Best Hoopa ex Decks

Hoopa ex can start in the Active Spot without evolving. One Darkness Energy pays for Shadow Bullet: hit the Active for 30 and choose a Benched Pokémon for 20. If the opponent has no Bench, do not count that second hit when deciding whether to attack.

Take the Hoopa build back to the opening hand. The November 1, 2026 tournament window included a group classified as Hoopa ex Mega Absol ex; Hoopa ex (B4-103) appeared in 126 of its 126 lists. That observation is useful for a different reason than a win rate: it tells you which opening to practise with the actual cards. Lay out the Basic you want in the Active Spot, the first useful Bench target and the attachment that makes the next attack possible. Then remove the best card from your hand. Can this Hoopa ex deck make a useful play without it? A Hoopa list that works only when the opener, attacker and support all appear together asks for a very different collection from one that can start with either of two Basics.

Hoopa list · Hoopa ex Mega Absol ex

Pick a Bench target by its remaining HP and likely evolution. Marking a Basic is useful if the damage changes the number of attacks needed later. Spreading damage across several targets does little if none of them ever falls within reach.

Try this Hoopa ex deck from the other side of the table. In the sample labelled Hoopa ex Greninja, the exact print of Froakie (A1-087) appeared in 25 of 25 lists. Read that card before assigning the opponent a response. If it is sitting on the Bench, what changes when it comes forward? If it is still in the deck, which move gives the opponent another turn to find it? Record the board before you draw the next card and compare two continuations from there. The better Hoopa build for that position is the one that gets the knockout you need, even if its largest printed damage number is smaller. Repeat with a healthy target; the same Hoopa list may now need a different first attack.

Hoopa list · Hoopa ex Greninja

Dynamite Punch deals 100 but also puts 20 damage on Hoopa. Against an Active with 90 HP left, it can remove a threat immediately; against one with 110 HP left, the same attachment and recoil buy a very different position.

Compare the cost of the attack with the cost of reaching it. Darkrai ex (A2-110) was present in 124 of 126 lists classified as Hoopa ex Mega Absol ex in the reference window. The count does not say it was in anyone’s starting hand. In a practice game with the Hoopa ex deck, mark the first turn on which the attacker was ready and the first turn on which it actually attacked. If those turns differ, write down what was missing: an attachment, an evolution, a retreat or a target worth hitting. Before changing the Hoopa list, run the same position with the missing piece already in hand. That separates a sequencing problem from a slot the Hoopa build really needs to change.

Hoopa list · Hoopa ex Mega Absol ex

Retreat costs two Energy. A Hoopa that retreats with two Darkness attached may return unable to use its bigger attack. Compare that lost attack with the two points you protect by moving it out of danger.

Freeze the position just before committing a resource. The reference Hoopa build classified as Hoopa ex Greninja contained Hoopa ex (B4-103) in 25 of 25 lists. Put that card beside the play area so you can check its number rather than guessing from the artwork. First play the turn that puts the biggest attacker in front. Then reset and keep that attacker on the Bench. What can the opponent knock out on each line, and which attacker will have enough Energy when your next turn starts? A Hoopa ex deck can survive the immediate turn and still lose the race if every attachment went into the wrong spot. Use the complete Hoopa list to check whether a switch or a second attacker is actually available.

Hoopa list · Hoopa ex Greninja

A Mega Absol ex partner gives the opponent a three-point knockout target; Hoopa itself gives up two. Check which Pokémon the opponent can realistically reach before choosing which one to build on the Bench.

The two names at the top of a Hoopa list describe why the list was classified that way. They do not list every Pokémon in it. For example, Mega Absol ex (B1-151) appeared in 126 of the 126 lists filed under Hoopa ex Mega Absol ex in the reference window. Open the Hoopa ex deck, count the Basics that can start the game and set aside the evolution cards that cannot. Then reserve the Bench spaces needed for the intended attack. Is there room for the extra support Pokémon, and can it do anything before the main attacker is ready? This is a useful way to choose a Hoopa build when you own most of two lists: look for the missing role that changes a turn, not just the smaller number of missing cards.

Hoopa list · Hoopa ex Mega Absol ex

With Greninja A1-089, compare a turn of Water Shuriken plus Shadow Bullet with a turn spent preparing Dynamite Punch. The damage can converge on one target, but the Greninja line needs to be in play before its Ability can contribute.

Test an optional inclusion without changing the rest of the Hoopa ex deck. In the archived study window, Greninja (A1-089) appeared in 25 of the 25 lists named Hoopa ex Greninja. For practice, start with the complete Hoopa list, record the point score and save the same opening hand for a second run. Change one card or one attachment decision, not both. Count turns when the change made a previously impossible attack possible. Also count turns when it occupied a Bench space or hand slot without doing anything. That second count matters: an exciting play in one game does not tell you how often the Hoopa build gives up something to make room for it.

Hoopa list · Hoopa ex Greninja

B4-103 and its alternate artwork represent the same Hoopa ex. B4-077 is a different card. Opening the card details is faster than inferring its attacks from the illustration or the word Hoopa in a list title.

Check what you would actually have to obtain. In the reference group Hoopa ex Greninja, 24 of 25 lists used Mega Absol ex (B1-151). A list contributes once to that number whether it ran one copy or two; it tells you neither the required copy count nor which artwork to buy. Open the full Hoopa list and compare the printed identifier, attack and evolution requirement against the card in your collection. If the artwork differs but the game text and identity match, check the equivalent prints. If the name is similar but the attack or stage differs, keep it separate. Trying the closest complete Hoopa ex deck first gives a more useful baseline than making several untested substitutions in your preferred Hoopa build.

Copies in the Hoopa build: among the 24 lists using Mega Absol ex (B1-151), 24 included one copy and 0 included two. This is the distribution for that print, not a prescription for every Hoopa ex deck. Compare the image and the quantity before you borrow the example.

Hoopa list · Hoopa ex Greninja

Set the opposing Active to 100 HP and a Benched Pokémon to 20 HP. Which attack wins if you need one point? Now give Hoopa only 20 HP and consider the recoil. Test both positions before cutting the second attacker.

Play the closing position twice before calling one Hoopa build better. The reference group Hoopa ex Mega Absol ex had 124 lists with Darkrai ex (A2-110) out of 126; the record reflects the whole tournament group, not an isolated test of that card. First suppose your next knockout ends the game. Ignore resources you would only use on a later turn. Then suppose the same knockout leaves you one point short. Choose the opponent’s replacement, count what they can attach and check which of your Pokémon they can reach. If the best move changes, the Hoopa ex deck has two distinct plans worth practising. Keep a note with the full Hoopa list: the point score, target and Energy mattered more than the headline win percentage.

Hoopa list · Hoopa ex Mega Absol ex