Toxic Tempo – Toxicroak ex / Sableye Spread Control

Toxic Tempo – Toxicroak ex / Sableye / Okidogi ex

Standard Legal – May 2025 (Regulation G & H)
A rogue control-spread deck built around Poison pressure, tempo denial, and low-prize trading.

🎯 Core Strategy

Toxic Tempo uses guaranteed Poison and single-prize attackers to build slow, suffocating pressure over multiple turns. While top meta decks lean into raw damage and board flooding, this deck punishes overextension, isolates threats with gust tools, and converts delayed knockouts into efficient prize trades.

With the addition of Okidogi ex, this build has stronger midgame tempo swings, capable of closing key knockouts or punishing unsupported attackers.

🧪 Key Roles

🧬 Toxicroak ex

• The engine of your Poison control.

• Pairs with Binding Mochi and Sableye for lethal math.

• Low-energy, fast to evolve, reliable pressure piece.

🧬 Muk + Brute Bonnet

• Muk poisons instantly on evolution.

• Brute Bonnet applies Poison when moved to Active — combos with Jet Energy, Escape Rope, or natural retreat. Enables lethal turns without attacking.

🟣 Sableye

• Low-cost spread attacker.

• Deals 90 for 1 Energy if opponent is Poisoned — 140 with Binding Mochi.

• Ideal cleanup tool after chip damage.

🐺 Okidogi ex

• 110 damage + Bad Poison (4 counters between turns).

• With Binding Mochi, swings for 160 + 40 Poison — 200 damage!

• Trade up with ex decks or pressure benched threats.

👻 Mimikyu

• Defensive wall that blocks damage from Pokémon with damage counters.

• Ideal stall tool vs Sableye, Charizard, or Lost Box spread decks.

🍓 Budew

• Turn 1 Item-lock — disrupts Miraidon, Charizard, and Lost Box.

• Becomes gust bait later, or Penny target to reuse.

🐦 Squawkabilly ex

• One-time Turn 1 draw refill to prevent dead starts.

🧰 Tools, Trainers, & Tech

🛠️ Binding Mochi

• MVP damage amplifier. Enables your attackers to reach key KO thresholds. Run 2 for consistency.

🛠️ Rescue Board

• Free retreat for Budew, Brute Bonnet, or Croagunk in critical situations.

🛠️ Escape Rope

• Mobility for Brute Bonnet and Budew, plus mild disruption.

🧰 Town Store

• Search Binding Mochi or Rescue Board directly. Crucial consistency tool for combos.

💬 Arven / Penny / Iono

• Arven fetches Tools or Balls.

• Penny denies prizes or reuses Budew/Mimikyu.

• Iono fuels comebacks or hand disruption.

⚡ Energy Choices

• 7 Basic Darkness Energy – Core fuel for Toxicroak and Sableye.

• 2 Jet Energy – Enables pivot plays, Bonnet triggers, and attachments to Squawkabilly.

• 1 Reversal Energy – Comeback fuel for Sableye, Croagunk, or Brute Bonnet plays.

🧠 Matchup Tips

✅ Why This Deck Works

• Low-prize trading forces opponents into awkward prize math.

• Status conditions bypass standard HP thresholds.

• Flexible tools and gust effects punish overcommitted boards.

• Prize denial with Penny and Rescue Board is frustrating for fast decks.

• You win through tempo, disruption, and targeted knockouts — not brute force.