At the beginning of the Space-Time Smackdown meta, Pokemon TCG Pocket players immediately realized that Darkrai ex was a powerhouse in the format. A couple of weeks later, players finally figured out how to counter Darkrai ex, and that they already had most of the tools from previous sets.
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Pokemon Pocket: Darkrai ex Magnezone Deck Guide
Shock your opponent with Pokemon Pocket’s Darkrai ex/Magnezone deck.
Celebi ex was the bane of the Mythical Islands meta thanks to the ability to brute-force through coin flips by stacking up an enormous amount of Energy. And Exeggutor ex, once a backup for Venusaur ex, finally has a chance to shine in this meta-flipping deck.
Sample Decklist
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Exeggutor ex / Celebi ex |
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Exeggcute (A1) x2 |
Exeggutor ex (A2) x2 |
Celebi ex (A1a) x1 |
Professor’s Research x2 |
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Erika x2 |
Sabrina x2 |
Cyrus x1 |
Poke Ball x2 |
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Potion x2 |
Pokemon Communication x1 |
Rocky Helmet x2 |
Giant Cape x1 |
Exeggcute is the only card with an alternate print in another set. The Mythical Island version gains Grass Energy through its attack, but Exeggutor ex doesn’t need extra Energy except to retreat. Stick to the first-turn bonus damage from Seed Bomb.
Some versions of the deck drop Sabrina for Leaf, Shaymin, or both. We found the ability to gust out a blocking Pokemon like Druddigon to be more useful in most games.
Exeggutor Ex / Celebi Ex Deck Strategy
The Exeggutor ex / Celebi ex strategy is one of the simplest in Pokemon TCG Pocket: Give Exeggcute an Energy, attack and evolve as soon as possible, and stack the rest of your Energy on Celebi ex to run cleanup once Exeggutor ex is down.
Exeggcute can hit for 20 damage immediately if you’re going second, but if you’re going first, you can evolve to Exeggutor ex and attack for 40-80 damage immediately. This averages out to 2-shot Darkrai ex even with a Giant Coat, thanks to its Grass weakness.
Since Exeggutor ex only needs a single Grass Energy, you’re free to put the rest on your Celebi ex on the bench. Lacking other uses for Energy, you’ll usually have at least four Grass Energy on Celebi ex before your Exeggutor ex is Knocked Out.
The rest of the deck is a toolbox: Professor’s Research, Poke Ball, and Pokemon Communication help you find your Pokemon; Erika and some Potions keep them kicking; and Sabrina and Cyrus get rid of Druddigon in order to hit the high-value targets in the back.
Both the Giant Cape and the Rocky Helmet are useful, but you’ll want the Rocky Helmet on Exeggutor ex in most situations. This adds to its chip damage and discourages low-damage attacks while your opponent is setting up.
Exeggutor Ex / Celebi Ex Matchups
Darkrai Ex / Magnezone
Darkrai ex decks rely on chip damage while setting up, but Exeggutor ex can start attacking immediately, with type advantage against Darkrai ex. These advantages are so pronounced that Exeggutor ex / Celebi ex decks have an incredible win rate against all versions of the Darkrai ex archetype.
Sabrina is extremely useful here, since she’ll allow you to bypass the Druddigon your opponent wants to hide behind. Even if you only get one attack, they’ll need a Leaf to discard Energy to get back into position, and you’ll have Cyrus ready later.
Charizard Ex / Moltres Ex
Charizard ex decks got a minor upgrade from Space-Time Smackdown thanks to Pokemon Communication, making it easier to get the Stage 1 and Stage 2 Pokemon you need to start swinging. This makes the deck faster and more reliable than ever.
Your chances against this deck are slim: All of your Pokemon are weak to Fire, and if your opponent is unlucky enough to start with Charmander in front, it can OHKO your Exeggcute. Plus, healing effects like Erika are useless against a deck that OHKOs all of your Pokemon.
Magnezone / Skarmory
Ever since Sam Woods talked about this deck, usage has been on the rise. It’s a tough battle for Exeggutor ex, since Skarmory can reliably OHKO Exeggcute on the first turn it can attack.
If you survive past the first turn, you should come out ahead: Skarmory wins by taking early-game Prize Points, but Exeggutor ex and Celebi ex can tank a couple of attacks and hit back even harder.
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