Dragapult: Spreading with Phantom Dive

I brought it to Malaysia's Master Ball League, how did it perform?

Hey everyone—it’s been a minute!

I haven’t really felt the itch (or the itchy pollen) to write since Budew dropped (nothing’s quite sparked joy since then), but of course, I had to cover my tournament run with the best (only) deck in format: Dragapult ex.

Before we dive into my run, let’s take a second to appreciate the card itself.

Dragapult ex is a Stage 2 Pokémon with 320HP and two attacks:

• Jet Headbutt – a simple but reliable 70 damage for one Energy.

• Phantom Dive – for just two Energy, it hits for 200 damage and lets you place 6 damage counters on your opponent’s Benched Pokémon however you like.

It’s flexible, it’s brutal, and it puts serious pressure on wide boards, kinda like Froslass.

With Dragapult, you’re basically aiming to hit hard and set up future knockouts all at once. It’s a true-and-blue comeback deck with insane potential. And if your opponent doesn’t KO it immediately, it keeps the pressure going turn after turn.

To be honest, I was going to bring Froslass to the Master Ball League, but when Zacian ex started gaining popularity (you really can’t predict what Malaysians will bring), I pivoted. I went with Dragapult Dusknoir instead—and tested the hell out of it.

The list I was running felt solid into every matchup except Gardevoir. Klefki shut down decks relying on early Abilities, and higher Counter Catcher counts helped Dragapult spread damage more efficiently. Iron Bundle was also clutch—it let me force awkward switches into Budew or Dragapult for better spread turns.

But after Atlanta Regionals, the meta shifted. Everyone was teching against Dragapult. Decks were running Charms, Luxurious Capes, Munkidori, and Clefairy ex. Even ladder games on PTCGL started feeling like uphill battles.

Eventually, I landed on a list inspired by @pokehawkeye (Andrew Hedrick)—the finalist from Atlanta and built something I was comfortable with for BO1:

I won’t go into too much detail about the list—mostly because I wasn’t confident in it.

Why?

Because Dragapult Dusknoir, as strong as it can be when it’s running smoothly, has some serious liabilities.

Let’s look at the facts: giving up prizes too easily or running higher counts of situational cards means you’re essentially packing dead weight. If you can’t evolve your Duskull, you’re stuck with sitting targets. And in matchups where that line underperforms, those cards just clog your deck.

At the time, the meta was shifting. Gardevoir, Poison-Archaludon, Raging Bolt, Gholdengo, and Roaring Moon were all gaining traction. And in certain matchups, the entire line felt like a burden.

Take Budew decks, for example, for example—having Rare Candy sounds nice, until Budew locks you down. Suddenly, your setup pieces all cannot use. That’s why most lists pivot to 2 Dusclops over Dusknoir, just to pop the Budew. But even then, you’re giving your opponent a free prize while still being item-locked on that turn.

Against aggressive decks like Roaring Moon or Poison-Archaludon, it was even worse. Using Duskulls felt like an invitation to lose. While you’re getting poisoned and bleeding out, using Dusknoir for the multi-prize turn means your comeback is just that much more difficult.

With all these reasons in mind, I scrapped my list three days before the tournament.

So, where do we go from here? I still firmly believed that Dragapult was the BDIF—its attacks were just too good. So I went back to the roots of what inspired me pre-rotation: the Fernandez brother’s (@Gabriel57504708 & @Vincius01763096) Pure Dragapult build. I also pulled up the top lists from Atlanta, @rowan_stavenow & @bas_lashmet and started sketching out a version of my own, based on their builds.

Here’s my list:

My list ended up being a hybrid of Rowan’s and Sebastian’s builds—I kept the cards that made the most sense for my playstyle (and for the BO1 format).

Key inclusions:

In Pure Dragapult, Genesect is a tech that actually does a lot of heavy lifting. With its ACE Nullifier ability, Genesect shuts down your opponent’s Ace Spec cards as long as it has a tool attached. That alone gives you a significant edge against certain decks—especially those relying on Energy Search Pro, like in the Gholdengo ex matchup.

By disabling your opponent’s Ace Spec plays, you’re basically cutting off the best card in their deck. Preventing you from being gusted by Raging Bolt ex’s Prime Catcher, or being disrupted by a Dragapult’s Unfair Stamp. That’s huge especially when you’re trying to outpace your opponent whenever you attack with your own Dragapult.

I also ran a single copy of Brock’s Scouting. I’ve considered going with three Jacq instead, but having what’s essentially a fifth Poffin plus a double Nest Ball effect felt too good to pass up. It let me search out key non-Poffinable Pokémon like Munkidori, Hawlucha, Fezandipiti ex, and Genesect, which came in clutch in several situations.

Other key decisions:

• Crispins over Professor’s Research for Energy acceleration

• Professor’s Turo to escape sticky board states

• An extra Rescue Board, both as prizing insurance and for attaching to Genesect whenever its played

All in all, I didn’t stray too far from the original lists, but the strategy really shifts depending on the matchup and where you place your damage.

The ideal start is going second, letting you use Arven to grab early pieces like Budew, Dreepy, or Genesect. From there, use Iono or Jacq to get your Drakloaks down by turn two. You want to be hitting with Budew early while using Counter Catcher to gust up threats and buy time as you build your board.

This deck is about damage mapping and tempo control. You don’t just hit big—you plan your prizes.

So with that out of the way, let’s dive into my run.

The matchups were wild. Not only did I not face a single Dragapult mirror, but every other round was a completely different deck. Some I was prepared for—others, not so much. But hey, that’s the Malaysian meta for you: unpredictable, diverse, and always a bit chaotic. You never really know what you’re going to hit.

In round one, I faced Archaludon ex — This was a matchup I really didn’t want to see. Jamming Tower from the pure Archaludon build completely shuts down my tools, which are really important in my deck. But luckily, I had a smooth start: opening with both Poffin and Arven in hand. That let me quickly establish my board and get Drakloaks out by turn two, while my opponent was still busy fueling their discard pile for the eventual evolve and energy acceleration.

Budew was clutch—with a Bravery Charm on it (preventing the Raging Hammer knockout) and a charged Munkidori on my bench, I completely disrupted their setup. By turn five, I was already swinging with Dragapult, putting pressure on before they could even get their first Archaludon into play.

I took the prize lead and won easily in this match.

Round two! Raging Bolt — I had a solid setup going into this one—Dreepy lined up on the Bench, Budew in the Active locking down Items. Everything looked good early on, but I couldn’t find the disruption I needed. My opponent managed to draw out of both an Unfair Stamp and an Iono to two, which was rough.

Looking back, I definitely made the wrong call by playing Iono instead of using Arven to grab Counter Catcher. His hand was already at four, so giving him three new cards with Iono—even if I hit the Counter Catcher—wouldn’t have made much of a difference. I was banking on drawing into it through my two Drakloaks and Fezandipiti’s ability, but I whiffed. That misplay forced me to knock out his Active, which gave him the Grass Energy and Boss’s Orders he needed to close out the game.

In round three, I went up against Tera Box — This is a matchup I’ve practiced to death—even back when I ran Dusknoir. The game plan’s always the same: Unfair Stamp + Budew to lock them down while you set up. It usually puts them too far behind to recover.

That’s exactly how it played out. Dragapult came online, I spread damage efficiently, and they never had a real way back into the game.

Round four, Iono Box — I had zero experience against this deck going in, but Genesect was huge here. Blocking Prime Catcher gave me control over the board. With enough gust options, I could focus damage on Pokémon that weren’t holding Energy, while denying their ability to pivot. Despite a smooth early setup on their end, I slowly gained the advantage and took the win.

Round five, Charizard Dudunsparce — Not much to say, Budew completely shut them down. They couldn’t evolve, and once I had Dragapult and Munkidori rolling, it was over. Clean win.

Heading into round six now, Gardevoir — This was another matchup I had practiced extensively, but all that prep went out the window in this game.

I went first with what looked like a dream hand: Budew, Genesect (with a Tool ready), Poffin, and a follow-up Supporter. My opponent flipped over Mew ex, and I played Poffin… only to discover I’d prized three Dreepy. Brutal. I pulled out the lone copy and my opponent audibly groaned for me.

Still, I always play to my outs, so I adjusted my plan and kept going.

On my opponent’s turn, he picked up my Genesect to read the Ability, then promptly Ultra Balled away his Brilliant Blender. A great sign. But he had a strong opener himself: Ralts, Munkidori, and a Budew on the Bench. From there, the Budew wars began.

Fortunately, I was the first to get a charged Munkidori, which let me take the first prize. But when I flipped it over—no Dreepy.

Somehow, my opponent manages to get two Psychic Energy into the discard pile—by using Professor’s Turo to bounce his Mew ex that was already holding two Energy—and then swings in with Scream Tail to knock out my lone Drakloak.

I respond with Night Stretcher to bring back the Dreepy, gust up his Gardevoir ex, and drop an Unfair Stamp to try and stall with Budew lock. But he draws into Professor’s Research and an Energy, pitches it for a fresh seven cards, and finds another Energy to retreat—straight into the Scream Tail for another KO on my Dreepy.

At this point, my back’s against the wall. I push Munkidori into the Active to take out his Scream Tail, then use Super Rod to recycle Dreepy and try to set it back up. I take another prize… still no Dreepy.

Meanwhile, my opponent doesn’t miss a beat. He moves damage off Gardevoir ex and uses Munkidori to take out my benched Budew, while also knocking out my Active—taking two prizes in a single turn. He’s down to just two left.

With limited options, I load up an Ursaluna, evolve a new Drakloak, and play Iono to bring him down to two cards. I was fishing for a Counter Catcher to take out the Mew ex—but I couldn’t find it. I had to settle for swinging into the Active and hoped he wouldn’t see the Mew ex line.

On his turn, there’s a weird moment—he mistakenly draws three with Fezandipiti ex, thinking I had taken a KO. A judge comes over and issues a warning, not a penalty. The cards he drew gets shuffled back in, and we keep playing.

He thinks for a minute and almost goes for the Mind Bend play with his own Munkidori, but then spots the Mew ex win—copying Ursaluna’s attack and moving damage for game. He retreats into Mew, and I concede.

Round seven starts — At this point, I was a bit gutted. My only shot at top cut relied on my earlier opponents making it in—which looked unlikely. Still, I kept my head in the game, thanks to my friends and fiance who were supporting me.

My opponent went first and flipped over Pecharunt. I was wary of poison lock builds, so I stuck to my plan: benching extra Pokémon when going second to avoid a donk. That paid off.

Once Dragapult hit the field, I knocked out the charged Roaring Moon ex on their Bench while keeping their hand small with Iono. Munkidori softened up the board and moved damage where needed. Once I was ahead, it was a smooth win.

Round eight, Terapagos ex! — I run into someone I knew, and it was a rough start. He had the gust every time, picking off any Dreepy I tried to charge up. But eventually, I found a window to stabilise: a gust onto his Noctowl, combined with Budew’s item lock, bought me a crucial turn.

That gave me the turn I needed. Dragapult came out, board state stabilized, and I ran away with the game.

Round nine, Hydreigon ex — Not much to say about this one—Budew pretty much won the game on its own. It gave me all the time I needed to set up my board to a point where even Obsidian Flames couldn’t bail him out.

Sorry, Hydreigon believers! 😅

And that wraps up my run! I waited with bated breath for the final standings—only to land in 59th place. Both of the opponents I lost to had auto-dropped after picking up their third losses, so I had zero chance at top cut.

If you’ve made it this far, thank you—I genuinely appreciate you taking the time to read. If you have any questions about the list or thoughts on the write-up, I’d love to hear them.

Huge shoutout to MyToy, a Malaysian TCG store for sponsoring the run too!

Thanks again for stopping by.

Til’ we next meet,
Spenser