pokoacademy
Meta deck6 lists · 6 events · 16 August 2026 to 23 August 2026

Scovillain ex deck: the core, the flex slots, and what beats it

We took 6 lists of this deck, handed in at 6 different tournaments, and counted every card in every one. For 5 of them we know how the day ended, and none won their tournament. 21 cards turn up in all of them, 55 slots out of 60. The other 5 are decided player by player, with 6 different cards turning up in them.

Published Data updated
THE SHORT VERSION
  • 21 cards show up in all 6 lists, no exceptions: 55 of your 60 slots. Of those, 25 are Trainers, 22 are Pokémon and 8 are Energy. Start there. That leaves 5 slots for you to pick yourself.
  • Your big card is Dudunsparce, 140 HP. Land Crush hits for 90. It needs 3 Colorless Energy attached.
  • The sharpest disagreement is over Meowth ex: 3 of the 6 lists run it. The table below has all 6 cards fighting over the 5 free slots.
  • Your attackers are Weak to Fighting, Metal and Darkness, and 32 of the 92 decks we track attack in one of those: Mega Excadrill ex, Slowking and N's Zoroark ex, among others. They are listed at the bottom, with the card that does the damage.

What Scovillain ex looks like when you open the box

Across the 6 lists we counted, this deck runs 20 to 22 Pokémon, 30 to 31 Trainers and 8 to 9 Energy. Its attacks are paid for in Water and Psychic.

On results pages and on stream you will see it written « scovillain-ex ». Every card named in that label turns up in the tables below, which is what makes it a fair name for the deck.

Look at the Energy: 8 to 9 out of 60, when half the 92 decks we track run 10 or more. This one is lean. It lives on cheap attacks and leans on Trainers to find the right Energy at the right moment rather than stockpiling it.

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.

Look at the Trainers: 30 to 31 cards out of 60, against a median of 31 across the 92 decks we track. Inside that, 8 to 9 Supporters, and the rule there is strict — one a turn, even if you are holding three. The 16 to 18 Items you can play all of in the same turn. It also brings up to 3 Stadiums, and 86 of the 92 decks we track bring that many or more. Only one Stadium sits on the table at a time: the one you play sends the one already there to the discard pile.

What Tools and Stadiums do — the two Trainer families we skipped here — and why the Energy count says so much: how to read a deck list.

What fills the 60 slots

Pokémon
20–22
Trainers
30–31
Energy
8–9
Supporters
8–9
Items
16–18
Tools
1–2
Stadiums
3

A range means the lists disagree with each other.

What the card in this deck's name actually does

Scovillain ex gives this deck its name. Here is what is written on it.

Scovillain ex is in all 6 lists, 3 copies of it. Its Ability is called Double Type, and here is what is printed on it, word for word: « As long as this Pokémon is in play, it is {G} and {R} type. »

How Scovillain ex actually wins

Dudunsparce attacks with Land Crush for 90. It needs 3 Colorless Energy attached, and it has 140 HP.

The cost of Land Crush decides your first few turns. You only get to attach one Energy a turn, and that attack asks for 3. On your own attachments alone, your first real swing lands on turn 3. We have not found anything in this list that attaches Energy faster than that, so plan on holding out for 2 turns before you swing. Those turns still get played: you fill your Bench, you build your lines, and you keep something back to rebuild with when your attacker falls.

Here is the detail that quietly loses games. To pull Dudunsparce back to the Bench you have to discard 3 Energy attached to it. Retreating does not cost you your turn, you can step back and still swing right after. What it costs you is the 3 Energy you spent 3 turns attaching, and you start that climb again from nothing. Pack a card that moves it for free, or send it up knowing it stays up.

Scovillain ex carries the "ex" suffix, and your opponent takes TWO Prize cards instead of one when Scovillain ex falls. They need six to win: three well-placed knockouts on that card beat you, where it would take six anywhere else on your Bench.

The attackers in the deck's core, with their best attack, its cost and their Weakness
PokémonHPAttackDamageCostWeaknessRetreat
DudunsparceStage 1140Land Crush90Colorless + Colorless + ColorlessFighting ×23
FroslassStage 190Frost Smash60Water + ColorlessMetal ×21
MunkidoriBasic110Mind Bend60Psychic + ColorlessDarkness ×21
DunsparceBasic60Dig30Colorless + ColorlessFighting ×20

The core: the 21 cards every list runs

These 21 cards appear in all 6 lists, without a single exception. That is 55 of the 60 slots. The other 5 are decided player by player.

Look at how those 55 slots break down: 25 Trainers, 22 Pokémon, 8 Energy. Nothing stands out in that split. What sets this deck apart is how thick its core is: 55 of the 60 slots are the same for everybody, when half the 92 decks we track fix 35 or fewer. Fewer choices left to you than usual, and fewer ways to get them wrong.

7 of those 21 cards do not sit at the same count from list to list: Capsakid (3 to 4), Froslass (2 to 3) and Munkidori (2 to 3), plus 4 more. Add those spreads up and you get 7 copies the 6 lists do not agree on, inside the core itself.

What "3 to 4" means in the copies column, what the "TWM 130" code under each name is for, and why we count dozens of lists instead of one: how to read a deck list.

The cards present in every list counted, with the number of copies
CopiesCardPrintingKindRotation
3–4CapsakidSSP 12Pokémonleaves
2–3FroslassTWM 53Pokémonleaves
2–3MunkidoriTWM 95Pokémonleaves
3Scovillain exSSP 37Pokémonleaves
2–3SnoruntASC 46Pokémonstays
1–2BudewASC 16Pokémonleaves
2DudunsparceTEF 129Pokémonleaves
2DunsparceJTG 120Pokémonstays
1DunsparceTEF 128Pokémonleaves
4Buddy-Buddy PoffinTEF 144Trainerleaves
4Lillie's DeterminationMEG 119Trainerstays
4Poké PadPOR 81Trainerstays
3Risky RuinsMEG 127Trainerstays
2Boss's OrdersMEG 114Trainerstays
2–3CrispinSCR 133Trainerleaves
2Night StretcherASC 196Trainerleaves
2Ultra BallMEG 131Trainerstays
1Hero's CapeTEF 152Trainerleaves
1Special Red CardCRI 82Trainerstays
5–6Fire EnergyMEE 2Energystays
3Darkness EnergyMEE 7Energystays

The 6 cards that change from list to list

6 cards fight over the 5 slots that are left: 0 above three lists in four, 0 below one in four, and the percentage on each row says how many players took it.

Not one of these cards reaches three quarters of the lists. The 5 free slots in this deck are genuinely open, and two players can build it very differently without either being wrong.

The dividing line runs through Meowth ex, at 50 %: 3 of 6 players took it, 3 put something else there. The ones who run it bring 1 copy.

Why a card at 45 % is not a bad card, and what order to buy all this in: how to read a deck list.

The cards some lists run and others don't, most common first
Lists running itCardCopiesPrintingKind
67 %4/6Crushing Hammer3POR 71Trainer
67 %4/6Powerglass1SFA 63Trainer
50 %3/6Meowth ex1POR 62Pokémon
50 %3/6Pokégear 3.02SVI 186Trainer
50 %3/6Judge1POR 76Trainer
33 %2/6Team Rocket's Venture Bomb3DRI 179Trainer

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

You need 27 different cards to cover every version of this deck, 21 of which nobody argues about. We do not have card prices, so we are not going to put a number on it.

Add Hero's Cape: all 6 players picked the same one. You are allowed ONE ACE SPEC card in your whole deck, so a single copy covers it whatever it costs.

Then there is time. 11 of the 21 core cards carry the letter H, the one that goes at the next rotation: Capsakid, Froslass, Munkidori and Scovillain ex, plus 7 more. The core table marks every one of them. In copies, that is 26 of the 55 slots the core fills. Which day it lands, we do not know yet.

What Scovillain ex struggles against

The attackers in this deck are Weak to Fighting, Metal and Darkness, so they take DOUBLE damage from those types. 32 of the 92 decks we track attack in exactly those types.

Concretely, here is what is waiting for you: Mega Excadrill ex, Slowking (Metagross) and N's Zoroark ex, plus 29 more decks. The table below takes them one at a time, and those are the lists you practise against first before an event.

This table counts one thing, Weakness, and that comes to 32 decks out of the 92 we track. The other 60 do not attack into yours, and this table says nothing about them. You will still run into them.

Going the other way, your attackers are Water and Psychic, and 14 of the decks we track have an attacker Weak to one of those: Dragapult ex / Blaziken ex, Mega Lucario ex and Mega Lucario ex / Hariyama, among others. That is you doubling, for once. Second half of the table.

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
Mega Excadrill exMega Excadrill exMetal
SlowkingMetagrossMetal
N's Zoroark exN's Zoroark exDarkness
Marnie's Grimmsnarl ex / FroslassMarnie's Grimmsnarl exDarkness
Mega Lucario exMega Lucario exFighting
Mega Lucario ex / HariyamaMega Lucario exFighting
Team Rocket's HonchkrowTeam Rocket's HonchkrowDarkness
Cynthia's Garchomp exCynthia's Garchomp exFighting
Mega Absol exMega Absol exDarkness
Greninja exGreninja exFighting
ToxtricityMega Absol exDarkness
Ceruledge exSolrockFighting
Mega Darkrai exMega Darkrai exDarkness
Cinccino exGenesect exMetal
ToxtricityToxtricityDarkness
Blaziken / N's Zoroark exN's Zoroark exDarkness
Steven's Metagross exSteven's Metagross exMetal
Okidogi / BarbaracleBloodmoon UrsalunaFighting
MetagrossMetagrossMetal
Marnie's Grimmsnarl exMarnie's Grimmsnarl exDarkness
Mega Sharpedo ex / ToxtricityMega Sharpedo exDarkness
Mega Zygarde ex / BarbaracleMega Zygarde exFighting
Hop's Zacian exHop's Zacian exMetal
Archaludon exArchaludon exMetal
Bloodmoon Ursaluna / LunatoneBloodmoon UrsalunaFighting
Archaludon ex / DudunsparceArchaludon exMetal
Archaludon ex / N's Zoroark exN's Zoroark exDarkness
Gengar exGengar exDarkness
Paldean TaurosPaldean TaurosFighting
Greninja ex / Blaziken exGreninja exFighting
Scizor exGenesect exMetal
Flygon exFlygon exFighting

You double the damage you put on them

Harvested decks that attack into this deck's Weakness, and those whose Weakness this deck hits
DeckTheir cardType
Dragapult ex / Blaziken exBlaziken exWater
Mega Lucario exMega Lucario exPsychic
Mega Lucario ex / HariyamaMega Lucario exPsychic
Ethan's TyphlosionEthan's TyphlosionWater
Greninja exGreninja exPsychic
Ceruledge exCeruledge exWater
Blaziken / N's Zoroark exBlaziken exWater
Okidogi / BarbaracleOkidogiPsychic
Flareon ex / NoctowlFlareon exWater
Mega Charizard X exMega Charizard X exWater
Mega Camerupt exMega Camerupt exWater
Ethan's MagcargoEthan's Ho-Oh exWater
Paldean TaurosPaldean TaurosPsychic
Greninja ex / Blaziken exBlaziken exWater

Questions people ask

What is the Scovillain ex deck list?
There isn't one. Across 6 tournament lists harvested between 16 August 2026 and 23 August 2026, 21 cards turn up in every single one, 55 slots out of 60. The remaining 5 change from player to player, with 6 different cards competing for them. Both tables are above.
How many lists is this counted on, and where do they come from?
6 lists, played across 6 different tournaments, harvested between 16 August 2026 and 23 August 2026 from play.limitlesstcg.com. All 6 were read card by card, and every card recognised.
Where do I start if I want to build Scovillain ex?
With the whole core: 21 cards, 55 slots. Inside it, buy the 25 Trainer slots and the 8 Energy first: they carry over into your next deck. Leave the 22 Pokémon slots for last. Only then work down the flex table and add the cards the most lists agree on.
What beats Scovillain ex?
Its attackers are Weak to Fighting, Metal and Darkness, so they take double damage from an attacker of that type. 32 of the 92 decks we track play an attacker of that type: Mega Excadrill ex, Slowking, N's Zoroark ex and Marnie's Grimmsnarl ex / Froslass, among others.
Will Scovillain ex survive the next rotation?
Not intact: 11 core cards out of 21 carry the letter H, starting with Capsakid, Froslass, Munkidori and Scovillain ex, plus 7 more.
Are a lot of people playing Scovillain ex?
We have read 6 lists of it, which puts it 92nd of the 92 decks we track by lists read. The platform those tournaments run on counts 6 entries for it, 0.02 % of the field, across all its players. That figure is theirs.

Where all of this comes from

6 lists from play.limitlesstcg.com, played across 6 events, harvested between 16 August 2026 and 23 August 2026. The 27 cards named here were read against poko's own catalogue, built on the public TCGdex API. No prices on this page, for want of a fresh enough reading. The TCGplayer link in the cost section is a shop link, labelled as one right where it stands.

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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