Despite initial excitement, Glaceon ex has struggled to escape the shadow of other Eeveelutions in Pokemon TCG Pocket. Even its brief success after release, which sparked hope among fans, wasn’t enough to elevate its status.
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That said, there are still viable deck shells where Glaceon ex can shine—like the one we’ll introduce in this guide. However, as one of TCG Pocket’s lower-tier ex cards, it remains a risky choice for PvP. Still, if you believe Glaceon ex deserves better and want to build a solid deck around it, we’ve got you covered.
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Glaceon ex Card Overview
- Rarity: Four-diamond, two-star
- HP: 140
- ATK: 90
- Text: [Snowy Terrain] During Pokemon Checkup, if this Pokemon is in the Active Spot, do 10 damage to your opponent’s Active Pokemon.
- ATK Energy: Three (two Water, one Colorless)
- Retreat Cost: One
- Weakness: Steel
“Pokemon Checkup” is the brief window after each turn when attack and Special Condition damage are calculated. This timing is crucial because if the opponent knocks out one of your Pokemon and you replace it with Glaceon ex, the opponent will take 10 damage—since Pokemon Checkup occurs after the substitution.
The Best Deck for Glaceon ex
Analyzing PvP tournaments reveals that the best deck for Glaceon ex right now is a Palkia ex setup with Manaphy and Misty as Energy generators. Some variations also include Vaporeon (A1a) to maximize the generated Energy. Irida and Cyrus are also essential for this deck, providing both stall and sniping capabilities.
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Glaceon ex Deck Synergies and Tactics
- Manaphy is the ideal starter for generating extra Water Energy.
- Glaceon ex can stall the opponent while dealing long-range damage.
- Palkia ex is the primary damage dealer you should build up on the Bench.
- Misty provides an opportunity to ramp up one of your damage dealers—Palkia ex or Glaceon ex.
- Irida serves as your main healer.
- Rocky Helmet allows Glaceon ex to inflict up to 30 chip damage while stalling the opponent.
- Cyrus is essential for sniping damaged cards, as opponents will likely survive the initial hit.
- Vaporeon (A1a) can be included to improve Energy distribution if needed.
One aggressive strategy is pairing Glaceon ex with Greninja and Druddigon while boosting them with Rocky Helmet. While this makes sense for maximizing Glaceon ex’s ability, the synergy between these cards usually isn’t strong enough to be truly threatening; the damage output of the trio is just below average.
Glaceon ex Performance Report
- Matches: ~ 300
- Meta Share: ~ 1%
- Win Rate: ~ 41%
The numbers don’t look great for Glaceon ex. Recent Pokemon TCG Pocket tournament data shows that this new Eeveelution has struggled against most top-performing decks from both the latest and previous expansions. However, it’s still too early to determine whether Glaceon ex is truly mediocre or just underutilized, as the metagame is still adapting. For now, the only certainty is that Glaceon ex has yet to find a competitive deck shell that fully exploits its potential.
How to Counter Glaceon ex Decks
So far, Glaceon ex has struggled the most against two specific decks: Arceus ex & Crobat ex and Palkia ex & Vaporeon. The former counters Glaceon ex effectively due to Arceus ex’s high-damage attack and Crobat’s Bench-sniping ability. The latter, meanwhile, functions as a mirror matchup against most standard Glaceon ex setups and is less clunky and faster to build compared to them.
Older meta decks from past expansions, such as Charizard ex & Moltres ex or Darkrai ex & Magnezone, also perform well against Glaceon ex. The only notable meta deck that has consistently lost to Glaceon ex is the refined Exeggutor ex & Celebi ex, which, at the time of publication, has a 70% loss rate against it.
Glaceon ex’s damage output is impressive, but the commitment it requires can sometimes backfire. Simply put, it is one of those cards that shines when everything falls into place but feels mediocre otherwise. If Snow Terrain, Glaceon ex’s passive ability, inflicted 20 damage or activated from the Bench instead of the Active Spot, this card could be a game-changer.
For now, we’ll have to wait and see whether this Water-type Eeveelution finds a solid deck to thrive in or remains an example of wasted potential. Upcoming tournaments will likely introduce a few creative setups for it, but with Arceus ex & Dialga ex on the rise and Glaceon ex being weak to Steel-type, it’s unlikely any of them will dominate the metagame.
