Pikachu is one of the iconic Pokemon, and you can pull a lot of variations of this Pokemon from the packs in Pokemon TCG Pocket. But the strongest version of this card is by far, the Pikachu EX variation. With a strong electric-type move, and lots of potential, using it in the right deck can be quite a game-changer. So, here's the best Pikachu EX deck in Pokemon TCG Pocket.
If you want to build the best deck around the Pikachu EX card, here's a complete breakdown of the cards that you need to have:
| Card | Priority | No. of Copies | Reason |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pikachu EX | Necessary | 2 | Pikachu EX is the core of this deck. This card's true potential lies in having electric Pokemon on the bench. It can deal up to 90 damage per move with the right setup and 120 damage with trainer cards. |
| Zapdos EX | Great | 2 | Zapdos EX provides a strong backup and synergizes with Pikachu EX well. In case your Pikachu faints, you can use your Zapdos as a substitute. |
| Voltorb | Replaceable | 2 | Voltorb works as a floater card that you can use as your initial attacker, or bench card to provide Pikachu with extra attack. |
| Electrode | Replaceable | 2 | Electrode is Voltorb's evolution and provides a stronger attack, making them somewhat viable in the mid-game as well. |
The reason this deck has only 4 four Pokemon is to help you rotate quicker to your core card (Pikachu EX) and set up the necessary bench cards like Zapdos and Voltorb.
In case you don't have all the cards for the ideal Pikachu EX deck, here are some alternative cards for your deck that you can use as a replacement until you find the rest of the cards.
| Card | Replaces | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| Magneton | Electrode | A viable substitute for Electrode, deals similar damage and can also attach extra energy orbs on itself when in the Active slot. The downside is that Magneton's move requires four orbs instead of two. |
| Magnemite | Voltorb | Same as Voltorb, good as a starter, and can be used as a floater till you have Pikachu EX or Zapdos EX set up. |
| Pikachu | Zapdos | In case you don't have Zapdos, you can use the regular Pikachu card as a viable support for your Pikachu EX. |
| Raichu | Zapdos | Used to evolve regular Pikachu in the mid-game, and can almost one-shot most opponent cards. But you'll have to invest your energy orbs correct for the most value as they'll get discarded after every move. |
This deck needs to have 20 cards but to support your four main Pokemon cards, you'll need 12 trainer cards in your deck. To help you make the best decision, here are the best trainer cards to choose for this deck:
| Card | Priority | No. of Copies | Reason |
|---|---|---|---|
| Giovanni | Necessary | 2 | You need to use this trainer card in tandem with Pikachu's move to almost one-shot any card, as it adds +10 damage to every attack. |
| Sabrina | Great | 2 | A strong trainer card that you can use to get rid of troublesome Pokemon from your opponent's active slot. |
| X Speed | Great | 2 | Extremely important trainer card to help you switch out your Active Pokemon when you've built up your core card. |
| Potion | Good | 2 | A good option to have around that you can use to heal your important Pokemon. |
| Poke Ball | Replaceable | 2 | A floater support card that you can use to quickly rotate to your core Pokemon. |
| Professor's Research | Replaceable | 2 | Similar to the Poke Ball, but draws two cards instead of one. |
Like every other deck in Pokemon TCG Pocket, your deck alone won't be enough to help you win matches. You'll have to set them up correctly all the way from your starting hand to your late-game setup. So, here's all you need to know about that.
This deck relies on early-game dominance, which means you'll have to be aggressive from the get-go. So, when getting your first five starting cards, these are the ones you should try to get:
As for trainer cards, most of them can be useful but you should try to have at least one Potion card to avoid letting your floater faint early and an X Speed for switching out your Active slot when your setup is ready.
When you start a matchup in the first few rounds (one to five) try to set up one of your core cards, either Pikachu EX or Zapdos EX on the active slot with the other electric types on the bench slots.
This lets you create early-game pressure as either of your core cards can take care of most early-game Pokemon that your opponent might play.
Regardless of what setup your opponent is trying to play, your main focus should be to get rid of whatever Active slot floater your opponent plays within the first five rounds. Pikachu EX as well as Zapdos, are great at burst damage in the early rounds, so they can effectively disrupt most enemy setups before they can even reach their full potential.
While using this deck, you'll be up against other kinds of deck. Among all the decks against which I've used the Pikachu EX deck, here are the best and worst matchups:
Not any deck is unbeatable in Pokemon TCG Pocket, which includes this Pikachu EX deck which has a few weaknesses and can be somewhat countered if you take proper precautions. Here are all the ones you need to know:
| Card | Reason | How To Counter |
|---|---|---|
| Machamp EX | Insanely strong move that can deal 120 damage with just three energy orbs. | Switch out Pikachu EX for Zapdos EX and potentially one-shot him, or disrupt the evolution. |
| Marowak EX | Similar to Machamp EX, can deal up to 240 damage in a single move. | Disrupt its evolution by targeting Cubone or using Zapdos EX in one shot. |
| Dragonite EX | Can attack the active as well as bench slots at the same time. | Try to disrupt the evolution by using Sabrina to force a switch in and get rid of Dragonair. |
| Dugtrio | 50% chance to negate all damage done in a round. | Has low HP, all you need is a lucky shot in the early game. Prone to getting one shot. |
| Machamp | A tad bit weaker than the EX version, but can deal significant damage because of type advantage. | Same as EX, target Machop or Machoke to stop the evolution or switch in Zapdos EX. |
For more on Pokemon TCG Pocket, check out Best Mewtwo EX Deck – Pokemon TCG Pocket on Pro Game Guides!