The Deck Stencil
You've learned what each category of cards does. Now it's time to put them together. A deck stencil is a starting template — a skeleton of staple cards that most competitive decks share. You fill in the specifics based on your chosen attacker and strategy.
The Skeleton Approach
Instead of staring at 60 empty slots, start with a skeleton: the cards that nearly every competitive deck includes regardless of strategy. Then fill in the remaining slots with your specific attacker, energy, and tech choices.
A typical skeleton looks something like:
Draw/Supporters (10-12 cards)
- 4 copies of your primary draw Supporter
- 2-3 copies of a secondary draw/disruption Supporter
- 2-3 copies of a gusting Supporter
- 1-2 copies of a search/utility Supporter
Pokémon Search (8-10 cards)
- 4 universal search (find any Pokémon)
- 4 basic-only search (fill bench early)
- 0-2 specialty search (deck-specific)
Switching (2-3 cards)
- 2-3 switching effects (based on retreat costs)
Recovery (1-2 cards)
- 1-2 cards that return resources from discard
That's roughly 22-27 cards committed to engine before you've touched your attackers or energy. This is normal — your engine is what makes the other 33-38 cards function.
Step 1: Choose Your Attacker
Start with your main attacker. This determines everything else:
- Basic attacker: Add 3-4 copies. Simple — no evolution line needed.
- Stage 1 attacker: Add 4 basics + 3-4 Stage 1s (7-8 cards)
- Stage 2 attacker: Add 4 basics + 0-1 Stage 1 + 3-4 Stage 2 + 4 Rare Candy (11-13 cards)
Add 1-2 secondary attackers if applicable (2-4 more cards).
Step 2: Add Energy
Your attacker's cost determines energy count:
- 1-energy attacks with acceleration: 8-10 energy
- 2-energy attacks, some acceleration: 10-12 energy
- 3+ energy attacks or no acceleration: 12-15 energy
Choose basic or special energy based on your acceleration compatibility.
Step 3: Fill Support and Tech
Count your remaining slots. These go to:
- Additional consistency (draw Pokémon, extra search)
- Energy acceleration (Pokémon, Items, or Supporters)
- Tech cards for expected matchups
- Additional switching or recovery if needed
Getting to Exactly 60
Most first drafts land at 62-65 cards. Cutting to 60 is where deck building gets real. Principles for cutting:
- Cut the lowest-impact cards first — If a card only matters in one niche situation, it goes.
- Don't cut below minimum thresholds — You need at least 8 draw Supporters, at least 6 search cards. Cutting below these cripples consistency.
- Test before cutting further — Sometimes a card feels cuttable in theory but proves critical in practice.
- Every card must justify its slot — For each card, ask "what does this do that nothing else in my deck does?" If the answer is "not much," cut it.
Common Stencil Mistakes
Over-teching
Running 5+ tech cards for specific matchups leaves too few slots for your core engine. Your deck becomes unpredictable — sometimes brilliant, often bricking.
Too Many Attacker Lines
Each additional attacker line costs 3-8 cards. Two attacker lines is standard. Three is pushing it. Four means your deck does nothing consistently.
Skimping on Draw
New players often cut draw Supporters to fit more "cool" cards. This always makes the deck worse. Your cool cards do nothing if you can't find them.
Running Too Few Energy
If you're missing energy attachments in testing, you need more energy — not more search. Search finds what's in your deck, but if your energy count is 7, you'll run out fast.
The 60-Card Audit
After building, audit your deck with these questions:
| Category | Minimum | Your Count |
|---|---|---|
| Draw Supporters | 8 | ? |
| Pokémon Search | 6 | ? |
| Energy | 8 | ? |
| Switching | 2 | ? |
| Gusting | 2 | ? |
| Recovery | 1 | ? |
If any category is below minimum, your deck has a structural weakness. Some strategies justify going below a minimum in one category (control decks might run fewer attackers, turbo decks might run minimal switching) — but know you're making a deliberate tradeoff.
From Stencil to Finished Deck
The stencil gets you a functional starting point — a deck that does its thing most games. From here, the real refinement happens through testing (next chapter). You'll discover:
- Which cards you never use (cut them)
- Which cards you always wish you had more of (add copies)
- Which matchups expose weaknesses (add techs)
- Which hands brick (add consistency)
No deck is finished at the stencil stage. It's a starting point — not the destination.