It's Pokemon Day (Feb 27 2026 as I'm typing this but it may be released at a later date) and it's the 30th anniversary of the first Pokemon games, Red version and Green version which were released today 30 years ago in Japan (Feb 27 1996). As someone who has been playing the game ever since it first hit our shores overseas in 1999 and also playing the TCG since Base Set in 1999, you know it's always a fun time when Pokemon Day rolls around!
So I wanted to a do a little special Top 30 list of my favourite decks I've played so far. Not my best decks, not my most successful, but just the ones I've really liked playing. And well my most successful ones are the ones I liked the most I guess!
30th - Arceus VSTAR/Charizard VMAX
List: 1st/57 - 8/2/0 - Online - LIGA INTER #1 - SEASON 2
Season: 2021-2022
Wins: 3 (Online)
I've only actually played this deck 4 times, 3 times online and once IRL with a bunch of proxies because I never did own Charizard V, Charizard VMAX or Charizard VSTAR but I still wanted to give it a try. But this deck, although it's probably not good, it was fun to play!
I got to combine playing my new favourite card in Arceus VSTAR with one of my favourite mons! And it's kinda funny that I only played this deck 3 times online....and won all 3 events!
29th - Zapdos/Jolteon GX
List: 1st/8 - 3/0/0 - Project EXT Locals
Season: 2018-2019
Wins: 2 (IRL)
This deck was cool to play. I wished I had tried out Zap Beast more though, that deck looked really cool but for some reason I never played it much. But the whole combo of Jirachi finding your stuff, and then going into Zapdos to hit for big numbers was neat. You had loads of ways to switch Zapdos out to attack, 4 Guzma, 4 other item switch outs and even Acerola!
Jolteon was nice attacker at times too and of course we can't forget the Tapu Koko package with the stadium, the Prism energy attacher and also Tapu Koko-GX for some big damage at the end of games! Cool deck.
28th - Miraidon ex
List: 1st/157 - 9/1/1 - Online - TOURNAMENT OF DOOM! WORLDS WORLDS WORLDS
Season: 2023-24
Wins: 4 (3 Online, 1 IRL)
When this deck works, it was actually a lot of fun to play. And this was the famous winning list where I was paying attention to what was happening at Worlds 2024 and also playing in Doom at the same time so I wasn't really paying much attention to my games....and still somehow won the whole event!
Generator makes the deck click and since you've got Iron Hands ex in this one, you can get an Amp You Very Much off turn 1! This deck also has one of my favourite VSTAR move of all time....from the Forest Seal Stone tool card! I didn't play Miraidon much but it was fun to mess around with it a few times.
27th - Lost Zone Box/Radiant Greninja
List: 1st/106 - 8/1/1 - Online - Pokémon Battle Park
Season: 2023-24
Wins: 4 (3 Online, 1 IRL)
I didn't always enjoying playing Lost Box but this version was at least bearable enough for me to try and actually have some fun with it. The deck had some many ways to take big KOs right off the bat, and even two prizes KOs from either Radiant Greninja, Dragonite V or if you're really lucky and you hit the nuts, a Turn 1 Sableye!
And you had so many ways to get cards into the lost zone, be it from Comfey's ability, Colress and Lost Vacuum. Loads of different attackers too which for me is always fun because it gives you options to win in many different ways as possible and no two games are always the same! The deck can be frustrating to play too, sometimes you get two really important stuff from your Flower Selecting choices and you regret why you ever chose to play the deck.
26th - Pikachu & Zekrom-GX
List: 1st/17 - 5/0/0 - Online - PokeX Tag Bolt #5
Season: 2019-2020
Wins: 3 (2 Online, 1 IRL)
It's probably many others favourite Tag Team deck, it never was mine. It is a fun deck, and a very a good deck too! PikaRom was just such a good attacker that it can set up many different attackers, or set itself up for Tag Bolt GX, and that attack was scary if you got it off! 200 to the active and 170 to the bench if you got the 3 extra Lighting attach, and there's usually always a Dedenne-GX on your opponent's bench, this was the era where almost everyone did play it!
And there are some cool cards in this deck too. Of course it has Jirachi was my favourite card during that time for the consistency boost but also you had Reset Stamp. I still call Unfair Stamp as Reset Stamp by accident a few times, and there's a good reason for it! Your opponent drew cards equal to how many prizes they had and you had so many ways to get it, either from Jirachi or Volkner. This deck was one of the best Reset Stamp users during this time.
25th - Dragapult ex/Charizard ex
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List: 26th/524 - 6/3/0 - 2024-25 Singapore Master Ball League @ Suntec City
Season: 2024-25
Wins: 1 (IRL)
I've always liked playing Charizard ex, Dragapult ex has always been strong no-matter who it was paired with and together, the deck always seemed good! Sure it's probably better as their own decks but I enjoyed playing it whenever I had the chance. I build this list when I was watching NAIC during my cousin's wedding in California and at that moment, I decided this was going to be my MBL list.
And I made top cut with it! Sure I lost right away in top cut but hey the deck worked with the little amount of practice I had, it was one of my best results last season too! And this deck did play Unfair Stamp, which is even better than Reset Stamp. Both shuffle, you draw 5, your opponent draw 2 so if they took an early KO, you could easily punish them and destroy their board in no time. I'm still enjoying playing this deck right now even though it's not as good as it should be I feel!
24th - Dragapult ex/Dusknoir
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List: 67th/563 - 5/2/0 - 2025 Melbourne Regional @ Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Season: 2024-25
Wins: 1 (Online)
I've gone from one Dragapult deck to another, and the one most people enjoy playing, and some might say their favourite deck. Or heck I could even say Singapore's favourite deck, everyone plays it here! It's just a really powerful deck that is prone to dead drawing, I should know. But when it works, it can actually be quite fun to play.
And I found this out when I chose to play it for the 2025 Melbourne Regionals. I didn't know what to play for the event and thought this deck might just be the one for me. I didn't know how to play it perfectly but I did enjoy learning how to play the deck on the fly and made Day 2 at the event! I will probably end up playing this more in the future since it will still be legal. Maybe it'll go up my list the next time I do it? Or not even on the list.
23rd - Dragapult VMAX
List: 2nd/154 - 8/4/0 - Online - Sunday Open
Season: 2019-2020
Wins: 3 (Online)
And we end this trio of Dragapult entries with the OG Dragapult! I always liked this one a bit better. It had a one energy Shred attack and the same attack as Dragapult ex, Max Phantom did 130 to active and 5 damage counters to your opponent's bench in any way you like. Sure now it's 200 and 6 but at that time, 130 + 5 was really good!
And this deck had so many ways to put damage counters on your opponent's board, the main one being Horror Energy. If your opponent's active hit it, 2 damage counters go back to them. Spell Tag puts 4 damage counters after the mon that has it gets KOed. Zigzagoon put one damage counters to anyone when played. And of course, the best part of the deck is using Shrine of Punishment to destroy these GX and EX mons. This deck was really fun to play, and a true spread deck! Oh and it's another deck that plays Jirachi too, plus points for me.
22nd - Lost Zone Box/Radiant Charizard
List: 1st/6 - 3/0/0 - Brick's Play Locals
Season: 2023-2024
Wins: 3 (2 Online, 1 IRL)
I know this wasn't the most favoured version of playing the Lost Box deck but personally, this was my favourite! I always felt this version of the deck was just more consistent and you can attack with Radiant Charizard really quickly too. Oh but what if it's prized? No worries, we have Hisuian Heavy Ball! (And if they are both prized, well that's just unlucky).
This deck also had TM Devo which was cool as you can set up numbers from hitting 110 with Cramorant or spreading damage around with Sableye and then go for a board wipe! And yes there is a Crisis Punch for some cheeky last turn KOs. But most of the time these are easy fodders for the Lost Zone with the double (sometimes triple) Lost Vacuum! I honestly wished I had played this deck more.
21st - Gouging Fire ex
List: 1st/32 - 5/0/0 - 2024-25 Singapore Great Ball League S2 #12 @ Concept City
Season: 2024-25
Wins: 3 (2 Online, 1 IRL)
This was never the best deck, but I had so much fun playing it and I managed to win a 170-person Doom online event with this AND got my first GBL win last season with it too! This was one of the funnier aggro decks I played, using both the usual Entei and the old Entei aka Gouging Fire!
Gouging Fire could hit for 260 for just 3 energies attached and we had easy ways to get these energies, be it Magma Basin or Sada or even Energy Switch! And of course we had Radiant Greninja to help not just get these energies into the discard pile but also help draw cards from it. Not the best deck to utilize Munkidori but it sure came up a number of times.
20th - Gholdengo ex/Energy Search Pro
List: 32nd/220 - 5/2/0 - 2024-25 Singapore Ultra Ball League S2 #1 @ Kreta Ayer Community Club
Season: 2024-25
Wins: 6 (3 Online + 3 IRL)
Ok I know I know, the Lunatone version is better. But come on now, how many decks can say they used every basic energy available in the format? Not many can and this Gholdengo ex deck not only did, but it was quite good too! I always liked playing this version more and Energy Search Pro is an amazing card, getting potentially 8 cards out of the deck was always quite valuable and helps to get some big KOs.
And with all these energies the options are endless. 2 Water energy meant we could do a snipe attack with Radiant Greninja, Dark on Munkidori to use Adrena-Brain and a few other lists later on played an extra Lighting energy for the new Levincia card in place of the rotated Greninja. Before this season, this got me my best UBL score!
19th - Terapagos ex/Dusknoir
List: 1st/63 - 8/1/1 - Online - Silver Squad Standard “Lille Regionals 2025”
Season: 2024-25
Wins: 2 (Online)
18th - Arceus VSTAR/Inteleon
List: 1st/25 - 4/0/0 - Goodness Gracious Gaming Locals - Southern Island Qualifiers
Season: 2021-22
Wins: 4 (2 Online + 2 IRL)
17th - Suicune V/Ludicolo
List: 1st/71 - 6/1/0 - Online - ATLAS - Turtwig Den Series Challenge 6
Season: 2021-22
Wins: 1 (Online)
16th - Rapid Strike Urshifu VMAX/Inteleon
List: 1st/37 - 7/1/1 - Online - Southeast Asia Open #26
Season: 2021-22
Wins: 4 (Online)
15th - Ultra Necrozma-GX/Malamar
List: 26th/71 - 4/3/0 - 2018 Singapore Special Event
Season: 2017-18
Wins: 2 (IRL)
14th - Tapu Bulu-GX/Vikavolt
List: 1st/7 - 3/0/0 - Project EXT Locals
Season: 2017-18
Wins: 3 (IRL)
13th - Zoroark-GX/Lucario-GX
List: 1st/13 - 3/0/0 - Project EXT Locals
Season: 2017-18
Wins: 2 (IRL)
12th - Volcanion-EX
List: 1st/13 - 3/0/0 - Project EXT Locals
Season: 2017-18
Wins: 1 (IRL)
List: 1st/14 - 3/0/0 - Inferno Gaming Locals
Season: 2024-25
Wins: 4 (2 Online + 2 IRL)
List: 1st/17 - 3/0/0 - Qishan Locals
Season: 2016-17
Wins: 2 (IRL)
List: 1st/105 - 10/1/1 - Online - Master Ball #13 Series #2
Season: 2021-22
Wins: 4 (Online)
List: 1st/15 - 3/0/0 - Project EXT Locals
Season: 2017-18
Wins: 3 (IRL)
List: 4th/32 - 5/2/0 - Singapore Pro Circuit - 2018 Autumn Invitational
Season: 2018-19
Wins: 2 (1 Online + 1 IRL)
List: 3rd/22 - 3/1/1 - League Challenge at 2019/20 Singapore SPE
Season: 2019-2020
Wins: 5 (IRL)
List: 1st/32 - 3 different GBLs from 2025-26 season (S2 GBL4, GBL5 and GBL 8)
Season: 2025-26
Wins: 9 (4 Online + 5 IRL)
List: 1st/19 - 4/1/0 - League Challenge @ Pokebar
Season: 2019-2020
Wins: 8 (IRL)
List: 1st/209 - 10-2-0 - Online - Hegster Season 3 - #16
Season: 2020-21
Wins: 10 (Online)
List: 1st/189 - 9/2/0 - 2022-23 Singapore Regional League Vol. 2 @ NTU Alumni Club
Season: 2022-23
Wins: 12 (8 Online + 4 IRL)
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List: 92nd/647 - 5/3/0 - 2025-26 Singapore Premier Ball League @ Suntec City
Season: 2025-26
Wins: 17 (11 Online + 6 IRL)
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