Mega Kangaskhan Slowking Deck Guide (Standard)

Mega Kangaskhan Slowking is a Standard deck that stacks the top of its own deck so Slowking's "Seek Inspiration" can copy attacks from Pokémon it never actually plays, with Mega Kangaskhan ex drawing cards and as a backup attacker.

It's the third most played archetype in our data: 6.9% usage across 403 decklists, a 53.8% average win rate and at least one 1st-place finish. The trend is stable (usage +0.2, win rate +0.4). The catch is a lopsided matchup spread. It's fine against the Dragapult decks at the top and has some really ugly matchups further down, so knowing your pairings matters more here than in most decks.

How it wins

Slowking is the engine and usually the attacker. "Seek Inspiration" costs Psychic plus Colorless, discards the top card of your deck, and if that card is a Pokémon without a Rule Box, you pick one of its attacks and use it as this attack. Leave it to chance and you're whiffing half the time. You don't leave it to chance. Ciphermaniac's Codebreaking puts two cards of your choice on top in any order, and Academy at Night lets you put a card from your hand on top once per turn. Put the right Pokémon on top and Slowking becomes whichever attacker the board calls for.

The main targets are Kyurem ("Trifrost": 110 damage to 3 of your opponent's Pokémon) and Metagross ("Metallic Hammer": 300 to the Active). Slowking hits those numbers for two Energy, without paying the target's real attack cost.

That 300 surprises people, so here's why. "Metallic Hammer" says you may discard 3 Metal Energy from this Pokémon to do 150 more damage. When Slowking copies it, Slowking has no Metal Energy to discard, and the official ruling is that you still get the extra 150.

Mega Kangaskhan ex is the draw and backup damage. "Run Errand" draws 2 while it's Active, and "Rapid-Fire Combo" hits for 200+ with three Colorless. Latias ex's "Skyliner" gives your Basics no Retreat Cost, so Kangaskhan can draw and then retreat for free into a benched Slowking. You take prizes mostly through Trifrost spread and single-target Slowking hits. Each Slowking is a one-Prize attacker, which is the whole point: your opponent has to take a lot of KOs to get through them.

Key cards and counts

The core is very settled. Twenty cards show up in at least 84% of lists, and most of them in 100%.

The Slowking line

Slowpoke averages 3.8 copies (96.7% inclusion) and Slowking averages 3 (100%). You want multiple Slowking in play because they're your attackers and each one only gives up one Prize. Slowpoke isn't just a pre-evolution either: "Dangle Tail" puts a Pokémon from your discard pile into your hand, which gets your copy targets back after Ultra Ball costs.

The copy targets

Kyurem runs at 2 copies in every list, and Metagross at 1.6 copies (99.3%). There's no Metang in the core, so it exists only to be discarded off the top. Kyurem is a Basic, but you aren't attaching Water and Metal to it, so treat it the same way. Two Kyurem is the count because "Trifrost" is the attack you want most often, and Night Stretcher (2.3 copies, 99.6%) or "Dangle Tail" can get a used copy back.

The stacking package

Ciphermaniac's Codebreaking averages 3.5 copies, compared with 1.1 in Mega Kangaskhan Meowth. That gap tells you which deck this is. Academy at Night is a full 4 in every list, and you want a high count because only one Stadium can be in play and your opponent can bump yours. Lillie's Determination (3.9) is the main draw Supporter, and Meowth ex (1, 97.4%) fetches whatever Supporter you need with "Last-Ditch Catch".

Search and Energy

Ultra Ball (3.8) and Poké Pad (3.8) are near-max. Poké Pad only finds Pokémon without a Rule Box, which covers Slowpoke, Slowking, Kyurem and Metagross. Telepathic Psychic Energy is a full 4. Attach one to a Psychic Pokémon from hand and you bench up to 2 Basic Psychic Pokémon, so a single attachment can put two Slowpoke down. Wondrous Patch (3 copies, 100%) puts a Basic Psychic Energy from your discard onto a Benched Psychic Pokémon, which reloads Slowkings after "Trifrost" strips them. Psychic Energy averages 3.8 in the 84.2% of lists that play it, and the median list runs 10 Energy.

Boomerang Energy (1.9, 93.8%) is the quiet star. It gives Colorless, and if an effect of the attack used by its Pokémon discards it, it comes right back after the attack. "Trifrost" discards all Energy, but Boomerang stays on Slowking. Our pairing data has Boomerang Energy with Slowking as the strongest link in the deck (lift 17.18), with Kyurem close behind.

Support Pokémon

Latias ex (2, 100%), Fezandipiti ex (1, 96.3%) and Lillie's Clefairy ex (1, 89.7%) round out the Pokémon. A typical list runs 22 Pokémon, 15 Items, 8 Supporters and 4 Stadiums, and the median list plays no Tools.

Game plan

Early game

You'd love to open with Mega Kangaskhan ex Active. Use "Run Errand" every turn it's up there. If you're going first, remember you can't play a Supporter or attack on turn one, so the first turn is all Items and attachments. Get Telepathic Psychic Energy onto a Psychic Pokémon (Slowpoke, Latias ex or Lillie's Clefairy ex) and bench two more Basic Psychic Pokémon, ideally Slowpoke. Two or three Slowpoke on the board by your second turn is the target. Use Ultra Ball to grab Latias ex if you haven't drawn it. Skyliner is what lets Kangaskhan retreat for free into Slowking later.

Lillie's Determination draws 8 instead of 6 while you still have exactly 6 Prize cards left. That makes it your best opener, and it gets noticeably worse once you've taken a Prize.

Mid game

Evolve into Slowking and get Psychic plus one more Energy on it (Boomerang Energy is the best second Energy). A turn usually goes like this:

1. Do everything that draws or shuffles first: "Run Errand", Lillie's Determination, Ultra Ball, Poké Pad, Telepathic Psychic Energy, "Last-Ditch Catch".
2. Retreat Kangaskhan for free with Skyliner, or Switch, to get Slowking Active.
3. Stack the top: Ciphermaniac's Codebreaking for two cards, or Academy at Night for one from your hand.
4. Attack with "Seek Inspiration".

Use "Trifrost" to spread 110 across three Pokémon so your next attacks finish off damaged targets. Use "Metallic Hammer" when you need 300 damage on the Active Pokémon. "Super Psy Bolt" (120 for three Energy) is your fallback when you can't stack.

Codebreaking puts two cards on top, but you draw the second one at the start of your next turn. So the second pick is really a card for your hand. Choose something you'll need, or put it back on top with Academy at Night.

Late game

Keep reloading benched Slowkings with Wondrous Patch so the next one is ready when the Active one goes down. Fezandipiti ex's "Flip the Script" draws 3 after you lose a Pokémon, and "Cruel Arrow" does 100 to any of your opponent's Pokémon, which is often how you close a game after "Trifrost" damage. "Rapid-Fire Combo" is a strong finisher, but Kangaskhan gives up 3 Prizes. Only put it in front when you can afford that.

Matchups

None of the matchups below are flagged as small samples, but they range from 584 games down to 38, so give the bottom of the table a bit less weight.

The good and the even

Crustle Mega Kangaskhan is your best pairing at 62.9% over 124 games. Against the Dragapult decks you're close to even: 50.5% into Dragapult Dusknoir and 47.6% into Dragapult Munkidori, the format's most played deck with 17% usage. Those games often end in ties too (101 of the 584 Munkidori games). Lillie's Clefairy ex's "Fairy Zone" changes the Weakness of your opponent's Dragon Pokémon to Psychic, and Slowking is a Psychic Pokémon. So against any Dragon attackers, bench Clefairy and your Slowking hits on their Active get doubled.

The bad

Alakazam Dudunsparce (23.4% over 209 games) and N's Zoroark (25.8% over 151 games) are the two you'll actually run into, and both are rough. Hydrapple Teal Mask Ogerpon, Lillie's Clefairy Banette and Alakazam Dusknoir are just as bad, on fewer games (the Alakazam Dusknoir number is only 38 games). Note that Slowking, Slowpoke and Latias ex are all weak to Darkness, and Mega Kangaskhan ex and Meowth ex are weak to Fighting. I can't tell you from this data which of those opponents is exploiting that, so don't read too much into it. Just know that if your local scene is full of these decks, this isn't the pick.

The near-mirror against Mega Kangaskhan Meowth is 41.4%. That deck has the same overall win rate (54%) and higher usage (8.1%).

Tech options

Four flex slots show up often enough to matter. Every one of them is a single copy.

Secret Box (64%)

This is the ACE SPEC most lists choose. Discard 3 cards and search out an Item, a Tool, a Supporter and a Stadium. For this deck that can mean Ciphermaniac's Codebreaking, Academy at Night and Wondrous Patch in one go, which is a full stacked turn. It costs your ACE SPEC slot plus three cards from hand. Discarding Kyurem or Metagross to it isn't a disaster, since Night Stretcher and "Dangle Tail" can get them back. Secret Box searches your deck, so play it before you stack.

Annihilape (two printings, 53.7% and 46.3%)

Two different Annihilape cards show up as flex picks, at 53.7% and 46.3%.

• The Fighting one has "Destined Fight": both Active Pokémon are Knocked Out. Through Slowking, that trades your one-Prize Slowking for whatever is in their Active Spot, including a big ex or Mega.
• The Psychic one has "Ghostly Blow": 100 damage plus 5 damage counters on one Benched Pokémon. That's a two-target hit that fits well with "Trifrost" damage.

Zeraora (40.8%)

"Thunder Raid" does 210 to one of your opponent's Benched Pokémon ex and discards all Energy. Copied through Slowking, that discard leaves Boomerang Energy in place, same as "Trifrost". It's the card for picking off a benched ex your opponent is setting up.

All of these cost a deck slot, and they're dead in your opening hand (except as Ultra Ball fodder). Codebreaking can find a one-copy target from anywhere in your deck, though, so one copy is enough. The usual cost is a thinner count somewhere else in the Pokémon, which in our data ranges from 21 to 23.

Common mistakes

Stacking before shuffling. Ultra Ball, Poké Pad, Telepathic Psychic Energy, Meowth ex's "Last-Ditch Catch", Secret Box and Lillie's Determination all shuffle your deck. Use any of them after Codebreaking or Academy at Night and your stack is gone. Shuffle first, stack last.

Drawing your own stack. "Run Errand" draws the top 2 cards. If you used Academy at Night to put Kyurem on top and then use Kangaskhan's Ability, you just drew Kyurem. Draw first, then stack.

Attacking blind. If the top card is a Trainer, an Energy or a Rule Box Pokémon, "Seek Inspiration" does nothing. If you can't stack, look at "Super Psy Bolt" or another attacker before you flip the top card and hope.

Getting Slowking stuck. Skyliner only removes the Retreat Cost of Basic Pokémon. Slowking is a Stage 1 with a Retreat Cost of 3. Once it's Active, it's staying there unless you have Switch (only about 1.1 copies). Plan the next turn before you promote it.

Forgetting Boomerang is the reusable Energy. "Trifrost" and "Thunder Raid" strip everything else. Make Boomerang Energy one of Slowking's two Energy so you only have to replace the Psychic. And use Wondrous Patch on a Benched Slowking, because it can't target the Active one.

Benching too many ex. Latias ex, Fezandipiti ex, Lillie's Clefairy ex and Meowth ex each give up 2 Prizes, and Mega Kangaskhan ex gives up 3. Telepathic Psychic Energy will happily bench Latias ex and Clefairy ex. Only take them when you actually need them, or you'll hand your opponent an easy route to six Prizes.

FAQ

How does Slowking's Seek Inspiration work in Mega Kangaskhan Slowking?

"Seek Inspiration" discards the top card of your deck. If it's a Pokémon without a Rule Box, Slowking uses one of that Pokémon's attacks. The deck runs 3.5 Ciphermaniac's Codebreaking and 4 Academy at Night on average to control the top card, so Slowking reliably copies "Trifrost" from Kyurem or "Metallic Hammer" from Metagross.

Why does the deck play Metagross without Metang?

Metagross (1.6 copies, 99.3% inclusion) is never meant to be played. It's a target you put on top of your deck so Slowking can copy "Metallic Hammer" for 300. Slowking has no Metal Energy to discard, but under the official ruling it still gets the extra 150 damage, so you get the full 300 for two Energy.

What are Mega Kangaskhan Slowking's worst matchups?

In our data, the worst are Alakazam Dudunsparce at 23.4% over 209 games and N's Zoroark at 25.8% over 151 games. Hydrapple Teal Mask Ogerpon (28.3%), Lillie's Clefairy Banette (26.1%) and Alakazam Dusknoir (26.3%, only 38 games) are similarly bad. Its best matchup is Crustle Mega Kangaskhan at 62.9%.

Do I need Secret Box in this deck?

It's in 64% of lists, so it's the most common ACE SPEC choice but not mandatory. It finds an Item, a Tool, a Supporter and a Stadium for a discard of 3, which can put a whole stacking turn in your hand. Play it before you stack the top of your deck, because it shuffles.