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Andrew Hedrick won the 2026 World Championships with Dragapult ex after a 2-2 start, while Crustle posted a 40% Day 2 conversion rate and Alakazam placed eight decks in the Top 32.
Grant Manley expects Dragapult to exceed 50% of the Worlds metagame and argues Mega Lucario ex can counter Dragapult, N’s Zoroark ex and Crustle despite weak recent results.
As I'm preparing for the upcoming World Championships, the biggest question is what deck to play. At the last two major events I attended, I played a
Alakazam placed second and earned multiple Top 32 finishes at Worlds, while Henry Chao’s Dusknoir-based Dragapult ex deck reached the Top 4 ahead of upcoming Regionals.
Michael Bio outlines scouting and deckbuilding methods for the 2026 Worlds in San Francisco, using Crustle’s 25%+ NAIC conversion rate as a case study in countering predictable metas.
Grant Manley argues an anti-meta control list could exploit the concentrated field at the World Championships, though Mega Excadrill ex, Mega Lucario ex and Hydrapple remain difficult matchups.
The anti-meta Crustle wall deck is a Worlds contender, but Dragapult techs and fringe matchups such as Festival Lead and Slowking make it a risky metagame choice.
Grant Manley expects Dragapult to exceed 50% of the Worlds metagame and argues Mega Lucario ex can counter Dragapult, N’s Zoroark ex and Crustle despite weak recent results.