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Looking to climb the ranked ladder fast on Day 1 of Extradimensional Crisis?
I’ve rounded up some of the strongest-performing decks from recent tournaments, especially from the 400+ player FrogEx Weekly. These lists are already proving themselves in high-level play, and the standout ones come straight from the new set.
The format’s still fresh, so if you’re more interested in individual cards for now, check out our other article: Top New Cards and Decks to Watch in Extradimensional Crisis. It breaks down the biggest standouts from the expansion.
Whether you're gunning for Masterball early or just want a strong start, these decks bring solid matchups, reliable gameplans, and everything you need to perform well in ranked.
Let’s dive into the top decks you can run right now.
Buzzwole ex Celesteela
We’re starting things off with the leading 7-0 deck from the FrogEx tournament—and it also topped the second-largest recent event. It’s none other than A3a-006, which is shaping up to be the strongest archetype from the new set so far. I also covered a different version in our previous article if you want to explore more builds.
This deck opens with A3a-008 and A3a-007 as ideal starters—both Ultra Beasts that help soften up your opponent’s board. Meanwhile, you build up A3a-006 on the bench until it’s ready to swing with Big Beat for 120 damage.
Thanks to A3a-069, once one of your Ultra Beast starters is knocked out, you get 2 free Energy for A3a-006—meaning you only need to attach once to start hitting immediately.
A3a-062 adds even more synergy by ensuring consistent starts. It can be retreated easily alongside A3a-006, letting you rotate through your setup smoothly.
The rest of the list rounds things out with key support:
- A1-219 and A2b-070 to keep A3a-006 healthy
- A3-147 for survivability
- PROMO-006 to secure one-shots on threats like A2b-035 or caped A2-110
It’s aggressive, consistent, and already showing top-tier results.
Zeroara Tapu Koko ex
Another standout deck putting up strong results is A3a-021 A3a-019, which I also featured in our previous article. The main difference in the topping list is the inclusion of A1-223 over A2b-069, likely to better capitalize on A3a-021’s ability to one-shot 50–60 HP starters—especially common in A3-144 decks.
If you’re going first, the usual play is to open with A3a-021, allowing you to gain a Lightning Energy as your turn ends. On your next turn, you attach again and swing for 50 damage—enough to take out key setup Pokémon.
If you’re going second, A3a-019 becomes the ideal starter. You can attach right away and use Plasma Hurricane to gain another Energy, setting up Mech Bolt on the next turn.
The new tool A3a-065 ties it all together. If any of your Energy generators get knocked out, you can transfer the Energy to A2b-022 or A3-066, keeping your tempo and pressure going without missing a beat.
It’s fast, punishing, and built to disrupt your opponent’s setup from the start.
Guzzlord ex Naganadel Nihilego
Next up is another deck making waves alongside A3a-021 A3a-019—A3a-043, a pick that many predicted would rise with this set. It’s paired with poison enablers like A3a-045 and A3a-042 to wear opponents down while disrupting their setup.
Your ideal starters are A3a-044 or A3a-042. From there, evolve into A3a-045 to begin applying poison each turn. If you can’t evolve right away or lack Energy, A3-146 gives you a quick way to apply poison early.
If you don’t open with your poison line, A3a-062 works just like in A3a-006—letting you retreat into the right starter and stick to your gameplan.
Once set up, A3a-043 becomes the centerpiece. With Grindcore, you can discard your opponent’s deck while they struggle to recover from poison. Its 170 HP also lets it soak hits, giving your poison more time to work.
With A3a-069, you gain instant Energy acceleration to start using Grindcore right away, making this deck a real threat to slower builds.
Silvally Rampardos
One deck that really caught my eye is this new variation of A2-089, which made it into the top cut—and it’s paired with the A3a-060–A3a-061 package.
What makes it stand out is how committed it is to the aggressive A2-089 gameplan. Since A3a-060 is your only basic, you’re guaranteed to start with it and evolve into A3a-061 right away, dealing 100 damage per turn from the start.
That’s a huge threat if your opponent can’t answer immediately. And even if they do, A2-089 is ready to follow up and keep the pressure going.
Consistency is also improved thanks to A3a-067, who helps you search out your A3a-061 line more reliably.
It’s shaping up to be one of the strongest A2-089 builds so far—right up there with the A2a-047 version—and I’m excited to see where it goes next.
Decidueye ex
With the addition of A3a-007, it’s now one of the best partners for A3-012 outside of A2b-007. It allows you to hit even the bench, making Pierce the Pain much easier to activate.
Running the A3a-005 also gives you a solid answer to A3-066, which is still seeing plenty of play. Thanks to A3-144, you can evolve from A3-010 straight into A3-012 and swing with its 2-Energy attack immediately—especially useful when going second.
We’re now also including A3-151, since Grass decks are more popular with A3a-006 around. It helps deal with A2-147, and also clears A3a-065 from Lightning-based decks before they gain too much tempo.
Meowscarada
And of course, one of the top decks from the previous season is still going strong. It’s a reliable answer to most EX-heavy builds, and with A3-012 in the mix, it now has the perfect partner to handle everything else.
If you want a full breakdown, I’ve got a detailed card-for-card guide for this deck—you can check it out here for more info.
Oricorio Magnezone
A3-066 remains one of the ever-present threats in the format thanks to its immunity to EX Pokémon. As long as EX decks are popular, A3-066 will always have a place—and it’s continuing to post strong results in recent tournaments.
The typical gameplan is to lead with A3-066 against EX matchups, where it can’t be damaged, or to evolve A2-051 into A1-098, which accelerates Energy. Once you have 2 Lightning Energy, evolve into A2-053 and start hitting for 110 damage immediately.
Recent builds have also started including A2-022 to help A2-053 and A3-066 stay alive longer. It’s a smart choice, especially since few non-EX attackers outside of A2-089 can deal enough damage to knock them out efficiently.
Charizard ex Turtonator
With the rise of Grass decks comes the return of A2b-010, now paired with A3-037 to help deal with A3-066.
A3-150 lets you gain 2 Energy right away—especially strong if you’re going first—setting you up to hit for 90 damage on your next turn. That kind of early pressure is tough to respond to unless your opponent can bring out a big threat immediately.
Ideally, you start with that combo or evolve A2b-008 into A2b-010 right away using A3-144. From there, use Stoke to gain 3 Energy, setting up Steam Artillery on the following turn for 150 damage—enough to take down nearly anything in your path.
Giratina ex Darkrai ex
And of course, no best deck list would be complete without A2-110 A2b-035—probably the one you already have built with the full list. Sorry if that feels a bit underwhelming to some, but the deck is still one of the most consistent options out there.
That said, it may start to struggle with the rise of Grass decks and the growing presence of Lightning Energy thanks to A3a-065. Even then, its raw consistency keeps it firmly in the conversation.
If you haven’t played it yet, you can check out the full guide for a deeper breakdown. I’m also curious to see how it holds up in a more hostile metagame—and whether any new techs will keep it at the top.
Arceus Crobat Darkrai Giratina
This deck also had a strong showing in a recent tournament, finishing with a 7-0 record. I’ve made a full guide for it, which you can check out here.
One of the latest innovations is running a second copy of A2b-035, which helps ensure you always have Energy available for your attackers. It also makes going first more worthwhile. Alongside that, two copies of A2-154 have been added to increase the chances of transferring Energy from A2b-035 to A2a-071 or A2-110, allowing you to start attacking by Turn 2—a powerful tempo play.
It’s easily one of the most fun decks I’ve played, and I’m excited to see how it performs this season.
Final Thoughts
The new meta is already shaping up to be fast-paced and diverse, with several strong contenders emerging right out of the gate. Whether you're sticking with proven powerhouses like A2-110 A2b-035 or trying out fresh builds like A3a-006 or A3a-043, there’s no shortage of solid decks to climb with. Stay flexible, tech wisely, and good luck on your Day 1 ranked run!
