What does BDIF mean? Pokemon TCG explained

While every trading card game has its own language and jargon, the Pokemon TCG has a particularly wide variety of terms that can take time to get used to. It’s an accessible TCG, but there are some technical terms that can make it seem more complicated than it is in practice.

One term that you may come across when searching for deck lists or updates on the latest card reveals is BDIF. This stands for ‘Best Deck In Format’ and it’s most commonly used when referring to specific decks from the Standard Format.

Here, we’ll be looking at what BDIF means in more depth, along with some tips on how you can spot the best decks in format and use them to your advantage.

Examples of cards from notable Best Decks

As the name suggests, if a deck has been dubbed the BDIF, it’s currently outperforming the vast majority of other decks in rotation. The image above shows some cards that have been considered to be part of the best decks in format in recent months.

It doesn’t necessarily need to beat every deck in existence, just a large number of popular, competitively viable decks that have large user bases. Some cards featured in a BDIF might be exceptionally rare, but others can be Common cards that might otherwise be passed off as bulk.

It’s important to note that BDIF is not an official term from The Pokemon Company. It’s a fan term most commonly seen on social media and in forums, and can apply to anything from a pre-made deck to a homebrew deck list.

Due to the fan-created nature of this term and the ever-changing Pokemon meta, it’s unusual for a deck to be dubbed BDIF for too long. Keeping an eye on which decks are the best in format is a great way to hone your deck-building skills and understanding of the competitive scene.

How to identify the best decks in format

If you want to be able to identify the current BDIF – either to play with or around it – there are a few things that can help with this. Make sure to:

1. Pay attention to heavily memed decks. Usually, the most overpowered decks in Pokemon will be heavily memed and poked at online by fans – a good example here is Charizard ex, pre-NAIC 2024. There’s usually a fair amount of irritation surrounding decks that outshine the others by a significant amount, so lots of memes can be an indicator of a BDIF or potential BDIF.
2. Keep up to date with the competitive scene. Following along with championships and keeping an eye on what competitive players are favoring is a great way to keep your knowledge sharp. While some competitive players like to push boundaries and use creative decks, a fair amount will opt for the strongest deck in the meta, perhaps with some customization or tweaking.
3. Monitor current card prices. This isn’t always set in stone, but keeping an eye on current Pokemon card prices and watching for any unlikely cards that suddenly shoot up in value can be an indicator of an important card in the current meta. If people are suddenly flocking to a specific Pokemon card, have a search online to see if it’s part of a new deck list.

None of these tips are essential, mind – you’ll be able to get a cursory understanding of the meta simply by spending some time on Reddit or watching Pokemon TCG live streams – but they’re worth following if you want to keep your knowledge up to date and maximize your deck efficiency.

For further TCG information, make sure to check out our guides to the upcoming Stellar Miracle and Shrouded Fable expansion sets. These sets will be introducing some heavy-hitting Pokemon, some of which have the possibility to change the competitive scene.