Sitting at the top of this list isn’t a Legendary or something that requires a ton of energy. Starmie ex is a low-risk card that can deal big damage fast, making it a great inclusion for a Water-based deck. Its Hydro Splash attack only needs two energy to deal 90 damage. Another fantastic benefit it has is a zero retreat cost, meaning you can easily swap it out if you’re worried it might get knocked out soon.
The only barrier with Starmie ex is that you need to evolve a Staryu for it. That isn’t that big of an issue in the grand scheme of things. Hydro Splash is sure to knock out if not take a big chunk from most Pokémon you pit it against. At the same time, 130 HP will help it survive against most attacks thrown at it. Every Water-based deck will be elevated by including or basing itself around a Starmie ex card.
There is no telling how the metas might change, but for now, these are the best cards by far. If you’re interested in how some of these cards can be used in a deck, we’ve got you covered with four meta-dominating builds.