Interest for the Pokémon Trading Card Game (TCG) is growing at a rapid pace, thanks to the game’s ever-growing tournament circuit, the latest Surging Sparks expansion featuring Pikachu ex, and Pokémon TCG Pocket, which has piqued the interest of many Pocket-only players to try out the physical card game.
One of the best ways to hop into the game are preconstructed products, which are ready-to-play 60-card decks meant to be an easy avenue for new players to become sufficiently-geared to start their own Pokémon journeys. The latest product in this line is the Charizard ex League Battle Deck, which was recently released to the hype of many trainers, veterans, and newbies alike.
Pegged at Play Level 3, these League Battle Decks are meant for experienced players and are the highest level (these range from 1 to 3) for preconstructed products offered by The Pokémon Company International.
Is the deck worth buying? Let’s find out!
Contents of the Charizard ex League Battle Deck
Priced at $30 SRP, the deck comes with three copies of Charizard ex OBF, two copies of Pidgeot ex OBF, and a copy of the most popular (and most expensive!) ACE SPEC card, Prime Catcher.
The product also comes with a cardboard deck box and an accessory box, two Special Condition markers, six damage counter dice in fiery orange, a tournament-legal coin flip die, and a code card to play the deck on Pokémon TCG Live, the official digital client of the Pokémon TCG. These accessories will get any new trainer set up to play at a tournament without much else needed, except for a set of sleeves and an upgraded deck box.
The deck also comes with multiple copies of powerful Pokémon and trainer cards, which all form the core of the popular Charizard Pidgeot deck, which has seen international-level success.
The entire decklist is as follows:
Pokemon – 20
3 Charizard ex PAF 54
4 Charmander MEW 4
3 Charmeleon PAF 8
3 Moltres MEW 146
2 Pidgeot ex OBF 164
2 Pidgeotto OBF 163
3 Pidgey OBF 162
Trainer – 30
2 Artazon PAF 76
2 Arven OBF 186
2 Boss’s Orders (Ghetsis) PAL 172
4 Buddy-Buddy Poffin TEF 144
1 Defiance Band SVI 169
4 Iono PAF 80
1 Prime Catcher TEF 157
2 Professor’s Research PAF 87
4 Rare Candy PAF 89
1 Super Rod PAL 188
1 Switch SVI 194
2 Technical Machine: Evolution PAR 178
4 Ultra Ball PAF 91
Energy – 10
10 Basic Fire Energy 2
Notable Cards
The main stars of the deck are Charizard ex OBF and Pidgeot ex OBF. Together, these two cards form a formidable core that can win games even when behind. The ACE SPEC Prime Catcher, which is only limited to one per deck, is also a standout inclusion, as it’s the most widely-played one. Just from these six cards alone, the product has already paid for itself!
Diving into the Trainer cards, we end up with useful staples such as a set of Iono, and two copies of Arven, Boss’s Orders, and Professor’s Research. All these supporters are played to varying counts in most Pokémon TCG decks, so these are all handy to have in our arsenal.
The deck also comes with a playset of Buddy-Buddy Poffin, Rare Candy, and Ultra Ball, which all are utilized as four-ofs in the optimal Charizard Pidgeot decks.
We also have a copy of Super Rod and Defiance Band, which also see play in decklists from major tournaments.
In all, the deck provides the core of one of the most powerful decks in the format, in an extremely affordable package. In fact, when you ask any experienced Pokémon TCG player, they will most likely suggest this product for any new player who wishes to get into the game.
Upgrading the Charizard ex League Battle Deck
While the core of the deck remains strong, there’s definitely room for improvement. Let’s go through them.
One of the simplest changes we can make is to replace the Pidgeys with the Pidgey OBF ones. With 60HP, it makes a world of difference when we play against decks such as Regidrago VSTAR, Dragapult ex, and Lost Box with Sableye, who all like to spread damage counters on our Pokémon.
We can then add a 2-1-1 line of Dusknoir SFA. The 2-1-1 is common parlance for Pokémon TCG players when referring to a complete evolution line of Pokémon. In this case, we’re running two copies of Duskull, and a copy each of Dusclops and Dusknoir, thus 2-1-1. As we’re going to end up running three copies of Charmander, one Charmeleon, and two Charizard ex, we would then call it a 3-1-2 line, for instance.
Going further, we should look into the Trainer suite. We can add four copies of Nest Ball and two Counter Catchers, one more Super Rod, and a copy of Lost Vacuum to get rid of pesky Stadium cards or Tools, and a Night Stretcher in case we need to reuse a Pokémon or an Energy in the discard pile.
We can then also add two more copies of Arven, as he is the most important Supporter in the deck. For more advanced players, consider a copy of Professor Turo’s Scenario and Thorton for some tricky plays. We also need one copy of Briar.
These quick upgrades should already bolster the deck to more powerful plays.
Further Upgrades
Some players prefer a different ACE SPEC. Unfair Stamp, which forces the opponent to draw only two cards while we draw five, is a great way to disrupt the opponent’s plans as we begin knocking out their board. However, Prime Catcher is still the pick for newer players, as it’s more straightforward to use.
To round out the decklist, consider Rotom V, as it helps us set up in the early game with its Instant Charge ability, a Lumineon V, as it lets us fetch any Supporter we need, and Fezandipiti ex, which lets us draw extra cards when the opponent takes a knock out the turn prior. Forest Seal Stone, a Tool card which lets us search for any card in the deck, also gives us access to a VSTAR Power — and it’s one of the most powerful in the game. Arven can fetch this Tool card alongside Rare Candy or Buddy-Buddy Poffin, so we can set up extremely quick on the first turn.
The final attacker of the deck is Radiant Charizard, which only gives up a single prize and only requires one Fire energy to attack once the opponent has taken enough prizes, thanks to its Excited Heart ability!
These upgrades should make the deck ready for even high-stakes tournaments.
The final decklist should look something like this:
Charizard ex by Gabriel Fernandez, Latin America International Championship (LAIC) 2024-25 Senior Division Champion
Pokémon: 18
3 Charmander MEW 4
1 Charmeleon PAF 8
2 Charizard ex OBF 125
2 Pidgey OBF 162
2 Pidgeot ex OBF 164
2 Duskull SFA 18
1 Dusclops SFA 19
1 Dusknoir SFA 20
1 Lumineon V BRS 40
1 Radiant Charizard CRZ 20
1 Fezandipiti ex SFA 38
1 Rotom V LOR 58
Trainer: 37
4 Arven OBF 186
2 Boss’s Orders PAL 172
2 Iono PAL 185
1 Professor Turo’s Scenario PAR 171
1 Thorton LOR 167
1 Briar SCR 132
4 Nest Ball SVI 181
4 Rare Candy SVI 191
4 Buddy-Buddy Poffin TEF 144
4 Ultra Ball SVI 196
2 Super Rod PAL 188
2 Counter Catcher PAR 160
1 Canceling Cologne ASR 136
1 Lost Vacuum LOR 162
1 Night Stretcher SFA 61
1 Unfair Stamp TWM 165
1 Defiance Band SVI 169
1 Forest Seal Stone SIT 156
Energy: 5
5 Fire Energy SVE 10
The Card Gamer Verdict
The Charizard ex League Battle Deck is full of goodies and powerful cards that veterans and newbies alike will love. In fact, this is the best preconstructed deck the Pokémon TCG has ever had, for both value and power. This is a recommended pickup for any player who wants to jump into the game.
If you’re new to Pokémon, and this Charizard ex League Battle Deck has tempted you to check it out, why not take a look at our how to play Pokémon TCG guide? Also check out our list of Tera Pokémon for a glimpse at even more powerful Pokémon that you might want to consider experimenting with in your deck!
