The best Pokemon TCG Pocket ex Starter deck is probably the Dark-type Paldean Clodsire ex deck, at least at time of writing, but in reality the answer is a lot more complicated than that. There are nine ex Starter decks in PTCGP that players can pick between once they complete the associated challenge missions, but like starters in the other games, this is a careful choice to be made - as you can only pick one. We'll explain how to get the ex Starter decks in Pokemon TCG Pocket below, as well as the best deck to choose once you're allowed to pick.
What ex Starter deck in Pokemon TCG Pocket should you choose?
The best ex Starter deck for players to choose in Pokemon TCG Pocket, having studied all nine of them, is the Dark-type Paldean Clodsire ex deck, at least by a small margin. However, the Charizard and Giratina decks are also strong contenders, with a very minor difference between them in power. These decks are fairly well balanced, so there's no very obvious standout right now, and none that are going to get into our list of the best Pokemon TCG Pocket decks on their own without major modification.
Ultimately though, choosing an ex Starter deck is more about the cards than the deck itself. When you choose a deck, all 20 cards within it are added permanently to your collection, and can be used freely - meaning that you can put them in decks you make yourself… so if you have all the cards in the Clodsire ex deck, it means there's no point in choosing that one, as you'll only get duplicates. Look at the cards you have and the cards you want, and choose accordingly.
How to get an ex Starter deck in Pokemon TCG Pocket with a Deck Ticket
Ex Starter decks are unlocked by buying them in the in-game Shop, for which you'll need to pay with a special currency: a Deck Ticket.
Players can currently obtain one Deck Ticket by completing an in-game mission as part of the "ex Starter deck event", celebrating the Pokemon TCG Pocket Shining Revelry expansion. The specific mission is to "Use Pack Stamina to open 5 booster packs". This means you can open two a day easily, and there are other challenges as part of the event to earn Hourglasses to refill stamina and speed up the process.
Once you have the Deck Ticket, you can go into the Shop and exchange it for an ex Starter deck of your choice, which you'll earn permanently.
Keep in mind that this event and the chance to earn the Deck Ticket is only live until April 27, 2025, and the ex Starter decks will only be in store for another week after that. You don't want to miss your chance - and no, none of these decks contain any of those new shiny cards. If you want those, our guide will explain how to get Shiny cards in Pokemon TCG Pocket.
All ex Starter decks
There are nine ex Starter decks in Pokemon TCG Pocket, all of which largely use cards from the Shining Revelry expansion. They are:
- Beedrill ex (Grass)
- Charizard ex (Fire)
- Wugtrio ex (Water)
- Pikachu ex (Electric)
- Giratina ex (Psychic)
- Lucario ex (Fighting)
- Paldean Clodsire ex (Dark)
- Tinkaton ex (Steel)
- Bibarel ex (Normal/Psychic)
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