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Trying to climb the ranked ladder fast on Day 1 of Wisdom of Sea and Sky?
It’s still early, but here are some of the strongest-performing decks so far, including top lists from the 308-player Magma Cup and the 180-player Jeudy tournament. These decks are already making a mark and could shape the early meta this expansion. With the format still settling, expect a mix of proven staples and new threats rising.
Here are the top decks you can try right now!
Crobat ex Sylveon ex Umbreon ex Darkrai ex
A4-109 is easily one of the top 3 strongest cards from the new expansion, and early tournament results back it up. The most successful lists so far are running a 2-2 A4-109 line, 2-2 A3b-034 line, with 1 A4-112 and 1 A2-110 to round out the board.
A4-109 is your main attacker—its 1 Energy 70 damage plus Poison can 2-shot most threats, and Poison alone can deal with A3-066. Pair that with A2-110’s damage boost and you can cleanly 2-shot it without issues. The new A4-134 also makes the deck smoother, letting you find your A3b-034 or A4-109 lines more consistently.
A4-112 acts as a pseudo-A2-150 when you need to force a switch, and the PROMO-006 + A4-158 combo can cripple your opponent’s hand—dropping them to three cards and letting you either rip a Supporter or at least scout their options.
A2-147 keeps your board safe, especially pushing your key attackers to the 160 HP range, which helps avoid one-shots. It’s also crucial if you open A4-107, giving it a better chance to survive the early turns.
For Supporters, A1-225 might be stronger than A2-150 in this build since she lets you bring up a non-damaged threat instead of just damaged ones. The list sticks to pure Dark Energy—you just want A4-109 and A2-110 online at all times.
It’ll be exciting to see how this build continues to evolve, but for now, it’s one of the strongest decks you can bring to the ladder.
Donphan ex Rampardos
A4-100 is starting to make waves as one of the better EX cards from the new set. While there’s also a Lucario variant, this A2-089 version has shown slightly better results so far.
You’re always starting with A4-099, evolving into A4-100 early while setting up the A2-089 line behind it. A2-146 helps you find A4-100 quickly, keeping pressure on while you prepare another hitter.
A4-157 is included to cover A4-100’s 3 Retreat Cost, giving you the option to pivot when needed. The deck still has room to evolve, especially once we get more data on whether the Lucario variant ends up being more consistent.
For now, A2-089 is doing a lot of the heavy lifting—still one of the strongest attackers in the format and a great partner for A4-100’s early pressure.
Espeon ex Slyveon ex
A4-083 is quietly becoming one of the early standouts this expansion, and this is the most successful version so far. While it’s still unclear how impactful A4-083’s healing will be long-term, its 2 Energy for 80 damage is solid—especially when backed by A3b-034 and the new A4-134, which makes the whole deck incredibly consistent.
The double PROMO-006 and double A4-158 setup leans hard into hand disruption, ripping your opponent’s options early and making it harder for them to get going. This version also includes a A3b-033 as another alternative damage dealer.
It’s a straightforward gameplan, but the consistency and disruption make it a reliable choice for Day 1.
Dragonite ex
A3b-053 might be one of the biggest winners from the new set thanks to the addition of A4-066 and A4-151. This new version even went 7-0 at the Magma Cup (though the tournament isn’t finished yet), so it’s definitely one to keep an eye on heading into Day 2.
A4-066 helps power up A3b-051 with Lightning Energy right away, and A4-151 lets you move Energy from A3a-021 to your active—mostly A3b-053—to get attacking fast. A4-077 also adds consistency by helping you find Basics early, which is crucial when setting up both A4-066 and your main attackers.
A4-157 is used to retreat A3b-053 after it attacks. From there, you put A1a-063 in the active, discard it immediately, and bring A3b-053 back up to hit for 180 again that turn. The deck likely runs both Lightning and Water Energy to ensure you can still attack even if you don’t open with A4-066 or A3a-021.
There are still a few moving parts, but the 7-0 performance is impressive and suggests this build has real potential once refined.
Silvally Oricorio
There’s been an interesting shift in the A3a-061 A3-066 build, now replacing A3a-021 with the new A4-066. A4-066 can instantly provide Energy to either A3-066 or A3a-060, letting them attack by your next turn. Since A4-066 has no Energy cost and free retreat, it’s a strong option going first.
This change makes the deck faster overall, but comes with tradeoffs—you lose A3a-021’s Turn 2 attack pressure, and you’ll need a Benched Pokémon ready to make A4-066 work. Still, the increased setup speed could be worth it.
You can also stick with the older A3a-061 A3-066 build and simply tech in A4-158 or swap A2-154 for A4-151 depending on your meta.
You can check the full guide for the original build [here].
Giratina ex Darkrai ex
It’s that time again—A2b-035 A2-110 is still one of the best decks four months later, and it’s continuing to dominate recent tournaments with high success and actually won the Jeudy tournament.
What’s wild is that most lists still don’t even include A4-154, and some are even skipping A4-158—but A4-158 feels like a must with how this deck plays. Paired with PROMO-006, it’s one of the most devastating combos available: drop your opponent to three cards, then use A4-158 to rip a key Supporter or at least get full knowledge of their hand.
If your opponent’s hand is already around three or four cards, it might even be better to play A4-158 first. That way, you can scout their hand and decide if using PROMO-006 is actually worth it in that moment.
Buzzwole
A3a-006 made a comeback toward the end of Eevee Grove thanks to how strong it is against top meta decks like A2-110 A2b-035 and A3-066. While it still struggles against A2b-010 A3b-034, if that’s your only bad matchup, it’s easily one of the best decks to bring right now.
With Dark decks rising even more—especially because of A4-112 and A4-109 or even A2-110—A3a-006 gains even more value. It can one-shot A4-112 cleanly as long as it’s not wearing a A2-147, which makes it a strong counter pick in the current meta.
Recent builds have also leaned toward double A3a-007 with A2-150, focusing on bench control—particularly useful with A3b-034 decks being so common and giving you easy 2-point targets.
You can check the full guide [here] if you want to learn how to play the deck more efficiently.
Sylveon ex Greninja
If you don’t have access to the new cards yet, the top deck from the last set is still a solid choice. Just slot in the new A4-134 and add A4-158 to keep up with the meta.
A4-158 can replace the A2-155 slot, offering a more consistent way to disrupt your opponent’s hand outside of the late game. A2-147 is another flex slot, but it’s still worth including—it helps you dump your hand while giving a backup survival tool if needed.
If you haven’t tried this deck yet, you can check the full guide [here] for how to play it efficiently.
Charizard Sylveon ex
Still one of the strongest decks from the last expansion, A2b-010 A3b-034 remains a top-tier option—especially if you’re looking for quick wins on ladder. With the new A4-134 added, the deck is even more consistent at finding A3b-034 early and getting your setup rolling.
A3-066 is still one of the few problem matchups, so I still recommend running A1-045 to cover that angle. A4-158 is also a great addition here—it lets you scout your opponent’s hand for key cards like A2-150 or A2-155, helping you manage your plays better. As long as A2b-010 gets rolling, it’s tough to stop—especially into lower damage like A1-089.
Check out the guide [here] if you want to learn the full breakdown.
Ho-Oh ex Lugia ex Arceus ex
A4-034 and A4-149 unfortunately aren’t looking too strong right now, which isn’t too surprising—needing three different Energy types is tough to pull off consistently. Still, I found this version that went 5-3 in a recent tournament, so it’s not without some potential.
The core idea is to use A4-032 to provide Fire Energy immediately for A4-149 or A2a-071, depending on what’s available. You can also charge up A4-034 early—once it has 3 Energy, Phoenix Turbo can help accelerate a A4-149 or A2a-071 from the Bench.
Setup takes time, so be ready to get rushed by faster decks. The list is compact with just 6 Pokémon, letting you run a high count of Supporters. I’d recommend running 2 A4-158 to disrupt early and remove A2-150, and possibly another A1a-068 to retreat something bulky like A4-149.
Energy-wise, the list sticks to Water and Lightning—A4-032 covers the Fire—but you can add Fire manually if needed. Out of all the decks listed, this one is definitely the weakest right now, so just set your expectations accordingly. Still, it’s a fun list to try if you want something different.
Final Thoughts
Despite the new cards, many of the strongest decks from the last expansion are still top-tier—if not better. A2b-035 A2-110, A2b-010 A3b-034, and A1-089 builds remain dominant, now with even more consistency from A4-134 and A4-158.
If you’re lacking the new cards, you can still play the old decks just fine, do use Silver and the new Eevee since those makes those decks even better.
