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  3. /Chien-Pao ex Deck

Chien-Pao ex Deck

0.1% of the meta · Updated July 25, 2026

Tier 3
Build this deck→
Chien-Pao ex

Signature card

Chien-Pao ex

Special Art Rare

42.6% win rate0.1% meta share1 core cards

Strengths

  • Diving Icicles can snipe benched Pokemon for 130 damage, letting you knock out partially damaged ex threats before they attack.
  • 130 damage is enough to knock out many ex Pokemon in one hit, scoring 2 points and swinging the game in a single turn.
  • Baxcalibur's energy reload capability means the post-discard downtime of Diving Icicles is minimized, enabling repeated shots.

Weaknesses

  • Chien-Pao ex is an ex Pokemon; losing it hands the opponent 2 points, putting them at match point immediately.ex KO
  • Diving Icicles discards all Water Energy, leaving Chien-Pao ex stranded without an immediate reload source if Baxcalibur is not in play.Deckbuilding
  • Skarmory ex and Wugtrio ex matchups each sit at 25%, exposing vulnerability to high-damage Steel and aggressive Water counters.Matchup

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Energies
W
20 cards

Pokemon (7)

Baxcalibur

Baxcalibur

2
Chien-Pao ex

Chien-Pao ex

Frigibax

Frigibax

2
Suicune ex

Suicune ex

2

Trainers (13)

Copycat

Copycat

Cyrus

Cyrus

Giant Cape

Giant Cape

Inflatable Boat

Inflatable Boat

Lucky Ice Pop

Lucky Ice Pop

Poké Ball

Poké Ball

2
Pokémon Center Lady

Pokémon Center Lady

Professor’s Research

Professor’s Research

2
Rare Candy

Rare Candy

2
Starting Plains

Starting Plains

#1 — 𝐋𝐚𝐂 | CD

Lagoon Serenity Format Restart (FA Choice) · 8W-0L-1T

Energies
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20 cards

Pokemon (9)

Chien-Pao ex

Chien-Pao ex

Eevee ex

Eevee ex

2
Feebas

Feebas

2
Milotic ex

Milotic ex

2
Vaporeon

Vaporeon

Vaporeon ex

Vaporeon ex

Trainers (11)

Copycat

Copycat

2
Elegant Cape

Elegant Cape

Field Blower

Field Blower

Giant Cape

Giant Cape

Poké Ball

Poké Ball

2
Professor’s Research

Professor’s Research

2
Training Area

Training Area

Wallace

Wallace

#1 — CDPlayorr

Lagoon Serenity Format (Lillie & Lisia FA) · 8W-0L-1T

Energies
W
20 cards

Pokemon (9)

Alolan Ninetales ex

Alolan Ninetales ex

2
Alolan Vulpix

Alolan Vulpix

2
Baxcalibur

Baxcalibur

2
Chien-Pao ex

Chien-Pao ex

Frigibax

Frigibax

2

Trainers (11)

Copycat

Copycat

2
Field Blower

Field Blower

Inflatable Boat

Inflatable Boat

Poké Ball

Poké Ball

2
Pokémon Center Lady

Pokémon Center Lady

Professor’s Research

Professor’s Research

2
Rare Candy

Rare Candy

2
Est. 301 packs to collect all core cardsdetails
Chien-Pao exDouble Rare
301 pks

Core Cards

Chien-Pao ex

Chien-Pao ex

Paldean Wonders #037

Key Moves & Abilities

Strategy Guide

Auto-generated

Chien-Pao ex pairs with Baxcalibur to launch Diving Icicles — a 130-damage hit to any of the opponent's Pokemon that discards all Water Energy — then reload for the next knockout. The win condition is repeatedly targeting high-value ex Pokemon with 130-damage snipes to score 2 points each.

Open by benching Frigibax and attaching water energy while drawing toward Rare Candy. Poké Ball finds Frigibax as the Basic seed, and draw from Professor's Research and Copycat aims to land both Rare Candy and Baxcalibur by turn 3-4. Once Baxcalibur is on the bench, it supports the energy reload engine that lets Chien-Pao ex fire Diving Icicles more than once in a game. Mid-game you alternate between Icicle to establish early damage and Diving Icicles whenever three Water Energy are loaded. Inflatable Boat and Cyrus provide positioning control, while Giant Cape adds survivability to your ex attacker.

Damage Math

any of opponent's Pokemon (bench or active)

Diving Icicles 130 dmg

Discards all Water Energy from Chien-Pao ex after use; Baxcalibur reloads for subsequent shots

How to Play

Set Up Baxcalibur Before Firing Diving Icicles

Never use Diving Icicles without a Baxcalibur ready to reload. Frigibax into Rare Candy is the primary path — Poké Ball finds Frigibax; draw must deliver Baxcalibur and Rare Candy. Once the reload engine is live, Chien-Pao ex can cycle Diving Icicles repeatedly, threatening 130 damage to any position each turn.

Key cardsFrigibaxBaxcaliburRare CandyPoké BallProfessor's Research

Snipe Priority Targets to Maximize Points

Use Diving Icicles to eliminate benched ex Pokemon that have already taken chip damage from Icicle. Inflatable Boat and Cyrus give positioning control over which opponent Pokemon enters the line of fire. Sabrina can move damage counters to put a high-value bench Pokemon into knockout range ahead of the Diving Icicles shot.

Key cardsChien-Pao exInflatable BoatCyrusSabrinaCopycat

How to Beat This Deck

Deny Baxcalibur to Strand Energy Reloads

Baxcalibur is the deck's reload engine. Without it, Chien-Pao ex fires one Diving Icicles and is left with zero energy. Apply early bench pressure to force awkward Rare Candy timing, or use Cyrus to pivot the active spot and burn turns before Frigibax can evolve.

CountersCyrus

Apply Bench Damage to Prevent Reloads

Baxcalibur on the bench is the reload source. Any attacker with bench spread damage can threaten Baxcalibur before it recharges Chien-Pao ex. Keeping Baxcalibur at low HP forces the opponent to replace it, costing them multiple turns of reload capacity.

Trade Into Chien-Pao ex With Non-ex Attackers

Chien-Pao ex gives 2 points when knocked out. Non-ex attackers that can threaten 130 HP in two hits create an asymmetric trade: you lose 1 point, the opponent loses 2. Rapid Strike Urshifu variants and similar non-ex Fighting attackers are especially dangerous here.

Common Substitutions

Secondary attacker

  • Palkia ex:Present in the medoid list as a water-type secondary attacker
  • Rapid Strike Urshifu:Appears in 21% of lists; Kubfu/Rapid Strike Urshifu line provides a non-ex Fighting option

Healing / survivability tool

  • Pokémon Center Lady:In 24% of lists; extends Chien-Pao ex's lifespan between shots
  • Giant Cape:In 63% of lists; core survivability tool for Chien-Pao ex

Matchups

Threats — Weak Against

Mega Scizor ex Deck

metal · 41% WR

T3

Mega Steelix ex Deck

metal · 42% WR

T3

Gholdengo ex Deck

metal · 38% WR

T3

Solgaleo ex Deck

metal · 44% WR

T3

Melmetal ex Deck

metal · 42% WR

T3

Mega Mawile ex Deck

metal · 39% WR

T3

Favorable — Strong Against

Mega Blaziken ex Deck

fire · 41% WR

T2

Entei ex Deck

fire · 43% WR

T2

Chandelure Deck

psychic, fire · 49% WR

T3

Charizard ex Deck

fire · 45% WR

T3

Armarouge ex Deck

fire · 44% WR

T3

Mega Charizard X ex Deck

fire · 33% WR

T3

Based on type weakness analysis of core cards. View full matchup matrix →

Pokemon in this Deck

Chien-Pao