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Espathra ex Decklist

nightblitz42
nightblitz42 Member Posts: 66 ✭✭
25 Likes 5 Answers 10 Comments First Anniversary
in Decks & Strategy #1

I've been messing around with the new Espathra ex from Paldean Fates. Despite the card's impressive Ability I haven't seen any decklist discussion online, so I thought I'd share my decklist here.

Pokémon: 10

  • 4 Flittle PAR 80
  • 2 Espathra ex PAF 6
  • 2 Espathra PAR 81 PH
  • 3 Natu PAR 71
  • 3 Xatu PAR 72
  • 1 Mimikyu PAL 97
  • 1 Cleffa OBF 80
  • 1 Manaphy BRS 41
  • 1 Mew ex MEW 151
  • 1 Lumineon V BRS 40

Trainer: 12

  • 4 Professor's Research SVI 189
  • 4 Iono PAL 185
  • 3 Boss's Orders PAL 172
  • 3 Tulip PAR 181
  • 4 Battle VIP Pass FST 225
  • 4 Ultra Ball SVI 196
  • 2 Super Rod PAL 188
  • 1 Pal Pad SVI 182
  • 1 Pokémon League Headquarters OBF 192
  • 1 Mesagoza SVI 178
  • 1 Technical Machine: Devolution PAR 177
  • 1 Defiance Band SVI 169

Energy: 1

  • 12 Basic {P} Energy SVE 5

Total Cards: 60

The deck's goal is to use various cards to make it difficult for the opponent to attack. The result being, either the opponent ends their turns without attacking and loses the prize race, or the opponent uses up so many resources early on that they struggle to operate later on in the game.

Running 2 Espathra PAF and 2 Espathra ex gives the deck a lot of flexibility. Espathra PAF is great for buying time and taking single-prize KOs, whereas Espathra ex is ideal against Energy-hungry decks and decks that are weak to Grass-Types (like Charizard ex and Roaring Moon ex). Whichever bird you choose to attack with, Xatu will accelerate Energy onto it and also act as a draw engine. Establishing two Xatu onto the bench is ideal, but even one will get the job done most of the time.

In the early game, your priorities are to bench at least one Xatu and to put a Tulip into your discard pile. (Tulip needs to be in the discard pile for the effect of Espathra PAF's Glittering Eyes attack.) Tulip can be discarded via Ultra Ball or Professor's Research. In the early-game, Iono and Professor's Research are core to the deck's consistency.

The mid-game is about attacking every turn while disrupting your opponent as much as possible. Xatu is so advantageous that once it's out you can often afford to withhold an Iono if you think your opponent is stuck on a bad hand. The best times to play a mid-game Iono are: on the same turn you play a disruptive card like Pokemon League Headquarters or TM Devolution, if you're about to claim a KO and your opponent doesn't yet have a second attacker ready to go, or if your opponent is just sitting on a huge hand. It's usually correct to play Super Rod or Pal Pad the turn you draw them so that you maximize the odds of drawing the cards that you shuffle in. Prioritize recycling your attackers, Psychic Energy, Boss's Orders, and Lumineon (if you happened to discard it via Professor's Research). Also, keep an eye out for opportunities to use Boss's Orders to KO a benched support Pokemon like Flaaffy or Bibarel. Doing so usually pays off greatly in the late-game.

Because you often need 2 or 3 hits to KO, Boss's Orders is vital to helping you finish off wounded Pokemon in the late-game. That's why you should prioritize it as a target for your Pal Pad. Don't play Lumineon early (it's very easy to knock out via Boss's Orders) -- rather, save it until the endgame when you can use it to search up your own Boss's Orders for your final attack. Tulip also shines in the late-game, where it can retrieve Psychic Energies for you to use with Xatu's Ability.

The deck has a few tech cards for specific matchups. When it comes to knocking out Radiant Charizard (which is very troublesome for this deck), Espartha PAF + Defiance Band is your best option. TM Devolution gives the deck a solid answer to Pidgeot ex, which it struggles to KO. Finally, Mew ex can be played in the late-game as a surprise attacker in certain matchups, capable of one-shotting Giratina VSTAR and Charizard ex out of nowhere. Avoid playing it until the end of the game to maintain that surprise factor.

Post-rotation, replace the VIP Passes with Buddy Poffins and slot in a Prime Catcher (maybe by removing Cleffa?).


Any thoughts/suggestions? How have you all been playing with/against Espathra? Even if it doesn't end up being the most powerful deck out there, I'm excited to see how Espathra ex pans out competitively.

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