Kingambit Deck
0.1% of the meta · Updated September 12, 2026
Signature card
Kingambit
Rare
Strengths
- Overlord's Blade scales throughout the game — the longer it goes, the harder Kingambit hits.
- Glimmet and Glimmora act as expendable early attackers that feed the KO counter and score your opponent few points.
- As a non-ex Stage 2, a KO'd Kingambit scores your opponent only 1 point, keeping the points race manageable.
Weaknesses
- Kingambit's base 60 damage is low in early turns before KOs accumulate — the deck starts slowly.Tempo
- Reaching Stage 2 requires drawing Bisharp and Kingambit through natural draw, which can be inconsistent.Consistency
- Decks that avoid giving up KOs early deny the scaling mechanic and keep Overlord's Blade weak.Matchup
- A retreat cost of 3 makes Kingambit difficult to switch out without X Speed or similar support.Deckbuilding
Top Tournament Deck Lists
#3 — Shin3dd
Lagoon Serenity Format (FA or Shiny Choice Prize) · 8W-1L
#5 — DLT | 德來速ex
Lagoon Serenity Format (FA or Shiny Choice Prize) · 6W-2L
#5 — Mega Einstun EX
Weekly#2-20｜$100 forSeries｜Noex/Monotype/Singleton · 4W-1L
Est. 240 packs to collect all core cardsdetails
Core Cards
Key Moves & Abilities
Strategy Guide
Auto-generatedKingambit is a damage-scaling Stage 2 that wins by letting itself absorb early knockouts and then cleaning up with Overlord's Blade, which adds 40 damage per KO scored this game. The goal is to engineer a high-KO count and swing for 100-plus damage in the mid-to-late game.
Open with Pawniard and Glimmet to bait your opponent into scoring knockouts. Each time your Pokemon are knocked out, Overlord's Blade charges further. Rare Candy accelerates Kingambit from Pawniard, while Professor's Research and Copycat fuel draw; Poké Ball finds Pawniard but not Bisharp or Kingambit. Once Kingambit is active with two darkness energy, Overlord's Blade scales with the running KO total. Use Cyrus to force a weaker target active when needed, and Rescue Scarf to recover a KO'd Kingambit for a second swing.
Damage Math
Overlord's Blade with 1 prior KO in game
base 60 + (1 × 40) = 100
Triggers for each time your own Pokemon have been knocked out during the game; your offensive KOs of opponent Pokemon do not count
Overlord's Blade with 2 prior KOs in game
base 60 + (2 × 40) = 140
Reaches one-shot range on most non-ex Stage 2 Pokemon at 140 HP
How to Play
Feed the KO Counter with Expendable Basics
Glimmet and Glimmora are your early-game sacrifices. Sending them into battle first draws attacks, charges the KO counter, and lets Kingambit enter later with a 100-plus Overlord's Blade already on deck. Bombirdier can also serve as an early attacker to absorb pressure while Kingambit evolves.
Accelerate the Evolution Line with Rare Candy
Rare Candy skips Bisharp and puts Kingambit on the field faster. Combined with Professor's Research and Copycat to draw into it, you can have Kingambit active by turn 3 or 4. Poké Ball finds Pawniard to start the line, but Rare Candy and draw trainers must deliver the rest.
Recover Kingambit with Rescue Scarf
If Kingambit is knocked out, Rescue Scarf returns it to your hand rather than discarding it. This lets you replay it, re-energize, and attack again with the same scaling bonus — the KO count only rises, so the second Kingambit enters with even more power than the first.
How to Beat This Deck
Win Quickly Before the KO Counter Grows
Overlord's Blade only becomes threatening at 2-plus KOs. Decks that can close out 3 points in the first three or four turns deny Kingambit the time it needs. Fast ex-heavy aggro that scores 2 points on the first KO and chains another KO immediately wins before Kingambit scales.
Counter Darkness Type with Favorable Typing
Kingambit's weakness to fighting means fighting-type attackers deal bonus damage and can one-shot it before Overlord's Blade even fires. Armarouge ex and similar fire or psychic threats hit Kingambit hard enough to remove it before it reaches critical KO accumulation.
Avoid Committing Bench Pokemon to Sabrina Targets
Kingambit runs Sabrina to drag up benched threats and score surprise KOs. Keep your most valuable benched Pokemon protected and avoid stacking your bench with easy-to-KO basics. Denying early-game KOs also starves the Overlord's Blade counter.
Common Substitutions
Early attacker
- Bombirdier:In 58% of lists; an early non-ex attacker that absorbs pressure and feeds the KO counter
- Absol:In 20% of lists; alternative flex attacker when Bombirdier is unavailable
Survival tool
- Giant Cape:Raises Kingambit's HP to survive more hits and maintain attack continuity
- Rescue Scarf:Returns a KO'd Kingambit to hand for a second attack cycle
Matchups
Threats — Weak Against
Based on type weakness analysis of core cards. View full matchup matrix →