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The best Pokemon TCG Pocket Charizard ex deck and builds

Guides
By Joel Franey published 21 November 2024

Charizard and Moltres ex pair together for Pokemon TCGP's best Fire deck

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Pokemon TCG Pocket Charizard ex deck
(Image credit: The Pokemon Company)
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The best Pokemon TCG Pocket Charizard ex deck and build is made by pairing it together with Moltres ex, using the Inferno Dance move to quickly (and somewhat randomly) supply Fire-type energy to Charizard on the back bench. Once done, you can then bring the big red dragon forward and do massive damage to whatever your foe puts forward with its Crimson Storm and Slash attacks.

The downside is that this is a slow deck that can struggle in the early game, especially with the random element of Moltres that means that your energy supplies aren't always consistent. Below we'll cover all the different types of ways you can build a Charizard ex deck in Pokemon TCG Pocket, and how to play it for the best chance at victory.

The best Charizard ex deck in Pokemon TCG Pocket

Pokemon TCG Pocket Charizard ex deck

(Image credit: The Pokemon Company)

To make a powerful Charizard ex fire-type deck that can become one of the best decks in Pokemon TCG Pocket, build it with the following cards:

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  • Charmander x2
  • Charmeleon x2
  • Charizard ex x2
  • Moltres ex x2
  • Poke Ball x2
  • X Speed x2
  • Potion x2
  • Giovanni x2
  • Sabrina x2
  • Professor's Research x2

There's a few variations you can make here: swap out Giovanni for Red Cards, or even replace both Giovanni and the Potions for two Ponyta and Rapidash cards. However, unlike the more elastic and malleable Pikachu ex deck in Pokemon TCG Pocket, this is a deck build that can't really be altered that much without compromising the basic gameplan: get Moltres ex out early on, and use Inferno Dance to provide Fire energy to Charmander/Charmeleon/Charizard ex on the bench. Once Charizard has at least five energy on it, swap it into the active slot.

Charizard has two attacks, but the better one is Crimson Storm, which does 200 damage - enough to one-shot absolutely every card in the game. The downside is that not only does it cost four Energy to use, it discards two energy cards every time. That's why giving it a little extra energy with Moltres is ideal; it sets you up to cast the attack two turns in a row. If that hasn't won you the battle, you'll at the very least be in a state where you're close to victory.

Pokemon TCG Pocket Charizard ex deck

(Image credit: The Pokemon Company)
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The main downside of this deck is the slow start and weak early game. You'll have to draw and evolve Charmander twice, not to mention that without Moltres in play there's a good chance that your whole strategy is in peril, and Moltres might not even provide the outpouring of energy you need. You might have a better chance if your opponent is also using a slow-to-start build, like the Pokemon TCG Pocket Mewtwo ex deck, but the sluggish kick-off means you'll have to use Sabrina, Red Cards, Rapidash and careful retreats to delay the opponent until you're ready, depending on the build you're using.

Still, Charizard ex in isolation is certainly one of Pokemon TCG Pocket's best cards, and is likely to become more powerful later on as further cards expound on its strategic viability. It's certainly one to keep an eye on for the time being and how the meta evolves around it.

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Make some more great decks! The Pokemon TCG Pocket Venusaur ex deck is a fun build based around Grass Pokemon and healing. Or find out the current info about how to play Pokemon TCG Pocket on PC here!

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Joel Franey
Joel Franey
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Guides Editor, GamesRadar+

Joel Franey is a writer, journalist, podcaster and Very Tired Man with a BA from Brunel University, a Masters from Sussex University and a decade working in games journalism, often focused on guides coverage but also in reviews, features and news. His love of games is strongest when it comes to groundbreaking narratives like Disco Elysium, UnderTale and Baldur's Gate 3, as well as innovative or refined gameplay experiences like XCOM, Sifu, Arkham Asylum or Slay the Spire. He is a firm believer that the vast majority of games would be improved by adding a grappling hook, and if they already have one, they should probably add another just to be safe. You can find old work of his at Eurogamer, Gfinity, USgamer, SFX Magazine, RPS, Dicebreaker, VG247, and more.

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