Festival Lead Changes with Pitch Black’s Gladion's Final Battle
Gladion's Final Battle debuted in 46.4% of Festival Lead lists, but the bigger story is how much the deck changed after Pitch Black. Here's what the early data reveals.
Gladion’s Final Battle made its debut in 46.4% of Festival Lead’s tracked lists this week, according to Play Limitless data. While this is a significant number, it’s important to understand the context. This is the card’s first appearance in the data, as it’s part of the newly released Pitch Black set last week. So, it’s not as if the card suddenly became a staple overnight (although it could have).
Card previewGladion's Final BattleTrainer / Uncommon / Pitch Black / #77Illustrated by akagi
The more interesting story is what happened to Festival Lead after the set’s release. The deck, which features single-prize Pokémon like Dipplin, looks very different, with around 10 cards changing. That’s much more than a routine adjustment. Black Belt's Training fell from 94.3% inclusion to 49.4%, while Gladion's Final Battle entered at 46.4%.
Black Belt's Training did not become a one-copy card in the lists that kept it. It still averaged 1.3 copies, close to its previous 1.3-1.5 range. It simply appeared in fewer Festival Lead lists. Gladion's Final Battle averaged 1.9 copies among players who included it.
| Week ending | Lists | Black Belt's Training | Gladion's Final Battle |
|---|---|---|---|
| 06-22 | 79 | 96.2% (1.4 avg) | Not yet released |
| 06-29 | 84 | 91.7% (1.4 avg) | Not yet released |
| 07-06 | 107 | 93.5% (1.3 avg) | Not yet released |
| 07-13 | 158 | 94.3% (1.5 avg) | Not yet released |
| 07-20 | 166 | 49.4% (1.3 avg) | 46.4% (1.9 avg) |
Source:
- Play Limitless data.