Dhelmise
Generated with AI from public guides, card text and tournament data. Not reviewed by a player yet — help improve it. · Updated 2026-10-20
✏️ Spot something wrong or missing? Use “Suggest a change” on any section. Players vote, and approved edits carry your name.
Discard 4 Pokémon with Hide 'n' Sneak fast, then Vengeful Anchor does 170 for one Psychic Energy. Your board gives single Prizes while you KO their two-Prize ex.
Your turn-2 goal
- 4 or more Hide 'n' Sneak Pokémon (Shuppet, Banette, Poltchageist, Sinistcha) in your discard pile.
- Dhelmise Active with 1 Energy, ready for 170. Going second you can do it on turn 1.
- Dunsparce or Dudunsparce on the Bench for Run Away Draw every turn.
- Prism Tower in play, so you can discard 2 even when your Supporter is Lillie's Determination.
Your attackers
170 with 4 Hide 'n' Sneak discarded
Your main attack from turn 1-2. Only 30 below the threshold, so count first.
80 and search for any card
Early turns when the discard isn't ready; when KO'd it adds one to the count.
4 damage counters on each opposing Pokémon
With 6 discarded. 40 + 170 = 210 KOs 210-HP ex like Latias ex next turn.
Their Dragon Pokémon become weak to Psychic
Bench it the turn Dhelmise attacks a Dragon: 170 × 2 = 340.
60 per opposing Pokémon ex in play
Against ex-heavy boards: 5 ex in play makes 300 for one Energy.
240; can't attack next turn
Late game: costs one less Energy for each Prize they took, so 3 Prizes taken means 2 Energy.
Key decisions
- Count to 4 before you promote. Gwynn discarding 2 Hide 'n' Sneak Pokémon draws 6; add Ultra Ball or Prism Tower discarding 2 more and Dhelmise hits 170.
- Telepathic Psychic Energy fetches 2 Basic Psychic Pokémon. Take Dhelmise and Shuppet, not Lillie's Clefairy ex or Latias ex you don't need yet.
- Legacy Energy on the first attacker they will KO. On a single-Prize Dhelmise they take 0 Prizes, so they need 7 KOs.
- Hide 'n' Sneak stops placed damage counters, not damage. Shuppet, Banette, Poltchageist and Sinistcha ignore counter-placing effects; Dhelmise and Dunsparce don't.
- Bench ex only for the turn they work. Clefairy ex against Dragons, Latias ex so Skyliner frees Dhelmise's Retreat Cost of 3.
Common mistakes
- Attacking with Dhelmise under 4 Hide 'n' Sneak Pokémon discarded: 30 damage wastes the turn.
- Using Night Stretcher on a Hide 'n' Sneak Pokémon and dropping below the threshold. Take Dhelmise or Energy instead.
- Filling the Bench with ex: each gives 2 Prizes and throws away your single-Prize trade.
- Playing Banette and Shuppet to the Bench when you could discard them for Vengeful Anchor.
Versions
4 Dhelmise and the Dudunsparce draw engine, no Spiritomb. Fastest 170s every turn; the standard build.
Adds Spiritomb: Spiritual End quadruples counters on 2 Pokémon with 13 Hide 'n' Sneak discarded. Late finisher against big HP; less consistent.
Shaymin blocks damage to your Benched non-Rule Box Pokémon against spread attacks; Patrat stops opponents moving damage counters.
Matchups
Dhelmise vs Dragapult
Even. Hide 'n' Sneak keeps Phantom Dive's counters off most of your Bench, and Lillie's Clefairy ex turns Vengeful Anchor into a one-hit KO on Dragapult ex. They answer with Budew, Crushing Hammer and a Phantom Dive KO every turn.
Their plan
- Phantom Dive: 200 to the Active KOs Dhelmise (140) or Lillie's Clefairy ex (190). The 6 counters can't go on Hide 'n' Sneak Pokémon, only on Dhelmise, Dunsparce and your ex.
- Budew locks Ultra Ball, Poké Pad and Night Stretcher for a turn, and 4 Crushing Hammer strip the single Energy Dhelmise attacks with.
- Fezandipiti ex: Cruel Arrow is Darkness, so it does 200 to an Active Dhelmise, or 100 to a Benched Banette or Shuppet (damage goes through Hide 'n' Sneak).
- Risky Ruins: every Basic you Bench takes 2 counters. A Dunsparce drops to 50, then 5 Phantom Dive counters KO it.
Your prize plan
- Reach 4 in the discard first. Gwynn discarding two Hide 'n' Sneak Pokémon (draw 6) plus Ultra Ball or Prism Tower gets you there: Vengeful Anchor does 170 for one [P].
- KO the engine with 170. Dreepy (70), Drakloak (90) and Munkidori (110) all fall to one Anchor; Boss's Orders a Drakloak before it becomes Dragapult ex.
- Clefairy in play for Dragapult ex. Fairy Zone makes it weak to [P]: Vengeful Anchor does 340 to its 320 HP, 2 Prizes per hit.
- Matcha Spin before Fezandipiti ex. 170 is 40 short of 210; 4 counters on all their Pokémon first makes the Anchor a KO, and also KOs Budew (30).
Against an Active Dragapult ex (320 HP) with Lillie's Clefairy ex in play
Don't
- Benching Lillie's Clefairy ex early: it's 2 Prizes, and Boss's Orders + Phantom Dive (200) KOs it. Play it the turn Dhelmise hits Dragapult ex.
- Getting Hide 'n' Sneak Pokémon back with Night Stretcher: it drops your discard count and can turn 170 back into 30. Take Dhelmise or Energy instead.
- Leaving Dunsparce or Dhelmise on the Bench under Risky Ruins: they take Phantom Dive's counters; Shuppet, Banette and Poltchageist don't.
Key turn
- The turn their first Dragapult ex attacks: have Clefairy plus a powered Dhelmise ready so the 340 answer comes right away and they can't repeat Phantom Dive.
- Under Budew's Item lock: Gwynn, Prism Tower and Telepathic Psychic Energy still work, so you can still reach 4 in the discard and attack.
If they play…
Flower Curtain stops damage to their Bench, but Matcha Spin places counters, not damage: it still hits every Pokémon they have.
Dudunsparce is Colorless and loses Run Away Draw. Lean on Gwynn, Lillie's Determination and Prism Tower for cards.
Once you're at 3 Prizes or fewer, your hand goes to the bottom and you draw 3. Keep Dudunsparce in play to redraw.
Dhelmise vs Basic Box
Uphill. Their 2-Prize ex mostly have 190-220 HP, just over Vengeful Anchor's 170, while Rapid-Fire Combo, Enamorus and Cruel Arrow KO a Dhelmise every turn. Matcha Spin is what turns your 170s into ex KOs.
Their plan
- Rapid-Fire Combo: 200 + 50 per heads KOs Dhelmise (140), and Run Errand draws them 2 every turn Mega Kangaskhan ex stays Active.
- Enamorus: Love Resonance does 200 (80 + 120, since both sides have Psychic Pokémon). A 1-Prize answer to each Dhelmise.
- Bench damage goes through Hide 'n' Sneak: Cruel Arrow (100) and Torrential Pump (120) KO a Benched Banette, Shuppet or Dunsparce. Cruel Arrow is Darkness: 200 to an Active Dhelmise.
- Area Zero Underdepths fills their Bench with up to 8 Pokémon; Chien-Pao's Snow Sink discards your Prism Tower.
Your prize plan
- Free Prizes first. Vengeful Anchor (170) KOs Meowth ex (170) for 2 Prizes, and Enamorus or Chien-Pao (120) for 1.
- Matcha Spin, then Anchor. 40 on every Pokémon plus 170 is 210: KOs Lillie's Clefairy ex, Latias ex, both Ogerpon and Fezandipiti ex. Iron Leaves ex (220) is 10 short.
- Lillie's Clefairy ex for Raging Bolt ex. It's a Dragon: Fairy Zone makes it weak to [P], so Anchor does 340 to its 240 HP.
- Two Anchors for Mega Kangaskhan ex. 340 KOs it (300) for 3 Prizes. Dudunsparce ex's Tenacious Tail does 300 for one [C] with 5 of their ex in play.
Vengeful Anchor (170) on their Active Pokémon ex, with the setup named
Don't
- Benching Clefairy ex, Latias ex or Dudunsparce ex without using them: each is 2 Prizes, while an all-single-Prize board makes them take 6 KOs (7 with Legacy Energy).
- Leaving Banette, Shuppet or Dunsparce on the Bench for nothing: Cruel Arrow and Torrential Pump take an easy Prize from each. Discard them instead.
- Hitting a 210-HP ex for 170 and moving on: it stays in play, and Skyliner lets them retreat it for free. Matcha Spin first, then take the KO.
Key turn
- The turn Area Zero fills their Bench: a Matcha Spin (6 in the discard) puts 40 on up to 9 Pokémon, and every 210-HP ex becomes a Vengeful Anchor KO.
- Their first Mega Kangaskhan ex Active: plan both Anchors in a row; a Kangaskhan left at 130 drawing with Run Errand wins them the game.
If they play…
Mega Kangaskhan ex goes to 400: two Anchors (340) fall short. Take Meowth ex and the 210-HP ex for Prizes instead.
Twin Shotels puts 50 on two Pokémon: KOs Shuppet (50) and Poltchageist (30). Matcha Spin + Anchor (210) leaves it at 10.
After you KO something, your hand goes back and you draw 2. Keep Dudunsparce in play to redraw 3.
Dhelmise vs Slowking
Your one-Prize Dhelmise trades up: Vengeful Anchor's 170 KOs the Active Slowking (120) every turn, while Trifrost (110) can't KO Dhelmise (140). Keep ex off your Bench so Thunder Raid has no target.
Their plan
- Trifrost (copied with Seek Inspiration): 110 to 3 Pokémon. It KOs Shuppet (50), Banette (80), Poltchageist (30), Sinistcha (60) and Dunsparce (70) on your Bench, not Dhelmise (140).
- Metallic Hammer (150) and Mega Kangaskhan ex's Rapid-Fire Combo (200+) KO an Active Dhelmise. Super Psy Bolt (120) falls short.
- Thunder Raid: 210 to a Benched Pokémon ex. Lillie's Clefairy ex (190) and Latias ex (210) die on the Bench for 2 Prizes.
- Cruel Arrow: Fezandipiti ex is Darkness, so 100 doubles to 200 against an Active Dhelmise.
Your prize plan
- Fill the discard first. Gwynn, Ultra Ball and Prism Tower put 4 Hide 'n' Sneak Pokémon there: Vengeful Anchor goes from 30 to 170 for one Energy.
- KO the Active Slowking every turn. 170 beats 120, and each new Slowking needs 2 Energy again before it can Seek Inspiration.
- Boss's Orders for 2-Prize turns. Meowth ex (170) falls to 170 straight. After a Matcha Spin turn (40 to each), Fezandipiti ex and Latias ex (210) fall to 170 too.
- Mega Kangaskhan ex takes two hits (170 + 170 = 340 vs 300) for 3 Prizes. Do it when it is stuck Active; otherwise keep removing Slowking.
Vengeful Anchor (170, with 4+ Hide 'n' Sneak in your discard) against their Active
Don't
- Benching Lillie's Clefairy ex or Latias ex. Thunder Raid KOs either one on the Bench for 2 Prizes, and you don't need them here.
- A wide Bench of 30–80 HP Pokémon. One Trifrost takes 3 Prizes. Discard them with Gwynn instead, or get Shaymin down first: Flower Curtain stops that Bench damage.
- Night Stretcher on a Hide 'n' Sneak Pokémon when it drops you under 4 in the discard. Get Dhelmise or Energy back instead.
Key turn
- Before their turn-2 Trifrost: keep your Bench thin or behind Shaymin. Dhelmise (140) and Dudunsparce (140) survive it; the small ones don't.
- The turn after their first Seek Inspiration: KO that Slowking with Vengeful Anchor. One-for-one trades favor you, since they must recharge a new Slowking each time.
If they play…
Ghostly Blow's 5 Bench counters are an effect: Shuppet, Banette, Poltchageist and Sinistcha ignore them. Dhelmise and Dunsparce don't.
Voltaic Fist (130) leaves Dhelmise at 10 HP and Paralyzed. Switch it out or have the next Dhelmise ready.
+30 only against your Active Pokémon ex. One more reason to keep Lillie's Clefairy ex and Latias ex out of play.
Dhelmise vs Lucario Hariyama
Mega Lucario ex is weak to Psychic: Vengeful Anchor's 170 doubles to 340, exactly its HP, for 3 Prizes. Two Lucario KOs win, while they need six one-Prize KOs through your Fighting Resistance.
Their plan
- Mega Brave (270, 240 after your Fighting Resistance) and Wild Press (210, 180 after Resistance) KO Dhelmise (140). Aura Jab needs 2 Premium Power Pro: 130 + 60 − 30 = 160.
- Aura Jab attaches up to 3 Fighting Energy from their discard to the Bench, so the next Lucario or Hariyama is charged right away.
- Heave-Ho Catcher: each Hariyama evolved from hand drags one of your Benched Pokémon Active, like a free Boss's Orders.
- Cosmic Beam (Solrock, 70, ignores Weakness and Resistance) cleans up Shuppet (50) and Poltchageist (30) early.
Your prize plan
- Get 4 Hide 'n' Sneak Pokémon in the discard early. Every Dhelmise hit becomes 170: it KOs Solrock and Lunatone (110), Riolu and Makuhita (80).
- KO Solrock while they set up. It is their early attacker, and Lunar Cycle only draws while a Solrock is in play.
- Take 3 Prizes per Mega Lucario ex. 170 ×2 = 340 KOs it from full HP. Two Lucario KOs are 6 Prizes.
- Close with Boss's Orders when you need 1 or 2 Prizes: 340 KOs a Benched Hariyama (150), 170 KOs Meowth ex (170).
Vengeful Anchor (with 4+ Hide 'n' Sneak in your discard) against their Active
Don't
- Benching Lillie's Clefairy ex or Latias ex. Heave-Ho Catcher pulls them Active and Mega Brave KOs either one (270 vs 190; 240 vs 210) for 2 Prizes.
- Leaving Dunsparce or Dudunsparce on the Bench. Both are weak to Fighting: Aura Jab does 260. Use Run Away Draw and let Dudunsparce go back to the deck.
- Night Stretcher on a Hide 'n' Sneak Pokémon that drops you under 4 in the discard: Dhelmise falls back to 30 and the 340 KO is gone.
Key turn
- The turn Mega Lucario ex first attacks: answer with Vengeful Anchor for 340 and 3 Prizes. Have a second Dhelmise on the Bench, because Mega Brave or Wild Press KOs the first.
- After the first Lucario falls: count Prizes. A second Lucario, or Hariyama plus Meowth ex, ends the game; spend Boss's Orders only on those.
If they play…
Matcha Spin's counters are an attack effect, so the Fighting Pokémon holding it takes none. Vengeful Anchor's damage still lands.
Mega Lucario ex goes to 440 HP and 340 no longer KOs. Plan a second hit, or KO something else that turn.
Turns off Dudunsparce's Run Away Draw (Colorless). Draw with Gwynn and Lillie's Determination, and replace it with Prism Tower.
Dhelmise vs Ogerpon Meganium Hydrapple
Every one of their attackers KOs Dhelmise (140) once Meganium is up, and Hydrapple ex heals out of two-hit range. Your outs are hitting Meganium early and taking their cheap ex.
Their plan
- Meganium doubles their Grass Energy: Ogerpon with 2 Grass against a Dhelmise with 1 Energy does 180, and Syrup Storm with 2 Grass in play does 150. Both KO Dhelmise.
- 1-Prize trades: Tapu Bulu's Wood Hammer (220) and Meganium's Solar Beam (140) KO Dhelmise without giving up 2 Prizes.
- Hydrapple ex (330) heals 30 with each Ripening Charge, so two Vengeful Anchors (340) fall short once it heals between them.
- Cruel Arrow (100) hits your Bench through Hide 'n' Sneak: it is damage, not an effect. Banette (80), Shuppet and Dunsparce fall.
Your prize plan
- Turn 1–2: reach 4 Hide 'n' Sneak in the discard. Gwynn plus Ultra Ball or Prism Tower; Vengeful Anchor needs it to hit 170.
- Boss's Orders on Meganium. 170 KOs Meganium (160). Without Wild Growth, Ogerpon needs 3 Grass Energy just to attack and Syrup Storm needs 4 Grass in play to reach 150.
- Take the cheap ex. Vengeful Anchor KOs Meowth ex (170) on its own; Matcha Spin (40 to all) then Anchor gives 210 for Teal Mask Ogerpon ex or Fezandipiti ex.
- Dudunsparce ex for the board. Tenacious Tail does 60 per ex they have in play for one Energy: 240 with four ex KOs any Ogerpon.
Against an Active Teal Mask Ogerpon ex (210 HP)
Don't
- Swinging twice at a healthy Hydrapple ex: Ripening Charge heals 30, so 170 + 170 lands at 310. Matcha Spin it first or hit something else.
- Benching Lillie's Clefairy ex or Latias ex for no reason: Fairy Zone does nothing here and each is 2 easy Prizes.
- Going to exactly 2 Prizes left with an Ogerpon able to KO your Active: Briar makes that KO worth an extra Prize.
Key turn
- The turn Meganium lands: if you KO it the following turn, they need twice the Energy to KO Dhelmise and you can trade evenly.
- Legacy Energy: put it on the Dhelmise that will be KO'd first. They then need 7 Knock Outs against your 1-Prize board.
If they play…
Itchy Pollen stops Ultra Ball and Poké Pad for a turn. Use Gwynn and Prism Tower to fill your discard instead.
Noctowl (100) finds 2 Trainers when it evolves. Vengeful Anchor KOs it if it gets Active.
Usable once you have 3 Prizes or fewer: you draw only 3. Keep Dudunsparce on the Bench to draw back up.
Dhelmise vs Sharpedo Toxtricity
Dhelmise, Banette and Shuppet are weak to Darkness, so a one-Energy Greedy Fang KOs Dhelmise. You win only by killing Toxtricity and Carvanha early and hitting each Mega Sharpedo ex (330, 3 Prizes) twice.
Their plan
- Greedy Fang: 70 for one [D] and draw 2. With Weakness it's 140, a KO on Dhelmise; Gentle Slap (100) is 200.
- Hungry Jaws: 270 once Sharpedo has a counter, 310 with Binding Mochi. It KOs any ex you bench, Dudunsparce ex (270) included.
- Team Rocket's Watchtower: Dudunsparce is Colorless and loses Run Away Draw; with 3 Judge and Unfair Stamp your hand dries up.
- Munkidori's Adrena-Brain can't target Hide 'n' Sneak Pokémon, but it moves counters off a damaged Sharpedo onto Dhelmise or Dunsparce.
Your prize plan
- Turn 1-2 Puppet Pull (80): KOs Carvanha, Toxel or Tatsugiri (70) and searches a card. Each Carvanha gone is one less 3-Prize attacker.
- Toxtricity (140) next: Boss's Orders + Vengeful Anchor (170). Without Sinister Surge, Sharpedo needs manual Energy and its own counters.
- Sharpedo in two straight hits: 170 + 170 = 340. Add Matcha Spin (40) when you can, so their Munkidori moving 3 counters doesn't save it.
- Pecharunt ex (190): Matcha Spin + Vengeful Anchor = 210 for 2 Prizes, and their Binding Mochi loses its Poison source.
Against an Active Mega Sharpedo ex (330 HP)
Don't
- Leaving a Sharpedo half-dead for long: their Munkidori moves 3 counters off it every turn.
- Leaving Watchtower in play: Prism Tower replaces it and gives you back Run Away Draw plus your discard outlet.
- Benching Latias ex or Lillie's Clefairy ex: both give 2 Prizes to Hungry Jaws, and Fairy Zone only touches Tatsugiri.
Key turn
- Their turn-2 combo (Toxtricity + Sharpedo + Pecharunt ex): KOing Toxtricity or the Carvanha before it lands buys the turn you need.
- The second hit on the first Sharpedo: have the next Dhelmise powered on the Bench, because the one that hit it will fall to Greedy Fang.
If they play…
No effect on you: you play no Stage 2 Pokémon. Replace it with Prism Tower anyway for the draw.
Dark Feather does 220 to Dhelmise and Clutch traps your Active. Yveltal (110) falls to one Vengeful Anchor.
Whirling Envy does 110 once it has 2 counters, so Matcha Spin powers it up. KO it with Vengeful Anchor first.
Dhelmise vs Alakazam Dusknoir
Powerful Hand and Cursed Blast do nothing to your Hide 'n' Sneak Pokémon. They can only hit Dhelmise and your other Pokémon, and every Cursed Blast gives you a Prize.
Their plan
- Powerful Hand: 2 counters per card in hand on your Active. Dhelmise (140) needs 7 cards, or 1 card after a 13-counter Cursed Blast.
- Cruel Arrow: Fezandipiti ex is Darkness, so 100 ×2 = 200 to an Active Dhelmise. On the Bench it is damage, so it KOs Banette (80) through Hide 'n' Sneak.
- Boss's Orders and Prime Catcher drag up a Benched Dhelmise, Dunsparce or Lillie's Clefairy ex, the Pokémon their counters can touch.
- Shadow Bind: Dusknoir's 150 is real damage and KOs Dhelmise, but it costs 3 Energy from a 5-Energy deck.
Your prize plan
- Lead with a Hide 'n' Sneak Pokémon. A Shuppet or Banette Active makes Powerful Hand do nothing; fill the discard to 4 with Gwynn and Ultra Ball.
- KO Alakazam on sight. Vengeful Anchor (170) KOs Alakazam (140) and Dusknoir (160); Puppet Pull (80) KOs Kadabra (80), Abra or Duskull.
- Remove Fezandipiti ex. It is their only damage against Hide 'n' Sneak: Matcha Spin (40 to all) then Vengeful Anchor makes 210, KO for 2 Prizes.
- Count their Cursed Blasts as your Prizes. Each Dusclops or Dusknoir that uses it is KO'd. Combined with your KOs, you finish well before they take 6.
Vengeful Anchor (170) against their Active Pokémon
Don't
- Benching Lillie's Clefairy ex: Cursed Blast (130) plus a 3-card Powerful Hand KOs it for 2 Prizes, and Fairy Zone does nothing here.
- Leaving Dhelmise Active against a ready Fezandipiti ex if a Hide 'n' Sneak Pokémon can take the hit instead.
- Night Stretcher on a Hide 'n' Sneak Pokémon that drops your discard below 4: Vengeful Anchor falls back to 30.
Key turn
- Their first Alakazam turn: it comes with Rare Candy on their second turn. Have Dhelmise with 4 in the discard ready to KO it next turn.
- When they run out of Cursed Blasts: with a Hide 'n' Sneak wall Active and no Dusknoir, they have no way to damage you.
If they play…
Midnight Fluttering turns off your Active's Hide 'n' Sneak while it is Active. Vengeful Anchor KOs it (90).
Discards Legacy Energy. Attach it only when Dhelmise attacks that turn, and back it with Psychic Energy.
Skyliner gives their Basics free retreat. 210 HP and 2 Prizes: Matcha Spin then Vengeful Anchor KOs it.
Dhelmise vs N's Zoroark
Their copied attacks are Darkness, and Dhelmise is weak to it: Shred alone KOs it every turn, while N's Zoroark ex needs two Vengeful Anchors. Stop Zorua before it evolves and strip their N's Zekrom/Reshiram menu.
Their plan
- Darkness hits for Weakness: Night Joker copying Shred (70) does 140 and KOs Dhelmise with no drawback. Virtuous Flame does 340; Banette and Shuppet are weak too.
- Trade draws 2 per N's Zoroark ex each turn, so they rebuild faster than you can chip.
- Team Rocket's Watchtower: Dudunsparce is Colorless, so Run Away Draw stops working. Judge and Unfair Stamp then cut your hand.
- Pecharunt ex: Irritated Outburst does 60 per Prize you've taken, 300 once you've taken 5.
Your prize plan
- Zorua first: Vengeful Anchor or Puppet Pull (80) KOs N's Zorua (70). Boss's Orders a Benched one before it becomes a 280-HP ex.
- Take the menu away: N's Zekrom and N's Reshiram (130) fall to one Vengeful Anchor. Without them Night Joker has nothing to copy.
- Matcha Spin puts 4 counters on everything: then Vengeful Anchor KOs Pecharunt ex (190) or Fezandipiti ex (40 + 170 = 210) for 2 Prizes.
- N's Zoroark ex (280) takes two Anchors (340). If they retreat it with N's Castle, Boss's Orders it back to finish.
Against an Active N's Zoroark ex (280 HP)
Don't
- Attacking with Dhelmise without a replacement: Shred KOs it every turn. Keep the next Dhelmise with Energy on the Bench (Telepathic Psychic Energy fetches it).
- Benching Latias ex: it's weak to Darkness and gives 2 Prizes to any copied attack.
- Counting on Run Away Draw under Watchtower: replace it with Prism Tower first, or draw with Gwynn and Lillie's Determination.
Key turn
- Your turn 2: KO an N's Zorua before it evolves. Each Zorua gone is one less Trade engine and one less 280-HP attacker.
- The turn N's Zekrom hits the Bench: Boss's Orders + Vengeful Anchor takes away both Shred and Rampaging Thunder.
If they play…
Dark Feather (110) does 220 to Dhelmise. Clutch can't trap a Hide 'n' Sneak Pokémon. Vengeful Anchor KOs Yveltal (110).
Flamebody Cannon does 90 to a Benched Pokémon: it KOs Banette, Shuppet or Dunsparce. Shaymin protects your Benched non-ex.
After you KO something, they reshuffle hands and you draw only 2. Keep Dudunsparce ready to draw 3 the next turn.
Dhelmise vs Mega Excadrill
Mega Excadrill ex KOs a Dhelmise every turn, while you need two Vengeful Anchors for one Excadrill, and Hero's Cape or Jumbo Ice Cream turns that into three. Slow their Drilbur and Metang early or the trade gets away.
Their plan
- Maximum Drilling: 200, or 330 with 2 extra Energy. Even 200 KOs Dhelmise (140), so every attacker you send is one Prize for them.
- Hero's Cape and 2 Jumbo Ice Cream: Excadrill goes to 440 HP, or heals 80 between your hits. Two Vengeful Anchors (340) then stop being enough.
- Metang's Metal Maker keeps reloading Energy, and Genesect ex finds evolutions. Their Fezandipiti ex's Cruel Arrow does 200 to an Active Dhelmise (weak to [D]).
- Mega Skarmory ex: Sonic Ripper does 220 to any of your Pokémon, Bench included. It KOs Latias ex (210) or Lillie's Clefairy ex (190).
Your prize plan
- Hit the engine first. Drilbur (70) and Beldum (70) fall to Puppet Pull (80); Metang (100) to Vengeful Anchor (170). No Drilbur means no Excadrill.
- Two Anchors in a row on Excadrill. 170 + 170 = 340, exactly its HP, for 3 Prizes. Count their Jumbo Ice Cream first: one heal forces a third hit.
- Matcha Spin for the extra reach. 4 counters on all their Pokémon make Anchor 210: enough for Metagross (180) or Fezandipiti ex (210), not Genesect ex (220).
- Close late with Spiritomb. With 13 Hide 'n' Sneak in your discard, Spiritual End turns an Anchored Excadrill's 17 counters into 68: KO even through Hero's Cape.
Against an Active Mega Excadrill ex (340 HP, no Hero's Cape)
Don't
- Benching Lillie's Clefairy ex: Fairy Zone does nothing against [M] Pokémon, and it is weak to [M]. Two free Prizes.
- Using Night Stretcher on a Hide 'n' Sneak Pokémon: you drop under 4 in the discard and Vengeful Anchor does only 30.
- Splitting Anchors between targets: one hit on Excadrill and one on Genesect ex takes no Prizes while they take one each turn.
Key turn
- The first turn Excadrill is Active: it can't retreat easily (retreat 4). Anchor it now and again next turn, before Metal Maker finds Switch money or a second Excadrill.
- When they play Hero's Cape: stop trading Anchors into it. Go for Spiritual End or KO their Genesect ex and Metang instead.
If they play…
Matcha Spin's counters can't land on their Bench. It still hits the Active; replace the Stadium with Prism Tower.
Emperor's Stance blocks Matcha Spin and Spiritual End on it. Iron Feathers (210) KOs Dhelmise and then takes 60 less.
Their Metagross drops to 150 HP and a single Vengeful Anchor KOs it. None of your Pokémon are Stage 2.
Sources
- Natalie Millar, "Pokémon TCG: Building and Playing a Hide 'n' Sneak Deck", Pokémon.com, 3 ago 2026 (antes de 30C) · pokemon.com
- Natalie Millar, "The Top 5 Best Pokémon TCG Cards From Pitch Black", TCGplayer, 14 jul 2026 · tcgplayer.com
- Elena (Gaia Storm), "The ultimate guide to the Hide 'nd Sneak Archetype: All you need to know", blog de Ultimate Guard, 30 jul 2026 · ultimateguard.com
- Juhis, "Learning to Hide 'n' Sneak in Pokemon TCG", Garden of Learning (notes.hamatti.org), 17 jul 2026 · notes.hamatti.org
- Mike Likes, "Searching Standard: Hide N' Sneak", Flipside Gaming, 30 jul 2026 · flipsidegaming.com
- Joseph Anderson, "Hide 'n' Sneak is the Strongest Pitch Black Deck", blog personal, 8 jul (año 2026 deducido) · josephwriteranderson.com
- Limitless Play, matchups de Dhelmise (online), consultado el 20 oct 2026 · play.limitlesstcg.com
- Limitless TCG, Dhelmise: 6 Top 8 en regionales; 2.º en el Regional de Nice (Maxime Launay, 17 oct 2026); 4.º en Louisville (Rahul Reddy, 10 oct 2026, según el resultado del buscador) · limitlesstcg.com
- Grant Manley, "The Sneakers Stay On — Optimizing Hide 'n' Sneak", PokéBeach, jul 2026: no se pudo leer (bloqueo y muro de pago) · pokebeach.com
- Foro de PokéBeach, hilo "Hide and Sneak hate?" (solo el fragmento del buscador; opinión) · pokebeach.com
- Guías de pago en Metafy (no leídas): KingDreC1out, "Hide-N-Sneak Pitch Black Guide" (jul 2026, con matchups contra Basic Box, Zoroark y Slowking), y Rahul Reddy, "The Ultimate Hide 'n' Sneak Guide" (14 oct 2026) · metafy.gg
- pokemoncard.io, "Hide'n'Sneak Dhelmise Deck" (lista de la comunidad; solo el fragmento del buscador; baja confiabilidad) · pokemoncard.io