Top Pokémon TCG Decks for the 2025 World Championships

By Charles

Although I am not attending, whenever the World Championships roll around, I find myself wanting to play some Pokémon. Here are what I believe to be the top decks after playing routinely since the new set released. These are the decks I think have the best chance to winning it all this year, but also ones you should give a spin on TCG Live.

August 11, 2025

Raging Bolt Ogerpon

5.

This is the deck that just seems to pop up no matter what format it is in. Even though we're in the so-called 'Budew era', it's still working just fine thanks to Ogerpon and Squawkabilly. It's just as consistent as ever, especially since Noctowl has joined the cast of benchwarmers, but it's not higher up on the list since its one and only win condition isn't as good right now. In the days of Regidrago VSTAR, 2-2-2 Prizes to win the game was what most decks aimed for, but in August, games are damage-spreading competitions starring Munkidori. Raging Bolt's speed, what made it the best deck for a time, is becoming weaker and weaker. The deck overextends itself trying to take Knockouts turn after turn on armies of Munkidori and Stage 2 ex cards. Unfortunately, the new Gholdengo is just a better version of the "Discard Energy to do damage" deck. At least it's better than Chien-Pao. However, I could still see this deck taking a deep run at the World Championships. Although it has a harder time hitting the magic numbers for Knock Outs, if it finds itself in the right matchups and gets good turn 1s, this deck could do it.

4.

Blissey

I wouldn't be surprised if some of you have never heard of this deck before. It popped up earlier in the year but fell into the shadows ever since. It's just another stall deck, but it has the crazy strategy of using Blissey ex's ability to allow four Munkidori to share one Darkness Energy. The reason why I put it on this list is that Iron Thorns ex won the World Championships in 2024. If a stall deck won in 2024, I don't see why it can't in 2025. I really hope this doesn't happen since these decks are very boring to play and watch, but it is definitely possible. These types of decks show how important it is to be mindful of how many possible win conditions your deck has. Raging Bolt ex used to contain a 1-prize Sandy Shocks as it would otherwise struggle against abilities like Farigiraf's. More versatile decks in the past like Lugia and Regidrago VSTAR had less of an issue with stall decks since they had so many tech cards.

3.

Dragapult

The king of the 'Budew Era' has slowed down in recent months, but it's still a top contender. It can definitely win against every deck, especially thanks to Dusknoir, but it's starting to feel like the worse spread deck compared to Marnie's Grimmsnarl ex. Dusknoir's self-Knock Out is too much of a liability when other decks all too quickly take the first four prize cards. While the new Hilda helps the deck against opposing Budew, it also results in less opportunities for Boss' Orders to better make use of the upfront 200 damage. I think that this deck's best attribute is how unassuming it seems to begin with. It's able to catch players off guard by starting with 70 HP basics and instantly dropping upwards of 400 damage in a single turn, while unlocking Counter Catcher. Although Lillie's Clefairy ex was created as a direct counter, the deck still has a chance of beating Gardevoir ex. Ultimately, this deck's performance depends on how it stacks up against the big Stage 2 decks. It's definitely the most awkward to set up, containing two Stage 2 lines and multiple Energies with little to no acceleration, but its high reward might be enough to push it to the top in the hands of a skilled player.

2.

Gholdengo

1.

Marnie's Grimmsnarl

No deck should allow you to toy with your opponents so much. You can switch between one-prize and two-prize board states on a whim, and the combination of Punk Up and Spikemuth Gym allows the Stage 2 Grimmsnarl to be a pop-up attacker. Since almost no card is immune to damage counter movement, this deck can take down even the most air-tight stall decks. The main issue with this deck is it requires a lot of patience, practice and strategy. Every turn, you have to manage your Munkidori - how many should you have on the Bench, and where should the damage go? This extra decision-making is well worth it, as you can move up to 120 damage per turn over to your opponent, but I fear that the stress of the World Championships might cause mistakes or oversights. The deck really shouldn't work as it has very little Pokémon search, but Secret Box makes the whole deck run extremely well. If you don't get a backup Impidimp or Morgrem, it's your fault, but it's all too easy to make that mistake with a 3-2-2 line with only two Rare Candies. I think this deck is the one to beat for this year's World Championships, but a skilled player could definitely defeat this deck with help from a Picnic Basket tech card.

This deck really should be the best. The new additions of Genesect ex and Air Balloon make the deck way too consistent and 20 card hands too common of a sight. You can knock out anything starting from Turn 2 going first. Your attackers are your draw cards, meaning the Bench is very secure. The reason why it's only in the Number 2 spot is because the deck, just like Raging Bolt, only does one thing. You have to use Make it Rain with enough Energy in your hand to win, preferably collecting two Prizes each time. This deck does not do well against stall decks and can struggle against any Single-Prizers if you can't find a Boss' Orders. Another issue is that if Energy Search Pro is prized, getting a Turn 2 Knock Out on an ex can be difficult, putting you behind in the Prize trade. Although this deck gets the easiest wins, it does falter once in a while, which might make all the difference in the year's biggest tournament. Worst of all, people are going to be using Ethan's Typhlosion at the World Championships. Trust me, they will. I think that this deck would have been the best in many formats, but the current oneis too slow and technical for a beatstick deck like this to be the best.

That's my list! I know I neglected to mention our old Stage 2 friends Charizard and Gardevoir, but I don't think they have a very good chance. Although Gardevoir typically stays under the radar before winning, it couldn't do it with Shining Arcana Gardevoir and couldn't do it with Refinement Kirlia, so I don't see why it will now. I think one takeaway from this list is that Munkidori is a very good card. The World Championships take place from August 15-17, 2025 in Anaheim, California, so I'll be watching to see how many of these decks make up the Top 8. Meanwhile, enjoy trying these decks out on TCG Live!