The new Jellicent/Gardevoir ex deck is arguably the strongest upgrade coming out of Black Bolt and White Flare, granting the already powerful Gardevoir ex deck a solid partner in crime to further buff its potency in the Pokemon TCG standard meta. Below, we’ll be taking a look at a deck that placed highly at the Japan Championships, and diving into the strategies, plays, and card choices that make this deck absolutely top tier.

*6th Place* *Japan Championships 2025* - *Reiji Nishiguchi*

Pokémon: 19
3 Ralts SVI 84
2 Kirlia SVI 85
2 Gardevoir ex SVI 86
2 Frillish SV11W 41
2 Jellicent ex SV11W 42
3 Munkidori TWM 95
1 Scream Tail PAR 86
1 Klefki SVI 96
1 Cleffa OBF 80
1 Lillie's Clefairy ex JTG 56
1 Fezandipiti ex SFA 38
Trainer: 31
4 Professor's Research JTG 155
4 Iono PAL 185
2 Arven OBF 186
4 Ultra Ball SVI 196
2 Nest Ball SVI 181
2 Rare Candy SVI 191
2 Earthen Vessel PAR 163
2 Counter Catcher PAR 160
2 Night Stretcher SFA 61
1 Super Rod PAL 188
1 Secret Box TWM 163
2 Technical Machine: Devolution PAR 177
1 Technical Machine: Evolution PAR 178
2 Artazon PAL 171
Energy: 10
7 Psychic Energy SVE 13
3 Darkness Energy SVE 15

Jellicent ex fits Gardevoir ex like a glove

As anyone who has played Budew already knows, item-lock (shutting down your opponent’s ability to play items) is a devastating strategy in the Pokemon TCG. Oceanic Curse is one of the strongest item lock powers we’ve seen in the Pokemon TCG in a long time, providing a one-way item lock that only needs Jellicent ex to be in the Active Spot in order to be in effect.

Jellicent ex works particularly well in the Gardevoir ex deck because of Power Press – an attack that does 160 damage in total when Jellicent ex has four energy attached. That’s a very easy threshold to meet when you factor in Gardevoir ex’s signature “Psychic Embrace” ability – one that lets you attach any number of energy from your discard to a Pokemon on the field.

Use Munkidori to increase damage output

Assuming you manage to have Munkidori on the field with a darkness energy attached, you can buff that damage output to 190 as that’s how much you’ll be doing (with even more potentially with more Munkidori on the field). Having ready access to damage on your Pokemon which can then be moved around at will is easy thanks to the fact that “Psychic Embrace” dishes out damage each time an energy is added to a Pokemon.

Secondary attackers bring the power

Thanks to the sheer effectiveness of Jellicent ex as your frontrunner, the other attackers in this deck start to feel like secondary attackers – useable to fit the need you are facing.

Scream Tail

Arguably your most effective secondary attacker is going to be Scream Tail. Interestingly enough, this deck plays much less into the Scream Tail strategy, running the deck without any HP buffs to enhance its damage output. But with so many Munkidori around to move damage around, and with a primary focus on Jellicent ex, that begins to make sense.

Still, Scream Tail is a very effective single prize attacker, helping you take key knockouts without offering up a big prize trade for your opponent.

Lillie’s Clefairy ex

Lillie’s Clefairy ex has been an absolute favorite in the Pokemon TCG standard meta ever since it debuted in Journey Together, and it finds its way seamlessly into this deck. Full Moon Rondo is a powerful attack for a basic Pokemon, easily capable of reaching 220 damage when both benches are full (again, easily enhanced via Munkidori). The real power of this Pokemon, however, is its “Fairy Zone” ability, one that makes its attacks super effective against dragon type Pokemon like Dragapult ex and Raging Bolt ex. Having a significant counter in this deck for both popular strategies gives this deck a huge advantage in the current meta.

Gardevoir ex

Finally, there’s Gardevoir ex. While you won’t typically want to use this attacker if you don’t have to, 190 damage is a decent attack, granting you a way to take knockouts in a pinch. Gardevoir’s 310 HP is relatively hard to reach for many decks, giving you some staying power, as well.

Trainer card choices for Jellicent/Gardevoir ex

You’ll notice right away that this build runs plenty of draw supporters. Unlock the old version of Gardevoir ex that had access to Refinement, Gardevoir ex is lacking in the draw support category. This makes it imperative that you include plenty of draw supporters to ensure you always have a replenished hand. To make that happen, this deck is running eight draw supporters: four Professor’s Research and four Iono.

Beyond that, the rest of the list is pretty standard, with the usual run of Poke Balls for getting what you need when you need it, an Evolution TM to quickly evolve your Pokemon, and an Artazon – also for filling your bench out.

Devolution is an interesting tech here, helping you profoundly punish your opponent. This could work particularly well when combined with Jellicent’s item/tool lock capabilities. Odds are good your opponent will be slowed down enough, with Pokemon maxed out with damage. Use Devolution and take multiple KOs in a turn.

Of all the decks from the Scarlet & Violet era, Gardevoir ex has been around the longest. With strong, consistent results, it feels like this deck is one for the ages. And no matter what seems to happen, Psychic Embrace is just too strong of an ability when combined with excellent attackers like Jellicent ex to ever fully leave the Pokemon TCG meta.

Jellicent/Gardevoir ex Deck List and Guide