Chien-Pao ex Deck List and Guide (Post 2024 Rotation)

Since its release in the legendary Pokemon pack, Paldea Evolved, the Chien-Pao ex deck has proven its staying power as one of the best decks in the Pokemon standard format.

Below, we’re going to get into some of the basics of how this deck works and give you some tips on strategy, as well as a detailed deck list.

Update March 28, 2024 to Post Rotation.

Chien-Pao ex Deck – Basic Strategy

Because Chien-Pao ex is a basic attacker, you don’t need to worry too much about getting him into play turn one. There are plenty of cards to help with that. Your biggest challenge is actually going to be getting plenty of energies into play to power up his attack. Here’s how to do it.

Bench your Frigibax turn one.
If you can, bench Bidoof. Its draw support will help you later on.
Evolve Frigibax into Baxcalibur ASAP.
Start accelerating energies onto your Pokemon via a combination of Baxcalibur’s Super Cold ability and Chien-Pao ex’s Silvery Chill ability.
Use Chien-Pao’s unlimited damage output to take knockouts against whatever foe you face.
Use Radiant Greninja to take knockouts on the bench.
Use Irida into Earthen Vessel into your lightning energy for a manual attachment to Iron Hands ex while using Baxcalibur to accelerate water energies. Iron Hands ex is a huge boon to Chien-Pao ex.

That’s really all there is to it, and one of the most attractive qualities of this deck is its simplicity.

Probably the most tricky play you’re going to have to pull off is the Earthen Vessel into Iron Hands ex for the extra prize card. Try saving Iron Hands ex for the maximum effect – that means use him against a two-prizer whenever possible. Although Iron Hands ex is also great against single prize decks like Lost Zone Box as it gives you an opportunity to stay ahead in the prize race.

Chien-Pao ex Deck List

Pokémon: 16
3 Bidoof CRZ 111
3 Bibarel BRS 121
3 Frigibax PAL 57
2 Chien-Pao ex PAL 61
2 Baxcalibur PAL 60
1 Iron Bundle PAR 56
1 Iron Hands ex PAR 70
1 Radiant Greninja ASR 46
Trainer: 35
4 Irida ASR 147
2 Ciphermaniac's Codebreaking TEF 145
4 Ultra Ball PAF 91
4 Nest Ball PAF 84
4 Superior Energy Retrieval PAL 189
4 Buddy-Buddy Poffin TEF 144
3 Super Rod PAL 188
3 Rare Candy PAF 89
2 Earthen Vessel PAR 163
1 Hisuian Heavy Ball ASR 146
1 Prime Catcher TEF 157
3 PokéStop PGO 68
Energy: 9
8 Water Energy 3
1 Lightning Energy 4

Card Types

Chien-Pao ex Deck – Key Cards

New cards and strategies in Temporal Forces

Like any good deck, Chien-Pao ex has evolved overtime, and today it seems like it might just be stronger than ever before. Thanks to the cards in Temporal Forces, Chien-Pao ex is quite clearly one of the top decks in the game. Here’s a rundown of what’s new in this deck and how to use it to your advantage.

Prime Catcher is a powerful ACE SPEC card used by many decks to gain an edge over their opponents. It’s power lies in its ability to switch out your opponent’s active Pokemon for one on their bench. Because this deck runs a Prime Catcher, it doesn’t bother with Boss’s Orders – instead using other powerful supporters. This is especially handy given the fact that you will often need to play an Irida in order to get the combination of Rare Candy and Baxcalibur into your hand. You won’t have the luxury early in the game to slap down a Boss’s Order’s anyways.

Iron Bundle is being used in a lot of decks right now that are susceptible to Flutter Mane. Using Iron Bundle’s ability, you can easily switch out your opponent’s active Pokemon and let them choose a different Pokemon from your bench. This way your Shivery Chill ability doesn’t get shut off and you have plenty of resources in your hand to then accelerate onto your Pokemon.

Buddy-Poffin

Decks that benefit from Buddy-Poffin tend to do well post rotation. Without Battle VIP Pass around, Buddy-Poffin is the go-to card for decks using basic Pokemon with low HP. Getting two Frigibax onto your bench as early as possible can be a huge advantage and makes it harder for your opponent to snipe them before you have a chance to evolve them into Baxcalibur.

How to Counter Chien-Pao ex Deck

If you’re looking for ways to counter Chien-Pao ex, there are a few ways to do it. While Chien-Pao is an incredibly well rounded deck, it’s main weakness lies in its reliance on Baxcalibur for incredible energy acceleration. This means that in many cases, your opponent must rely on Irida to get what they need to evolve into this Stage 2 Pokemon.

This means that of all the decks on the top tier, this deck is the least likely to take out your benched Pokemon with a strategic Boss’s Orders.

Take out Frigibax early

The weakness in relying on Baxcalibur is twofold, meaning that to get there, your opponent is forced to bench an extremely weak basic Pokemon a turn before it can get its basic Pokemon – Chien-Pao – to attack. This gives you time to disrupt your opponent by taking out the Frigibax either with a bench sniping attack or a strategic Boss’s orders.

Using a Boss on a basic one-prize Pokemon may not always be a strategic move against all decks, but if your opponent manages to only field one Frigibax, taking it out early is well worth it.

Fight Abilities with Path to the Peak

Path to the Peak is an incredibly strong card in the format right now, thanks to its ability to shut down all abilities.

Chien-Pao is heavily reliant on abilities. While Baxcalibur may not be impacted by Path, Chien-Pao is, making it hard to get those energies into your hand to accelerate onto your Pokemon.

Take Out the Bench If Your Opponent Doesn’t Have Manaphy

Chien-Pao is a crucial deck to play Manaphy in. But if your opponent isn’t running one, or if its prized, you can quickly gain the upper-hand by taking out your opponent’s bench.

Ultimately, Chien-Pao’s weakness lies in its inability to function on its own, requiring a plethora of supporting cards to make it work. While this may be the case for most decks, the other top tier decks can usually handle things with their main attacker once it gets setup. Chien-Pao, however, requires support the entire game through, so taking out that support line is crucial for victory against it.

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