With four Rainbow Energy in his deck, Tord is clearly hoping to make use of Drampa-GX’s Berserk attack by adding a slight amount of damage to his own Pokémon. The trio of Drampa-GX, Tapu Lele-GX, and Garbodor has really vaulted to the top of the heap during this competition; expect to see decks like Tord’s for some time to come.

For all the attention Vileplume and its Irritating Pollen Ability get, only one deck that includes the Pokémon made it into the top-8. John managed to find a way to make it work alongside Decidueye-GX. He also added Lugia-EX to rack up damage with Aero Ball, as well as to knock out Stadium cards with Deep Hurricane.

Doubling down on the Energy-dependent power of Tapu Lele-GX, Sam also includes Mewtwo for similar hard hits. But Mewtwo can also work as a wall with its Barrier attack, giving Sam an opportunity to safely build up his four Garbodor.

2012 World Champion Igor Costa joins an absolutely stacked top cut with his Decidueye-GX deck. The two Tapu Koko and the Alolan Ninetales-EX also load damage onto his opponent's Bench, letting him take out weaker Pokémon at will.

Turtonator-GX is a Pokémon we usually see paired with Volcanion-EX, but Andrew has other plans for the Fire-type Pokémon. He uses its Shell Trap move as a wall so he has time to set up his Zoroark BREAK. Turtonator-GX’s 190HP can soak up a lot of damage while Andrew gets his Bench ready, and his opponents hesitate to knock Turtonator-GX out if it means taking big damage in return.

Ryan has been a fixture of major tournaments for years, and continues to bring his best game no matter where he's playing. His Volcanion and Turtonator-GX deck is pretty straightforward, but his skill and experience in the spotlight certainly gives Ryan a solid advantage.

It's hard to remember a time when Gustavo wasn't a top the Pokémon TCG leaderboards at big events. The 2011 Junior Division World Champion has only continued to improve as he has risen through the divisions. His deck at the North American Internationals is unconventional, and includes support from Octillery to help keep his hand in top shape.

Many Greninja BREAK decks also include Talonflame, whose Aero Blitz attack can really kickstart your game. Alex takes this to the next level by including Talonflame BREAK. That changes Talonflame into a Fire-type Pokémon so it can hit Decidueye-GX for weakness. It could also potentially pick up quick knockouts against Rowlet and Dartrix early in games.