Best decks for Pokemon TCG Pocket meta and tier list (May 2026)

The best decks in the Pokemon TCG Pocket meta for May 2026 are beginning to come clear with the new Pulsing Aura expansion, which has brought powerful new cards like Mega Lucario ex and Zoroark ex.

We're constantly evaluating the PTCGP meta and updating our best decks tier list below, both when new booster sets come out and in the weeks that follow and the community experiments with them. With that in mind, here's the best deck builds in Pokemon TCG Pocket.

Best decks in PTCGP and tier list

The best decks in the Pokemon TCG Pocket meta are laid out in the following tier list:

• New decks (Pulsing Aura)
  • Mega Lucario ex (Fighting): A powerful brawling deck with a strong early game. Predicted rank: A-tier
  • Zoroark ex (Dark): A strong dark type deck build with flexability and low retreat costs. Predicted rank: A-tier
  • Mega Sceptile ex (Grass): Mega Sceptile ex deals poison and heavy damage at the cost of energy discard. Predicted rank: B-tier
• S-tier decks
  • Darkrai (Psychic): Darkrai's ability to passively hurt sleeping foes pairs nicely with Swablu and Mega Altaria ex.
  • Mega Blaziken ex (Fire): This fire deck recycles fire energy for hard-hitting burn attacks.
  • Mega Altaria ex (Psychic): Altaria is backed up by Jirachi and Chingling for a strong early game.
  • Suicune ex (Water): Paired with Greninja, Suicune punishes the opponent's bench.
  • Oricorio (Electric): Immune to attacks from ex Pokemon, Oricorio pairs with Magnezone for a strong electric deck.
  • Mega Lopunny ex (Fighting): A strong early-game deck that risks it all on coin flips, backed by some Electric types.
  • Mega Absol ex (Dark): This Absol variant has a poison element, and plays highly aggressively.
• A-tier decks
  • Mega Scizor ex (Metal): A powerful glass cannon deck that strikes early for maximum impact.
  • Mega Charizard Y ex (Fire): Building up to enormous firepower makes this deck risky but effective.
  • Chien-Pao ex (Water): Power up Chien-Pao ex with Baxcalibur to target your opponent's bench.
  • Bellibolt ex (Electric): Bellibolt and Magnezone team up in a deck that focuses on quick energy generation.
  • Mega Gardevoir ex (Psychic): Rapid energy generation and card drawing builds up to a powerful Mewtwo assault.
  • Mega Gyarados ex (Water): High power water damage to tear through opponents, mill their deck and tank their retaliation.
  • Giratina ex / Darkrai ex (Dark): Despite Giratina being Psychic type, this slower deck runs Dark energy only, as the Poke-devil can generate its own energy.
  • Raikou ex (Electric): Raikou is at the centre of smorgasbord of recognised powerful electric cards for a more versatile build.
  • Ho-Oh ex (Electric): Ho-Oh ex, Lugia ex and others combine to make this energy efficient deck.
  • Espeon ex (Psychic): A simple deck all about early game damage and self-healing.
  • Solgaleo ex (Metal): In the wake of Celestial Guardians, the iron lion strikes hard and fast for a strong early/mid game.
  • Primarina ex (Water): A tanky water Pokemon allows players to endure enemy attacks.
• B-tier decks
  • Mega Slowbro ex (Water): Energy generation and healing leads to a tanky deck that can hit the opponent's bench hard.
  • Sylveon ex (Psychic): Sylveon pairs with Mega Rising's strong psychic cards for a powerful early game.
  • Galarian Obstagoon (Dark): A glass cannon deck that whittles at opponents for Obstagoon to do major damage.
  • Mega Kangaskhan ex (Electric): Kangaskhan focuses on precise targets in this control deck.
  • Mega Swampert ex (Water): Swampert is a durable tank that takes energy off all cards in play.
  • Mega Blastoise ex (Water): An energy-heavy deck that tanks damage and can snipe the opponent's back bench.
  • Guzzlord ex (Dark): A mixture of poison and mobility allows players to control the battlefield.
  • Nihilego (Dark): This deck uses enhanced poison and Darkrai to rapidly whittle down foes.
  • Arceus ex / Dialga (Metal): The legendary God Pokemon works wonders in conjunction with Dialga and Shaymin, using Dialga to empower the others early.
  • Lunala ex (Psychic): Combined with Giratina and Mewtwo, Lunala lets you move around energy effectively.
  • Clodsire ex (Dark): A poison-focused deck that hits hard in the early game.
  • Leafeon ex / Celebi ex (Grass): This modified version of the Celebi deck with Triumphant Light cards uses Leafeon's energy generation abilities to deadly effect.
  • Rampardos / Sudowoodo (Fighting): A deck basically designed to bring down all those decks that focus on Ex Pokemon, this glass cannon comes out swinging but struggles for late-game survivability.
  • Gholdengo / Dialga (Metal): Similar to Arceus and almost as good, Gholdengo gets quickly powered up by Dialga to lay down a powerful assault.
  • Meowscarada (Grass): An anti-ex deck that hits hard, early, designed as a glass cannon.
  • Wugtrio ex (Water): Backed by Palkia and Manaphy, this build sacrifices accuracy for raw power.
  • Palkia ex (Water): Water decks are thriving in the Meta, and the new Palkia card is a high-power force for destruction. The high energy cost is quickly mitigated by a supporting deck of Vaporeon, Manaphy and of course, Misty.
  • Buzzwole ex (Grass): The buff bug and Pheromosa team up with good grass synergy and flexibility.
  • Entei ex (Fire): This deck mixes with the Shining Revelry Charizard for high-energy power.
  • Crobat ex (Dark): A poison deck with a low energy requirement.
  • Magcargo (Fire): A chaotic, random deck that does early damage at the risk of being turned on yourself.
  • Umbreon (Dark): A modification of the reliable Giratina/Darkrai build, now incorporating Umbreon's strengths.
  • Weavile ex / Darkrai ex (Dark): Space-Time Smackdown has opened up the meta to include this incredibly powerful Dark-type deck, with a strong early game and high damage level.
  • Shining Revelry Charizard ex (Fire / Water): Charizard's Stoke allows this card to set up its own high energy costs relatively quickly.
  • Mewtwo ex (Psychic): This deck focuses on Mewtwo ex up front and having Gardevoir on the bench, using the latter to rapidly power up the former to do massive damage.
  • Pikachu ex (Electric): A high-speed deck designed to do rapid damage before the opponent can set up their own play.
• C-tier decks
  • Sweets Relay (Water): A strong deck that folds in choice options of the "Sweet Relay" cards added in Eevee Grove.
  • Starmie ex / Articuno ex (Water): A diverse deck that combines speed and power through a mix of rare cards, using Misty to (sometimes) provide energy to the team.
  • Gyarados ex (Water/Fire): The Mythical Island Gyarados is incredibly powerful and durable, so if you can charge it up with Misty, you'll probably win.
• D-tier decks
  • Venusaur ex (Grass): A deck that uses healing powers to sustain itself, but struggles in the early game.
  • Marowak ex (Fighting): A cheap, quick fighting deck that risks a lot on coin flips.
  • Poison/Koga (Dark): Arbok and Weezing control and poison the opponent while Koga allows you to return Weezing to your hand. Lacks raw power, though a good budget deck with a strong early game.

We'll go into these decks further on, and there's plenty of the Pokemon TCG Pocket best cards that aren't necessarily represented in the decks above, but keep in mind that the meta and the best decks in Pocket are never so unstoppable that you'll always be guaranteed a 100% win rate. Type disadvantage, a bad opening hand, clever plays by your opponent - all these things can bring even the most powerful deck down, and metas being what they are, we'll likely see some counter-decks for these two popping up soon, especially as more cards are added. If you're hoping to get all the Pokemon TCG Pocket ranked rewards you can, you should recognize that these decks are simply those that will allow you to win more games than you lose, but even then they have to be played cleverly.

Now, admittedly these decks tend to include some of the rarest cards in Pokemon TCG Pocket, and that's something to keep in mind - you won't be able to build these straight off the bat unless you're willing to sink a lot of money into gold, or just are very lucky in your pack draws.

Best new Pulsing Aura decks

We're testing decks for the new Pulsing Aura expansion right now, with several standouts.

Best Mega Lucario ex deck

This fighting type deck is about maximum damage and a strong early build.

• Riolu (Pulsing Aura) x2
• Mega Lucario ex x2
• Bonsly (Pulsing Aura) x2
• Hitmonlee (Genetic Apex) x2
• Lucario (Space-Time Smackdown) x1
• Rocky Helmet x1
• Cyrus x2
• Copycat x1
• Korrina x1
• Arena of Antiquity x2
• Poke Ball x2
• Professor's Research x2

Energy: Fighting

This is a pretty straightforward deck wherein your cards build up early on and come out swinging. This a deck that's especially powerful against ex Pokemon, with both Korrina and the Arena cards giving you damage boosts against them. Meanwhile, cards like Hitmonlee mean you can target the opponent's bench effectively, making it difficult for your opponent to ever be truly out of danger.

• Pros
  • High damage output, especially against ex Pokemon
  • Strong early game
  • Good battlefield control
• Cons
  • Not much durability
  • Weak to Psychic, a common Meta pick

Best Zoroark ex deck

This Pulsing Aura Zoroark deck build is composed of the following cards:

• Absol (Wisdom of Sea and Sky) x1
• Mega Absol ex x1
• Zorua (Pulsing Aura) x2
• Zoroark ex x2
• Bombirdier x1
• Sabrina x1
• Cyrus x1
• Poison Barb x2
• Copycat x2
• Lucky Ice Pop x2
• Hiking Trial x1
• Poke Ball x2
• Professor's Research x2

Energy: Dark

This deck is an assortment of general "good card" Dark type Pokemon back up by the new Zoroark ex, a powerful early game card that can do good damage, as long as you fill up the bench accordingly. It's also loose enough as a design philosophy that you can fold in other Dark cards for experimenting.

• Pros
  • Versatile options
  • Strong early game
  • Decent resistance and survival
• Cons
  • No major damage dealers
  • Weaker late game

Best Mega Sceptile ex deck

Mega Sceptile ex basically serves as a grass equivalent to Mega Blaziken ex, with similar attack and strategy.

• Treecko x2
• Grovyle x1
• Mega Sceptile ex x2
• Pheromosa x2
• Erika x2
• Cyrus x1
• Rocky Helmet x1
• Rare Candy x2
• Leaf Cape x1
• Copycat x1
• Quick Grow extract x1
• Fragrant Forest x2
• Professor's Research x2

Energy: Grass

This is pretty straightforward: Pheromosa and Treecko buy time early on until you can have Mega Sceptile ready to do some significant damage and tear through as the heavy hitter later. The advantage here is that elements like the Fragrant Forest basically act as passive Poke Balls, eliminating the need for them, while Quick Grow Extract and Rare Candy mean that you can potentially have Sceptile ex ready to attack in the early game without too much difficulty.

• Pros
  • Low energy requirements
  • Decent early game
  • Strong durability
• Cons
  • Dependant on evolution
  • Fragrant Forest helps other Grass users
  • Sceptile discards energy with every attack

S-tier

Below we've got the best of the best decks in Pokemon TCG Pocket, capable of winning multiple games in a row and having a superb win rate overall.

Best Mega Shine Darkrai deck

Darkrai's power to drain sleeping opponents does passive damage until Altaria can come out and finish the fight.

• Darkrai (Mega Shine) x2
• Swablu (Sing Variant) x2
• Mega Altaria ex x2
• Igglybuff x2
• Leaf x1
• Rocky Helmet x1
• Cyrus x1
• Mars x2
• Copycat x1
• Lisia x1
• Training Area x1
• Poke Ball x2
• Professor's Research x2

Energy: Psychic

Darkrai might be Dark-type, but its energy needs are universal, so it can slot into this deck nicely. The goal here is simple enough: Use sleep effects from Swablu and Igglybuff to send foes to sleep and inflict chip damage through the Dark Dreams power Darkrai has, all while building up either to Mega Altaria or Darkrai itself. It's a very strong strategy, and we expect to see this build (or some variant of it) staying high in the meta for a while.

• Pros
  • Easy to inflict sleep from the beginning
  • Relatively energy-efficient
  • Darkrai and Altaria are both fairly tanky
• Cons
  • Losing Igglybuff or Swablu is potentially easy
  • Status-resistant decks are a real threat

Best Mega Blaziken ex deck

This Mega Blaziken deck is all about hitting hard with fire damage, now with Castform's energy generation.

• Torchic x2
• Mega Blaziken ex x2
• Castform (Sunny Form) x2
• Sabrina x1
• Cyrus x1
• Rare Candy x2
• Lillie x1
• Flame Patch x2
• Copycat x1
• Mesagoza x1
• Hiking Trail x1
• Poke Ball x2
• Professor's Research x2

Energy: Fire

Straightforward and to the point, this deck once featured Entei for quick card drawing, but that's no longer necessary. Instead, you open with Castform for energy generation, then use Mesagoza, Hiking Trail and Copycat to keep your hand full until you can get Blaziken on the field.

• Pros
  • Energy efficient in all respects
  • Strong glass cannon build
  • Burns whittle down foes rapidly
• Cons
  • Risk of not drawing Candy or Blaziken for evolution
  • Castform isn't hugely tanky

Best Mega Altaria ex deck

Mega Altaria ex pairs with a spread of low-energy cards that can come out swinging soon.

• Swablu (Mega Rising) x2
• Mega Altaria ex x2
• Pumpkaboo x2
• Gourgeist x2
• Jirachi x1
• Chingling x2
• Cyrus x2
• Mars x1
• Copycat x1
• Lisia x1
• Training Area x1
• Poke Ball x1
• Professor's Research x2

Energy: Psychic

Updated with Fantastical Parade's Pumpkaboo and Gourgeist, this deck has been top-tier in its various incarnations since Mega Altaria was introduced. This is a deck all about filling your board so that Altaria can hit hard and early, requiring only two energy and doing up to 130 damage in a single strike - or more with the Training Area added in. That stadium also serves Gourgeist well, and Jirachi is great for sniping benches, or just knocking out some low level basic Pokemon at the start.

If you want to experiment, try swapping out for all the reliable psychic types. Mega Indeedee is a great choice, or bringing in Greninja to make more use of the full bench and not just have them passively waiting. Still, the above build is the current powerhouse of the meta - if you can establish it, do so.

• Pros
  • Strong early game
  • Mega Altaria ex is capable of major damage for low cost
  • No dependence on middle evolutions or Rare Candy
• Cons
  • With an empty Bench, Altaria is a weakling
  • Risk of being disrupted by bench-hitting attacks

Best Suicune ex deck

Suicune ex is the focus of this strong early game deck, paired with Mantyke and the ever-powerful Greninja.

• Suicune ex x2
• Froakie x2
• Greninja x2
• Greninja ex x1
• Indeedee ex x1
• Cyrus x2
• Mars x1
• Irida x1
• Lucky Ice Pop x1
• Starting Plains x1
• Rare Candy x2
• Poke Ball x2
• Professor's Research x2

Energy: Water

This pure water deck is basically an update to the renowned Greninja build, with an emphasis on control and low-energy costs, using Cyrus to pull enemies back and forth, and Greninja ex to swap your own team around easily. Suicune's passive card draw should give you a strong hand, and there's plenty of cards that help with endurance.

• Pros
  • Decent energy generation and solid early game
  • Greninja and Cyrus is a recognised power-combo
  • Full of good healing
• Cons
  • Suicune isn't the most durable card, and is contextually powerful
  • Might struggle against very tanky Mega Pokemon

Best Oricorio deck

The Electric Oricorio has been a powerhouse since it debuted, as has various sorts of Magnezone.

• Magneton (Genetic Apex) x2
• Oricorio (Electric) x1
• Magnemite (Crimson Blaze) x2
• Magnezone (Crimson Blaze) x2
• Electrike (Mega Shine) x1
• Mega Manectric ex x1
• Sabrina x1
• Giant Cape x1
• Cyrus x1
• Mars x1
• Copycat x1
• Clemont x1
• Lucky Ice Pop x1
• Poke Ball x2
• Professor's Research x2

Energy: Electric

Mega Manectric has been a serious player in the meta since it debuted, an energy-efficient Pokemon who gets stronger the closer you are to victory. The rest of the deck is all basically just good electric Pokemon: Oricorio to give you immunity to ex cards, and Magneton / Magnezone for rapid energy generation leading to a tanky attacker.

• Pros
  • Oricorio can't be hurt by most of the game's most dangerous cards
  • Magnezone's a strong mix of defense, offense, and energy efficiency
  • Manectric comes in clutch in the late game
• Cons
  • No heavy hitters until the late game
  • Fighting decks remain common

Best Mega Lopunny ex deck

Though it's dependent on random elements, this Fighting type deck can come out hitting hard and early, backed by some Electric types.

• Buneary (Shining Revelry) x2
• Mega Lopunny ex x2
• Magnemite (Crimson Blaze) x2
• Magneton (Genetic Apex) x2
• Magnezone (Space Time Smackdown) x2
• Chingling x1
• Sabrina x1
• Cyrus x1
• Lisia x2
• Clemont x1
• Poke Ball x1
• Red Card x1
• Professor's Research x2

Energy: Fighting

This is a deck where Mega Lopunny absolutely tears up opponents and acts as your main damage dealer, with Magnezone as your backup, having built it on the bench by using Magneton to generate electric energy for itself. Mega Lopunny can actually come in swinging incredibly early, though the randomisation means you have a moderate chance of doing no damage, which clearly isn't ideal. Still, the confusion effect is guaranteed, and the chance to do 180 damage on your second turn is a serious advantage. There's a few variants of this deck floating around right now, so try some variations – the new Magnezone is also very powerful, or try a proper Fighting/Electric hybrid and introduce Oricorio.

• Pros
  • Incredibly strong early game
  • Confusion is a powerful effect
  • Magnezone is strong for a non-ex card
• Cons
  • Coin flips on Lopunny are risky
  • Charging Magneton takes time

Best Mega Absol ex deck

Several variants of the Mega Absol deck have been going around, but this variant is enhanced by a Poison backing and Hydreigon.

• Mega Absol ex x1
• Nihilego x1
• Absol (Wisdom of Sea and Sky) x1
• Deino x2
• Hydreigon x2
• Cyrus x1
• Rare Candy x2
• Poison Barb x2
• Copycat x2
• Lucky Ice Pop x2
• Poke Ball x2
• Professor's Research x2

Energy: Dark

This pure dark deck is highly aggressive, using early impact and Poison to go in hard from the outset, as well as using the Fantastical Parade's Lucky Ice Pop item to help alleviate the damage done to Hydreigon by itself, or just to keep Mega Absol from being KO'd and losing you the game. This is a deck where you can't let up on the offence for a moment, and it works because it can tear through opponent's strategies before they have a chance to set up combos or counters to what you're doing.

• Pros
  • Very strong early game
  • Good at disrupting opponents' strategies
  • Oricorio is having a second with the current wave of Mega Pokemon
• Cons
  • Not hugely tanky, especially with Hydreigon's self destruction
  • Poison won't do much to survival-orientated decks

A-tier

A-tier decks can still perform incredibly strongly, but may be slightly more dependent on luck or setting up complex strategies than those above.

Best Mega Scizor ex deck

This deck is all about using Mega Scizor as early as possible to do major damage and throw off your opponent's preparation.

• Pichu x1
• Mantyke x1
• Skarmory (Space-Time Smackdown) x2
• Scyther (Mega Shine) x2
• Mega Scizor ex x2
• Rocky Helmet x2
• Cyrus x1
• Steel Apron x1
• Copycat x1
• Lucky Ice Pop x1
• Metal Core Barrier x2
• Poke Ball x2
• Professor's Research x2

Energy: Metal

The basic strategy here is to have Pichu and Mantyke at the front, generating energy and being a free swap-out so that you can pull in Mega Scizor Ex, capable of doing 150 damage on the turn it moves to the active spot. You also have Skarmory there and a bunch of tools to ensure both it and Scizor are as effective as possible. Pull off this strategy right, and there's basically a guaranteed victory. If you want to experiment, you can always try it with a Dialga ex card, so that Scizor can have all the energy it needs, or empower the deck with a Training Area.

• Pros
  • Scizor can one-shot most targets
  • Skarmory remains an early game powerhouse
  • Good durability deck
• Cons
  • Scizor has high energy needs
  • If Scyther is KO'd, you're in trouble

Best Mega Charizard Y ex deck

Mega Charizard Y ex has an attack that will KO pretty much any Pokemon that isn't using certain abilities to shield itself from damage, so clearly we have to build a deck around it.

• Entei ex x2
• Charmander (Shining Revelry) x2
• Charmeleon (Crimson Blaze) x2
• Mega Charizard Y ex x2
• Poke Ball x2
• X Speed x1
• Professor's Research x2
• Serena x1
• Copycat x1
• Lillie x1
• Sabrina x1
• Red Card x1
• Flame Patch x2

Energy: Fire

There's potential in trading in Moltres ex here, swapping out either Entei ex or the Flame Patches, but this variant is a powerhouse either way. It's a very simple build – work up towards Mega Charizard as fast as possible, and then vaporize whatever Pokemon has the bad fortune to be in your way. Entei and Serena will help you get there as fast as possible, and while it's perfectly valid to trade out Chameleon for Rare Candy, the fact that it provides an extra Fire energy in the evolution is a pretty nice buff.

• Pros
  • Charizard is the ultimate damage dealer
  • Flame Patch and Serena ensure it gets out there ASAP
  • Entei is always a good opener
• Cons
  • Vulnerable to mill and discard effects - if you lose Charizard, you're in trouble
  • Stage 2 evolution always takes a bit of time
  • Damage to self is always risky, especially as Fire decks don't heal much as a rule

Best Chien-Pao ex deck

This Chien-Pao ex deck teams up with Baxcalibur and Suicune to target the opponent's bench with devastating effects.

• Chien-Pao ex x1
• Suicune ex x2
• Frigibax x2
• Baxcalibur x2
• Giant Cape x1
• Mars x1
• Irida x1
• Rare Candy x2
• Guzma x1
• Inflatable Boat x1
• Copycat x1
• Starting Plains x1
• Poke Ball x2
• Professor's Research x2

Energy: Water

This deck build makes use of Chien-Pao's frankly terrifying ability to hit a benched Pokemon for 130 damage, at the cost of discarding all the energy on it. The set-up is relatively simple though: Suicune comes out first to help fill your hand and be an initial opening barrage, then Baxcalibur uses the Ice Maker ability to quickly provide Chien-Pao with energy. If you like to gamble, try bringing in Misty for those quick energy summons.

• Pros
  • To do 130 damage to a benched target is terrifying
  • Suicune remains a standout in the meta
  • Baxcalibur is a solid tank
• Cons
  • Energy discard means it's hard to be continuously effective
  • Baxcalibur requires Stage 2 evolution

Best Bellibolt ex deck

The Paldean Wonder set's Bellibolt ex pairs here with Magnezone with an emphasis on rapid energy generation.

• Bellibolt ex x2
• Tadbulb x2
• Magnemite (Crimson Blaze) x2
• Magneton (Genetic Apex) x2
• Magnezone (Crimson Blaze) x2
• Cyrus x1
• Copycat x1
• Lisia x1
• Clemont x1
• Training Area x1
• Electric Generator x2
• Poke Ball x1
• Professor's Research x2

Energy: Electric

This is pretty straightforward as deck builds go: Tadbulb, Magneton and Electric Generator all quickly create energy, which can go to either a strong early game, or towards building up Bellibolt's attack, which does 140 damage if fully powered up. There's also a decent emphasis on drawing cards too, so players shouldn't be struggling for a full bench.

• Pros
  • Quick energy creation can lead to a strong early game
  • No reliance on Mega ex Pokemon
  • Strong against water, which always has a big Meta presence
• Cons
  • Not hugely resilient except for Magnezone
  • Lacks major firepower until you full charge Bellibolt

Best Mega Gardevoir ex Deck

This powerful A-tier Psychic deck is about rapidly drawing and providing energy to your Pokemon, centred around the Gardevoir of the Fantastical Parade.

• Ralts (Fantastical Parade) x2
• Mega Gardevoir ex x2
• Mewtwo ex x2
• Indeedee ex x1
• Meloetta x2
• Indeedee x1
• Cyrus x1
• Rare Candy x2
• Copycat x1
• Diantha x2
• Peculiar Plaza x1
• Poke Ball x2
• Professor's Research x2

Energy: Psychic

This is a deck with a wide range of strategies (Indeedee ex heals, Meloetta draws Pokemon, etc), but ultimately it's about using Gardevoir to provide rapid energy to Mewtwo, which can then come in and hit for 150 damage every turn. It's a very effective build and one that's flexible enough to allow for variants, and one we see doing well in the meta of the near future.

• Pros
  • Rapid energy generation and flexability
  • Indeedee ex and Diantha allow for strong healing
  • Versatile deck build and not much evolution needed
• Cons
  • A lot of energy discard cards
  • Though there's healing, a lot of cards have low max health

Best Mega Gyarados ex deck

There's a lot of attempts to get Mega Gyarados to work right now, and though there's no S-tier success so far, it's pairing well with Milotic's healing ability.

• Magikarp (Waterfall Evolution variant) x1
• Magikarp (Splashing Dodge variant) x1
• Mega Gyarados ex x2
• Feebas x2
• Milotic x2
• Giovanni x1
• Heavy Helmet x1
• May x1
• Lisia x2
• X Speed x1
• Poke Ball x1
• Red Card x1
• Professor's Research x2

Energy: Water

The challenge here is getting Gyarados up and running in a timely fashion before Magikarp can be KO'd too soon, but that isn't easy. Rather than fill a deck with Mantykes and Misty cards, we've got a deck with Milotic, which can heal your Gyarados while you supply it with energy, and deal with any Oricorios that pop up. Of course, once it's in play, Gyarados is a brute that mills the opponent's deck, shredding your opponent's strategies.

• Pros
  • Mega Gyarados does big damage and can survive almost any attack
  • Simple deck build and strategy
  • Milling your opponent's deck is a great disruptor
• Cons
  • Slow build up and weak early game
  • Magikarp is a big vulnerability

Best Giratina ex deck

Giratina's power has been significant since release, but the current meta has made Nihilego's potent poison a game changer. Here's how it works:

• Giratina ex x2
• Darkrai ex x2
• Nihilego x1
• Giant Cape x1
• Poison Barb x2
• Repel x1
• Poke Ball x2
• Leaf x1
• Cyrus x1
• Mars x1
• Pokemon Center Lady x1
• Guzma x1
• Professor's Research x2

Energy: Dark

Yes, Giratina is psychic, but it doesn't need the energy when it can produce its own power. While it's doing that, you use Nihilego and Darkrai to continuously hurt opponents: their combined efforts can do at least 40 damage per turn without even attacking.

The downsides are lack of real punch in the early game, not to mention that Darkrai and Giratina have expensive withdrawal costs, so there's not much versatility. Still, by keeping foes on the bench from the word go, you can ensure your enemies have a bad time.

• Pros
  • Tanky Pokemon make it hard to get knocked out quick
  • Giratina can do 130 damage every turn when ready to go
  • Poison and Darkrai chew threw enemies as a powerful pair of passives
• Cons
  • Slow set-up that's somewhat luck-dependent
  • Struggles against decks with low retreat costs or healing

Best Raikou ex deck

Raikou ex slots nicely into this electric deck that's basically a round-up of all the best electric-type cards.

• Raikou ex x2
• Magnemite (Genetic Apex) x2
• Magneton (Genetic Apex) x2
• Magnezone x2
• Oricorio (Electric/Safeguard) x1
• Sabrina x1
• Leaf x1
• Giant Cape x1
• Cyrus x1
• Pokemon Center Lady x1
• Iono x2
• Poke Ball x2
• Professor's Research x2

Energy: Electric

This is less about strategy and more about just generally good cards that give you options against any kind of opponent. Raikou's card draw and low-cost attacks are a good early game option, even as you work towards Magnezone's high-power attacks on the bench. Meanwhile, a host of Supporter cards will give you further versatility, and Oricorio is always guaranteed to win you at least a few games when players rely solely on ex cards.

• Pros
  • Low energy costs and quick card draws
  • Magnezone is as powerful as any ex card
  • Oricorio is a powerful wild card
• Cons
  • Raikou doesn't have much health for an ex Pokemon
  • Magnezone can be difficult to set up

Best Ho-Oh ex deck

This PTCGP deck focuses on mixing Lugia ex and Ho-Oh ex, so that the latter can power up the former for a deadly attack.

• Zeraora x2
• Ho-Oh ex x2
• Pichu x1
• Lugia ex x1
• Leaf x2
• Pokemon Communication x1
• Giant Cape x2
• Dawn x2
• Guzma x1
• Elemental Switch x2
• Poke Ball x2
• Professor's Research x2

Energy: Electric

This build is based on deploying Ho-Oh ex and using their Phoenix Turbo to power up Lugia ex's hugely powerful attack, which can be sped up using Zeraora or Pichu along with the Elemental Switch item trainer card. Setting up the deck to generate the required Energy quickly is key, so ideally you want to hit your cards as soon as possible. Get Ho-Oh up and running ASAP, and on the very next turn after it attacks you have the choice to swap in Lugia off the bench and one-shot nearly any foe.

• Pros
  • Ho-Oh ex can use Phoenix Turbo to power up Lugia ex
  • When Lugia ex uses Elemental Blast they'll deal a massive 180 damage, enough to knock out most opponents
  • Zeraora and Pichu offer multiples routes to generate Energy
• Cons
  • It takes a number of turns to get Ho-Oh ex and Lugia ex set up
  • Both ex Pokemon have a Weakness to Lightning
  • Pichu is highly vulnerable

Best Espeon ex deck

Espeon ex in PTCGP is best worked into the following deck build:

• Sylveon x1
• Sylveon ex x2
• Eevee ex x2
• Espeon ex x2
• Eevee (Wisdom of Sea and Sky variant) x2
• Giant Cape x2
• Cyrus x2
• Eevee Bag x2
• Silver x1
• Poke Ball x2
• Red Card x1
• Professor's Research x2

Energy: Psychic

This is pretty simple as decks go: a psychic build wherein you draw through your deck relatively quickly to get Espeon ex, which can heal and do a solid 80 damage for two energy. The name of the game here is speed, building up to that offense before your opponent can start hitting back, while negating the smaller chip damage done in the meantime. The downside is a lack of real offensive power, but if you can start damaging early enough, that shouldn't matter.

• Pros
  • Rapidly draw through deck
  • Versatile build without need for a complex strategy
  • Solid damage output for the early game
• Cons
  • Lacks major damage choices
  • Highly vulnerable to Dark builds

Best Solgaleo ex deck

This early build based on Celestial Guardians' Solgaleo card is a Metal deck that uses the following build:

• Cosmog x2
• Cosmoem x1
• Solgaleo ex x2
• Morelull x2
• Shiinotic x2
• Giant Cape x1
• Rare Candy x2
• Poke Ball x2
• Sabrina x1
• Lillie x1
• Guzma x1
• Cyrus x1
• Red x1
• Professor's Research x2

Energy: Metal

Multiple deck builds around Solgaleo ex have come screaming out in the wake of the Celestial Guardians, but right now this one has shot up the meta. The legendary's power to do heavy damage on two Energy means that if you can set it up ASAP then a lot of the opposing decks simply won't have time to build up strategies before you go smashing through them, not to mention that Solgaleo serves as a potent tank.

What you pair Solgaleo with varies, but right now the Extradimensional Crisis deck has offered a powerful build by mixing in Shiinotic, which lets you rapidly draw to great effect.

• Pros
  • Potentially very strong early game
  • Solgaleo ex is a great tank
  • Emphasis on healing and durability
• Cons
  • Have to build it up to Stage 2
  • Solgaleo's not quite strong enough to wipe every ex enemy, leaving you open to counterattack

Best Primarina ex deck

This deck based on the Eevee Grove Primarina is about making use of this ex card's strong endurance.

• Froakie x2
• Frogadier x1
• Greninja x2
• Popplio x2
• Brionne x1
• Primarina ex x2
• Poke Ball x2
• Rare Candy x2
• Cyrus x1
• Hau x1
• Irida x1
• Lillie x1
• Professor's Research x2

Energy: Water

Primarina ex is incredibly durable, with 180HP and a self-heal ability that allows it to survive even further. Not only that, but support cards like Lillie and Irina add to its durability. And with any water deck, having Greninja on the bench is an incredibly potent support as you can pick at enemies.

This is a deck that doesn't necessarily lack for extreme firepower though, as Hau can add damage to Primarina for 130 total. Ultimately though the initial build up is more of the issue, as a Stage 2 Pokemon is always a little bit of a risk, even with Rare Candy doing a lot to thin the transition.

• Pros
  • Great durability and survival
  • Greninja is always a strong support
  • Largely energy-friendly
• Cons
  • Lacks decisive firepower
  • Can potentially struggle early on depending on draw

B-tier

B-tier decks are strong and can claim some wins, and may even have the edge to take down certain S-tier decks. However, they might be a little outdated, be more reliant on luck, or have a lot of counter-decks floating around.

Best Mega Slowbro ex deck

This Water deck is all about Mega Slowbro ex, who tears through your opponent's bench with every strike.

• Slowpoke (Secluded Springs) x2
• Mega Slowpoke ex x2
• Mantyke x2
• Rocky Helmet x2
• Cyrus x1
• Irida x1
• Will x1
• Copycat x2
• Serena x1
• Lucky Ice Pop x2
• Poke Ball x2
• Professor's Research x2

Energy: Water

The idea here is that Slowbro ex's ability to tear through the opponent's bench means that's all you should be building too, hence the small amount of actual Pokemon here. If you can get lucky with those coin flips (big "if") then there's not much the opposing team can do to hide, only heal up as much as possible. Speaking of which, this deck also has a healing focus, as Slowbro is fairly tanky and Water decks can lean towards restoration with cards like Irida.

This is one of the simpler strategies out there though: use Mantyke to power up Slowpoke, then bring in Mega Slowbro ex and keep attacking while using Irida and the Lucky Ice Pops to keep it alive.

• Pros
  • Strong durability and healing
  • Can target the opponent's bench better than most builds
  • Somewhat energy efficient
• Cons
  • Dependant on coin flips for maximum effect
  • Only one strategy

Best Sylveon ex deck

Sylveon ex fits into a lot of decks, but in this one it's more of a focus. We've paired it with Mega Rising's strong psychic cards for the best result.

• Duskull (Mega Rising) x1
• Dusknoir (Space Time Smackdown) x1
• Eevee (Mega Rising) x2
• Sylveon ex x2
• Swablu (Secluded Springs) x2
• Mega Altaria ex x2
• Indeedee ex x1
• Cyrus x1
• Mars x1
• Red x1
• Lisia x2
• Rare Candy x1
• Poke Ball x1
• Professor's Research x2

Energy: Psychic

Sylveon's ability to draw cards pairs superbly with an evolution-friendly deck, and then Mega Altaria's need for a full bench. On top of which, Dusknoir allows you to move damage around, effectively letting Altaria or Sylveon safely tank damage, even as Indeedee reduces how much damage that actually is by constantly healing your active Pokemon.

• Pros
  • Can draw rapidly through your deck
  • Good early and late game options
  • A tanky deck
• Cons
  • An empty bench leaves you weakened
  • Losing Swablu or Eevee puts you at risk

Best Galarian Obstagoon deck

Obstagoon is surprisingly powerful for a two-energy Pokemon, so this A-tier modified Dark deck capitalises on that.

• Galarian Zigzagoon x2
• Galarian Obstagoon x2
• Darkrai ex x1
• Chingling x2
• Mega Absol ex x1
• Rocky Helmet x1
• Cyrus x1
• Rare Candy x2
• Copycat x2
• Piers x2
• Poke Ball x2
• Professor's Research x2

Energy: Dark

This is a general "good cards" deck with one clear synergy: that Darkrai ex's abilities whittle the opponent's Pokemon down a little, setting them up for Obstagoon to do maximum damage. Not only that, but the Piers card takes energy from your opponent's active Pokemon, impeding their ability to set up a counter attack. Expect to see a lot of variations on this deck, as it's pretty open to modification.

• Pros
  • Obstagoon is a powerful card in any circumstance
  • Absol ex and Darkrai ex remain reliable in any deck
  • Cyrus and Piers allow for strong control elements
• Cons
  • Not hugely durable in the current meta
  • If you don't draw Obstagoon or Zigzagoon dies, you're in trouble

Best Mega Kangaskhan ex deck

Normal, colorless cards rarely have their day, but Mega Kangaskhan ex is a powerful, two-striking brute that's worth watching closely, having made it to the A-tier with this build.

• Mega Kangaskhan ex x1
• Froakie (Mega Rising) x2
• Oricorio (Pom-Pom Style/Electric) x2
• Greninja (Genetic Apex) x2
• Mantyke x2
• Cyrus x1
• Red x1
• Rare Candy x2
• Ilima x1
• Serena x1
• Copycat x1
• Poke Ball x2
• Professor's Research x2

Energy: Electric

This is all about Kangaskhan's ability to effectively hit two different enemies if you hit well with it. It means you can potentially KO two Pokemon in a single attack, but it needs to be used carefully. Therefore, this is a Bench-focusing deck where the ever-reliable Greninja and Cyrus combo is used to move your opponent's team around and make sure you're hitting the optimum Pokemon with Kangaskhan for maximum effectiveness.

• Pros
  • Kangaskhan is a basic Pokemon with no evolution needed
  • Mantyke allows for quick energy generation
  • Very good deck control
• Cons
  • Fantastical Parade offers better Bench defense options than before
  • Kangaskhan has low health for a Mega Evolution
  • You need Mantyke if you want Greninja to attack properly

Best Mega Swampert ex Deck

Mega Swampert ex mills energy from the whole board, which though random, can be devastating to an opponent. It's easily in the B-tier, and could go higher.

• Mudkip x2
• Marshtomp x2
• Swampert x1
• Mega Swampert ex x2
• Mantyke x2
• Rocky Helmet x1
• Cyrus x2
• Rare Candy x2
• Lillie x1
• Copycat x2
• Poke Ball x2
• Professor's Research x2

Energy: Water

This is pretty straightforward as deck builds go: Mantyke charges Mudkip up on the bench so you can cycle in Mega Swampert ex as fast as possible. Once that happens, things can go one of two ways, depending on how the random energy mill goes, but ultimately Swampert should be tough enough to endure for a little while at least.

• Pros
  • Rapid energy generation early on puts you in the midgame quick
  • Swampert ex can devastate the opponent's strategy if you're lucky
  • Generally tanky, high survival build
• Cons
  • Dependant on evolution
  • Energy mill could hit you instead of your opponent

Best Mega Blastoise ex deck

The mega evolved version of the series' coolest starter (you heard me), Blastoise ex requires a lot of energy to be as powerful as possible, so this deck build is based around generating that energy.

• Mantyke x1
• Manaphy x1
• Eiscue x1
• Squirtle (Genetic Apex) x2
• Mega Blastoise ex x2
• Rare Candy x2
• Poke Ball x2
• May x1
• Heavy Helmet x1
• Professor's Research x2
• Misty x2
• Copycat x1
• Cyrus x1
• Irida x1

Energy: Water

The opener you want here is to start with either Mantyke, Manaphy or Eiscue, while you quickly evolve Squirtle up on your bench and fill it with energy. Then, once that's done, you bring in Blastoise and tear through your opponents, as the big turtle can do 50 damage to bench Pokemon once it has six energy on it. Of course, you'll have to survive until that point, but once you do, you'll be a real powerhouse. For variation, try bringing in Lillie or swapping out the Rare Candies for Wartortle, which will provide more insurance against Oricorio.

• Pros
  • Blastoise is an almost unrivalled tank
  • Very fast energy generation
  • Chance to snipe Pokemon back on the bench, opening them up to Cyrus or KOing weak Pokemon
• Cons
  • Eiscue is your only real resort against Oricorio
  • Large energy requirements to be effective
  • Might struggle in the early game

Best Guzzlord ex deck

Guzzlord ex is a nasty Dark-type deck that hampers your opponent's ability to retaliate and drenches them in Poison at the same time. You can make it with the following:

• Guzzlord ex x2
• Nihilego x2
• Celesteela x2
• Poison Barb x2
• Poke Ball x2
• Sabrina x1
• Cyrus x1
• Mars x1
• Pokemon Center Lady x2
• Red x1
• Lusamine x2
• Professor's Research x2

Energy: Dark

Obviously having Celesteela allows you supreme control with flipping around Nihilego and Guzzlord ex as you wish, which leads to the primary tactic: Poisoning the foe with Nihilego and then letting Guzzlord shred energy from them, limiting their options until they're either KO'd through attrition, or until Guzzlord is ready to hit for 120 damage.

The downside is that the latter takes a while, and while Guzzlord is tanky, he may not be tanky enough to survive all barrages, especially if you don't draw the Pokemon Center Lady. Still, a little luck and cunning will carry you to more victories than loses.

• Pros
  • Grindcore can hamper any opponent significantly
  • Guzzlord is a good tank
  • Poison hits foes hard early on
• Cons
  • Lacks real early game muscle
  • Opponents can build energy on the bench
  • Grindcore can be unlucky

Best Nihilego deck

The Extradimensional Crisis expansion has brought forward this Dark deck based around inflicting extra powerful poison with the card Nihilego.

• Poipole x2
• Naganadel x2
• Nihilego x2
• Darkrai ex x2
• Poke Ball x2
• Poison Barb x2
• Pokemon Communication x1
• Professor's Research x2
• Cyrus x1
• Sabrina x1
• Dawn x1
• Leaf x2

Energy: Dark

This is a deck that's all about passive, toxic play, holding back and inflicting chip damage and poison on foes to whittle down their health. Nihilego is the main boon here, able to poison enemies and increasing the damage done by poison, while Naganadel and the Toxic Barb can also inflict poison. It goes without saying that there's plenty of other builds that Nihilego can be folded into, such as Clodsire or Wheezing, but this one is pretty efficient, especially with Dawn and Leaf to speed up transitions and power.

The downsides are fairly evident: namely that this is a deck that lacks massive power output, not to mention that poison can be cured quickly enough by withdrawing the card accordingly. Still, some clever play and a little luck can more than negate this downside through our early attempts.

• Pros
  • Small amount of ex cards make it less make-or-break
  • Good against the multitude of Psychic decks
  • Versatile, not dependent on a single card
• Cons
  • Lacks heavy firepower
  • Will struggle against Arceus

Best Arceus ex deck

This Arceus ex deck is about rapid energy generation in collaboration with the other deity, Dialga ex.

• Arceus ex x2
• Dialga ex x2
• Shaymin (Space-Time Smackdown) x1
• Shaymin (Triumphant Light) x1
• Poke Ball x2
• Potion x2
• Giant Cape x2
• Rocky Helmet x1
• Adaman x1
• Cyrus x1
• Giovanni x1
• Sabrina x2
• Professor's Research x2

Energy: Metal

The headliner of the Pokemon TCG Pocket Triumphant Light expansion, Arceus ex, has many different variants of decks that are strong contenders right now, but the strongest that we can see is a working relationship with its child Dialga ex. For this deck, you send out Dialga ex first, and quickly send back energy to a benched Arceus to quickly power it up. At the same time, the two Shaymin provide passive buffs of health and reduced retreat costs, giving you a lot more flexibility and health.

The downside is a slow start and poor early game, especially if you don't get Dialga soon enough. You're basically just trying to stay alive until the mid-game, using trainer cards, tools and healing to keep your team alive until Arceus and Dialga are ready to bring out their high-power moves. Get through that rough early section, and you'll be very hard to stop.

• Pros
  • Arceus' attack can do 130 damage with a full bench
  • Dialga is a strong opening play
  • High health and survival power
• Cons
  • Weak to the common fighting deck
  • Poor early game as a rule
  • Vulnerable to control decks

Best Lunala ex deck

Lunala ex is a means to empower other psychic heavy-hitters like Mewtwo and Giratina. Here's the current optimum deck build:

• Cosmog x2
• Cosmoem x1
• Lunala ex x2
• Mewtwo ex x1
• Giratina ex x2
• Poke Ball x2
• Rare Candy x2
• Pokemon Communication x1
• Sabrina x1
• Leaf x2
• Cyrus x1
• Guzma x1
• Professor's Research x2

Energy: Psychic

Lunala's main power is the ability to bring all the Psychic energy from a benched Pokemon to the active Pokemon, which means that Giratina can effectively charge up power from the back row, only for Lunala to pull it across to whichever powerhouse is sitting in the front position.

It's a big advantage designed to start swinging with major punches by the time you're in the mid-game, though it's dependent on getting Lunala out in a timely manner. We've got both Cosmoem and and Rare Candy to ensure the evolution, but you shouldn't be relying on this method as the only way to win.

• Pros
  • Mewtwo and Giratina are two of the most powerful ex Pokemon
  • Can be devastating opponents by turn four or five if you're lucky
  • Lunala is a strong tank with a low retreat cost
• Cons
  • Dark decks are a common peril
  • Completely vulnerable to Oricorio

Best Clodsire ex deck

This Dark-type poison-focused deck is very strong in Pokemon TCG Pocket right now.

• Paldean Wooper x2
• Paldean Clodsire x2
• Shroodle x2
• Grafaiai x2
• Sabrina x1
• Cyrus x1
• Iono x1
• Professor's Research x2
• Red x1
• X Speed x2
• Giant Cape x2
• Poke Ball x2

Energy: Dark

Having emerged from the Pokemon TCG Pocket Shining Revelry expansion, the basics of this deck are pretty straightforward - poison the foe early on, then focus on survival and control, while also using Clodsire's 120 damage attack to hammer through foes. The fact that you can hit with that attack on your second turn is an outrageous advantage, and Grafaiai ensures a steady supply of poison to whittle enemies down.

The downside is that there's clearly a bit of set-up involved here. Not much, admittedly, but not none, and it leaves you vulnerable to rapid fighting type decks like the Rampardos / Sudowoodo build you can also find on this page. Likewise, Arceus ex - a popular card - is poison immune. However, that doesn't mean you can't win, you just need to ensure you control the battlefield enough to negate that advantage.

• Pros
  • Clodsire can potentially do 120 damage by turn 4
  • Should be up and running by the mid-game
  • Good control and survivability
• Cons
  • Vulnerable against certain common deck builds
  • Fast decks can defeat Wooper and Shroodle too early
  • Only Clodsire provides pure offensive power

Best Leafeon ex / Celebi ex deck

This modified Celebi ex deck includes the Triumphant Light Leafeon ex to increase energy production for higher damage output.

• Eevee (Continuous Steps variant) x2
• Leafeon ex x2
• Celebi ex x2
• Shaymin (Triumphant Light) x1
• Giant Cape x2
• Poke Ball x2
• X Speed x2
• Potion x1
• Professor's Research x2
• Cyrus x1
• Dawn x1
• Erika x2

Energy: Grass

Celebi ex gaining power from how much energy it has attached to it means that a pairing with an energy generation card like Leafeon is only natural. Leafeon's main ability is to give a free energy to any other card you have (if it's in the active slot), but this means if you have two of them in play, you can use Forest Breath, have Leafeon retreat, then use the other Leafeon's Forest Breath. This means Celebi can potentially get three energy applied to it in a single turn; a devastasting ramp up.

The downsides are pretty apparent - Fire is your big threat, and if you can't find Celebi in the deck, Leafeon's power won't help you much. Still, Shaymin's passive ability to spark rapid retreats will help you improvise in a pinch.

• Pros
  • Rapid energy gives you a strong early/mid game
  • Celebi ex can do more damage than any other card if set up right
  • Good survivability and healing
• Cons
  • Dependant on drawing Celebi for best effect
  • Weak to Fire decks

Best Rampardos / Sudowoodo deck

This fighting-type deck seems unassuming, but is getting startling results in the wake of Triumphant Light. You can build it yourself with:

• Sudowoodo x1
• Marshadow x1
• Riolu x2
• Lucario x2
• Skull Fossil x2
• Cranidos x2
• Rampardos x2
• Poke Ball x2
• Pokemon Communication x2
• Professor's Research x2
• Sabrina x1
• Cyrus x1

Energy: Fighting

I've been playing this deck a lot at the moment and getting far more wins than losses. The pitch here is that this is a kind of anti-Ex deck, designed to take down all the more high-power decks that tend to dominate the meta. Sudowoodo can do 50 damage to an ex card with one energy right off the bat, while Rampardos can do 130 damage! Not only that, but the presence of Lucario means everything will get a permanent +20 damage boost, raised to +40 if you can get them both onto the board.

The downsides of this deck are pretty straightforward - it's a glass cannon build focused on the early game, without much in survival power. You can readdress that with some tweaks, but ultimately its smarter just to double down on what's good, and outpace your opponents. Send out Sudowoodo early on if possible, while building up towards Rampardos and Lucario on the bench.

• Pros
  • Low energy costs across the board
  • Very strong early game
  • Rampardos buffed by Lucario can one-shot many ex Pokemon for one energy!
• Cons
  • It's hard to get that Skull Fossil to start the Rampardos line
  • Low survival power generally
  • Weakens in the late game

Best Gholdengo / Dialga ex deck

Dialga ex has found its niche in PTCGP as a way to rapidly fuel other cards with Steel energy - and Shining Revelry's Gholdengo is a great contender for that.

• Gimmighoul x2
• Gholdengo x2
• Dialga ex x2
• Mew ex x1
• Sabrina x1
• Leaf x2
• Dawn x2
• Adaman x1
• Professor's Research x2
• Pokemon Communication x1
• Giant Cape x1
• Rocky Helmet x1
• Poke Ball x2

Energy: Metal

The plan here is a pretty straightforward one - you send out Dialga first while building up Gholdengo on the bench, and using control/defense cards to keep Dialga alive in the process. Once Gholdengo has a lot of energy on it, you bring out the big string cheese for a massive attack.

Gholdengo basically works like Celebi, in that its damage scales according to how much energy is on it, but with the random factor of coin flips. With that in mind, assuming the usual 50% success rate, a very achievable six energy should result in 150 damage, enough to beat most cards in one strike. Still, this deck struggles against Fire decks, and if you don't get Dialga early on, it can be hard to build up to that power. However, survive into the mid-game and you're probably going to win.

• Pros
  • Dialga ex is a great tank and hard to beat in the early game
  • Weak to Fire type decks, but they don't have a strong footing in the meta
  • Gholdengo can do massive damage when set up right
• Cons
  • Without Dialga, it's hard to build up
  • Vulnerable to unlucky coin flips
  • Gimmighoul can't do damage at all

Best Meowscarada deck

A fast(ish) grass deck, Meowscarada teams up with Arceus and Carnavine to hit hard at ex cards.

• Sprigatito x2
• Floragato x2
• Meowscarada x2
• Arceus ex x2
• Carnavine x2
• Professor's Research x2
• Erika x2
• Red x2
• Giant Cape x2
• Poke Ball x2

Energy: Grass

This is a deck that's all about countering the prevalence of ex decks, especially those that take a little time to set up. Meowscarada can do a whopping 130 damage to ex Pokemon, up to 170 if you exploit a weakness and trigger Red at the same time. You can potentially KO an ex card in a single devastating blow.

But it requires some setup to get there. Meowscarada only requires two energy, but it's a Stage 2 Pokemon that you'll need to filter your deck to find. Otherwise, you'll be dependent on the Arceus and Carnavine accordingly - both of whom are powerful and can be deployed quickly. Still, going up against a non-ex deck can leave you flailing slightly.

• Pros
  • Ruins the very common ex deck builds
  • Fire decks aren't that common
  • Sprigatito lets you search your deck early on
• Cons
  • Weaker against non-ex decks
  • Stage 2 evolutions are hard to set up

Best Wugtrio ex deck

This Wugtrio ex deck takes the raw, random power of Wugtrio, backed by none less than the god of space.

• Wiglett x2
• Wugtrio ex x2
• Palkia ex x1
• Manaphy x2
• Professor's Research x2
• Misty x2
• Irida x2
• Iona x1
• Giant Cape x1
• Pokemon Communication x1
• Poke Ball x2
• X Speed x2

Energy: Water

Wugtrio's high power is, of course, offset by the randomness of it, wherein you do 3 lots of 50 damage to random targets. Just to double down on that randomness, we include the ever-fickle Misty to make or break your setup.

Beyond that, this a deck that's pretty simple: deploy Manaphy to quickly fuel either Palkia or Wugtrio, then swap out to deliver a series of devastating blows that even the benched Pokemon aren't safe from. If you're in danger, Irida will hopefully buy you the time to counteract it.

• Pros
  • Ruins Pokemon on the back bench too
  • Wugtrio builds quickly and does high damage
  • Manaphy and Misty generate rapid energ
• Cons
  • Failure of Misty is always dangerous
  • Wugtrio's unpredictability can play against you
  • Only Palkia is particularly tanky

Best Palkia ex deck

We predicted Palkia ex would be a meta-winner in Pokemon TCG Pocket after the Space-Time Smackdown, and sure enough one of the best water decks is now headlined by it. To make this Palkia ex deck, you'll need:

• Palkia ex x2
• Manaphy x2
• Eevee (Mythical Island/Continuous Steps Variant) x2
• Vaporeon (Mythical Island/Wash Out ability Variant) x2
• Misty x2
• Cyrus x2
• Professor's Research x2
• Giant Cape x2
• Pokemon Communication x2
• Poke Ball x2

Energy: Water

Water decks have always been a high contender in the meta since the beginning (largely due to Misty), and Palkia ex is leaping on that trend. Everything here is about setting up Palkia's devastating Dimensional Storm attack, where it does 150 damage to the active enemy Pokemon and 20 damage to all the benched ones. The downside is that it costs you 4 energy and you discard three in the process.

Fortunately, your supporting team is here to help with that - Misty and Manaphy supplying a deluge of energy, while Vaporeon lets you control that energy placement. This is a deck that'll probably struggle in the early game to get a footing and you'll be very vulnerable to Pikachu and Electric decks, but items like Giant Cape and Pokemon Communication are designed to help with that.

• Pros
  • Devastating late game
  • Great energy control
  • Misty can win you the game on your first turn (if you're lucky)
• Cons
  • Can struggle in the early game
  • Weak to the common electric decks
  • A lot of set-up means many things that can go wrong

For more info on how to build a great Pokemon TCG Pocket Palkia ex deck, check out our dedicated guide!

Best Buzzwole ex deck

The big bug of the Extradimensional Crisis set is very powerful in PTCGP if used correctly in this Grass-type deck alongside other cards from the set.

• Buzzwole ex x2
• Pheromosa x2
• Celesteela x2
• Poke Ball x2
• Leaf Cape x2
• Beastite x1
• Erika x2
• Cyrus x1
• Mars x1
• Pokemon Center Lady x1
• Lusamine x2
• Professor's Research x2

Energy: Grass

With all of these cards the goal and strategy is relatively straightforward: use Grass card's superior durability and healing, paired with the great mobility and control offered by Celesteela to swap them around. You hit hard with Buzzwole's Big Beat, but then can use Celesteela to withdraw it in preparation for a second assault, while Pheromosa can pick at backline opponents. Perhaps most essentially, Lusamine allows players to rapidly fuel new cards for a sudden, devastating assault.

The downside is that this is probably the slowest deck in the S-tier meta, with Buzzwole needing at least some time to get cooking before the assault can truly begin. Still, some clever play and application of all those healing powers means that you should be able to keep pace until the assault can begin.

• Pros
  • Good control and mobility
  • Great survival options, as per usual with Grass types
  • Lusamine can help with a sudden reversal
• Cons
  • Buzzwole needs time to charge up and is your only real heavy hitter
  • This deck is completely vulnerable to fire

Best Entei ex deck

Here Entei ex is folded into the recognized Charizard ex build, to create a fire deck that's focused on high-energy cost attacks.

• Charmander (Shining Revelry) x2
• Charizard ex (Shining Revelry) x2
• Magby x1
• Entei ex x2
• Pokemon Communication x1
• Rare Candy x2
• Poke Ball x2
• Elemental Switch x1
• Sabrina x1
• Professor's Research x2
• Lillie x1
• Leaf x1
• Cyrus x1
• Giant Cape x1

Energy: Fire

The set-up on this is pretty straightforward: Magby ideally powers up your bench early on, at which point you can switch in Entei ex to start rapidly drawing cards. At that point you can decide based on context whether to get Entei to four energy for 120 Fire Damage per turn, or to fold in Charizard and use stoke for the massive energy rush. Meanwhile, Elemental Switch and Dawn will help you move that energy around to where it's most helpful.

• Pros
  • Good energy generation
  • Entei ex allows for rapid card draws and is versatile
  • Charizard ex is hard to stop when at 5 energy
• Cons
  • Magby can lose you early points
  • Weak to water decks, which are common
  • Highly vulnerable to energy depletion strategies

Best Magcargo deck

Magcargo in PTCGP has become pretty powerful (if chaotic) in Wisdom of Sea and Sky. Here's how to build a deck around it.

• Slugma (Space-Time Showdown) x2
• Magcargo (Wisdom of Sea and Sky) x2
• Silvally x1
• Poke Ball x2
• Red Card x2
• Pokemon Communication x2
• Rescue Scarf x1
• Professor's Research x2
• Pokemon Center Lady x2
• Gladion x2
• Silver x2

Energy: Fire

This strange deck build is effective in the early game, but risks turning damage on you. Magcargo does 150 damage for two energy, but distributed in random 50 damage attacks across both teams. Only the Magcargo itself is safe, so this is a deck where having a bench at all is risky.

To run it, get Slugma out and mill through your deck for Magcargo as fast as possible. Make sure you put down a second one only when you're ready to evolve it (to minimise the chance of KOing it), and burn through your opponent's bench. Meanwhile, Gladion to Silvally to Pokemon Communication is a three-step way to get the exact cards you need.

• Pros
  • Massive early game damage
  • Really effective against decks with a full bench
• Cons
  • Only two Pokemon you can play
  • Incredibly random and chaotic

Best Crobat ex deck

This PTCGP deck is a Dark-energy poison focus that whittles down enemies early.

• Nihilego x1
• Sylveon ex x2
• Zubat x2
• Crobat ex x2
• Eevee x2
• Giant Cape x2
• Cyrus x1
• Rare Candy x2
• Lillie x1
• Silver x1
• Poke Ball x2
• Professor's Research x2

Energy: Dark

This build is based around the More Poison Ability of Crobat ex and Nihilego, which can be quickly set up in the right conditions to deal significant damage within a couple of turns. Use the Rare Candy item trainer card to get an early evolution from Zubat to Crobat ex, then Sylveon ex should help you find the cards you need to get everything set up.

• Pros
  • Damage can be dealt early using Crobat ex and Nihilego
  • Sylveon ex provides support to those Pokemon and helps with set up
• Cons
  • You need to set up Crobat ex quickly to be effective
  • Weak against other decks that can counter status conditions

Best Umbreon deck

The Eevee Grove booster set has produced this interesting build for Umbreon, serving as a modification of the existing Darkrai/Giratina deck build.

• Eevee (Eevee Grove) x2
• Umbreon x2
• Darkrai ex x2
• Giratina x2
• Poke Ball x2
• Rocky Helmet x1
• Giant Cape x1
• Iona x1
• Red x1
• Sabrina x1
• Pokemon Center Lady x1
• Leaf x1
• Cyrus x1
• Professor's Research x2

Energy: Dark

This is a fairly straightforward variant of the provenly powerful Giratina deck, but with the addition of Umbreon, whose main attack prevents basic Pokemon from attacking for the next turn. It's a way of effectively disarming many decks that rely on such cards, like... well, like the Giratina and Darkrai build.

The strengths of this deck and how to run it should be evident to those familiar with the original build: use Darkrai and Giratina to rapidly build energy and inflict chip damage, while at the same time making sure that you have Umbreon building up so that you can deflect many ex cards.

• Pros
  • Umbreon serves a similar function as Oricorio
  • Darkrai and Giratina is a proven powerhouse combo
  • Strong durability and resilience
• Cons
  • Potentially slow build-up
  • Umbreon only works against specific deck builds

Best Weavile ex / Darkrai ex deck

The Pokemon TCG Pocket Space-Time Smackdown expansion has added a bunch of strong new cards and opened up this Dark-type deck based around Weavile ex and Darkrai ex.

• Sneasel x2
• Weavile ex x2
• Darkrai ex x2
• Spiritomb x2
• Dawn x2
• Cyrus x2
• Professor's Research x2
• Pokemon Communication x2
• X Speed x2
• Poke Ball x2

Energy: Dark

This is a high-power deck based around unrelenting offensive power from the off, as well as some energy control to keep Darkrai ex's ability going. Meanwhile, a supporting hand of control cards like Cyrus and Pokemon Communication mean that you can keep that offense maintained, dragging damaged Pokemon back into play or even damaging benched Pokemon directly with Spiritomb.

The downside here is a lack of any real killer attacks - a big tanky Blastoise will survive anything you have for at least a while, so you need to ensure it never reaches the late-game phase. If something can survive your barrage, like Mewtwo ex, nothing you have is durable enough to stand up to a long assault. Still, a powerful early game has been a staple of the meta from the beginning, and Weavile ex being so potent off the bat (not to mention Dawn's energy control) means you can really come out swinging here.

• Pros
  • Very strong early game
  • Strong against the relatively common psychic decks
  • Good board control
• Cons
  • Weak to grass decks (and Celebi ex as a result)
  • No real late-game powerhouse attacks
  • Lower health pools

If you're looking for more detail on strategies and ways to play this build, we've got a more comprehensive guide on the Pokemon TCG Pocket Darkrai ex and Weavile ex deck here!

Best Charizard ex deck

The new Shining Revelry Charizard ex has empowered Pokemon TCG Pocket fire decks again. To make this deck, build the following:

• Charmander (Shining Revelry) x2
• Charmeleon (Shining Revelry) x2
• Charizard ex (Shining Revelry) x2
• Druddigon x2
• Leaf x2
• Irida x2
• Professor's Research x2
• Pokemon Communication x1
• Giant Cape x2
• Rocky Helmet x1
• Poke Ball x2

Energy: Fire/Water

Strategy-wise, this is a simpler build - Druddigon holds down the active spot while you build up to Charizard ex and fuel it with energy, then swap them around and burn through the opponent's line up.

Until that point, you're playing for time - like any deck that requires two evolutions, it's on the slower side. Use Irida, the Cape and the Helmet to buy yourself time, while filtering through your deck for the Charmander line. Quicker decks can put you in danger, so disrupt them as much as possible along the way. If you're inclined, trying swapping in Moltres ex to see if you can charge Charizard all the quicker.

• Pros
  • Charizard's damage is massive
  • Good durability and survival power
  • Stoke allows Charizard to fuel itself in a pinch
• Cons
  • Weak to water decks, which are common
  • Slow to set up and risks disruption along the way
  • Dual type energy risks a run of unusable water.

Best Mewtwo ex deck

The Mewtwo ex deck is one of the best decks in the meta right now, and is composed of the following:

• Mewtwo ex x2
• Ralts x2
• Kirlia x2
• Gardevoir x2
• Potion x2
• X Speed x2
• Poke Ball x2
• Red Card x1
• Professor's Research x2
• Mythical Slab x1
• Giovanni x2

Energy: Psychic

Getting Mewtwo EX onto the battlefield has never been easier thanks to the new Mythical Slab card, which allows you to cycle through your monsters more effectively. Mythical Slab takes the top card of your deck; if it’s a psychic Pokemon, it goes into your hand. Anything else gets pulled to the bottom of your deck.

Once you’ve got Mewtwo on the active slot, you can rely on Gardevoir's "Psy Shadow" Ability to give it free energy every turn. Set it up right, and you can use Mewtwo's Psydrive attack to do 150 damage every turn, at no cost to yourself.

Before, setting up two Ralts evolutions was a risky proposition. Now, though, you’ve got multiple options for getting the card you need beyond Mythical Slab, like Professor’s Research and Pokeball.

We've also got a dedicated guide to looking at all versions of the Pokemon TCG Pocket Mewtwo ex deck.

• Pros
  • Massive, continuous damage when set up
  • Gardevoir and Mewtwo have decent HP
  • An arguably OP deck is now even stronger
• Cons
  • Your best bet for Mythical Slab is Wonder Pick
  • If you lose Mewtwo, it's all over
  • The new booster set introduces more counters

Best Pikachu ex deck

With new Mythical Island decks seemling targeting Pikachu, the ex deck has lost it's edge a little. It's still one of the best decks in play right now, with a strong early game, it just lost its unchallenged dominance. You can make it from the following cards:

• Pikachu ex x2
• Zapdos ex x2
• Voltorb x2
• Electrode x2
• Poke Ball x2
• Potion x2
• Red Card x1
• X Speed x2
• Sabrina x2
• Giovanni x1
• Professor's Research x2

Energy: Electric

This is a massively aggressive "glass cannon" deck, based around getting powerful Pokemon on the field and doing high damage ASAP. Pikachu ex and Zapdos ex cards both can do major damage in their first few turns on the field, and it means you can secure a victory as early as turn six, if you're lucky.

However, if you haven't won by that point and give your opponent time to set up, things will get harder. Both are comparatively low health for "ex" cards, and obviously if one gets taken out, you lose two points instead of one. Not only that, but there's some luck involved here: Pikachu deals damage that scales to the number of Pokemon you have benched, and Zapdos' big attack is based on a series of coin flips, so you might end up doing nothing. With new options like Pidgeot EX and even Tauros now posing a viable threat, it's all a much riskier play now.

If you want more info on building and playing this, as well as some alternative builds, here's our full guide to the perfect Pokemon TCG Pocket Pikachu ex deck.

• Pros
  • Fast set-up and high damage, great early game
  • Not complex or dependent on evolution
  • Good against water decks, late-game decks, and the legendary birds, all of which are common
• Cons
  • Best attacks are somewhat circumstantial and not always relaiable
  • Low health pools
  • Expensive, high budget deck

C-tier

C-tier decks might be a little antiquated, highly-focused, or utilise strategies that are easy for opponents to disrupt. Success is wholly possible, but might require some luck or clever thinking.

Best Sweets Relay deck

Sweets Relay is a special move shared by many cards in the Eevee Grove booster set. This is the strongest build for it in Pokemon TCG Pocket that's currently in play.

• Vanillite x2
• Vanillish x2
• Swirlix x2
• Milcery x2
• Alcremie x2
• Slurpuff x2
• Poke Ball x2
• Professor's Research x2
• Sabrina x1
• Irida x2
• Cyrus x1

Energy: Water

Sweets Relay is a move that gets a buff if any card on your team used it last turn, so if you keep using it, it stays powerful. All these cards provide that attack, with the exception of Alcremie, who has a one-energy move called Sweets Overload that does 40 damage for every single time you've used Sweets Relay so far. That's your heavy hitting attack, as you'll be using no other move but Sweets Relay during this whole game.

The downside is fragility. None of these cards are tanks, and otherwise you're basically using quick and early damage to hamper the opponent until Alcremie can come out and win the game for you. Use Irida to support you, but swapping in Penny might not be a bad idea. Healing isn't as important in a deck where many of the cards can be beaten in one hit anyway.

• Pros
  • Very cheap and strong early game
  • No dependance on ex cards
  • Alcremie is incredibly powerful if played in the mid-game onwards
• Cons
  • No tanks or real durability
  • Without Alcremie, you'll struggle for major firepower

Best Starmie ex / Articuno ex deck

Just below the top two decks, the Starmie ex deck is about getting powerful water Pokemon on the field and doing damage ASAP. Here's the most widely-used and effective version:

• Staryu x2
• Starmie ex x2
• Articuno ex x2
• Poke Ball x2
• Potion x2
• X Speed x1
• Red Card x1
• Misty x2
• Giovanni x2
• Sabrina x1
• Vaporeon x1
• Professor's Research x2

Energy: Water

This mix of Starmie and Articuno ex can potentially win you the game on turn one, if you're lucky with your draws. Getting Articuno and a good result with Misty means you can cast Blizzard for 80 damage the moment the game starts, potentially wiping the foe's board and securing the earliest of early victories. Admittedly Misty is based on chance, so there's no guarantees, but when it works, it's devastating.

The new Vaporeon variant also beefs up Misty in the rare cases that you land more coin tosses than you need. Wash Out allows you to move water energy from your benched Pokemon to your Active Pokemon as many times as you like during your turn. You can use X speed to swap out a monster stacked with energy which needs healing and replace it with something that could attack immediately once you move some energy around.

• Pros
  • Low/no retreat costs
  • Powerful early game
  • Misty/Articuno is a potential turn-one win
• Cons
  • Lacks really powerful "finisher" attacks
  • Weak to the very common Electric deck builds

Best Gyarados ex deck

This Gyarados ex deck focuses on defensive play, keeping Magikarp on the bench while you use Druddigon and Greninja to hold back foes.

• Magikarp (Mythical Island Variant) x2
• Gyarados ex x2
• Froakie x2
• Frogadier x2
• Greninja x2
• Druddigon x2
• Poke Ball x2
• Professor's Research x2
• Misty x2
• Leaf x2

Energy: Water

There's a real argument to be made for removing the dragon type Druddigon, as this immediately makes this a dual-fire/water type deck for that card alone. However, we think it's worth the risk, as it's a superb tank that damages Pokemon that attack it. Keep Druddigon as the active Pokemon while keeping Froakie and Magikarp on the bench, fueling and evolving them both as fast as possible.

Once you're ready to counterattack, use Leaf to bring Druddigon off the field and bring in Gyarados ex. There'll be very few attacks that can defeat it, and its attack strips a random Pokemon of energy while doing a massive 140 damage - which is no issue for Greninja's active ability. If the enemy tries to pull damaged Pokemon back to safety, you can use those same Greninja to snipe them.

• Pros
  • Misty can potentially supercharge Magikarp early on for a quick win
  • Greninja is a great support Pokemon and Druddigon is a great tank
  • Gyarados ex can strip enemies of energy (though can also get your own team)
• Cons
  • Vulnerable to the very common electric deck archetypes
  • Can potentially be slow to prepare Gyarados if Misty doesn't work
  • Druddigon means you might keep drawing Fire energy

D-tier

D-tier decks will let you claim victory in Solo battles in PTCGP, and might give you some victories in matchmaking (we wouldn't put them on this list if they weren't at least viable). However, you'll definitely struggle to get winning streaks when it comes to the decks in the tiers above this.

Best Venusaur ex deck

Venusaur ex and grass decks are the only options in Pokemon TCG Pocket for healing and recovery on a major level. If that appeals to you, here's the build:

• Bulbasaur x2
• Ivysaur x2
• Venusaur ex x2
• Petilil x2
• Lilligant x2
• Poke Ball x2
• Potion x1
• X Speed x2
• Erika x2
• Professor's Research x2
• Sabrina x1

Energy: Grass

You can shuffle around the exact numbers of items to taste, but ultimately the goal here is to get Lilligant active on the field so it can then provide energy to the Bulbasaur on the bench. You play defensively, healing and controlling, all the while evolving Bulbasaur to the Venusaur ex. Once you're done, swap them around and bring in the big grass frog.

Venusaur ex's Giant Bloom does 100 damage while healing it for 30 every turn - not to mention the fact that it's pretty tanky at 190 HP. Unless your opponent is running a Charizard deck as shown above, it should be impossible to one-shot your team mascot. If you want some alternate variants for the deck, try bringing in Exeggutor ex early on, or having Caterpie to more quickly draw Pokemon cards.

• Pros
  • Venusaur is a sturdy tank
  • Erika is a powerful healing card
  • Lilligant is a good energy provider
• Cons
  • Lacks major firepower
  • Dependent on good draws
  • Fire decks are common right now

Best Marowak ex deck

A good budget and beginner deck for Pokemon TCG Pocket, this fighting-type Marowak ex deck is simple in concept and execution.

• Cubone x2
• Marowak ex x2
• Diglett x2
• Dugtrio x2
• Poke Ball x2
• Potion x2
• X Speed x2
• Sabrina x2
• Giovanni x2
• Professor's Research x2

Energy: Fighting

There's been a few variants of this deck floating around, using regular Marowaks, Kabutops, Primeape and Hitmonlee (among others), but this is our preferred build. Both Dugtrio and Marowak ex have strong early game performances, but are also pretty reliant on chance, with a lot of coin flips. Marowak ex does 80 damage for each head in two coin flips (meaning somewhere between 0 and 160), while Dugtrio has a 50% chance to become invulnerable to all damage and effects for a turn, every turn. I've won games on the strength of that latter ability alone. Not to mention that with so many people running Pikachu ex and electric type decks, this serves as a good counter.

It's not perfect though. Marowak ex's reliance on chance means that you can get ruined by some bad coin flips, and the deck lacks heavy, dependable firepower. The key here is to do heavy damage in the early game, and hope your opponent can't recover.

• Pros
  • Strong early game
  • Good counter against the common electric decks
  • When coin flips go your way, you're unstoppable!
• Cons
  • Weak late game
  • Lacks massive damage options
  • When coin flips don't go your way, you're in trouble...

Best Koga deck

This dark-type poison deck budget friendly, yet demands a veteran's experience, all about control and careful manipulation of the battlefield, poisoning the opponent and whittling them down instead of utilizing single-hit super-attacks. Here's the most commonly used deck build in the meta right now:

• Koffing x2
• Weezing x2
• Ekans x2
• Arbok x2
• Poke Ball x2
• Potion x2
• X Speed x2
• Koga x2
• Sabrina x2
• Professor's Research x2

Energy: Dark

This one is a little tricky to learn and get the hang of, but there's a lot of potential, especially to counter the common Mewtwo psychic deck that's dominating the meta. You bring out Koffing and Weezing for a strong, cheap early game tank that poisons the enemy, then use Koga to pull them back to your hand for free when you're ready (healing them in the process). With the enemy poisoned, you bring in Arbok, forcing them to stay on the battlefield as the active Pokemon, as Arbok's "Corner" attack disables the ability to retreat.

It's very based on control, and if the opponent does manage to bring their wounded Pokemon back to the bench, you use Sabrina to get them back out. It's a deck that's good at disrupting strategies, though it lacks heavy damage and usually falters in the late game. We've also seen some people doing a variant where they take out Koga, Weezing and Koffing and swap them with Pidgey, Pidgeotto and Pidgeot, controlling the field with the latter's ability and locking Pokemon into place with Arbok.

• Pros
  • Budget friendly, no ex cards requires
  • Powerful early game
  • Counters the psychic Mewtwo meta
• Cons
  • No heavy firepower
  • Struggles against tanky cards
  • Weak late game

Of course, if you're focused more on form over function, find out how the Pokemon TCG Pocket flair system works and how to add cosmetics to your cards here!

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