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Panel Names Dragapult-ex Deck NAIC 2026 Favorite

6/7/2026

Summary

Dragapult ex Dominates

The panel unanimously voted Dragapult ex the deck to beat for NAIC 2026.
Phantom Dive deals 200 damage to the active Pokémon and 60 to a benched Pokémon with two energy cards.
Recon Directive moves unwanted cards to the bottom of the deck, smoothing draws.
Rotation removed Gardevoir ex, leaving Dragapult ex unchecked and enabling high Phase 1-to-Phase 2 conversion.
Dudunsparce now leads as Dragapult ex’s most popular partner.

Summary

Beelzeboy Qualifies

NAIC serves as the final qualifier for the 2026 Pokémon World Championships in August in San Francisco.
Streams run June 12-14, 2026 on Twitch.tv/PokemonGO and Twitch.tv/Pokemon.
Twitch offers Drops all weekend, including a special drop inspired by EUIC Champion P4T0M4N.
World Champion Beelzeboy and EUIC Champion P4T0M4N join the NAIC field, with Beelzeboy seeking a trophy after a fourth-place finish in Los Angeles and P4T0M4N bringing five international trophies and a 15-match winning streak.

Summary

Feraligatr Shines

The new season limits eligible Pokémon types to Fairy, Normal, Psychic, and Water while banning Dark, Grass, and Steel types.
It also excludes 25 specific Pokémon to increase meta flexibility.
The season adds a Shadow Ball buff that now applies to Qwilfish, Sylveon, and Xatu.
Feraligatr gains prominence with its fast Shadow Claw and Hydro Cannon, while Alolan Raichu is highlighted as a potential anti-meta pick.

History

Historical Context

The Pokémon World Championships began in 2004 with the TCG and expanded in 2008 to include video-game divisions under Play! Pokémon. The seventh edition in 2015 took place at Boston’s Hynes Convention Center, while the 2016 San Francisco event introduced the Pokkén Tournament invitational, illustrating the series’ pattern of adding new games and rotating formats.

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Dragapult ex Dominates

The panel unanimously voted Dragapult ex the deck to beat for NAIC 2026.
Phantom Dive deals 200 damage to the active Pokémon and 60 to a benched Pokémon with two energy cards.
Recon Directive moves unwanted cards to the bottom of the deck, smoothing draws.
Rotation removed Gardevoir ex, leaving Dragapult ex unchecked and enabling high Phase 1-to-Phase 2 conversion.
Dudunsparce now leads as Dragapult ex’s most popular partner.

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