Backtrack Badge User Tier List
July 8, 2026The first month of antimetafy.gg begins with the way everything should - a ranking of something entirely unnecessary that nobody asked for. This month will see the release of Pitch Black, a set that might actually hurt Dragapult ex for the first time in ages. The introduction of Hide `n` Sneak will have sure impact, and as a huge proponent of Metal decks, I'm excited to see what Mega Excadrill ex can achieve. However, I feel like with the hype around some new meta cards, such as the aforementioned ones, alongside Toucannon, Bastiodon, and Voltaic Energy, I worry that the most impactful card is being left in the dust.
Backtrack Badge, in my opinion, is one of the strangest cards we could have gotten in Pitch Black. There is very little synergy with this tool and anything else in the set, spare a common Bombirdier. Nevertheless, I think this card may actually see some play. We've had similar cards printed in the past that allow for re-flipping of coins - namely, the Victini from Noble Victories and Glimwood Tangle from Darkness Ablaze. While I cannot speak for Victini as I do not know much about that era, I'm relatively sure that Glimwood Tangle (which allowed you to re-flip after ANY attack) saw very little play at all, and basically zero play from decks that weren't running Radiant Jirachi to abuse Glimwood Tangle.
This is not a post about Glimwood Tangle, though - we're talking about Backtrack Badge. Even though it is a card much more limited in scope, as only Colorless Pokémon using attacks can gain anything from it, I'm not writing it off. In fact, I'm writing about it. So, for my first real post on this site, I'm making a tier list of EVERY card that can make use of this card when it becomes legal, with all tiers organized. Click a tier below to go right to that section, and click on the card to see it in a larger, lightbox mode. This tier list is specifically about one thing and one thing only - how much does Backtrack Badge help the viability of this card?
Just a heads up before you look for it - I won't be going over the Pokémon in the 'Not Worth Ranking Tier.' That is the only unorganized tier (as it is in release order), and this is because either the cards there are not being run with the intent on using the attack of that Pokémon, or because the card they evolve into has limited/no use at all for the attachment of that tool card. Also, please note that this only allows re-flips on the attacks of Colorless Pokémon - abilities on Pokémon such as Cinccino ex are not given re-flips.
S Tier
Mega Audino ex is the card that, in my opinion, benefits the most from Backtrack Badge. With the addition of this tool, the consistency of this otherwise high risk, low reward 3 prize Pokémon is now such that it might honestly warrant play in decks that are hungry for early game energy acceleration. Of course, it being a 3 prize Pokémon is still such a notable detriment, as by using Kaleidowaltz, you are leaving yourself open to attack. Granted, assuming you're getting this going on your first turn, it is unlikely your opponent will have direct knockout in response - but it's a concern throughout the rest of the game. I could genuinely picture decks with Mega Audino ex and Backtrack Badge utilizing one of two notable options for removing the liability after a successful energy acceleration. Firstly, Tera decks that use Area Zero Underdepths could retreat through Latias ex, and replace their own stadium (or use SSP Chien-Pao) to discard the Mega Pokémon ex. Other decks may even consider the use of a very underutilized ACE SPEC in Scoop Up Cyclone as a way to stop the opponent from taking unnecessary prizes. If Backtrack Badge gets a Limitless page at Worlds '26, I'm almost certain this card won't be the top deck that uses it.
Oh - did I say won't be the top deck? Yeah - Mega Kangaskhan ex is the frontrunner in that regard. With immense amounts of usage already in all sorts of decks to assist with draw and for swinging for a decent amount of damage, I'm pretty sure that 'big basic' decks that use Lillie's Clefairy ex and Latias ex will be incorporating this tool to make the already powerful Mega Kangaskhan ex into a nuclear level threat. While I'm trying to rank these cards based on how the tool will help with viability, I couldn't put Mega Kangaskhan ex any lower in good faith - this is a meta defining card, and if it's getting any further buff, the worst it can do is not run Backtrack Badge - it's fine as is.
A Tier
Now that we've hit A Tier, it's worth realizing that a vast majority of the cards from here on out are actually very fringe use case cards. In fact, there are really only 2 currently meta relevant cards on this list left to cover, and neither of them really aim to use the attack they have that requires coin flips. Unfezant might seem entirely undeserving of the third best card on this list, even with the weak power level of most of these cards. As a Stage 2 Pokémon with a weak attack in Swift Flight that only deals 120 and damage negation, it doesn't seem like it's worth any slots in a deck. This is where the a card that many people make jokes about comes into the equation - Pidove, from Temporal Forces. It has the ability of 'Emergency Evolution,' which allows it to bypass the rules of evolution if it is at 30 HP or lower. As this Basic Pokémon only has 50 HP, placing it down under the effects of a stadium like Risky Ruins will immediately allow for evolution through searching your deck for an Unfezant and placing it on Pidove, entirely removing the need or use for Tranquill in your deck. This Unfezant is made even better by it's retreat cost of 0, which has synergy with Ignition Energy. A single attachment of Ignition will allow for the use of Swift Flight, and with Backtrack Badge, you have a 75% chance of damage/effect immunity on your next turn. With an item like Secret Box, you can grab the stadium, an item like Buddy-Buddy Poffin, and an Ignition Energy - allowing for a setup for this attack as early as your first turn. As this card will more than likely be knocking out an evolving Basic Pokémon in the active with a high chance of immunity that allows you to continue setting up, don't underestimate a benched Pidove.
This is the first of two Watchog on the list, and I think this one could be a serious threat in the hands of a good control player. In the same way that Mega Absol ex can look at an opponent's hand and discard a card, Watchog can make an opponent reveal their hand. However, it's entirely based on coin flips. You get 3 flips - and as long as you get one, you make your opponent reveal their hand. For each heads you flip, you get to shuffle a card of your choice back into their deck. I'm not a very well versed player of control archetypes, but I can imagine this card being a nuisance to play against. One of the reasons this is in A tier, however, is that it evolves from Patrat. Chaos Rising introduced both this Watchog and a meta relevant Patrat, with an ability that prevents all damage counters from being moved (on both sides of the board). This is a great way to stop cards like Munkidori from returning fire, but it does prevent your strategy from doing so as well. This isn't the end for Watchog though - cards like Froslass from Twilight Masquerade exist that can pile damage counters, and a Patrat would leave your opponent unable to capitalize with Munkidori. An important warning though - it will place counters on your Patrat - and thankfully, it can be evolved into another Watchog and replaced. There is a lot of problems beyond that such as spread damage, but I'm not making this deck right now. However, as both Backtrack Badge and Watchog are in the earlier part of the J rotation block, we're going to have them in format for over 2 more years - and I'm sure something is going to release that will aid with control decks for Colorless Pokémon.
B Tier
As we enter B Tier, it's getting much more difficult to see the mentioned cards in real decks at a tournament level using Backtrack Badge. It's kind of coincidental that Stoutland and Watchog are so close on this list - not only because the two lines are directly next to eachother in the Pokédex, but because I can see them working together. Control decks seem to really enjoy recovering important cards from the discard pile into the hand. Cyllene was a Supporter card that allowed, on 2 coin flips, a placement of 2 cards from the discard pile to the top of your deck. Stoutland kicks it up a notch, with two notable drawbacks. Stoutland allows for 3 coin flips, but for each heads, you can return a card from discard directly into your hand. While this is stronger than Cyllene, the two major drawbacks are damning. First of all, this is not a Supporter, but a stage 2 Pokémon. This means you need to probably be using Ignition Energy and a Rare Candy or multiple Lillipup and Herdier just to get this up - and with 160 HP, it might take small hits from other single prize Pokémon, but a majority of the format will crush it in one hit. Even worse, this is an attack - so whether it does well or misses all 3 coin flips both times, your turn is over and you better hope that your control antics have entirely made your opponent unable to play the game. Dedenne from Surging Sparks is only 70 HP and can only bring a single Trainer card back into your hand as an attack - yet it is still leagues ahead of this, as it only requires a single energy on a basic Pokémon. While Dedenne is in the format, I don't think we will be seeing Stoutland - but afterwards, there is a very low chance, which is more than none at all.
While I'm having trouble admitting just how much copium I've been inhaling to think this Tauros has a shot with Backtrack Badge, there is a shot it could work. Ever since the release of Paldean Tauros, we've gotten some cards that specify 'Tauros' being in the name of your Pokémon in play, which allows for a cross between the two for a total of 8 possible spots. The current best Tauros in format is still very niche, and that one is the Paldean Tauros from Phantasmal Flames. This one is the Combat Breed, so it is a Fighting type, which hits a good weakness. It has an attack that, for each card on your board with 'Tauros' in the name that has any damage on it, do 40 damage. Without damage modifiers like Premium Power Pro or bench extenders like Area Zero Underdepths, this hits for a relatively weak 240 damage if you have 6 damaged Tauros. While Risky Ruins can be of great use here, I don't think the damage cap is significant enough, even though both Tauros would have 130 HP and be only single prize Pokémon. This Colorless Tauros has a unique attack in a similar vein - you flip as many coins as you have cards with 'Tauros' in the name on your board, and you do 50 damage for each heads flipped to one of your opponents Pokémon - even benched Pokémon. Notably, you have to choose first, so you cannot flip only 4 heads and choose to strike a Meowth ex instead of a Fezandipiti ex. Even with Backtrack Badge, 6 coins is a very unreliable amount to flip. If you flip 3, and want to try again to flip for just one more, it's worth noting you have a more than 50% chance to get the same amount or less on a retry.
To close out on B Tier, and all the cards I can imagine seeing at a League Challenge at the highest level, Bombirdier might actually see the most play with Backtrack Badge. At least for the next week as I type this - because after the prerelease window is over, it's right to the bulk bin with this card. Being able to bench basically any Pokémon on 2 heads sounds sketchy, but being able to retry sounds decent - but it really isn't. I could be totally wrong as I suck with probability, but the odds of missing both heads is logically a 3/4 chance. The odds of missing both heads in both flips would be 3/4 x 3/4, giving you a 9/16 chance to miss both - so the more likely outcome after 2 flips is still in favor of a useless attack. If you're really deadset on getting a Pokémon out as early as possible with a coin flip, wait for the Ditto from 30th Celebration. Until then, keep this in your prerelease deck, because it's your only shot of using that Mega Delphox ex you pulled.
C Tier
Frankly, nothing in C, D, or F tier is worth considering. I won't be showing an image for these two tiers, and I'll just quickly run through them.
If Lugia ex didn't cost 3 energy, it might be in A Tier. However, getting this rolling on a 220 HP Pokémon that only does 140 damage isn't going to be worth it - even if you take away discard all the energy on a Dragapult ex, through Munkidori and Crispin, they'll capitalize off your weak swing.
Larry's Dudunsparce ex is, most likely, the card I have underrated the most on this list. However, while loading it up using Larry's Komala to give it 4 Ignition Energy sounds fun, that energy will go away at the end of the turn regardless. Also, with our very limited energy search options in the format, good luck getting any of those, especially if your bench is a bunch of Larry's Komala. Also, when the Larry's Dudunsparce ex goes down and takes all the energy with it, you're going to hope you weren't using that much unrecoverable Special Energy - even though that's probably your entire game plan.
D Tier
Snorlax ex might be a big basic at 260 HP, but at a maximum of 360 damage on 3 heads flipped out of 3 for an energy cost of 4 - why would you not use the S Tier Mega Kangaskhan ex, which takes 1 less energy, an incredible ability, and on 3 heads would swing for 350? Snorlax ex might be better with Heavy Baton, but I think it's best in a binder.
Lillipup and Larry's Dunsparce are only here for one reason - they have an evolution on the list that will be using the Backtrack Badge, and on a coin flip, they knock out Budew. That's really all there is to them.
Lickilicky is an unfortunate case with some potential at a first glance. Being able to use Ignition Energy makes it easier to power up, and the ability to paralyze with a 75% success rate is really notable. Unfortunately, at 50 HP per hit, even a chained paralysis with no ability for your opponent to retreat won't help too much. You will need more and more energy, and you can only run 4 Ignition Energy. Also, when your opponent's Active Pokémon gets knocked out, they're going to more than likely obliterate Lickilicky in one shot. For Tonguenado, you can probably manage to land the 3 heads for 210 damage - but 4 energy is just too much to commit. At least you can use the Lickitung illustration rare.
Dunsparce is one of the two meta relevant Pokémon I alluded to earlier - but you'll only see it use Dig in desperation. Otherwise, it's usually the only 60 HP Dunsparce your opponent has compared to the 70 HP ones, and that's due to free retreat. Most decks that use the Dudunsparce engine don't even have attacks that cost more than 1 energy, so a double attach and a tool attachment would be absurd. The only reason this isn't lower is that, at least when you shuffle Dudunsparce back into the deck, you can reuse the Backtrack Badge.
Watchog (from White Flare) has Focus Energy - an attack that increases the power of it's Hyper Fang attack from 80 to a whopping 320 - imagine getting knockout on Dragapult ex with a Watchog. Unfortunately, imagining is probably going to be the only shot you have at witnessing it. Charge up attacks in the modern TCG are basically irrelevant. Any form of gusting will remove the effect from Watchog, and Hyper Fang will still have a 25% chance to do nothing, as with Backtrack Badge equipped, you have 2 shots at a heads flip. Also, at a mere 90 HP, a slight breeze can probably knock out Watchog before it can make use of Focus Energy. The only reason this is not in F Tier is because it evolves from the decent Patrat, and can maybe be combined with the other Watchog - but I don't recommend it.
Team Rocket's Kangaskhan ex is a great Pokémon who does not deserve to be this low on any tier list, but this is about specifically how much Backtrack Badge can help it. Still, I couldn't rank it in F Tier, just because it has a decent amount of success without the Backtrack Badge. Combined with Team Rocket's Articuno, this card can act as a wall to decks that rely on effects of attacks, such as Alakazam. Wicked Impact is a relatively strong move that often deals 220 damage, as the decks that use it are either Team Rocket decks with tons of Team Rocket Supporters, or decks that rely on the combo of 4 Team Rocket's Petrel/4 Team Rocket's Transciever. Comet Punch is extremely underwhelming for 2 energy on a 2 prize Pokémon, and this is often seen in decks such as Metal Maker focused ones. While this is a great Pokémon, there's no need for a Backtrack Badge - just slot in a Metal Energy instead.
F Tier
Smeargle is the best of the worst. You're better off running Energy Coin to accelerate energy - at least you don't have to discard it first.
Snorlax, similarly to the new Bombirdier, fell off drastically after Perfect Order was released and the prerelease format ended. There's just better acceleration methods.
Miltank might have been in a higher tier if it was a single energy attack - but if you need to use Crispin for a >50% chance of healing, just run better options for healing like Jumbo Ice Cream.
Kecleon also fell off after it left it's respective prerelease format. 3 energy and only 80 damage for a 75% chance at invincibility on an 80 HP Pokémon is countered by basically any sort of gust or bench damage - it isn't threatening anything.
Purugly can stop your opponent's Active Pokémon from attacking, which would be great, if retreating wasn't a thing. Also, that costing 2 energy for a mere 80 damage on a 120 HP stage 1 Pokémon isn't that great.
Oinkologne is just worse Purugly. It does 50 damage instead of 80, with everything else the same - but a higher retreat. Pass.
Bewear does 100 damage for 3 energy and has a less than 50% chance to swing for only 100 more damage - not even knocking out a Fezandipiti ex.
Fearow maxes out at 150 damage for 1 energy - but needing to flip 5 coins on a stage one means you're averaging at 90 damage, and there are decent odds that your re-flip will be even worse if you only land 3.
Tauros (from Stellar Crown) is the wrong Colorless bovid from that set. Discarding one energy on a coin flip from the active with 3 energy attachments is awful, especially as Ignition Energy will not work - might as well cut Tauros and 3 energy for 4 Crushing Hammer.
Kangaskhan is the 3rd Kangaskhan on the list, and by far the worst. Even if you land both heads on it's 3 energy attack, you're only dealing 180 damage - not worth the investment.
Persian is similar to Kangaskhan, but for 1 less energy (and on higher evolution stage), you can max out at...150 damage. At least the illustration rare is awesome.
Braviary seems to be the result of them having to make a card for every Unovan Pokémon in Black Bolt and White Flare. 40 damage with 40 more on a heads flip is abysmal - and why is Speed Wing for 120 a 4 energy attack when they added Ignition Energy in these sets?
Maushold is an unfortunate victim of circumstance - Incessant Incisors wasn't the main draw, as 120 with insane luck is still awful - but it allowed Maushold ex to instantly hit the bench. Unfortunately, with no good Maushold in format, this card isn't doing anything - at least it tried.
I genuinely cannot believe that Zangoose isn't from a Battle Academy or something. 90 damage with 3 heads is so terrible and not worth a spot in any deck.
Team Rocket's Raticate deals only 90 with a chance to knock itself out - and honestly, the only reason to put Backtrack Badge on this Pokémon is to try to hit both tails and knock your Pokémon out - something has gone terribly wrong if this is in your deck, and you should probably end the game and work on deckbuilding.
Well, that's all of them that will be in Standard when Pitch Black becomes legal. This took WAY longer than I thought it would, so I hope you enjoyed this silly read. Expect a MUCH shorter one on the 10th.