Chien-Pao ex Deck
0.1% of the meta · Updated September 10, 2026
Signature card
Chien-Pao ex
Special Art Rare
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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Est. 301 packs to collect all core cardsdetails
Core Cards
Key Moves & Abilities
Strategy Guide
Auto-generatedChien-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.
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.
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.
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
Based on type weakness analysis of core cards. View full matchup matrix →