Pokémon TCG Pocket: Best meta decks for PVP

Pokémon TCG Pocket has hundreds of cards available to players and a thriving competitive scene that’s grown even bigger since the introduction of ranked seasons. While strategy, skill, and luck are all important in winning matches in TCG Pocket, they won’t get you very far if you’re running a substandard deck. 

Deck building is an acquired skill, and it can be difficult to discern which cards in Pokémon TCG Pocket are worth putting in your deck at a glance. With the introduction of amazing cards in the Celestial Guardians expansion we’ve put together this list of the best meta decks for PVP in Pokémon TCG Pocket, to help you get started on your journey to Master Ball rank. 

All of the decks listed are seeing lots of play in competitive TCG Pocket right now, but it’s important to remember that all deck lists are flexible — if you’re finding some of the cards listed aren’t working for you, consider taking a look at other cards at your disposal and experiment a little bit to find something that works with your playstyle. 

Pokémon TCG Pocket: Meta staple cards 

Competitive trading card games often have a few select cards that make frequent appearances in most decks, and Pokémon TCG Pocket is no different. Some cards are an absolute necessity in every deck, and some are very common across multiple decks. These cards are called staple cards, and if you want to compete on even ground in TCG Pocket’s competitive scene, you’ll need to run them in just about every deck you make. 

Here are some of the key staple cards in Pokémon TCG Pocket’s meta, with a little overview of what they do: 

• Professor’s Research — A Supporter card that lets you draw two cards, immediately increasing your card advantage and making your strategies more consistent. Run two in every deck. 
• Poké Ball — An Item card that adds a random Basic Pokémon from your deck to your hand, letting you set up your board much more consistently. Run two in every deck, and use it before Professor’s Research for maximum effect. 
• Rare Candy — An Item card that lets you instantly evolve a Basic Pokémon into a Stage 2, skipping Stage 1 in the middle. A necessity in any deck that runs Stage 2 Pokémon cards, though it does come with minor drawbacks. 
• Pokémon Communication — An Item card that lets you swap a Pokémon card in your hand with a random Pokémon from your deck. Situational, but useful if you draw into something you don’t need just yet. 
• Sabrina — A Supporter card that forces your opponent to swap out the Pokémon in their active spot with a Pokémon on their Bench. Useful for situations where you can guarantee a knockout, or if you want to disrupt a sweep. 
• X Speed and Leaf — An Item and Supporter card, respectively, that reduce the cost of retreating. Leaf is a bit better, but it’s a Supporter which means you can’t use it if you’ve already used a Supporter this turn, so decks that rely on specific Supporters or have lower retreat costs are better running X Speed. 
• Giant Cape — A Pokémon Tool card that gives the equipped Pokémon an extra 20 HP. Not strictly necessary, but helpful in a lot of decks. 

Pokémon TCG Pocket: Best Mewtwo ex deck

• Mewtwo ex (2) 
• Mew ex
• Ralts (2) 
• Kirlia 
• Gardevoir (2) 
• Leaf (2) 
• Sabrina 
• Professor’s Research (2) 
• Poké Ball (2) 
• Rare Candy (2) 
• Pokémon Communication
• Giant Cape (2) 

Mewtwo ex was one of the earliest decks to dominate the meta in Pokémon TCG Pocket, but it fell off in subsequent expansions as the meta evolved to become faster and more flexible. Those expansions have slowly been introducing new cards that make this deck more viable – like Leaf and Pokémon Communication – but the introduction of Rare Candy finally brought it up to the speed standard required to compete in the new meta. 

The play here is as it always has been — rush two Gardevoir on the bench, then use it to funnel energy onto Mewtwo ex, effectively allowing it to deal 150 damage every single turn. Very few decks are able to withstand this for very long, so once the setup is live it’s a pretty clear shot to victory. 

Pokémon TCG Pocket: Best Alolan Raichu ex deck

• Pachirisu (2) 
• Pikachu (2) - Triumphant Light 
• Alolan Raichu ex (2) 
• Oricorio 
• Cyrus (2)
• Professor’s Research (2) 
• Poké Ball (2) 
• X Speed (2) 
• Potion
• Poison Barb 
• Giant Cape (2) 
• Pokémon Communication

Lightning decks have long been meta relevant due to their typical speed, and Alolan Raichu ex is no different. The leading card itself is fantastic for punishing high-energy decks, which at this point is most decks in ranked play, but especially great against Grass-type decks, as it single-handedly wiped the Celebi ex/Serperior combo from the meta. 

Pachirisu is a great sacrificial card for helping build up cards on the bench, able to generate one additional energy per turn at the cost of one initial energy cost, while Oricorio is a great switch in if your opponent starts sweeping with a Pokémon ex card. We’ve also opted to go with Pikachu from the Triumphant Light set, as it lets you deal damage to a Pokémon of your choice on the bench, putting Cyrus online and making for a much better alternative to Sabrina. 

Pokémon TCG Pocket: Best Charizard ex and Turtonator deck

• Turtonator (2) 
• Charmander (2) 
• Charmeleon 
• Charizard ex (2) - Shining Revelry 
• Kiawe (2) 
• Professor’s Research (2) 
• Lillie (2) 
• Giovanni
• Potion
• Poké Ball (2) 
• Rare Candy (2) 
• Pokémon Communication 

The Turtonator and Kiawe combo in this deck is a huge boon for early-game play, which is something that’s been lacking in Fire-type decks. Kiawe gives you a reason to play first, since it lets you add two energy to Turtonator on turn one, letting you deal 90 damage per turn as soon as turn two, something very few decks are able to pull off. 

The second half of this deck is Shining Revelry’s Charizard ex line, which deals a massive amount of damage at the cost of a high amount of energy. We don’t have any support for getting this energy onto Charizard ex, but its Stoke attack lets you set up in two turns, which combined with Lillie’s healing prowess should be survivable and pave the way for a victory. 

Pokémon TCG Pocket: Best Oricorio and Tapu Koko deck

• Oricorio (2) - Pom-Pom 
• Tapu Koko (2) 
• Shaymin (2) - Triumphant Light/Sky Forme 
• Professor’s Research (2) 
• Sabrina (2) 
• Giovanni (2) 
• Pokémon Communication (2) 
• Poké Ball (2) 
• Potion (2) 
• Giant Cape (2) 

Sometimes a deck doesn’t necessarily need to be powerful — sometimes being very fast and very annoying is enough. That’s the ethos behind this Oricorio and Tapu Koko deck, which lets you safely deal damage with Tapu Koko and, thanks to its Volt Switch attack, switch out to Oricorio for the next turn, negating all damage from opposing Pokémon ex cards. 

Shaymin is the card that makes the whole loop possible, with its fantastic Sky Support ability that reduces the cost of retreating by one energy. Given Oricorio’s retreat cost is only one energy anyway, this lets you retreat Oricorio for free at the start of your turn, hit with Tapu Koko, then Volt Switch back to Oricorio for your opponent’s turn. It’s not a high-damage deck, but if you’re up against a deck that relies heavily on a Pokémon ex for its damage output – like most meta relevant decks – you can stall it out long enough to get a win… or annoy them into surrendering. Hey, a win’s a win. 

Pokémon TCG Pocket: Best Solgaleo ex deck

• Cosmog (2) 
• Cosmoem 
• Solgaleo ex (2) 
• Skarmory (2) 
• Sabrina (2) 
• Professor’s Research (2) 
• Poke Ball (2) 
• Rare Candy (2) 
• Giant Cape (2) 
• Rocky Helmet 
• Poison Barb (2) 

Metal-type decks have had a rough go in TCG Pocket, with very little support and not a lot in the way of a centerpiece. Solgaleo ex changes all of that — it’s an excellent heavy hitter that requires only two energy to deal 120 damage with no maintenance cost. It also has a free switch in with its ability, which is not strictly necessary but a nice addition nonetheless. 

While you’re busy building up a Solgaleo ex on the bench, Skarmory is a nice Basic Pokémon that deals 50 damage per turn for a single Metal energy, provided it has a Pokémon Tool attached. This is a very consistent deck that doesn’t need a lot of energy to be effective and, as a bonus, doesn’t have a unified weakness across its Pokémon. 

Pokémon TCG Pocket: Best Passimian ex deck 

• Passimian ex (2) 
• Geodude (2) 
• Graveler 
• Golem (2) - Mythical Island 
• Brock (2) 
• Leaf (2) 
• Professor’s Research (2) 
• Pokémon Communication (2) 
• Poké Ball (2) 
• Rare Candy (2) 
• Rocky Helmet 

Fighting-type decks got a big upgrade with Celestial Guardians with the introduction of the first Basic Pokémon ex card within the type: Passimian ex. It’s got a pretty neat ability, too, allowing you to transfer all of its energy to another Pokémon upon being knocked out, instantly letting you set up another Pokémon on the bench. 

This is where Mythical Island’s Golem comes in — Passimian ex can’t deal a lot of damage, but Golem can, and it has a pretty big pool of HP too. Using Passimian ex as a sacrificial, chip-damaging energy farm is a risky tactic, but with Brock in the deck too, it basically guarantees the ability to instantly set up a Golem and sweep through the rest of your opponent’s team. It’s fast and consistent, and that’s a necessity in the current meta.