If you’re looking for the best Pokémon TCG Pocket decks, you’re in the right place. We’ve spent hours battling online to determine the top picks for the current competitive meta, using different ex cards, trainers, and engines to determine which are the most reliable, before bringing together our best deck builds in one place. All you have to do is check you’ve got the right cards, build the deck yourself, and get battling.
For more on this creature-collecting card game, be sure to check out our Pokémon TCG Pocket tier list and our guide on how to get the rare Pokémon TCG Pocket Mew card. Or, if you’d rather get a bit old school, check out our guide to the best Pokémon games, including classics for the Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS, and beyond, and our complete Pokédex.
Here are the best Pokémon TCG Pocket decks:
Mewtwo ex / Gardevoir
Decklist: Mewtwo ex (x2), Ralts (x2), Kirlia (x2), Gardevoir (x2), Professor’s Research (x2), Sabrina (x2), Giovanni (x1), Poké Ball (x2), X Speed (x2), Potion (x2), Red Card (x1)
Mewtwo ex is easily one of the best Pokémon TCG Pocket cards, and thanks to Gardevoir’s ability, you can regularly get enough energy to unleash the psychic type’s 150 damage Psydrive attack. It can be a bit of a slow burn, given that Mewtwo needs at least two energy for its less powerful attack and Gardevoir takes at least three turns to set up, but if your opponent can’t successfully stall you, there’s almost no stopping the devastation of a Mewtwo ex with access to two energy per turn.
While it’s fair to say this deck is a bit of a one-trick pony, there are other options if you don’t want to rely too much on Mewtwo ex. Jynx is a solid pick for a basic Pokémon attacker, with its Psychic attack dealing 30 base damage with an extra 20 for every energy attached to the enemy Pokémon. If you want to get experimental, you can also look into including the Gengar ex and Alakazam evolution lines. However, this takes even more time to develop and can give the opponent too much scope to counter.
Charizard ex / Moltres ex
Decklist: Moltres ex (x2), Chamander (x2), Charmeleon (x2), Charizard ex (x2), Charizard (x1), Professor’s Research (x2), Sabrina (x2), Poké Ball (x2), X Speed (x2), Potion (x2), Red Card (x1)
The Charizard ex / Moltres ex deck is a bit more of a gamble, as Moltres ex doesn’t guarantee you extra energy per turn. The fiery bird’s Inferno Dance move flips three coins and can attach the same number of fire energy as you get heads to your benched Pokémon. So, if you get lucky, you can put enough energy on Charizard ex to unleash its 200 damage attack in as little as a single turn, which is guaranteed to knock out any other Pokémon currently in the game. It’s more likely two turns, but we’ve seen it happen in one.
Another difference between the Moltres ex engine and the Gardevoir engine from the Mewtwo ex deck is that Moltres provides energy from the active position, whereas Gardevoir offers it from the bench. With that in mind, it’s pivotal to include two copies of both Potion and X Speed in your deck to keep Moltres in the game for longer with healing and sub the engine out when Charizard is ready to unleash. Just look out for Starmie ex and Articuno ex, as the heavy-hitting water types can exploit the fire Pokémon weakness.
Pikachu ex / Zapdos ex
Decklist: Pikachu ex (x2), Zapdos ex (x2), Zapdos (x2), Pinchurchin (x2), Professor’s Research (x2), Sabrina (x2), Giovanni (x1), Poké Ball (x2), X Speed (x2), Potion (x2), Red Card (x1)
The Pikachu ex deck is all about leading the line with the little electric mouse, who can deal a significant 90 damage, provided you’ve got a full backline trio of fellow lightning-type cards. In terms of lightning-type cards, we recommend Zapdos ex, Zapdos, and Pinchurchin. These cards aren’t that impressive on their own, with the expectation of Zapdos ex, but they all help boost Pikachu’s attack without requiring too much setup.
The only issue with the Pikachu ex deck is that Pikachu ex’s card has just 120HP, leaving it vulnerable to one-hit KOs from both Mewtwo ex and Charizard ex, or even the more rogue Arcanine ex. Fortunately, Pikachu ex’s retreat cost is only one energy, which equates to a free swap if you’ve got an X Speed in hand, so you can sub out the deck leader if you’re in a pinch. Pinchurchin is a great option to swap in, as it can deal 20 damage while potentially paralyzing your opponent’s active Pokémon, giving you more time to search for another Pikachu ex.
Starmie ex / Articuno ex
Decklist: Staryu (x2), Starmie ex (x2), Articuno ex (x2), Professor’s Research (x2), Sabrina (x2), Misty (x2), Giovanni (x1), Poké Ball (x2), X Speed (x2), Potion (x2), Red Card (x1)
While you might think a Pokémon like Blastoise ex should be in one of the best Pokémon TCG Pocket decks, it’s actually the gen 1 Pokémon Starmie ex, thanks to a single move that does 90 damage for the cost of just two energy. That’s enough to knock out any other Pokémon in just two turns, including fellow meta threats like Mewtwo ex and Charizard ex. Combine Starmie ex with Articuno ex, which can deal 80 damage to your opponent’s active card as well as an extra ten damage to each of their benched Pokémon when equipped with three energy, and there are two potent options in this deck to keep the other player guessing.
However, while Starmie ex and Articuno ex do all the damage, the real star of this deck is Misty. With Misty, you can flip coins until you land on tails and equip water energy to your water-type cards relative to the number of heads. This trainer card can turn a game on its head, giving Articuno ex three energy in one turn, which is enough for the legendary bird’s most powerful attack. If you’re playing any water deck, Misty is a must, and she’s worth spending your shop points on if you don’t get her in a pack first.
Venusaur ex / Exeggutor ex
Decklist: Bulbasaur (x2), Ivysaur (x2), Venusaur ex (x2), Exeggcute (x2), Exeggutor ex (2), Erika (x2), Professor’s Research (x2), Poké Ball (x2), X Speed (x2), Potion (x2)
While this deck might take a little longer to set up as it has no basic ex Pokémon, it’s worth it if you can pull it off. Both Venusaur ex and Exeggutor ex function as fantastic tanks, especially when you can heal them at least twice with two copies of Erika in your deck. There isn’t an energy engine like you might find in some of the other best Pokémon TCG Pocket decks, but thanks to the healing factor, your cards can stay in the game for longer to build up energy on a turn-by-turn basis.
The best way to play this deck is to lead with Exeggutor ex, dealing either 40 or 80 damage a turn depending on coin flips, while building up Venusaur ex from the bench. Venusaur ex’s strongest attack deals 100 damage while also providing a handy 30HP boost for the grass-type, which can flip the game on its head in a single turn. The only issue is switching the two around, as Exeggutor ex has a pretty high three energy retreat costs, so we recommend holding onto both your copies of X Speed for as long as possible.
Poison Pivot
Decklist: Pidgey (x2), Pidgeotto (x2), Pidgeot (x2), Ekans (x2), Arbok (x2), Koffing (x2), Weezing (x2), Koga (x1), Sabrina (x1), Professor’s Research (x2), Poké Ball (x2), X Speed (x2)
This option is the only one on this list that doesn’t include any ex cards, but it still packs a punch. The whole idea behind this build is the combination of Arbok and Pidgeot, and it’s a pretty simple concept. With Pidgeot, like Sabrina, you can force an opponent into swapping their active Pokémon for a benched Pokémon of their choosing. Then, with Arbok’s Corner attack, your opponent loses the ability to switch their Pokémon on the next turn, forcing them to play with a card that might not have any energy attached or that they’re using as an energy engine, such as Gardevoir.
If that combination wasn’t enough, another popular option for this deck is Weezing and Koga. Weezing can poison an enemy Pokémon from the active spot without needing any energy, then you can pull it back to your hand by using Koga, leaving your active spot open for Arbok or Pidgeot to do some damage. If you find yourself particularly frustrated by Mewtwo ex decks, this is the option to go for, as not only can Pidgeot and Arbok deal with Gardevoir by switching it from the bench, but both Arbok and Weezing can deal an extra 20 damage due to the psychic Pokémon weakness.
Blaine
Decklist: Vulpix (x2), Ninetails (x2), Ponyta (x2), Rapidash (x2), Magmar (x1), Professor’s Research (x2), Blaine (x2), Sabrina (x2), Poké Ball (x2), X Speed (x2), Potion (x1)
The Blaine deck is all about powering up stage 1 fire Pokémon like Rapidash and Ninetails, as well as the basic Magmar, with the power of the Blaine trainer card. All three of those cards benefit from an extra 30 damage if you play them alongside Blaine, but that means you have to time playing the trainer card to perfection, as you only get a maximum of two opportunities to use it.
Sabrina is also a pretty important inclusion in this deck, as while all the fire-type cards included are pretty heavy hitters, the highest HP of any of them is 100. That means a one-hit KO from a few cards, including both Mewtwo ex and Starmie ex, so you need the ability to force your opponent into swapping out their active Pokémon.
Greninja
Decklist: Froakie (x2), Frogadier (x2), Greninja (x2), Bruxish (x2), Lapras ex (x2), Potion (x1), Poké Ball (x2), X Speed (x1), Professor’s Research (x2), Misty (x2), Sabrina (x2)
This is a fun tech deck that can irritate opponents to no end. The idea is to set up Lapras as your tank, while you evolve Froakie into Greninja on the bench, before making the most of its Water Shuriken ability. That ability pairs nicely with Bruxish’s attack, which hits for an extra 60 damage points if your opponent’s Pokémon already has a damage counter on it.
As with every other water-orientated deck, two copies of Misty are a must, especially if you want to attack with Lapras rather than just use it as a tank. Outside of that, Sabrina can be useful for forcing your opponent to switch to a benched Pokémon with less than full health, allowing Bruxish to finish the job.
How we chose the best Pokémon TCG Pocket decks
Our guide to the best Pokémon TCG decks consists of decks we’ve had success with ourselves and have seen place highly in community tournaments. While the game doesn’t necessarily lend itself to competitive formats, with no ranked ladder like Marvel Snap or Hearthstone, that hasn’t stopped fans from putting on their own events, and we’ve seen each of the decks we’ve included regularly come in the top four, or even win, these gauntlets.
You might also notice that a lot of our decks include similar cards, such as Professor’s Research, X Speed, Potion, and Sabrina. These are staples, as they all offer a utility that isn’t exclusive to a specific type of card. It’s also worth pointing out that you’re always guaranteed to draw at least one basic Pokémon in your first hand, so the more non-Pokémon cards you include, the more likely you are to draw the monster you need to start on strong footing.
There you have it, our picks for the best Pokémon TCG Pocket decks. If you’re more interested in the real-life TCG, be sure to check out our sister site Wargamer’s guides to the most powerful Pokémon cards and the rarest and most expensive Pokémon cards while you’re here.