Meowth ex Card Review: The Standard Supporter Tutor

Meowth ex is a Colorless Basic Pokémon ex with 170 HP from Perfect Order. Its Ability, "Last-Ditch Catch", searches your deck for any Supporter when you bench it from your hand.

It is one of the most played Pokémon in Standard right now. Across 6894 decklists from 95 tournaments in a 32-day window, Meowth ex shows a play rate of 54.1% with an average of 1.3 copies. Most decks treat it as a one-copy tutor. One archetype, Mega Kangaskhan Meowth, runs 3.

What it does

"Last-Ditch Catch" triggers once during your turn, when you play Meowth ex from your hand onto your Bench. You search your deck for a Supporter, reveal it, put it into your hand and shuffle. There's one limit: you can't use more than one Ability with "Last-Ditch Catch" in its name per turn.

Its attack, "Tuck Tail", costs three Colorless Energy and does 60 damage. After that, Meowth ex and every card attached to it go back to your hand. The Ability only fires when Meowth ex is played from hand, so "Tuck Tail" resets it. On a later turn you can bench it again and search for another Supporter.

Rules that matter here:

• It is a Pokémon ex, so it gives up 2 Prize cards when Knocked Out. That makes a benched Meowth ex a real target.
• It has a Rule Box, so Poké Pad cannot find it. Ultra Ball and Cyrano can.
• If you go first, you can't play a Supporter on turn one. Benching Meowth ex that turn still gets you the Supporter, but you won't be able to play it until your next turn.
• Weakness is Fighting ×2 and Retreat Cost is 1.

Why it's worth playing

The numbers speak for themselves. Meowth ex has a 54.1% play rate, and CardForge lists it as a core card in ten archetypes. That includes every one of the top four in the format:

The reason is simple. Standard decks lean on Supporters to function. Lillie's Determination has an 81.8% play rate and Boss's Orders has 91.1%. Meowth ex turns one Pokémon search into whichever Supporter the turn calls for. Early, that's a draw Supporter. Late, it's Boss's Orders for a knockout.

One copy is the standard count. Only one Last-Ditch Catch Ability works per turn, and the Ability needs a fresh play from hand, so extra copies mostly sit dead. The exception is a deck that can pick Meowth ex back up with "Tuck Tail" and wants to see it early every game.

Building around it

Meowth ex is a Basic with no evolution line, so the support you need is about search and Bench space.

Finding it

Ultra Ball is the main way in. It has an 82% play rate and averages 3.1 copies, and Mega Kangaskhan Meowth plays 4. Poké Pad can't fetch Meowth ex because of its Rule Box, so decks built on Poké Pad still need Ultra Ball or Cyrano to reach it. Night Stretcher (84% play rate) gets it back from the discard pile after it's Knocked Out or discarded to Ultra Ball.

Cyrano searches for up to 3 Pokémon ex. That makes it a strong target for "Last-Ditch Catch" in decks full of ex Pokémon. Mega Kangaskhan Meowth plays Cyrano in 100% of lists at 2 copies.

Choosing the Supporter

What Meowth ex searches for depends on the deck. Among the Supporters in these lists:

• Lillie's Determination for draw, which is 8 cards if you still have all 6 Prizes.
• Boss's Orders to set up a knockout on a Benched target.
• Crispin for Energy. Mega Kangaskhan Meowth runs 4.
• Ciphermaniac's Codebreaking to put 2 chosen cards on top of your deck.
• Rosa's Encouragement in Dragapult decks, for reattaching Energy to a Stage 2.

Paying for Tuck Tail

To use "Tuck Tail" you need three Energy on Meowth ex. Meowth ex is Colorless, so Glass Trumpet can attach Basic Energy from the discard to it while it's on the Bench, as long as you have a Tera Pokémon in play. Energy Switch can move Energy onto it as well. Mega Kangaskhan Meowth plays both, Glass Trumpet in 87% of lists and Energy Switch in 98%.

Partners and decks

Mega Kangaskhan Meowth (Basic Box)

This deck holds 8.1% of the meta across 443 decks with a 54.1% average win rate, and every list plays Meowth ex at an average of 3 copies. Mega Kangaskhan ex has 300 HP and "Run Errand", which draws 2 cards while it's Active. "Rapid-Fire Combo" does 200+ damage. Mega Kangaskhan ex and Meowth ex are both Colorless, so Glass Trumpet powers either one from the Bench.

The rest of the core shows what the deck is doing. It plays Teal Mask Ogerpon ex, Wellspring Mask Ogerpon ex, Raging Bolt ex, Iron Leaves ex and Iron Crown ex, with Area Zero Underdepths (100% of lists, 3.5 copies) to fit up to 8 Pokémon on the Bench while a Tera Pokémon is in play. The extra Bench room is why 3 copies of Meowth ex work here. You can keep benching Meowth ex for Supporters without clogging the board.

Latias ex is in 100% of these lists at 2 copies. "Skyliner" gives your Basic Pokémon no Retreat Cost. Meowth ex, Mega Kangaskhan ex and the Ogerpon are all Basic, so you can pivot freely and bring Meowth ex into the Active Spot for "Tuck Tail" when that's the right play. Chien-Pao (99.6%, 1 copy) can discard an opposing Stadium when benched, which protects Area Zero Underdepths from being answered.

Dragapult decks

Dragapult Munkidori is the most played archetype at 16.9% (856 decks, 54.1% average win rate). It runs exactly 1 Meowth ex in 99% of lists. Dragapult Dusknoir (93%), Blaziken Dragapult (99%) and Dragapult Dudunsparce (87%) all play one copy too. The core is Dreepy and Drakloak into Dragapult ex, with Buddy-Buddy Poffin and Poké Pad for the evolution line. Poké Pad can't find Meowth ex, so these lists get it with Ultra Ball (3.2 copies in Dragapult Munkidori). Fezandipiti ex ("Flip the Script") and Unfair Stamp handle recovery draw after a knockout. That leaves Meowth ex free to grab Boss's Orders or Crispin.

Punish the Bench

After Meowth ex does its job, it sits on the Bench as a 170 HP Pokémon ex worth 2 Prizes. Boss's Orders pulls it into the Active Spot for an easy knockout. Spread damage also reaches it. Fezandipiti ex's "Cruel Arrow" does 100 to any of your opponent's Pokémon, "Phantom Dive" places 6 damage counters across the Bench, and Wellspring Mask Ogerpon ex's "Torrential Pump" can hit the Bench for 120.

Risky Ruins adds to this. Meowth ex is a Basic non-Darkness Pokémon, so it takes 2 damage counters the moment it's benched with Risky Ruins in play. Dragapult Munkidori plays Risky Ruins in 93% of lists. Put those counters together with "Phantom Dive" and "Cruel Arrow" and a single turn can remove Meowth ex from the Bench.

Cut off the search

Budew's "Itchy Pollen" stops your opponent from playing Items during their next turn. That shuts off Ultra Ball, the most common way to find Meowth ex. It does not stop them from benching a Meowth ex that's already in hand. Special Red Card shuffles their hand to the bottom of the deck and gives them 3 new cards, which can strip a Meowth ex they were holding. It only works once your opponent has 3 or fewer Prizes left.

Know its limits

The Ability does nothing unless Meowth ex is played from hand, and only one Last-Ditch Catch Ability works per turn. Once it's on the Bench it's pure liability until its owner spends three Energy on "Tuck Tail". Watch for that line, especially against decks with Latias ex or Glass Trumpet, and knock it out before it can return to hand.

FAQ

How many copies of Meowth ex should I play?

Most decks play one. Dragapult Munkidori, Mega Kangaskhan Slowking and Dragapult Dusknoir all average 1 copy. Mega Kangaskhan Meowth is the exception at 3, because Area Zero Underdepths gives it extra Bench room.

Can Poké Pad search for Meowth ex?

No. Poké Pad only finds Pokémon without a Rule Box, and Meowth ex is a Pokémon ex. Use Ultra Ball or Cyrano instead, and Night Stretcher to get it back from the discard pile.

Can I use Last-Ditch Catch more than once?

Only once per turn, and only when you play Meowth ex from your hand onto your Bench. "Tuck Tail" puts Meowth ex back in your hand, so you can bench it again on a later turn and search for another Supporter.

What is Meowth ex's play rate in Standard?

In this snapshot of 6894 decklists, Meowth ex has a play rate of 54.1% with an average of 1.3 copies. It's a core card in the top four archetypes, led by Dragapult Munkidori at 16.9% of the meta.

Does Meowth ex work if I go first?

You can bench it on your first turn and search for a Supporter. You just can't play that Supporter until your next turn, because the player going first can't play Supporters on turn one.