Ok so this was a late minute idea I had so why not roll with it. I was going to include a small bit for the best decks of 2023 as a side part for my best cards list I did earlier but the idea became a bit bigger than I expected so why not do I separate post for it?
Every event included here is either a major event or an online event that had more than 128 players with a top 8 cut at least. The points I used are as follows, (5 points - 1st, 3 points - 2nd, 2 points - Top 4, 1 point - Top 8).
#23 Gardevoir ex/Mewtwo V-Union
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| 1st Place Santiago Regional - Pedro Pertusi |
Points (IRL): 5 (27th)
Points (Online): 24 (19th)
Wins: 2 (1 IRL + 1 Online)
Top 4: 6 (0 IRL + 6 Online)
Top 8: 5 (0 IRL + 5 Online)
We start our list with a deck that didn't see much play after the first quarter of the year. Mewtwo V-Union was one of the new partners for Gardevoir ex initially, be it in this build or the Reversal build. This list technically did get Gardevoir ex it's first major event win.
#22 Vikavolt V
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| 1st Place San Diego Regional - Gibson Archer-Tang |
Points (IRL): 11 (20th)
Points (Online): 13 (24th)
Wins: 1 (1 IRL + 0 Online)
Top 4: 5 (1 IRL + 4 Online)
Top 8: 8 (4 IRL + 4 Online)
Vikavolt V was only present in 2023 for the first quarter of the year as it was part of the 2023 rotation with all cards under the D regulation rotating with the release of Scarlet & Violet set. It did win the first major event of the year and was still giving people headaches with it's item lock shenanigans.
#21 Lost Zone Box (Amazing Rare Rayquaza)
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| 1st Place Sydney Regional - Brent Tonisson |
Points (IRL): 16 (18th)
Points (Online): 12 (26th)
Wins: 2 (1 IRL + 1 Online)
Top 4: 6 (4 IRL + 2 Online)
Top 8: 5 (3 IRL + 2 Online)
Another deck affected by rotation was the build of Lost Box that focused on not one but two Amazing Rare cards, Raikou who could hit 120 to the active and the bench and Rayquaza who could easily hit 320 damage if it had 4 different basic energies on it. Mirage Gate was a god sent for the AR cards but such a shame that they never got much time together.
#20 Regigigas
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| 4th Place 2023 Oceana Internationals - Rahul Reddy |
Points (IRL): 10 (21st)
Points (Online): 20 (22nd)
Wins: 1 (0 IRL + 1 Online)
Top 4: 7 (3 IRL + 4 Online)
Top 8: 9 (3 IRL + 6 Online)
Regigigas is technically still around but it was hit by rotation. Before, the deck solely relied on Aurora Energy to get any attacker it wanted. Rotation hit the deck hard with Aurora Energy leaving the format. The deck did make a small comeback by playing all basic energies alongside Luminious energy but it was not truly the same as before.
#19 Roaring Moon ex
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| 1st Place - Brandon Baughn - TOURNAMENT OF DOOM! PORTLAND BOUND! |
Points (IRL): 0
Points (Online): 21 (20th)
Wins: 1 (0 IRL + 1 Online)
Top 4: 4 (0 IRL + 4 Online)
Top 8: 8 (0 IRL + 8 Online)
One of the new decks to hit the scene with the release of the last set of the year, Paradox Rift. It hasn't had a top 8 finish in an IRL major event yet but has had many big online results, the biggest being the win at the Tournament of Doom just last week. The deck doesn't lose much in the upcoming 2024 rotation so it could still be a threat for the next year.
#18 Snorlax Control
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| 1st Place Gdańsk Regional - Łukasz Mazurkiewicz |
Points (IRL): 10 (21st)
Points (Online): 25 (18th)
Wins: 2 (1 IRL + 1 Online)
Top 4: 3 (0 IRL + 3 Online)
Top 8: 19 (5 IRL + 14 Online)
Welp control decks are back, it was bound to happen. The one that has made the biggest impact is the Snorlax build. The introduction of cards like Erika, Counter Catcher and Lux Cape have only helped to make the deck not just a pain to deal with in regards to KOing a Snorlax but also in it's ability to continuously trapping a Pokémon you don't want in the active spot.
#17 Chien-Pao ex/Baxcalibur
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| 1st Place - Singapore Regional League Vol 1 - Joey Ho |
Points (IRL): 12 (19th)
Points (Online): 39 (15th)
Wins: 2 (1 IRL + 1 Online)
Top 4: 10 (1 IRL + 9 Online)
Top 8: 20 (5 IRL + 15 Online)
Chien Pao showed up on the scene mid-way through the year and is still trying to reach the higher tier of the game. It has had some good results but hasn't been consistent enough compared to the other top decks. Many expected CP to do even better with the release of Paraodox Rift, giving it a new partner in Iron Hands ex. So far, it has done the opposite.
#16 Lost Zone Box (Radiant Charizard)
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| 1st Place Stuttgart Regional - Christian Fontenot |
Points (IRL): 19 (17th)
Points (Online): 34 (16th)
Wins: 2 (1 IRL + 1 Online)
Top 4: 10 (3 IRL + 7 Online)
Top 8: 18 (7 IRL + 11 Online)
SableZard has been present throughout the entire year and the lists you will see from the start of the year, to the start of the 2023 rotation and to the recent Stuttgart Regional, the deck has continued to evolve to keep up with the meta. It has gained a lot of new cards from this year that keeps giving the deck more ammunition going against the meta.
#15 Lugia VSTAR/Archeops (Snorlax)
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| 1st Place Sacramento Regional - Alexander Flatos |
Points (IRL): 20 (16th)
Points (Online): 46 (12th)
Wins: 3 (1 IRL + 2 Online)
Top 4: 15 (4 IRL + 11 Online)
Top 8: 14 (6 IRL + 8 Online)
This is the first of three Lugia lists you'll see and it was the third variant to show up, which proves how powerful the combination of Lugia VSTAR and Archeops is when it can spawn 3 very different yet very succesful versions of the deck. The Snorlax built had the least results of the 3 but still won a regional! The original Amazing Rare Yeltal variant lost a lot of special energies to rotation but as the year went on, more new special energies emerged which has now allowed Snorlax and this variant to join in on the fun.
#14 Hisuian Goodra VSTAR (Lost Zone)
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| 1st Place Fort Wayne Regional - Maxwell Johnson |
Points (IRL): 33 (12th)
Points (Online): 44 (13th)
Wins: 3 (1 IRL + 2 Online)
Top 4: 14 (7 IRL + 7 Online)
Top 8: 26 (10 IRL + 16 Online)
Hisuian Goodra was a top deck going into the year and even after rotation, it still has scored big results in IRL and also on the online scene. It's best result came before rotation when it had Scoop Up Net, Air Ballon and Big Parasol around but the deck clearly has been able to adapt ever since.
#13 Miraidon ex
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| 1st Place 2023-24 Latin America Internationals - Juho Kallama |
Points (IRL): 38 (10th)
Points (Online): 43 (14th)
Wins: 4 (4 IRL + 00 Online)
Top 4: 14 (4 IRL + 10 Online)
Top 8: 28 (8 IRL + 20 Online)
Miraidon is a deck that since the release of Scarlet and Violet, has only continued to gain more ground as the year went on. It saw little success initially before Worlds 2023 when the Path variant first showed up. And with the release of Paradox Rift, it has now gained Iron Hands ex to make the deck quite possibly one of the best decks in the game right now due to it ability to put pressure on many opponents as early at Turn 1!
#12 Charizard ex/Pidgeot ex
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| 1st Place San Antonio Regional - Azul Garcia Griego |
Points (IRL): 32 (13th)
Points (Online): 57 (11th)
Wins: 6 (3 IRL + 3 Online)
Top 4: 19 (6 IRL + 13 Online)
Top 8: 14 (3 IRL + 11 Online)
Hey it's one of my two favourite decks from this year. It has a Charmander in it, this deck is already awesome. Apart from my biasness, this has been the go-to way to play Charizard ex ever since it won the Curitiba Regional in Brazil. The deck has only continued to get better and better as the year went on and it won the last TPCi major event of the year in San Antonio. The deck also doesn't lose much to the upcoming rotation so we can expect to see Charizard ex being a big presence in the meta throughout the next year.
#11 Arceus VSTAR/Duraludon VMAX
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| 1st Place 2023 European Internationals - Alex Schemanske |
Points (IRL): 43 (9th)
Points (Online): 53 (12th)
Wins: 7 (3 IRL + 4 Online)
Top 4: 17 (8 IRL + 9 Online)
Top 8: 22 (11 IRL + 11 Online)
One of Arceus VSTAR's main partners last year was Durlaudon VMAX and the pair did help Alex Schemanske break his winless-streak at EUIC this year. The deck kept Lugia on it's toes and well neither are a big presence in the meta right now, it has done enough to get as many results as it did in the year 2023.
#10 Arceus VSTAR/Giratina VSTAR
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| 1st Place Portland Regional - Landen Kaetler |
Points (IRL): 37 (11th)
Points (Online): 72 (10th)
Wins: 5 (2 IRL + 3 Online)
Top 4: 22 (7 IRL + 15 Online)
Top 8: 32 (10 IRL + 22 Online)
Hey it's my other favourite deck from this year! I got my first regional win with it and also went 5-3 at Worlds Day 1 with it. The deck has stayed relatively the same throughout the year, with Iono being the biggest addition. The gameplan was always simple. EA Sports (Energy + Arceus Turn 1), Starbirth into what you need and then go Path + Judge and you ask your opponent the big question "can you get out of this".
#9 Inteleon VMAX/Rapid Strike Urshifu VMAX
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| 1st Place NAIC 2023, Columbus - Cyrus Davis |
Points (IRL): 23 (15th)
Points (Online): 101 (6th)
Wins: 10 (3 IRL + 7 Online)
Top 4: 20 (1 IRL + 19 Online)
Top 8: 24 (6 IRL + 18 Online)
Rapid Box did have a slow start to the year with little to no results but that soon changed as the year went on. And with Lugia's disappearance from the meta, it has now helped Rapid Box to be one of the best counter decks to the current meta, having answers to pretty much every deck. The recent addition of TM Devolution makes the deck and even scarier threat for set-up decks going against it.
#8 Lost Zone Box (Kyogre)
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| 1st Place Pittsburgh Regional - Andrew Estrada |
Points (IRL): 48 (7th)
Points (Online): 76 (9th)
Wins: 9 (2 IRL + 7 Online)
Top 4: 24 (11 IRL + 13 Online)
Top 8: 25 (12 IRL + 13 Online)
It's the typical lost zone deck but with Kyogre as the end-game winner. Your whole plan was to run through the deck as quickly as possible, take the first few prizes and set the board up to the point Kyogre would take the last 2, 3 or 4 prizes. It worked at the start of the year, and it's still working at the end of the year, with it's recent win at the Kyoto Champions League.
#7 Mew VMAX (Fusion)
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| 1st Place 2023 World Championships - Vance Kelley |
Points (IRL): 67 (6th)
Points (Online): 89 (8th)
Wins: 13 (8 IRL + 5 Online)
Top 4: 28 (11 IRL + 17 Online)
Top 8: 29 (4 IRL + 25 Online)
This is the deck that won the 2023 World Championship yet it's only 7th on this list which goes to show you don't need the best deck to achieve the biggest results. Sure, Mew Fusion was the right play for the meta during Worlds but it has gotten 8 major wins this year, which proves that no matter the format, no matter the counters, the deck always finds a way to win! Quite straight forward, you set Genesect up to help you draw your deck as quickly as possible and with Meloetta, you are able to put pressure very early on.
#6 Lugia VSTAR/Archeops (Single Strike)
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| 1st Place Fresno Regional - Regan Retzloff |
Points (IRL): 81 (4th)
Points (Online): 91 (7th)
Wins: 10 (4 IRL + 6 Online)
Top 4: 36 (18 IRL + 18 Online)
Top 8: 38 (17 IRL + 21 Online)
The second Lugia variant on this list and the one players turned to when rotation hit. Sure it's not the same as the first variant but with the likes of Tyranitar V, Single Strike Urshifu V, Yveltal and Stonjourner, there was enough attackers for Lugia to support the Single Strike crew. The numbers don't lie, it got the 4th most points IRL.
#5 Mew VMAX (DTE)
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| 1st Place 2023 Philippines Championships - Joshua Doctolero |
Points (IRL): 76 (5th)
Points (Online): 110 (5th)
Wins: 9 (5 IRL + 4 Online)
Top 4: 38 (13 IRL + 25 Online)
Top 8: 54 (25 IRL + 29 Online)
The second Path + Judge deck on this list and the preferred option for that strategy, it is 5th on all 3 of my lists after all. Quite straight forward, you set your Genesects up to help with your draw power, lock your opponents with Path and you can choose when to get out of it with your 4 Lost Vaacuums. Funny how Path went from being a Mew killer to being part of the reason why the deck has been so succesful this year.
#4 Giratina VSTAR (Lost Zone)
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| 3rd Place 2023 World Championships - Michael Pramawat |
Points (IRL): 48 (7th)
Points (Online): 233 (1st)
Wins: 20 (1 IRL + 19 Online)
Top 4: 53 (13 IRL + 40 Online)
Top 8: 55 (12 IRL + 43 Online)
Giratina Lost Zone is one of those decks that will always divide opinions. The best deck or just a pile? Consistent or just not enough? And here's the funny part, even my lists has divided opinions on it. It was only the 7th best deck IRL but had the highest score for any deck Online! The deck did gain a lot of new cards that made it a deck no one wanted to touch into one of the most popular decks. Four of them were the top four cards on my 2023 Best Cards list!
#3 Lugia VSTAR/Archeops (Amazing Rare Yveltal)
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| 2nd Place 2023 Oceania Internationals - Regan Retzloff |
Points (IRL): 87 (2nd)
Points (Online): 111 (4th)
Wins: 14 (5 IRL + 9 Online)
Top 4: 38 (17 IRL + 21 Online)
Top 8: 42 (23 IRL + 19 Online)
The final Lugia on the list and the one that cause mayhem last year and it dominated the start of the year. I mean it scored the 2nd most points of any decks IRL and it was only played for 3 months, need I say how dominant this deck was during that period? Lugia and Archeops showed up in the last set of 2022 and this was the preferred variant. Many of it's main attackers lost the energies they needed to make them work. Aurora Energy for Yveltal (also rotated), Powerful Energy for Stoutland and Speed for Raikou (also rotated).
#2 Turbo Lost Zone Box
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| 1st Place São Paulo Regional - Felipe Solís |
Points (IRL): 84 (3rd)
Points (Online): 139 (3rd)
Wins: 17 (5 IRL + 12 Online)
Top 4: 39 (17 IRL + 22 Online)
Top 8: 49 (20 IRL + 29 Online)
The main way to play Lost Box this year has been the Turbo build. You want to get to 7 into the lost zone as quickly as possible and it's been done many times over with the likes of Comfey, Colress, and Lost Vacuum accelerating those numbers. The deck has changed a number of times throughout the year, included all sorts of tech cards but it still one of the best decks in the game, especially in the year 2023.
#1 Gardevoir ex
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| 2nd 2023 Place World Championships - Tord Reklev |
Points (IRL): 100 (1st)
Points (Online): 184 (2nd)
Wins: 19 (3 IRL + 16 Online)
Top 4: 51 (22 IRL + 29 Online)
Top 8: 71 (31 IRL + 40 Online)
The best deck of 2023? Well it had to be Gardevoir ex didn't it? Even thought it only had 3 major wins IRL, the 22 Top 4s and 31 Top 8 finishes are quite telling. 16 online wins with 128+ people also helps to show that the deck works in both a bo3 format and a bo1 format. The combination of Gardevoir Arcana, Zacian V, Cresselia, Scream Tail and even Gardevoir ex itself has caused all sorts of decks problems and some say it's one of the hardest decks to pilot correctly so when it does well, you know that player has earnt it.
I wanted to do a few more lists, one to show how the decks fared up in IRL and Online and also a fun little list for the Singapore side of things, not just decks but players too because I had the info and well, why not?
Top 10 Decks IRL
- Gardevoir ex - 100
- Lugia VSTAR/Archeops (AR Yveltal) - 87
- Turbo Lost Zone Box - 84
- Lugia VSTAR/Archeops (Single Strike) - 81
- Mew VMAX (DTE) - 76
- Mew VMAX (Fusion) - 67
- Lost Zone Box (Kyogre) - 48
- Giratina VSTAR (Lost Zone) - 48
- Arceus VSTAR/Duraludon VMAX - 43
- Miraidon ex - 38
Top 10 Decks Online
- Giratina VSTAR (Lost Zone) - 233
- Gardevoir ex - 184
- Turbo Lost Zone Box - 139
- Lugia VSTAR/Archeops (AR Yveltal) - 111
- Mew VMAX (DTE) - 110
- Inteleon VMAX/Rapid Strike Urshifu VMAX - 101
- Lugia VSTAR/Archeops (Single Strike) - 91
- Mew VMAX (Fusion) - 89
- Lost Zone Box (Kyogre) - 76
- Arceus VSTAR/Giratina VSTAR - 72
- Lost Zone Box - 12,850 CSP
- Gardevoir ex - 9,675 CSP
- Mew VMAX - 9,250 CSP
- Lugia VSTAR - 7,920 CSP
- Giratina VSTAR (Lost Zone) - 4,700 CSP
- Chien-Pao ex/Baxcalibur - 3,410 CSP
- Charizard ex - 3,125 CSP
- Miraidon ex - 2,715 CSP
- Arceus VSTAR/Giratina VSTAR - 2,255 CSP
- Inteleon VMAX/Rapid Strike Urshifu VMAX - 2,230 CSP
- Kashvinder Singh Mann - 2,005 CSP
- Lim Jit Min - 1,960 CSP
- Dionsius Lee - 1,760 CSP
- Choy Kwok Hoe - 1,745 CSP
- Tan Yong Siang - 1,685 CSP
- Keenan Jacob Victor - 1,625 CSP
- Ryan Tan Ye Kai - 1,610 CSP
- Joey Ho - 1,575 CSP
- Bryan Quah - 1,530 CSP
- Kang Yu Xian - 1,380 CSP
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