Baltimore Regional: the Pokémon TCG meta before LAIC

Dragapult ex was the most played deck and Basic Box won the Baltimore Regional (3,122 players). What it means for players heading to LAIC in São Paulo.

22 de set. de 2026 · por ArcanoLeviata317 · 9 min de leitura

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Baltimore Regional: the Pokémon TCG meta before LAIC

What is the most played deck in the Pokémon TCG right now? At the Baltimore Regional, played from September 18 to 20, 2026 by 3,122 players, the answer was Dragapult ex, found in almost a third of the decks. But the winner was Dylan Kasturi, with a deck made only of Basic Pokémon and led by Mega Kangaskhan ex. The result matters for anyone going to the Latin America International Championships (LAIC) in São Paulo, from November 20 to 22, whose registration opens today, September 22, at 7:00 p.m. Brasília time.

The Baltimore snapshot also has an expiry date: starting September 25, the cards from the 30th Celebration set become tournament legal.

What happened in Baltimore

The Baltimore Regional Championship opened the 2027 season of the official circuit: it is the first event of that season on Limitless Labs. The Masters division (adults) had 3,122 players, a number confirmed by both Limitless Labs and Pokedata. According to PokéStats, 559 players advanced to day two.

The format was the current Standard, running from Temporal Forces to Pitch Black. It is the format set by the rotation announced on January 9, 2026: cards with the G regulation mark left, and the H, I and J marks stayed. The rule has applied at events since April 10, 2026.

The Masters top 8:

1st Dylan Kasturi (USA) — Basic Box, a record of 14 wins, 1 loss and 2 ties
2nd Ben Dobberstein (USA) — Hydrapple ex
3rd Rohit Potti (USA) — Dragapult ex
4th Mark Dreitzler (USA) — Slowking
5th Joshua Frink (USA) — Alakazam/Dudunsparce
6th Cali White (Canada) — Basic Box
7th Liam Halliburton (USA) — Dragapult ex
8th Nicholas Cucinelli (USA) — Basic Box

Labels vary: Limitless Labs calls the champion's deck "Ogerpon/Clefairy" in the standings and "Basic Box" on the decklist; 2nd place shows up as "Ogerpon/Hydrapple" or "Hydrapple ex/Meganium". The decks are the same.

Which decks were played the most?

Dragapult ex was the most played deck in Baltimore, adding up its three versions. According to Limitless Labs data, the ten most popular archetypes were:

Dragapult — 558 players (17.90%), 50.51% win rate
N's Zoroark — 243 (7.79%), 48.89%
Dragapult Dusknoir — 229 (7.34%), 47.46%
Alakazam Dudunsparce — 192 (6.16%), 42.69%
Slowking — 172 (5.52%), 50.36%
Basic Box — 161 (5.16%), 53.14%
Dragapult Blaziken — 154 (4.94%), 48.89%
Mega Excadrill — 154 (4.94%), 46.30%
Crustle — 138 (4.43%), 50.21%
Dhelmise — 93 (2.98%), 48.82%

Together, the three Dragapult variants account for 30.18% of the field. At the San Francisco World Championships, from August 28 to 30, 2026, with 797 players, the same three variants added up to 42.53%, with 22.33% in the main version alone.

Among the ten most played decks, Basic Box had the highest win rate (53.14%) and put three players in the top 8. Alakazam Dudunsparce had the lowest (42.69%), but still had a player in 5th place.

Dragapult ex card from the Twilight Masquerade set

Dragapult ex, Twilight Masquerade (sv06-130). Illustration: 5ban Graphics · Image: TCGdex · © Pokémon/Nintendo/Creatures/GAME FREAK

What does the winning deck look like?

Kasturi's Basic Box has 18 Pokémon, 26 Trainers and 14 Energy, and every Pokémon on the list is a Basic, with no evolutions at all. The key pieces:

4 Mega Kangaskhan ex (Mega Evolution 104). It has 300 HP and the Run Errand ability, which draws 2 cards once per turn while it is in the Active Spot.
3 Meowth ex, 2 Latias ex, 2 Teal Mask Ogerpon ex and 2 Lillie's Clefairy ex.
One each of Chien-Pao, Raging Bolt ex, Iron Leaves ex, Fezandipiti ex, Enamorus, Iron Crown ex and Wellspring Mask Ogerpon ex, to change the attacker depending on the opponent.
Among the Trainers, 4 Crispin, 4 Energy Switch, 4 Ultra Ball and 4 Area Zero Underdepths.

The Energy comes in five types: 6 Grass, 3 Psychic, 2 Fighting, 2 Lightning and 1 Water. That shows the idea behind the deck: having a Basic attacker of a different type for each situation, instead of building an evolution line.

Mega Kangaskhan ex card from the Mega Evolution set

Mega Kangaskhan ex, Mega Evolution (me01-104). Illustration: 5ban Graphics · Image: TCGdex · © Pokémon/Nintendo/Creatures/GAME FREAK

How much do the top meta cards cost?

The Pokémon cards used most at the top of Baltimore are cheap in their regular set versions. The prices below come from the TCGdex API, which passes on the values from TCGplayer (USA, market price, in dollars) and Cardmarket (Europe, trend price, in euros), updated on September 21, 2026. All are for the standard holo version of each card, not the alternate arts:

Mega Kangaskhan ex (Mega Evolution 104) — US$1.19 on TCGplayer; €1.82 on Cardmarket
Dragapult ex (Twilight Masquerade 130) — US$2.68; €1.61
Dragapult ex (Prismatic Evolutions 073) — US$1.39; €1.42
Lillie's Clefairy ex (Ascended Heroes 076) — US$1.63; €1.67
Teal Mask Ogerpon ex (Twilight Masquerade 025) — US$2.73; €3.39

The only movement that shows up in the numbers is Mega Kangaskhan ex's. On Cardmarket, its 7-day average (€2.00) is about 30% above its 30-day average (€1.54). It is a small change in absolute terms, and the data does not show the cause.

Lillie's Clefairy ex card from the Ascended Heroes set

Lillie's Clefairy ex, Ascended Heroes (me02.5-076). Illustration: 5ban Graphics · Image: TCGdex · © Pokémon/Nintendo/Creatures/GAME FREAK

What changes with 30th Celebration and LAIC

Baltimore was played without the 30th Celebration cards. The set arrived in Pokémon TCG Live on September 15, 2026, and The Pokémon Company confirmed it is legal for Play! Pokémon tournaments as of September 25, 2026. The Classic Collection subset, with the classic reprints, will not be tournament legal.

LAIC 2027 takes place in São Paulo from November 20 to 22, 2026, with the Pokémon TCG, Pokémon VGC and Pokémon GO. According to the official announcement, competitor registration opens in two waves: September 22, 2026, at 7:00 p.m. (Brasília time), and September 23, at 9:00 a.m. Spectator registration also opens on September 23, at 9:00 a.m. Everything goes through the tournament's official platform, laic.gg.

What it means for buyers, sellers and collectors

If you are playing LAIC or a local tournament, use Baltimore as a starting point, not a final list. Dragapult ex is the deck everyone needs to know how to beat, and Basic Box showed you can win a 3,122-player field without a single evolution.
If you are building one of these decks, the key pieces cost a few dollars in their regular versions. Compare prices by printing, because the same card varies from set to set (Dragapult ex goes from US$1.39 to US$2.68 in the two versions above). See who sells Mega Kangaskhan ex and who trades Dragapult ex.
If you have these cards sitting around, list them with the set and card number, which is what buyers check, and use the per-printing prices in the section above as a reference.
If you collect, remember that the 30th Celebration Classic Collection cards are not tournament legal: there is no point in buying them to play.

Our take

This section is opinion, based on the data above.

Dragapult's drop, from 42.53% at Worlds to 30.18% in Baltimore, suggests some players moved to decks that match up well against it, and Basic Box took advantage. The comparison has limits: Worlds gathers 797 qualified players, and an open Regional has a different profile. And a single Regional is not a trend. The meta that reaches LAIC will include the 30th Celebration cards, and the tournaments of the coming weeks, already with the new set, should say more than Baltimore.

For buyers, the prudent reading is not to pay a premium for meta cards right now. With key pieces costing between US$1 and US$3, the risk of being stuck with cards is low, but so is the gain from buying early. More on Pokémon at #pokemon.

Quick summary

Baltimore Regional, September 18 to 20, 2026: 3,122 players in Masters, the first major event of the 2027 season.
Champion: Dylan Kasturi (USA), with a Basic Box led by Mega Kangaskhan ex, with 14 wins, 1 loss and 2 ties.
Most played deck: Dragapult ex, with 30.18% of the field adding up its three versions (it was 42.53% at Worlds).
30th Celebration is tournament legal as of September 25, 2026, except for the Classic Collection.
LAIC in São Paulo, November 20 to 22, 2026: competitor registration on 9/22 at 7:00 p.m. and on 9/23 at 9:00 a.m. (Brasília time).

Frequently asked questions

Who won the 2026 Baltimore Pokémon TCG Regional?

Dylan Kasturi, from the United States, with a Basic Box deck led by Mega Kangaskhan ex. He finished with 14 wins, 1 loss and 2 ties, in a tournament with 3,122 Masters players.

What is the most played Pokémon TCG deck in September 2026?

Dragapult ex. In Baltimore, the deck's three variants added up to 30.18% of players, according to Limitless Labs. At the August World Championships, they were 42.53%.

When do 30th Celebration cards become tournament legal?

As of September 25, 2026, according to The Pokémon Company. The Classic Collection subset will not be tournament legal.

When does LAIC 2027 registration open in São Paulo?

Competitor registration opens on September 22, 2026, at 7:00 p.m. (Brasília time), with a second wave on September 23, at 9:00 a.m. The event takes place from November 20 to 22, 2026.

How much does Mega Kangaskhan ex cost?

On September 21, 2026, the Mega Evolution 104 version was at US$1.19 on TCGplayer (market price) and €1.82 on Cardmarket (trend price), according to TCGdex.