Here’s a rare sight: a simple, consistent deck that has been winning tournaments without relying on some broken ability that will be annoying to go up against. The Dragapult Inteleon deck in Pokemon TCG Live features Dragapult VMAX and two different Inteleon cards. Dragapult VMAX is actually an older card that everyone thought had already seen its run in the meta last year when Inteleon VMAX came out, followed by Telescopic Sight. Even before that, the only other time Dragapult VMAX has been in the meta was with Garbodor in Expanded.
The newer versions of Dragapult VMAX decks don’t even need Telescopic Sight to be good. The deck is pretty basic and does not rely on you pulling specific cards to start dealing damage. It is the classic damage-spreader deck and definitely the most consistent one in that category, as it does not rely on pulling specific Trainer Cards early on to be effective.
In this guide, I’ll be taking you through everything you need to know about this deck: the best Standard list, what each card does, what counters the deck, and how it fares against other meta decks in the 2022 Standard format in Pokemon TCG.
Dragapult VMAX and Inteleon – deck list
Here’s the best Standard deck list for Dragapult VMAX and Inteleon in Pokemon TCG Live:
****** Pokémon Trading Card Game Deck List ******
##Pokémon – 19
* 1 Galarian Zigzagoon SSH 117
* 4 Dragapult V RCL 92
* 3 Dragapult VMAX RCL 93
* 4 Sobble SSH 55
* 4 Drizzile SSH 56
* 1 Inteleon SSH 58
* 2 Inteleon CRE 43
##Trainer Cards – 33
* 4 Marnie CPA 56
* 3 Professor’s Research SHF 60
* 2 Boss’s Orders RCL 189
* 1 Raihan EVS 152
* 4 Fog Crystal CRE 140
* 4 Level Ball BST 129
* 3 Evolution Incense SSH 163
* 3 Quick Ball SSH 216
* 2 Fan of Waves BST 127
* 2 Scoop Up Net RCL 165
* 1 Escape Rope BST 125
* 1 Tool Scrapper RCL 208
* 3 Path to the Peak CRE 148
##Energy – 8
* 4 Psychic Energy Energy 5
* 4 Horror Psychic Energy RCL 172
Total Cards – 60
This is one of those decks where every single Pokemon from the list is absolutely necessary for the deck to work. Out of the Trainer Cards, you can replace Raihan, Escape Rope, Tool Scrapper, and even one copy of Marnie if you want, but they’re all good to have if you’re playing in a competitive format. Crushing Hammer is a good one to add in if you’re making replacements, but I’d recommend getting an Escape Rope as it is especially good for pulling off Dragapult V’s Jet Assault.
Dragapult V and Dragapult VMAX, the main attackers
The great thing about this duo is that, besides their synergy with other cards in this deck, they’re pretty good on their own as well. It’s rare to see a V card that can fare pretty well on its own in those starting turns where you can’t find the VMAX, although this deck won’t have that problem that often. Here’s where Escape Rope can be pretty helpful: if you can bring out Dragapult V from your Bench using the Rope, you can do a whopping 140 damage with just 2 Energies.
Dragapult VMAX is the ultimate damage-spreader of this deck, with his also 2-Energy attack, Max Phantom, which does 130 damage to your opponent and 50 to a Pokemon on their Bench.
In the early game, your goal is to have the VMAX out and going as early as possible. With the rest of the damage-spreading kit from this deck, you can easily start raining damage across the board. Fog Crystal will help you fetch your Dragapults and your Psychic Energies, so setting them up is quite easy.
Damage-spreading cards
Dragapult V and VMAX also benefit from the Horror Energy in this deck that puts two damage counters on the Pokemon that attack them.
Galarian Zigzagoon is a classic with its ability that can put a damage counter on any of your opponent’s Pokemon. Scoop Up Net is good for picking up Zigzagoon and putting it back down on the same turn, so I would definitely recommend keeping that Item Card. Unlike other decks where Galarian Zigzagoon is the only card spreading damage, in this deck the Pokemon will often win matches for you because of that +10 or +20 damage. You can also use Scoop Up Net to devolve Inteleon and evolve another Drizzle on the same turn to get extra Trainer cards using Shady Dealings.
The Inteleons are the other damage-spreaders in the deck and are quite easy to pull off, in spite of being Stage 2 cards. One Inteleon (SSH) is only good for putting two damage counters on your opponent’s Pokemon and you’ll be using this less often, but the other (CRE) is good for being a secondary attacker, spreading damage, and fetching any Trainer cards you want. With Evolution Incense and Quick Balls, you will be able to pull off this evolution pretty easily.
Trainer Cards and best strategies
Since neither Dragapult has an ability, the deck is completely immune to Path to the Peak (which targets Pokemon that have a Rule Box). The deck does not need any specific card-drawing Pokemon and entirely relies on Marnie and Professor’s Research for shuffling your deck.
With the Inteleon (CRE) drawing Trainer Cards as well, it doesn’t really matter if you get your Sobble or your Dragapult V out first. The deck rarely bricks and does not have any hard counters going around, since Dragapult V and VMAX are weak only to Dark Types and your Stadium Card neutralizes all of the Dark decks in the meta right now. Raihan isn’t really attached to a specific part of the deck but it is always good to have, as it is certainly one of the best Trainer cards in the game right now, acting essentially as a version of Computer Search from Expanded.
Do not resign early on if you lose a couple of Prize cards or find yourself facing a VMAX with a high HP, because even though the deck doesn’t have any hard-hitting Pokemon, the damage spread eventually ramps up to where you are able to knock out more than one of your opponent’s Pokemon in one turn. The deck does need some work in trying to calculate Bench damage and how much you really need to get quick KOs, but you’ll never find yourself short on time.
Where does Dragapult Inteleon stand in the meta?
Who would have expected to see Dragapult VMAX in the 2022 meta? The Dragapult VMAX and Inteleon deck is refreshing to see as one of the best decks in the Standard format of Pokemon TCG Live after the reign of ADP/Z and Pikarom decks, and their absolutely broken abilities and attacks.
Such simple yet effective decks are the right direction to go in moving forward, and while the deck is doing well in tournaments, it is not the go-to deck that hardcore players are immediately jumping to. It is pretty good against any of the new Eeveelution or Urshifu decks in the meta right now, but Calyrex decks can be a threat if they get going quickly. There are a lot more options in the game now and the game is in a much better place than the 2020/21 format, but Dragapult-Inteleon decks have been consistently winning tournaments lately. They have been winning consecutive Chill Series tourneys, and while it’s not the most creative and fun deck from your options, it is pretty strong and will earn you a good win rate.
For more deck guides, strategies, and news on Pokemon TCG Live, be sure to check out our Ultimate Pokemon TCG Online guide and resource list.
