Wailord/Fossils was a rogue Pokémon Trading Card Gamedeck piloted by Colin Moll to a top eight finish at the 2004 World Championships. In retrospect, many players regard it as a very strong archetype. The deck’s primary focus involves using a variety of mechanisms to keep damage off Wailord ex in order to maximize the output of its Dwindling Wave attack.
The player would alternate between using Wailord ex's Dwindling Wave and Super Deep Dive attacks. Dwindling Wave does 100 base damage, enough to knock out most Pokémon of the era, but does 10 less damage for each damage counter on Wailord ex. Super Deep Dive heals 30 damage from Wailord ex and switches it with one of the user's Benched Pokémon. When using Super Deep Dive, the player would switch into either Claw Fossil, Root Fossil, or Mysterious Fossil whenever possible, since these do not give up any Prize Cards when Knocked Out. Wailord ex would be safe on the Bench, and the opponent would be forced to waste a turn attacking a Fossil. Meanwhile, the player can use Bellossom's Heal DancePoké-POWER to heal even more damage from Wailord ex and further maximize Dwindling Wave's damage output.
Wailord ex - Wailord ex serves as the deck's primary attacker. With 100 base damage, Dwindling Wave was capable of Knocking Out most Pokémon of the era in one attack. Super Deep Dive heals damage from Wailord ex and gives the player the opportunity to switch into a Fossil, stalling the opponent for a turn and providing an additional turn of uninterrupted healing via Bellossom's Heal Dance.
Bellossom - Bellossom's Heal Dance was used to heal damage from Wailord ex; in combination with Super Deep Dive, it kept Wailord ex healthy for higher damage with Dwindling Wave. The inclusion of Multi Energy in the deck also allows Bellossom to attack in a pinch.
Root Fossil - Root Fossil, though officially a Trainer card, acts as a Basic Pokémon while in play. However, it does not give up a prize when Knocked Out, making it a perfect target to switch into with Super Deep Dive. Additionally, Root Fossil has the Poké-BODYSpongy Stone that allows the player to remove one damage counter from it between turns. With only 40 HP, though, it was typically Knocked Out in one attack.
Claw Fossil - Claw Fossil served the same purpose as Root Fossil. However, its Poké-BODY Jagged Stone is substantially more useful, as it can place one damage counter on the attacking Pokémon upon being damaged.
Typical decklist
The deck list appearing below is not official; it is meant to represent an average build of the archetype, not specifically constructed for any regional metagame. Being that this is merely an archetype, a player may wish to change any part of this deck when building their own version. The list shown assumes an Expedition through EX Hidden Legends format. Potential later additions may be listed in the Possible tech cards section. This particular list was used by Colin Moll to finish in the top eight at the 2004 World Championships.
The following cards are often used in Wailord/Fossils in place of certain cards included in the above list.
Wailord - Though neither were particularly popular, the 2004 format included two Pokémon with the Safeguard Poké-BODY: Wobbuffet from EX Sandstorm and Ninetales from EX Hidden Legends. Pokémon with Safeguard are invulnerable to attacks from Pokémon-ex, rendering Wailord ex useless against them. The inclusion of a non-ex Wailord increased the deck's chances of winning against Safeguard Pokémon.
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