NAIC 2026: Dragapult ex Dominates New Orleans in Post-Rotation Debut
The Biggest Post-Rotation Test of the Season Is Done
The 2026 Pokémon North America International Championships (NAIC) wrapped up in New Orleans, Louisiana on June 14 — and with 3,752 Masters division players battling across three days, it was one of the largest and most consequential events on the calendar. As the final International Championship of the 2026 season, NAIC was always going to serve as the last major data point before the World Championships in San Francisco. The question heading in: could anyone knock Dragapult ex off its perch?
Dragapult ex Enters as the Deck to Beat — and Delivers
The expert panel at Pokemon.com unanimously voted Dragapult ex as the deck to beat at NAIC, calling it the centerpiece of the first post-rotation International Championships. The ghost-type attacker has shown remarkable flexibility throughout the season. Blaziken ex, Dusknoir, and Dudunsparce all saw play as Dragapult ex partners, with Dudunsparce leading the charge heading into the event. That kind of adaptability makes it hard to tech against — opponents have to respect multiple threat packages simultaneously.
The challengers were real, though. Players like Liam Halliburton and Yerco Valencia demonstrated consistent expertise with N's Zoroark ex and Raging Bolt ex respectively throughout the season, and both archetypes were considered live threats to upset the Dragapult-heavy field. Raging Bolt ex's case for success at NAIC rested largely on its matchup spread against the other decks in the format, while Zoroark brought the kind of consistency that thrives in long, grueling day-one runs.
What NAIC Means for the Meta Going to Worlds
The 2026 Pokémon World Championships are set to take place in San Francisco, California, alongside the very first PokémonXP. With NAIC now in the books as the last major pre-Worlds proving ground, the data collected from a 3,752-player field is invaluable. Expect the Dragapult ex conversation to intensify — and expect counter-strategies to become far more deliberate as players finalize their Worlds lists over the coming weeks.
The size of NAIC tends to favor decks with relatively simple strategies and consistent execution, which historically rewards pilots who know their deck deeply rather than those chasing the perceived best deck. That nuance will matter in San Francisco too.
If you want to keep an eye on how key cards from these top-cut lists are moving in price as the Worlds hype builds, value your collection on Cardbrd — it's the fastest way to see where the market is heading in real time.
Top Mover Spotlight: Shanks (Romance Dawn #OP01-120)
While Pokémon TCG dominated the competitive headlines this past weekend, One Piece collectors have their own reason to pay attention. Shanks from Romance Dawn (#OP01-120) — the red-bordered Secret Rare that has been a cornerstone of OP01 collecting since the game launched in the West — is currently sitting at $8.98 ungraded and $95 for a PSA 10 on Cardbrd. That PSA 10 price reflects the card's status as one of the defining chase pulls of the entire product line: clean centering and sharp corners are rare on OP01 cards, which keeps graded copies in persistent demand even as the broader market fluctuates around tournament cycles. Track Shanks on Cardbrd to watch for movement as new One Piece sets continue to shift collector attention.
Whether you pulled something from a recent set or you're benchmarking your competitive staples ahead of Worlds season, get started free on Cardbrd and know exactly what your collection is worth today.