Baltimore Regional 2026 results: Basic Box beats a field built to stop Dragapult
Dylan Kasturi won Baltimore Regionals with Basic Box as Dragapult decks filled 36% of Day 2 but took only two Top 8 spots. The winning list, the Top 8 and what it means.
By PTCG News TeamUpdated 4 min read
Dylan Kasturi won the Masters Division at the Baltimore Regional Championship with Basic Box, and the way he did it says a lot about this format. Dragapult was the most played deck in the room by a wide margin, yet it put only two players in the Top 8. Basic Box put three.
Ben Dobberstein finished second with Hydrapple, and Rohit Potti was the best Dragapult player in third. The event drew 3,122 Masters players and ran September 18–20, 2026, according to Limitless TCG.
The numbers: Dragapult everywhere, Basic Box converting
We counted every deck in the 559-player second phase on Limitless’s standings:
| Deck | Day 2 players | Top 8 | Top 16 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dragapult (all builds) | 202 (36%) | 2 | 3 |
| Basic Box | 46 (8%) | 3 | 5 |
| Zoroark | 45 (8%) | 0 | 0 |
| Slowking | 42 (8%) | 1 | 3 |
| Alakazam/Dudunsparce | 23 (4%) | 1 | 1 |
| Hydrapple | 12 (2%) | 1 | 1 |
Dragapult in its plain, Dusknoir and Blaziken versions made up more than a third of Day 2. Basic Box was an eighth of that size and still won the event, took three Top 8 seats and five of the Top 16. Few decks converted better all weekend.
Why Basic Box worked
Kasturi’s 60 cards are all Basic Pokémon, with no evolution lines to set up. The list is built around four Mega Kangaskhan ex. While it’s Active, its Run Errand Ability draws two cards a turn, and its Rapid-Fire Combo attack hits for 200 or more. Single copies of Raging Bolt ex, Iron Crown ex, Iron Leaves ex and Chien-Pao cover other matchups.
A few choices stand out:
- Two Lillie’s Clefairy ex. Its Fairy Zone Ability makes the opponent’s Dragon Pokémon weak to Psychic. In a field that was more than a third Dragapult, that’s a built-in answer to the most popular deck.
- Two Latias ex. Its Skyliner Ability gives every Basic Pokémon in play free retreat. In a deck made entirely of Basics, that means switching to the right attacker costs nothing.
- Two Teal Mask Ogerpon ex, four Crispin and four Energy Switch to get Energy where it’s needed, backed by six Grass, three Psychic and a spread of other types.
- Four Area Zero Underdepths, the stadium that lets a player with a Tera Pokémon in play fill up to eight Bench spots.
Decklist image: Limitless TCG
Limitless prices the list at about $76, roughly ₱4,700 by our conversion at ₱62.40 per US dollar, before shipping and local markups. That makes it the most expensive of the top three lists: Limitless prices Dobberstein’s Hydrapple at about $48 and Potti’s Dragapult at about $41.
The Baltimore Top 8
| # | Player | Deck |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dylan Kasturi (US) | Basic Box |
| 2 | Ben Dobberstein (US) | Hydrapple |
| 3 | Rohit Potti (US) | Dragapult |
| 4 | Mark Dreitzler (US) | Slowking |
| 5 | Joshua Frink (US) | Alakazam/Dudunsparce |
| 6 | Cali White (Canada) | Basic Box |
| 7 | Liam Halliburton (US) | Dragapult |
| 8 | Nicholas Cucinelli (US) | Basic Box |
Dobberstein’s runner-up Hydrapple list is a Grass engine: four Teal Mask Ogerpon ex, a Meganium line and 13 Grass Energy. Potti’s Dragapult list ran four Crushing Hammer, a coin-flip card that can knock Energy off an opponent’s Pokémon.
One card shows up in all three of the top lists: Meowth ex, with three copies in Kasturi’s deck, two in Dobberstein’s and one in Potti’s.
What Baltimore means for players in the Philippines
Baltimore was played with Temporal Forces to Pitch Black, before any 30th Celebration cards were legal, so read it as a snapshot of the meta those newer cards will now shake up. Two takeaways:
- Expect Dragapult, but don’t assume it wins. It was the most played deck by far and still struggled against a field ready for it. If you play Dragapult, test against Lillie’s Clefairy ex.
- Basic Box is simple to pilot and build around. Every Pokémon is a Basic, so there are no evolution lines to draw into, and most of its attackers are single copies you can swap to suit your local meta.
Gym Battles count toward the GYM Campaign 2026 from October 1, and you can find an official GYM in our store directory. Japan’s Champions League Yokohama had a similar story the same weekend, with a Clefairy and Ogerpon deck in second.
No player from the Philippines appears among the 559 in Baltimore’s second phase. If you know of a Filipino player who made the trip, tell us.
Frequently asked questions
Who won the Baltimore Regional 2026, and with what deck?
Dylan Kasturi won the Masters Division with Basic Box, a deck of Basic Pokémon led by Mega Kangaskhan ex, Teal Mask Ogerpon ex and Lillie's Clefairy ex. Ben Dobberstein was second with Hydrapple.
What was the most played deck at Baltimore?
Dragapult. Counting its variants, 202 of the 559 players in the second phase used it (about 36%), but only two Dragapult decks made the Top 8.
How much does the winning Basic Box list cost?
Limitless TCG prices Kasturi's list at about $76 (roughly ₱4,700 by our conversion at ₱62.40 per US dollar). Local prices vary, and shipping and markups add more.
Was 30th Celebration legal at Baltimore?
No. The format was Temporal Forces to Pitch Black, so no 30th Celebration cards were allowed.
Sources
Source: Limitless TCG: Regional Baltimore, MD (standings)
Also see: Limitless TCG: Dylan Kasturi's Basic Box decklist · Limitless TCG: Ben Dobberstein's Hydrapple decklist · Limitless TCG: Rohit Potti's Dragapult decklist · Limitless Labs: Regional Championship Baltimore standings
