Venusaur is an absolute tank in the video games, boasting decent bulk and a variety of ways to heal. It’s no different inPokemon TCG Pocket, where Venusaur ex boasts excellent HP and some of the best recovery in the game.

While it takes a little skill (and luck) to set up, Venusaur ex decks are among the strongest you can build in Genetic Apex. Backed by an Exeggutor ex to tank early hits and swing for early KOs, as well as tons of extra HP recovery, it’s certain to leave your opponents frustrated.

Full Art Venusaur ex Pokemon TCG Pocket Card Art.

Sample Venusaur ex Decklist

Like other meta Pokemon Pocket decks, the Venusaur ex / Exeggutor ex deck relies ontwo evolution lines to maximize efficiency. The other half of the deck is all Trainer cards to find your ace Pokemon and keep them conscious while you set up and sweep.

Venusaur ex / Exeggutor ex

The Bulbasaur card, from Genetic Apex.

Bulbasaur x2

Ivysaur x2

Ivysaur card in Pokemon TCG Pocket.

Venusaur ex x2

Exeggcute x2

Venusaur ex card from Pokemon TCG Pocket.

Exeggutor ex x2

Erika x2

The Exeggcute card from Genetic Apex.

X-Speed x2

Potion x2

The Exeggutor ex card, from Genetic Apex.

No deck that relies on rare cards like ex Pokemon is budget-friendly, but there are a couple of substitutes you’re able to make while waiting to open the Venusaur ex and Exeggutor ex you need.

Thenon-ex versions of Venusaur and Exeggutor are both only minor downgrades, and can replace one or both copies of each for early builds that you can easily upgrade as you open the necessary Pokemon.

Professor’s Research, from Pokemon TCG Pocket.

You can get a head start on this deck by choosing the Charizard pack during the tutorial. The Charizard pack contains an Exeggutor ex.

Venusaur ex Deck Strategy

Venusaur ex canattack for 100 damage each turn, andheal itself 30 HP in the processwith its Giant Bloom attack. With the highest HP in the Genetic Apex set, it’s already tough to take down, but theconstant HP recovery makes Venusaur ex into a true monster.

The only downside is that it needs four Energy to use Giant Bloom, and Genetic Apex has no Energy acceleration for Grass-types.

Erika Pocket

To give yourself time to power up Venusaur ex,always set Exeggcute as your first Active Pokemonand evolve into Exeggutor ex immediately. For one Energy, Exeggutor ex can deal 80 damage on a lucky coin flip, or 40 on a bad flip.

Thisefficient attack is backed by 160 HP, which makes Exeggutor ex a threatto your opponent’s Active Pokemon while they’re still setting up.

The Poke Ball card, from Genetic Apex.

Use Exeggutor ex toblock your opponent’s attacks and take opportunistic Knock-Outs while you evolve Bulbasaurinto Ivysaur, then Venusaur ex and attach Energy. YourErika and Potion cards can heal your Exeggutor exif you need more time to attach Energy to Venusaur ex.

If you have both X-Speeds in your hand, you may use them to retreat your Exeggutor ex to bring out your Venusaur ex and start swinging.Two hits from Giant Bloom is enough to KO any Pokemon in Genetic Apex, barring healing effects. Your remaining Erikas and Potions should be used to keep your Venusaur ex alive long enough to snag all the KOs you need to win.

X-Speed, from Pokemon TCG Pocket.

If your Venusaur ex has at least 160 HP remaining, don’t use your Potions. Venusaur ex will be back to full HP after using Giant Bloom, so your items will be wasted.

If your Exeggutor ex gets Knocked Out early, Venusaur ex can still attack with Razor Leaf while you wait for the last Energy.

Avoid advancing a second Exeggutor ex, as ex Pokemon are worth two Prize Points, so if the softer Exeggutor ex is Knocked Out, you’ll lose the match.

Venusaur ex Deck Matchups

Venusaur ex has a great matchup against Pikachu ex. Pikachu ex decks set up quickly, and can two-hit KO Exeggutor if you don’t have any Potions in your hand. However, they can’t KO Venusaur ex faster than Giant Bloom will tear through Pikachu ex. With Potions and Erika,you should be able to score the two Knock-Outs necessaryto win the match without much difficulty.

Pikachu ex has low enough HP that you’ll likely be able to win with just Exeggutor ex.The biggest threat is not finding Exeggutor exin order to evolve Exeggcute immediately.

Charizard ex is a tough matchup: Both ace Pokemon require some setup, butMoltres ex accelerates Fire-type decksenough that you will be overrun before you can finish setting up your own Venusaur ex.

While you may get lucky and KO your opponent’s Moltres ex before they can finish setting up,chances are that they’ll be able to find enough Energy to at least power Slashbefore you’re able to take down the legendary bird.

Charizard ex is one of the only Pokemon in Genetic Apexcapable of scoring a One-Hit KO on Venusaur ex, and it can do so far more reliably than any other Pokemon.

This makes it vital that you set up quickly and aim for early KOs.