It’s time again for another Pokémon TCG Pocket deck tech! Not even three weeks ago, we covered Pikachu ex, one of the “Big 3” of the initial PTCGP metagame. Today we’ll be examining Charizard ex, a deck that took a bit of time to really propel itself into the echelons of the Big 3, due to a couple of factors. But does it hold up in the current metagame? That’s why we’re here, so let’s dive right in!
What Is The Big 3?
Before we discuss the particulars of the deck today, let’s define the “Big 3.” This term means refers to the three most powerful and frequently used decks of the Pokémon TCG Pocket meta. For the beginnings of this game, this term specifically refers to decks running Pikachu ex, Mewtwo ex, or Charizard ex. Right now, the Big 3 are running pretty rampantly across the metagame, with the potential for a fourth member on the way. Greninja, while decidedly not an ex card, is increasing in usage due to its printing as a promo in the most recent Solo Battle event. It’s also gaining in popularity because of its synergies with Jigglypuff, a card newly printed in the same promotional listing. More on that at a later date!
For now, though, let’s focus on Charizard ex, a deck that for a time struggled against one of its rivals while doing fairly well against another.
Pokémon TCG Pocket Deck: Firestarter
Below is our deck list for the seemingly most meta version of the Charizard ex deck, accompanied by an image of the decklist for visual reference:
Firestarter (20 cards)
Pokémon: 11
- Charmander x2
- Charmeleon x2
- Charizard ex x2
- Growlithe x1
- Arcanine ex x2
- Moltres ex x2
Items: 5
Trainers: 4
- Sabrina x2
- Professor’s Research x2
How Does This Deck Function?
The Firestarter deck is built upon two foundational concepts:
a) Charizard ex can counter Mewtwo ex decks, and
b) Arcanine ex can counter Pikachu ex decks.
For a while, Charizard ex decks didn’t do well in tournament play because Pikachu ex decks could handle them easily. Meanwhile, Arcanine ex decks struggled against Mewtwo ex. Both ran with a common Pokémon, however. Moltres ex happens to be the glue that binds them together in the metagame. It also accelerates the deck to its rightful place among the Big 3.
In your opening hand, you’ll be best positioned with a Moltres ex in the Active slot and either, if not both, of the other Basic Pokémon on your Bench (and a way to evolve them). Early game plays will see Moltres ex using its Inferno Dance attack to rack up Energy on the Charizard line and the Arcanine line, usually in that priority order. You’ll want to use your main once-per-turn Energy drop on Moltres ex until you have two or three Fire Energy on it. Retreat Moltres ex once you have a fully-evolved Pokémon available and able to attack. In the case of Charizard ex, you’ll want a minimum of five Fire Energy on it before you retreat with Moltres ex, due to its need to discard Energy when it attacks. From there, go to town with your evolved Pokémon of choice!
Don’t Let The Fire Die
If things begin to go south too quickly for your fully evolved Pokémon to enter the fray, you’ll want to have a few cards handy. Make use of the X Speed to avoid more disastrous counters to an early Moltres ex or Basic Pokémon, and use Sabrina to bait out things with knocking out, like Greninja or Gardevoir. Please note that Sabrina does absolutely nothing to stop Pokémon without Retreat Costs if it is in the Active spot as a result. This is one reason that Greninja and Starmie ex are both excellent sources of anxiety for this deck.
Poké-Arson… But at What Cost?
As is the norm for these articles, we’ll now analyze the overall cost of the cards in this deck by Pack Points and by Shop Tickets. Shop Tickets are easily obtainable and are redeemable for the Item cards and Professor’s Research. The aforementioned cards can be redeemed at a rate of two Tickets per card. As such, the deck costs this much in-game currency, in total:
- 14 Shop Tickets
- 3,245 Pack Points
The primary choke point for this deck, which is so expensive to purchase, is that it has a whopping six ex cards. That alone counts for the entirety of the fourth figure on that count. After you obtain these six ex cards (four of which are found in the Charizard subset of Genetic Apex and two in the Pikachu subset), the rest of this deck is easy pickings.
Thankfully, you don’t need to open any packs from the Mewtwo subset of Genetic Apex to make the deck. This means that your focus is pretty laser-pointed right away. By the time you have your copies of Charizard ex and Moltres ex, you may already have all of the other cards from the Charizard packs as well. The same logic can be applied to your acquisition of your Arcanine ex copies.
Firestarter, Twisted Firestarter
At the end of the day, as high-cost as this deck is, it’s well worth it to acquire. This is especially true right now, with the Venusaur ex Solo Battle event. That event is still going on for a few more days (at the time of writing). If any deck can handle the Pokémon TCG Pocket metagame at this moment, it’s one of the Big 3. And, of those decks, Charizard ex indisputably hits the hardest.
Want more Pokémon TCG Pocket content? Check out our deck tech for Gengar ex and Hypno. Or take a look at our guide to all the different currency types in the game.
