The format, Japan first

The whole field, at once

Every band is an archetype and the widths are shares of top-8 finishes. The tail is folded into one band rather than dropped, so the bar adds up to the format rather than to the part of it worth naming.

Why there is no trend line here

This window spans 343 days, long enough for a season, but not evenly enough: splitting it at its midpoint would compare a single crowded week against everything else, rather than one stretch of the season against another. A card that only shows up in that one week would look like it is taking over the format; a card that has nothing to do with that week would look like it is dying. The weekly sync keeps adding tournaments, and the trend charts switch themselves on once the results are actually spread across the window rather than piled into one week of it.

What each deck costs to build

From Japanese singles at the Sat, Sep 19, 2026 snapshot, priced off the winning list we hold. The coverage figure is the share of the list’s copies we have a price for, and a deck with low coverage costs more than the number says.

1. Dragapult / Dusknoir65 top-8 · 7.6% of the field63% priced$39.80
2. Dragapult / Meowth61 top-8 · 7.1% of the field63% priced$53.17
3. Raging Bolt / Ogerpon49 top-8 · 5.7% of the field52% priced$27.57
4. Dragapult / Dudunsparce44 top-8 · 5.1% of the field62% priced$43.54
5. Dragapult / Blaziken35 top-8 · 4.1% of the field63% priced$35.43
6. Gholdengo / Lunatone35 top-8 · 4.1% of the field35% priced$5.90
7. Alakazam / Dudunsparce33 top-8 · 3.8% of the field60% priced$16.12
8. Mega Absol / Mega Kangaskhan32 top-8 · 3.7% of the field48% priced$23.32
9. Dragapult30 top-8 · 3.5% of the field55% priced$39.55
10. Ogerpon / Arboliva25 top-8 · 2.9% of the field53% priced$45.47

The cards holding the format up

Played by most of the field and costing almost nothing. These are the cards to buy before they are the cards everyone wants.

• Ultra Ball82%$0.06
• Munkidoriマシマシラ48%$0.02
• Budewスボミー42%$0.03
• Night Stretcher84%$0.57
• Special Red Card31%$0.03
• Buddy-Buddy Poffin60%$0.57
• Latias exラティアスex26%$0.36
• Rare Candy35%$0.57

The cards you will actually pay for

• Meowth exニャースex51%$13.42
• Fezandipiti exキチキギスex78%$1.72
• Crispin38%$1.72
• Lillie's Clefairy exリーリエのピッピex24%$1.32
• Unfair Stamp42%$1.29
• Drakloakドロンチ29%$1.15
• Dreepyドラメシヤ29%$1.15
• Dragapult exドラパルトex29%$1.15

Prices are Japanese singles at the Sat, Sep 19, 2026 snapshot, converted at 1.1460 EUR to USD. 62% of the cards in the field carry a price; the rest are new enough or Japan-only enough that no market has settled on one.

The players putting up the most top-8s

City League is a scene with standings, and this is the first time it has been shown in English. The international fixtures are counted in the same table. More than one top-8 finish in the window.

1. 1Andrew HedrickDragapult2W 3 top-8
2. 2Matias MatricardiGholdengo / LunatoneHydrapple2W 2 top-8
3. 3Seinosuke ShiokawaDragapult / DusknoirGardevoir / Jellicent2W 2 top-8
4. 4みかんMega Lucario / HariyamaSlowking / Latias2W 2 top-8
5. 5Cerys JonesAlakazam / DudunsparceDragapult / Dusknoir1W 3 top-8
6. 6Jackson FordCharizard / NoctowlCharizard / Pidgeot1W 3 top-8
7. 7Tord ReklevMega Absol / Mega KangaskhanDragapult1W 3 top-8
8. 8Akira KurasakiMega Absol / Mega Kangaskhan1W 2 top-8
9. 9Aleksander RutowiczDragapult / Dusknoir1W 2 top-8
10. 10Daniel MagdaGholdengo / Lunatone1W 2 top-8
11. 11Edwyn MesmanDragapultMega Absol / Mega Kangaskhan1W 2 top-8
12. 12Ethan WildeDipplin / ThwackeyDragapult / Dusknoir1W 2 top-8

The decks, one by one

• Dragapult / Dusknoir65 top-8 · 7.6%
• Dragapult / Meowth61 top-8 · 7.1%
• Raging Bolt / Ogerpon49 top-8 · 5.7%
• Dragapult / Dudunsparce44 top-8 · 5.1%
• Dragapult / Blaziken35 top-8 · 4.1%
• Gholdengo / Lunatone35 top-8 · 4.1%
• Alakazam / Dudunsparce33 top-8 · 3.8%
• Mega Absol / Mega Kangaskhan32 top-8 · 3.7%
• Dragapult30 top-8 · 3.5%
• Ogerpon / Arboliva25 top-8 · 2.9%
• Garchomp / Roserade24 top-8 · 2.8%
• Gardevoir / Jellicent23 top-8 · 2.7%