As the Darkrai ex meta took over the Pokemon TCG Pocket scene, an unexpected duo from earlier expansions has come back to answer. Exeggutor ex and Celebi ex lead the charge in the new Grass-type meta, using Pokemon Pocket’s new Trainer Cards from the Space-Time Smackdown set to cover the weaknesses of previous decks. To many players’ surprise, this revamped pair is performing exceptionally well in tournaments and PvP.
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Pokemon TCG Pocket: The Best Darkrai ex & Greninja Deck
Darkrai ex has formed a deadly alliance with Greninja in Pokemon Pocket’s metagame, and here’s how you can exploit it to rack up more wins.
If you’re curious about how the Exeggutor ex & Celebi ex meta works, we’ve got you covered. This guide will start by introducing the ideal shell for the duo and explain why it stands out against current meta decks. Plus, you’ll find a tournament report analyzing recent matches of Exeggutor ex and Celebi ex, along with predictions for their future.
The Best Exeggutor ex & Celebi ex Deck Shell
A meta shell for the Exeggutor ex & Celebi ex combo should include the following cards:
- Exeggcute
- Exeggutor ex
- Celebi ex
- Cyrus
- Erika
- Rocky Helmet
- Giant Cape
- Pokemon Communication
These eight cards are essential. For the rest of the deck, you have at least four slots to get creative. Some strong options to consider are Sabrina, Leaf, Potion, and, of course, Professor’s Research and Pokemon Ball.
Exeggutor ex & Celebi ex Deck Details
|
Exeggcute |
2 |
|
Exeggutor ex |
2 |
|
Celebi ex |
2 |
|
Cyrus |
1 |
|
Sabrina |
1 |
|
Erika |
2 |
|
Professor’s Research |
2 |
|
Pokemon Ball |
2 |
|
Pokemon Communication |
1 |
|
Leaf |
1 |
|
Rocky Helmet |
1 |
|
Giant Cape |
1 |
|
Potion |
2 |
You can swap out two Trainer Cards in the above shell to add two copies of Shaymin. This strategy boosts the deck’s survivability because you can have two Shaymin on the Bench, using them as your no-cost healing machines.
The idea behind the Exeggutor-Celebi meta is simple: Get Exeggcute onto the Active Spot as quickly as possible, evolve it into Exeggutor ex, and start dealing up to 80 damage. Meanwhile, build up Celebi ex on the Bench with any extra Grass Energy and use it for the ultimate attack.
You might be wondering what’s changed since the release of Space-Time Smackdown to “revive” this strategy. The answer is the new Trainer Cards. The addition of Cyrus, along with HP and damage-boosting Pokemon Tools like Giant Cape and Rocky Helmet, has strengthened Exeggutor and Celebi’s synergy.
Shaymin also plays a key role, as, combined with Erika and two Potions, it can sometimes allow for healing up to 110 damage from a Pokemon! This is crucial, especially since the current metagame centers around chip damage from Pokemon abilities, largely due to the rise of Darkrai ex decks. Thanks to these new Trainer Cards, Exeggutor ex and Celebi ex can endure this damage, making them one of the best anti-meta options.
Exeggutor ex & Celebi ex Performance Report
- Tournament Matches: +6,000 (as of February 11, 2025)
- Metagame Share: ~ 6.5%
- Win Rate: ~ 54%
Recent Pokemon TCG Pocket tournament analysis shows that the Exeggutor & Celebi combo is one of the most popular competitive decks right now. With a solid win rate of 54%, it could be argued that this duo is one of the best-performing options to come out of the Space-Time Smackdown expansion.
Exeggutor ex & Celebi ex’s success can be attributed to its strong performance against the Darkrai ex meta. Recent matchups confirm that the duo holds a 55% win rate against Darkrai ex & Magnezone decks and a 56% win rate against its Greninja variant.
While a 54% win rate in tournaments is impressive, Exeggutor and Celebi still struggle against some of the meta decks from previous expansions. Specifically, they’re weak against Charizard ex & Moltres ex decks and the popular Gyarados ex & Greninja shells.
The Exeggutor-Celebi shell’s lack of burst damage and reliance on RNG makes its future uncertain. Furthermore, the duo’s success is heavily tied to recent Trainer Cards (e.g., Cyrus and Giant Cape), which are likely to be countered as new expansions roll out. In short, the Exeggutor-Celebi meta is currently on shaky ground and could soon fall out of favor.
