Why "deck archetype" is more than vibes
Most archetypes show clear signals in their basic count and stage-2 ratio. A "control" deck with 16 basics is almost always a misclassification. The tool surfaces that disagreement.
Pokémon TCG is the most "swingy" of the major TCGs: six prizes, an evolution chain that rewards consistency, and an energy system that punishes sloppy math. These three tools are built around the decisions that actually show up at the table — and around an honesty about the things deck-analyzer sites usually fudge.
Most "deck archetype" quizzes online are vibes. Ours classifies your deck from your Pokémon-line list against three heuristics: Basic-Pokémon count, average HP per Pokémon, and the share of Stage-2 vs. Stage-1 lines. You'll see "Aggro / Mid-range / Control" plus a confidence level — and a list of "you might think you're control but you have 16 basics".
List your main attackers with their per-attack energy cost (e.g. Charizard ex: RR) and your energy cards. The tool plots the cost distribution and gives a real "am I going to miss turn 3?" answer, plus a recommended basic-energy count for each type.
A surprisingly under-modeled decision: if my active Pokémon would KO theirs and take them 1 prize from me, but Boss KOing their benched 2-prizer would take them 3 prizes — should I Boss or attack? This tool computes the expected prize swing for the next two turns under realistic HP assumptions, so the math stops being "intuition".
Pokémon is the most swing-heavy of the major card games: six prizes, an evolution chain that rewards consistency, and an energy system that punishes loose arithmetic. The three tools on this page target three separate moments — deciding what your deck is before you play, checking whether you can attack on time, and choosing a prize line once the game is running. This usage guide explains each tool step-by-step, shows how the thresholds work, and is explicit about the places where the helpers are guessing from the shape of your list. Read the limits before you build around a label the tool printed.
① Deck Type Analyzer — how the archetype is decided
② Energy Cost Curve — the cost is a letter count
③ Prize Trade Calculator — the two-line comparison
④ Putting the three together in one table routine
First pass: feed the Pokémon lines only into the type analyzer and read the four counters, not just the label, so you can see which line inflated a count. Second pass: enter each attack you plan to use with its plain letter cost and read the average cost and the recommended energy count. Third pass: during the game, enter the live hit points and your damage into the prize calculator whenever you are choosing between the active and a benched target. Each tool takes seconds; the value comes from re-running them after the board changes.
Almost always because the list includes trainers, energy and support cards. The classifier only recognises stage patterns by name, so every other line lands in the basic counter, and a high basic count with few recognised stage-two cards reads as aggro. Two further limits are worth knowing: the classifier never reads hit points, so it cannot see that your averages are high, and it only knows a short list of familiar evolution names. If the label conflicts with your own read, trust your read and use the counters as a checklist.
Write the cost as consecutive energy letters with no spaces, no plus sign and no numbers, then put any extra requirement in brackets after it, for example Charizard ex: RR (Burning Darkness). The tool counts the characters after the colon, so anything else inflates or deflates the bucket. List special energy such as double turbo or a rainbow energy separately in the energy stock box, because the curve does not credit the extra flexibility special energy provides, and remember the average assumes one energy attachment per turn.
They are not a card database, a collection tracker or a legality checker. Card lists, set contents, product availability and prices differ by product and by region and change with every release, so confirm which cards exist and are permitted in your format with the official publisher and the current rulebook before you buy or compete. The tools also ignore switching, gust effects, boss costs, damage counters from abilities, and any format-specific rule change. For anything that matters at a tournament, the official rulebook and a judge are the authority.
Scope and limits: the three calculators run entirely in your browser, no list is uploaded, and nothing is stored between visits. Labels, averages and prize swings are informational and rest on simple thresholds and on the hit points and damage you type in, so they inherit any error in your inputs. Rules, prize structures and card data vary by format, product and region, so check the current official Pokémon TCG rulebook and the publisher for anything that affects actual play.
Most archetypes show clear signals in their basic count and stage-2 ratio. A "control" deck with 16 basics is almost always a misclassification. The tool surfaces that disagreement.
It assumes 1 energy attachment per turn (standard rule). Special Energy like Double Turbo or Mist Energy should be listed separately. The tool will tell you when your curve assumes too much from special energy.
Real games involve switching, Boss's Orders, and gust effects. The calculator gives you the clean two-turn EV — your brain layers the rest.
Auto-recognising cards from a deck list would mean sending your deck to a third party. We respect that and only parse the line text you give us.