Pokemon TCG Pocketis jam-packed with players using Pikachu ex and Mewtwo ex to win games. There are also plenty of other meta threats, such as Marowak ex, Venusaur Ex, and Charizard ex, causing trouble for players who haven’t quite built those decks yet.
Having a meta deck is fine, but sometimes you just want to be the underdog. You want to play a deck that no one expects to see when challenging players online. While not considered the most powerful decks, they have the element of surprise on their side and can win games if you know what you’re doing.
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Blastoise may seem like the weakest of the three starters, but it hasa consistent way of dealing massive damage. Five Energy will allow Hydro Bazooka to go from 100 damage to 160 damage each turn.
Add some Meowth for draw power and Misty for Energy acceleration. Together, you may easily get Blastoise on the field with enough Energy to go all out. Even with a Weakness to Electric Pokemon, Blastoise can tank a hit from Pikachu ex or even Zapdos ex unless your opponent gets all four coin flips correctly.
Darkness Pokemon are not usuallythe most meta threats. Because of this, Gengar ex can go in most of the time not having to worry about getting hit for Weakness. This deck also utilizes a copy of the non-ex variant of Gengar. Bother costs only one Energy to mimic the same effect as Shadowy Spellbind.
Your opponent will have a tough time utilizing some ofthe best cards in the game, such as Professor’s Research, Sabrina, or Misty. You can also splash in Hypno as a way to add even more stun abilities to your deck.
If you want to get on the nerves of meta-deck users, Pinchurchin is a good way to do this. Pinchurchin will be in the forefront with a chance to Paralyze your opponent’s Pokemon. However, before you do that, flip the coin for Hypno for a chance to put them to Sleep.
This deck only runs Electric Energy sinceall the attackers are Electric Pokemon. Add in a Zapdos for good measure, and you can keep your opponent down long enough to start swinging for the game.
Wigglytuff ex and Frosmoth can both put your opponent’s Pokemon to Sleep with their attacks. They also do it without the need to flip a coin. This makes them a powerful duo, with Frosmoth being able totake advantage of Misty for Energy acceleration.
Wigglytuff’s Sleepy Song also does 80 damage making it the most effective attacker of the deck. With only Stage One Pokemon in play, this isn’t a difficult strategy to set up. By the time your opponent’s Pokemon wakes up, it might already be too late for them to make a comeback.
Articuno exrelies on you landing your coin flipswith Misty to get some knockouts on the first turn. However, you can make this deck even more reliable and unpredictable by splashing in some Helix Fossil for the Omastar line.
This deck still guarantees that you pull Articuno but also gives you the added benefit of being able to use Omastar’s Ancient Whirlpool. This will deal 70 damage but also prevent your opponent’s Pokemon from attacking the next turn. This is also a good trick to making your opponent think you’re only playing Articuno in your deck.
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Machamp is an excellent choice for a rogue deck since it slices one of the top decks in the meta in half. This deck is pure damage with Machamp being able to dish out 120 damage with each use of its Mega Punch.
You can also choose how anti-meta you want to be. You can slide in some Primeapes to have a heavy hitter earlier in the game, or you can use Dugtrios to have some stall tactics. Fighting decks have some of the best options in the game due to the number of Stage one combinations you can splash into a Machamp ex deck.
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Exeggutor decks are fast since neither Exeggutor nor Exeggutor ex need more than one Energy to get their Moves online. They also get a massive HP bump when you Evolve them from Exeggcute.
Meanwhile, Pinsir is a great Basic Pokemon for this deck since it can deal up to 100 damage for only two Energy. This is a risky deck since it relies so much on coin flips, but being able to knock out Pokemon early can help you outplay some of the fastest decks in the meta.
Arcanine ex is an underdog when compared to the mighty Charizard ex. Luckily, it is a surprisingly good contender as a rogue deck. It’s one less Evolution needed, can still benefit from Moltres ex, and leaves enough room for the jank strategy of using Aerodactyl to bounce cards back into the deck.
Arcanine ex may do some damage to itself each time it uses Inferno Onrush. However, 120 damage is worth it since it can shut down many other Pokemon before they can become usable on your opponent’s side of the field.
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Golem has a similar drawback to Arcanine ex since it hurts itself each time it uses Double-Edge. This time it takes 50 damage. However, 150 damage is a massive blow to your opponent’s strategy, since it leaves Mewtwo ex and Pikachu Ex, buried beneath the rubble.
Hitmonlee and Hitmonchan are good options your opponent won’t see coming. While they may not be able to use Brock for Energy Acceleration, they only need one Energy to go live. They also give youthe option to punch the Benchand stop setup or immediately start hitting the Active Spot.
Another rogue option to replace Charizard is Centiskorch. Your deck still utilizes Moltres ex for Fire Energy but rather than having to Evolve twice, you only need to do this once. Now you have a 130 HP Pokemon with a damage output of 130.
Unlike Charizard who has to dump two Energy, Fire Blast only requires you to dump one, making it a consistent hitter once it’s ready. This works not only as a budget deck but also as one where you don’t have too many ex Pokemon on the field.
