Dragapult ex decks don't win the game in front of them — they win the whole board at once. Phantom Dive's 200 to the Active plus 6 d...
Dragapult ex decks don't win the game in front of them — they win the whole board at once. Phantom Dive's 200 to the Active plus 6 damage counters placed anywhere on the Bench means every attack damages three or four Pokémon at the same time.
The Core Cards
- Dragapult ex — Stage 2 Dragon, 320 HP, from Twilight Masquerade. Attacks: Jet Headbutt, Phantom Dive.
- Dreepy — Basic Dragon, 70 HP, from Twilight Masquerade. Attacks: Petty Grudge, Bite.
- Drakloak — Stage 1 Dragon, 90 HP, from Twilight Masquerade. Ability: Recon Directive; Attacks: Dragon Headbutt.
The Game Plan
The plan is arithmetic. Soften two Benched targets with counters while pressuring the Active, then take double and triple Prize turns when the counters line up. Dreepy and Drakloak from Twilight Masquerade carry useful Abilities of their own (check their printed text in our database coverage) — Drakloak in particular is a draw engine in many builds, which is why the line plays more copies than a normal Stage 2 chain. Protect the Bench math: your opponent's HP totals are your scoreboard.
Related reading: Dragapult ex Card Spotlight: Phantom Dive and the Bench-Spread Game Plan — keep it open for when you finish this one.
The Prize Map
Every deck should know its own scoreboard. Your flagship, Dragapult ex, gives up 2 Prizes when it falls, so the route to six usually runs through it exactly twice, with single-Prize support taking the early trades. The core above is drawn from Twilight Masquerade, which is also your shopping list in order: flagship first, evolution line second, support last.
Testing Checklist
- Goldfish test: is Dragapult ex in play and powered by turn three in at least 8 of 10 solo runs?
- First-Prize test: which Pokémon takes the first Prize while Dragapult ex is still developing?
- Recovery test: after Dragapult ex is Knocked Out, who takes the next two Prizes — and is that plan in the deck, or in your hopes?
Budget Roles and Alternatives
If Dragapult ex itself is out of reach, the spread role can be filled by any attacker in Twilight Masquerade that places damage counters, paired with a straightforward heavy hitter to finish the Active. The deck's identity is the counters, not the dragon — but nothing places them quite like Phantom Dive.
Build the engine first, goldfish the first three turns until they are boring, and only then start swapping in tech. Every deck in this series rewards that order of operations.
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