

Buying guide

There's no official Battle Deck or Theme Deck for this exact archetype. The cheapest checked route is a pre-built deck from a third-party seller — compared here against buying singles or gambling on sealed-product pulls.

An Elite Trainer Box or Build & Battle Box from Journey Together does include guaranteed promos (an N's Zorua foil, or a chance at N's Darmanitan) — but those are worth pennies as singles. Buying sealed to "get cards for free" that cost $0.20 doesn't make up for a $20–50 box. They're worth it if you want the sleeves/playmat as physical objects, not as a savings strategy.

Sources

Every figure in this guide traces to one of these, checked on 2026‑09‑22.

1. 01Pokémon.com — 2026 Standard Format Rotation Announcement — confirms H/I/J marks and rotation dates.
2. 02Limitless TCG — Öjvind Svinhufvud's decklist, 9th place Worlds 2026.
3. 03Limitless TCG — Tord Reklev's decklist, 10th place NAIC 2026.
4. 04Limitless TCG — Rocket's Mewtwo ex vs Dragapult ex matchup data (264‑262‑10, 49.25%).
5. 05PokéBeach — Dragapult ex / Zoroark ex and Its Great Matchups.
6. 06note.com (Japanese City League) — ~70% reported win rate vs Dragapult ex.
7. 07tcgdex — N's Zoroark ex card data (Journey Together #098/159): Stage 1, HP 280, Weakness Grass ×2, retreat 2, Ability text.
8. 08eBay — verified listing for the pre-built deck, seller pokefamfive (99.6% positive).
9. 09PokemonCard.io — singles cost quote (TCGplayer).