Rayquaza GX (TCG)
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Rayquaza GX was a Pokémon Trading Card Game deck archetype played during the very end of the 2017-2018 season, remaining as a contender through the whole 2018-2019 season. The deck's strategy revolved around Rayquaza-GX's potential to deal damage for each energy in the player's Pokémon and its Ability to attach Energy to itself when put into play. Rayquaza GX's best results were 1st place in the Masters Division at the 2018 Japan Championships and 4th, 5th and 7th places in the Masters Division at the 2018 Pokémon Trading Card Game World Championships. Semifinalist Pedro Eugenio Torres' version was printed as a promotional World Championships deck, Dragones y Sombras.
Strategy
Rayquaza GX offered a very solid strategy through its main attacker: Rayquaza-GX's Stormy Winds Ability allowed the player to attach a basic energy from the discard pile when put into play with the drawback of discarding cards from the deck and its Dragon Break Attack dealt 30 damage times the amount of
and
Energy attached to the player's Pokémon. Supporting Pokémon would be played along as secondary attackers, speed up energy attachments or to allow the player to draw all possible Rayquaza-GX from their deck. Max Elixir was a great way to power up benched Pokémon and allowed a big swing with the right setup on the player's first turn. Tapu Koko ♢ and Shaymin ♢ were also late but notable additions to the archetype.
Key cards
- Rayquaza-GX - When played in the field, Rayquaza-GX's Stormy Winds Ability could discard the top 3 cards from the player's deck and attach a basic energy to itself, even if not one of those discarded cards. Its Dragon Break attack could knock out most Basic Pokémon-EX and Pokémon-GX with 6 basic
and
Energy attached to the player's Pokémon. - Marshadow -Its Let Loose Ability was a cheap way to redraw cards with a non-GX Pokémon.
- Tapu Koko ♢ - Its Dance of the Ancients Ability allowed the player to attach more
Energy to Benched Pokémon. - Shaymin ♢ - A secondary attacker with free retreat cost and a similar attack to Rayquaza-GX.
- Max Elixir - Played for a chance to attach Basic Energy from the deck to benched Rayquaza-GX.
Typical decklist

Pedro Eugenio Torres' decklist at the 2018 World Championships
| Quantity | Card | Type | Rarity |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4× | Rayquaza |
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| 1× | Xurkitree |
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| 2× | Marshadow | ||
| 1× | Tapu Lele |
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| 1× | Oranguru | ||
| 3× | Acro Bike | I | |
| 1× | Escape Rope | I | |
| 2× | Field Blower | I | |
| 4× | Max Elixir | I | |
| 4× | Mysterious Treasure | I | |
| 4× | Puzzle of Time | I | |
| 2× | Rescue Stretcher | I | |
| 1× | Super Rod | I | |
| 2× | Ultra Ball | I | |
| 3× | Choice Band | I | |
| 2× | Float Stone | I | |
| 4× | Guzma | Su | |
| 1× | Lillie | Su | |
| 4× | Professor Sycamore | Su | |
| 7× | Grass Energy | — | |
| 7× | Lightning Energy | — | |
Possible tech cards

The following cards were often used in Rayquaza GX in place of certain cards included in the above lists.
- Xurkitree-GX - A secondary attacker which was immune to Pokémon with Special Energy attached.
- Tapu Koko-GX - Tapu Koko-GX's Ability allowed the player to move
Energy to itself and switch to the active position when played in the field, attacking faster than Rayquaza-GX in some situations. - Vikavolt - Played with the loss of Max Elixir in some lists to power up the deck's attackers with its Strong Charge Ability.
- Ho-Oh-EX - In the Expanded format, Ho-Oh-EX could return from the discard pile into play with some
and
Energy attached. - Zeraora-GX - Granted free Retreat Cost to Pokémon with
Energy with its Thunderclap Zone Ability.
See also
External links
| This article is part of Project TCG, a Bulbapedia project that aims to report on every aspect of the Pokémon Trading Card Game. |