pokoacademy
Meta deck20 lists · 18 events · 11 August 2026

Mega Lopunny ex / Dudunsparce deck: the core, the flex slots, and what beats it

We took 20 lists of this deck and counted every card in every one of them. They come from 18 different tournaments, built by 20 people who never talked to each other. What all of them run is the core of the deck: 10 cards, 32 slots out of 60. The rest — 49 cards fighting over what is left — is where players disagree, and that is usually where a game is won.

Published Data updated
THE SHORT VERSION
  • 10 cards show up in all 20 lists we counted. No exceptions. That is 32 of your 60 slots. If you are building this deck, start there — nobody argues about those.
  • Your big card is Mega Lopunny ex, 330 HP. Spiky Hopper hits for 160, and it costs you 2 Energy (Colorless and Colorless).
  • 49 cards change from list to list. That is exactly where a good player tunes the deck for what they expect to face, and the table below tells you how many lists run each one.
  • This deck has a Weakness printed right on its cards: Fighting and Lightning. 8 of the decks we track attack in exactly that type. They are listed at the bottom, with the card that does the damage.

What this deck looks like when you open the box

Across the 20 lists we counted, this deck runs 15 to 21 Pokémon, 32 to 38 Trainers and 6 to 8 Energy. Its attacks do not ask for any particular type of Energy.

Limitless files it under « lopunny-dudunsparce », and that is the label you will see on results pages and on stream. Every card named in it turns up in the core below, which is what makes it a fair name for the deck.

Look at the Energy count first: 6 to 8 out of 60. No single number tells you more about how a deck breathes. A lot of Energy means it wants to load up one big Pokémon and swing hard. Very little means it lives on cheap attacks and on Trainers to dig out whatever it is missing.

It sets up fast. Dudunsparce is a Stage 1 Pokémon: a Basic, one evolution on top, and you are attacking. Two cards instead of three. You lose fewer turns building, and you rebuild much more easily when an early knockout lands on you.

On the Trainer side: 10 to 15 Supporters, 13 to 20 Items, 2 to 3 Tools and 2 to 4 Stadiums. Worth saying out loud, because everyone forgets it once a tournament: you only get ONE Supporter a turn, while you can chain as many Items as you like. So a deck full of Items takes longer, louder turns than a deck full of Supporters.

What fills the 60 slots

Pokémon
15–21
Trainers
32–38
Energy
6–8
Supporters
10–15
Items
13–20
Tools
2–3
Stadiums
2–4

A range means the lists disagree with each other.

How it actually wins

Mega Lopunny ex attacks with Spiky Hopper for 160, and it costs 2 Energy (Colorless and Colorless). It has 330 HP to absorb the answer. Everything else in the list is built around getting that card online.

Do the arithmetic with us, because it decides your first few turns. You attach one Energy a turn by hand. Mega Lopunny ex wants 2. With no help, that means you swing on turn 2 at the earliest. Every card in this deck that accelerates Energy or fetches a Pokémon buys back a turn on that count, and at this level a turn is a game.

Good news on mobility: Mega Lopunny ex retreats for 1 Energy. You can pull it out of the Active spot without throwing away your turn, and that matters enormously when your opponent lands something nasty on it.

1 of the core Pokémon carry the « ex » suffix. Those are the big ones: high HP, attacks that hurt, and the price tag to match. They also cost you more when they fall — an opponent takes extra Prize cards for knocking out an ex, so every trade you lose there walks you towards the loss faster than you think.

The attackers in the deck's core, with their best attack, its cost and their Weakness
PokémonHPAttackDamageCostWeaknessRetreat
Mega Lopunny exStage 1330Spiky Hopper160Colorless + ColorlessFighting ×21
DudunsparceStage 1140Land Crush90Colorless + Colorless + ColorlessFighting ×23
Fan RotomBasic70Assault Landing70ColorlessLightning ×21
BunearyBasic70Kick20Colorless + ColorlessFighting ×21

The core: the 10 cards every list runs

These 10 cards appear in all 20 lists, without a single exception. That is 32 of the 60 slots. The other 28 are decided player by player.

This is the most useful table on the page, and nobody publishes it. Everywhere else you get one list, from one player, who won one tournament. Fine — but you have no way of telling which parts of it were the deck and which parts were that person's idea on the day. Counting 20 lists settles the question by itself: what 20 people put in their deck without talking to each other IS the deck.

A word on the count column. We give you the number that comes up most often, and where the lists disagree we give you the range instead. A card sitting at "3 to 4" is one everybody plays but whose fourth copy is up for debate. That is exactly the kind of slot you reclaim when you want to fit an idea of your own.

The code next to the name — "TWM 130" and the like — is the set and the collector number, printed at the bottom of the card. We show you the printing the lists use most often, because two cards can share a name and have completely different attacks. Check that number before you buy anything.

The cards present in every list counted, with the number of copies
CopiesCardPrintingKindRotation
2–3BunearyPFL 83Pokémonstays
2–4DudunsparceTEF 129Pokémonleaves
2–3Mega Lopunny exPFL 84Pokémonstays
1–2Fan RotomSCR 118Pokémonleaves
3–4Buddy-Buddy PoffinTEF 144Trainerleaves
2–4HildaWHT 84Trainerstays
3–4Poké PadPOR 81Trainerstays
1–4Wally's CompassionMEG 132Trainerstays
2–3Air BalloonASC 181Trainerstays
2–4Boss's OrdersMEG 114Trainerstays

What changes from one list to the next

49 cards show up in some lists and not in others. The percentage tells you how many lists run each one: at 50%, half the players want it and the other half deliberately chose something else.

Do not read this table as a ranking from best to worst. A card sitting at 80% is one four players in five find useful and the fifth cut on purpose, usually because they were expecting a different field. That disagreement is worth something on its own.

Here is how to use it when you build. Take the whole core first, no arguing. Then walk down this list and stop on every card you do not understand: read its text, work out what it is answering. A card you cannot explain is a card you will misplay, even if the champion had it in their list.

And if this is your first time with the deck, build the boring version — the full core plus the most common cards from here. Understand the deck before you start tinkering with it. That order is the only one that works.

The cards some lists run and others don't, most common first
Lists running itCardCopiesPrintingKind
95 %19/20Dunsparce1–3TEF 128Pokémon
95 %19/20Dunsparce1–4JTG 120Pokémon
95 %19/20Ultra Ball2–4MEG 131Trainer
95 %19/20Battle Cage2–4PFL 85Trainer
95 %19/20Mist Energy2–4TEF 161Energy
90 %18/20Lillie's Determination3–4MEG 119Trainer
85 %17/20Pokégear 3.02–4SVI 186Trainer
75 %15/20Enriching Energy1SSP 191Energy
60 %12/20Night Stretcher1–2ASC 196Trainer
60 %12/20Special Red Card1CRI 82Trainer
45 %9/20Mega Froslass ex2ASC 47Pokémon
45 %9/20Snorunt2–3ASC 46Pokémon
45 %9/20Water Energy3–7MEE 3Energy
40 %8/20Abra1TWM 80Pokémon
30 %6/20Chien-Pao1SSP 56Pokémon
30 %6/20Moltres1PFL 14Pokémon
30 %6/20Psyduck1ASC 39Pokémon
30 %6/20Shaymin1DRI 10Pokémon
25 %5/20Dudunsparce ex1JTG 121Pokémon
25 %5/20Hero's Cape1TEF 152Trainer
20 %4/20Fire Energy3MEE 2Energy
15 %3/20Judge1–2POR 76Trainer
15 %3/20Spiky Energy2–3JTG 159Energy
10 %2/20Stunfisk1–2ASC 62Pokémon
10 %2/20Meowth ex1POR 62Pokémon
10 %2/20Rare Candy1–3MEG 125Trainer
10 %2/20Lucian1TWM 157Trainer
10 %2/20Switch1MEG 130Trainer
10 %2/20Prism Energy3ASC 216Energy
5 %1/20Bastiodon3PBL 62Pokémon
5 %1/20Kadabra3MEG 55Pokémon
5 %1/20Abra2MEG 54Pokémon
5 %1/20Alakazam2MEG 56Pokémon
5 %1/20Chi-Yu1MEG 31Pokémon
5 %1/20Antique Armor Fossil4PBL 72Trainer
5 %1/20Dawn2PFL 87Trainer
5 %1/20Fossil Quarry2PBL 76Trainer
5 %1/20Ciphermaniac's Codebreaking1TEF 145Trainer
5 %1/20Dark Bell1PBL 75Trainer
5 %1/20Eri1TEF 146Trainer
5 %1/20Fennel1BLK 82Trainer
5 %1/20Gravity Mountain1SSP 177Trainer
5 %1/20Sacred Ash1DRI 168Trainer
5 %1/20Salvatore1TEF 160Trainer
5 %1/20Surfer1SSP 187Trainer
5 %1/20Wondrous Patch1PFL 94Trainer
5 %1/20Magnetic Metal Energy2CRI 85Energy
5 %1/20Psychic Energy2MEE 5Energy
5 %1/20Telepathic Psychic Energy1POR 88Energy

What it costs to build, and how long it will last

You need 59 different cards to cover every version of this deck, 10 of which nobody argues about. We do not have card prices, so we are not going to put a number on it.

What we can tell you is where the money goes. 1 ex Pokémon in the core, and they are almost the whole bill. The Trainers and basic Energy are near enough free, or already in your box. This deck runs no ACE SPEC card at all.

Now the question nobody asks you before you pay: how long will this deck stay legal? Of the 10 core cards, 3 carry the letter H in the bottom-left corner. That is the oldest letter still allowed in tournaments, which makes it the one that goes at the next rotation. Those 3 cards have an expiry date. We do not know what that date is — the publisher announces it and it appears in no card data — but we do know exactly which cards leave.

One last piece of old-player advice. Never build a deck card by card starting with the prettiest one. Start with the core Trainers: they are cheap, they carry over into other decks, and they are what makes the machine run. Buy the expensive Pokémon last, once you know you actually enjoy the deck.

What this deck struggles against

The attackers in this deck are Weak to Fighting and Lightning. A card with a Weakness takes DOUBLE damage from an attacker of that type. Of the decks we track, 8 attack in exactly that type.

Here is how the table below is built. The Weakness is printed on your cards, the type of the attacker across the table is printed on theirs, and the fact that this particular deck really does play that attacker is counted off its own lists. You can check every line of it with the cards in your hand.

One limit, while we are here. Weakness alone does not decide a match. A deck can double your damage and still lose because it sets up too slowly, or crush you without ever touching your Weakness. This table tells you where to look first. What settles the game sits further along.

Going the other way, none of the decks we track have an attacker Weak to your types. So you are not going to win trades on Weakness — you will have to win them on raw damage.

They double the damage they put on you

Harvested decks that attack into this deck's Weakness, and those whose Weakness this deck hits
DeckTheir cardType
Ceruledge exSolrockFighting
Greninja exGreninja exFighting
Mega Lucario ex / HariyamaMega Lucario exFighting
Mega Manectric ex / EelektrikMega Manectric exLightning
Mega Lucario exMega Lucario exFighting
Mega Zygarde ex / BarbaracleMega Zygarde exFighting
Cynthia's Garchomp exCynthia's Garchomp exFighting
Okidogi / BarbaracleBloodmoon UrsalunaFighting

You double the damage you put on them

Nobody, for now.

Questions people ask

What is the Mega Lopunny ex / Dudunsparce deck list?
There isn't one, and that is the whole point. Across 20 tournament lists harvested on 11 August 2026, 10 cards turn up in every single one — 32 slots out of 60. The remaining 28 change from player to player, with 49 different cards competing for them. Both tables are above.
How many lists is this counted on, and where do they come from?
20 lists, played across 18 different tournaments, harvested on 11 August 2026 from play.limitlesstcg.com. Every one of them was read card by card, and every card was recognised.
Where do I start if I want to build this deck?
With the whole core: 10 cards, 32 slots. Inside that core, buy the Trainers and Energy first — they are cheap and they carry over into other decks — and leave the 1 ex Pokémon for last, because they are the bill. Only then work down the flex table and add the cards the most lists agree on.
What beats this deck?
Its attackers are Weak to Fighting and Lightning, so they take double damage from an attacker of that type. Of the decks we track, 8 play an attacker of that type: Ceruledge ex, Greninja ex, Mega Lucario ex / Hariyama and Mega Manectric ex / Eelektrik, among others. One caveat. Weakness tells you where to look first. What settles the game sits further along.
Will this deck survive the next rotation?
Not intact. 3 of the 10 core cards carry the letter H in the bottom-left corner — the oldest letter still legal, and therefore the one that goes. We do not know the date of that rotation: the publisher announces it and it appears in no card data. We do know which cards leave, and they are marked in the core table.
Are these numbers current?
The lists were harvested on 11 August 2026, and the harvest runs every night. Every new list joins the count, so the percentages on this page move on their own as the format moves. When a card crosses over from the flex table into the core, that is the players moving first and the count following them.

Where all of this comes from

The 20 lists come from play.limitlesstcg.com, which publishes the decks played at official tournaments. They were harvested on 11 August 2026 across 18 different events, then read card by card against poko's own card catalogue (built from the public TCGdex API) to recover what each card actually does. Card prices appear nowhere on this page: we do not have them, and nothing here links to a shop.

NOW YOUR OWN GAME

You've just read a page about the game. We can do far more with one match.

Everything above is about the game in general. The thing we're really good at is one single match: yours. When a game ends, Pokémon TCG Live leaves you a log — the written record of everything that happened, turn by turn. Paste it here and we'll replay each of your decisions hundreds of times, then tell you which one actually cost you the game.

It's free and there's no account to make. Your log stays in your browser: your browser is what replays the game.

READ THIS NEXT

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