Best Glaceon ex Deck In Pokemon TCG Pocket

Water decks are undoubtedly some of the biggest winners of the Triumphant Light expansion in Pokemon TCG Pocket. This very powerful archetype has not only received new attackers during each expansion, but also many powerful supporters to give them that extra edge over their opponents.

There’s always some new toy for Water types to play with, and newcomers such as Glaceon ex are making sure to use them to the maximum extend, much to their opponents’ annoyance. Pair it with any other powerful Pokemon in this archetype and you have got yourself the perfect recipe for washing the meta away.

Sample Decklist

Any Eevee works for this deck, as all can evolve into Glaceon. However, Mythical Island’s Eevee is widely considered the strongest due to its coin-flipping attack. It has a chance of not doing anything, but it can also be the strongest version of the card with a bit of luck.

With plenty of supports available, you’ll have no shortage of options and alternatives when using this deck. Glaceon’s Freezing Wind might not sound that much appealing, but its true value lies in its Snowy Terrain passive. Your opponent is effectively poisoned as long as Glaceon stays on the frontline, making its attack effectively hit for 100 damage every turn.

And that’s not all. Water decks are notably quick to set up thanks to Misty. And since Manaphy’s introduction, they’ve doubled down on the quick Energy identity. Even with high energy costs, you can possibly fully set up Glaceon as early as Turn 3, as long as the odds are still in your favor with those coin flips.

As for a secondary attacker, the Space Pokemon Palkia is one of your best bets here. With its low-cost Slash attack and a much stronger (although costly) hit in Dimensional Storm, Palkia ex is a fitting partner for the Ice Eeveelution, going from a decent early-game attacker to a powerhouse that can finish the match in a single hit.

Manaphy (alongside the already mentioned Misty) is here to give them both an extra push. Oceanic Gift is one of the best ways to load up your bench, and does wonders for you deck if you can use it early. Even if Manaphy is knocked out, it only counts as a single Point, so no need to panic.

Irida is our final biggest star. Her huge healing can make this deck unexpectedly bulky. It’ll take much longer for Glaceon to be knocked out, so its Snowy Terrain can keep hurting the opponent for much longer. Combine it with Rocky Helmet for even stronger results.

Alternative Cards

While Palkia is arguably the best second attacker, not all players have had enough luck to pull two of it yet. If that’s the case, it’s time to bring back the good and old Articuno ex from Genetic Apex. It has a higher cost for its first attack, but Blizzard is a great attack for slowly burning your opponent’s bench, or making it a better target for Cyrus.

Speaking of him, he has become another staple in many decks, but Sabrina also works well in situations where you couldn’t damage your opponent. Replacing a Cyrus with a copy of her can be useful in some situations.

Rocky Helmet can also be swapped for other cards, such as Giant Cape or Potion. Its main objective is to make Glaceon last longer on the field by having enemies afraid to hit it. If it has extra health, the same is achieved, but in a more pacific way.

Deck Strategy

Water decks all play very similarly, and it won’t be different here. Your goal is to charge up Eevee and Palkia on the bench with Manaphy, then swap with Glaceon as your main attacker. While Glaceon holds the line, Palkia can be fed with more Energy, ready to finish the battle with a devastating Dimensional Storm.

While Glaceon’s 140 HP isn’t anything special compared to other powerful Ex Pokemon in the format, your Iridas can provide it with up to 80 extra HP. If running the Giant Cape variant, few Pokemon can knock it out in a single turn, and many will only be able to do it with a bit of luck.

Your best starting hand consists of Eevee, Glaceon, Manaphy, Misty, and Professor’s Research. Manaphy should take the lead to start pouring down some bonus Energy on your bench whenever possible. Ideally, Professor’s Research should give you a Poke Ball or another Basic Pokemon (other than Manaphy) so you can avoid wasting energy.

Dialga is also a fine Pokemon to start with, especially with Misty. If you’re lucky enough to hit Heads on your first coin toss, Dialga gets the chance to attack even at Turn 1!

During your second turn, Eevee should reach its final stage and receive any leftover Energy. While Manaphy is fragile, it’s very unlikely for it to be defeated during its first turn. Manaphy should use Oceanic Gift at least twice before swapping. Even if it ends up discarded, adding a total of four Energy to your field is a huge contribution. Good night, sweet prince.

Retreating Manaphy to avoid losing it might be worth it if you already have Glaceon, even if you only used Oceanic Gift once. Misty can possibly make it even (or even turn it into a better situation).

When Glaceon finally comes in, it immediately becomes a treat to your opponent. Any Pokemon ending its turn against takes ten damage at the end of a turn, and this passive damage can easily put them into the KO range during your next turn. While 90 Damage without extra effects isn’t as much as other Pokemon with 3-cost attacks (such as Yanmega), it’s still quite considerable.

By adding your Tools and Irida to the mix, it gets even more annoying. No Pokemon can last more than 2 turns against Glaceon, unless they have as many extra sources of HP as the gelid Eeveelution itself. Depending on which deck you’re up against, your opponent likely won’t recover from losing their main attacker.

If they try to stall the game, Cyrus has your back. Glaceon can easily spread damage throughout the whole board, creating easy targets for the Trainer card. But if all you need is a powerful hit, Palkia can make some Space for itself at the frontline to grant you one more victory.

Cyrus opens lots of possible plays, allowing you to be creative. If you have it in your starting hand, you can go the opposite way and build Palkia first. Use it to take out one of your opponent’s Ex Pokemon, then use Cyrus and bring in Glaceon to deal the final blow. Don’t forget that Palkia needs two Energy to Retreat!

Glaceon’s main strength lies in its ability to set up multiple Pokemon quickly, and constantly applying pressure to your opponent, often forcing them to swap. And that’s precisely its biggest weakness too. If you fail to get at least one attacker ready in time, you’ll likely be outscaled before you can react.

Without Palkia, you have no way to one-shot any Ex Pokemon either. It also heavily relies on Tools and Trainers to keep it alive, and not getting either of them can be your downfall.

Matchups And Counters

Glaceon is a force to be reckoned with, but some decks may put it back in the fridge instead.

Dialga Ex

This isn’t necessarily a lost battle, but it can be a very hard one. Not only does Dialga have advantage against Glaceon, it can also boost its bench similarly to Manaphy. But it does so while dealing damage. It also has tons of variations, so you never know who its partners are until it’s late.

Your best bet is giving the spotlight to Palkia, who’s more than capable of dealing with its Creation sibling. Giant Cape-less Dialga will always be knocked out by Palkia’s Dimensional Storm, and with another attacker waiting on your bench, Cyrus can secure that win for you.

Palkia Ex

It feels almost like a mirror match, but you’re technically faster than Palkia. There’s not much to talk here, since it’ll highly depend on who manages to set up their attacker first. Many of Palkia’s tricks are, by extension, also your tricks, especially the Dimensional Storm – Cyrus play.

Using Cyrus for stalling won’t work here if they have Vaporeon, so save it for actual KOs. Any damage to Palkia is important. If you manage to Slash it with your own Palkia twice, Glaceon will be ready to take it out the next turn. That is, if they don’t use their own Irida.

Darkrai Ex

Darkrai is still as oppressive as ever, but it loses a lot of its value against healing opponents. You can refresh your whole bench with Irida, so Darkrai/Druiddgon’s spread damage isn’t as difficult to deal with. Glaceon can take more than two hits from Darkrai if you happen to have her.

The main problem lies when Darkrai’s gone, though. This is usually when Magnezone takes over, which can be deadly for your Palkia. Make sure to have it with some extra Energy to one-shot it when the time comes. Weavile variations are arguably even easier to deal with.

Leafeon Ex

In this Eeveelution standoff, whoever’s faster to set up wins. Glaceon has more raw power, but Leafeon can start attacking at full force right from its second turn. If it’s also the Water energy variant, you’re in for lots of trouble, since it’ll constantly heal just like you.

Even if it runs Leaf energy, Erika still exists, making it an even bulkier deck that yours. Palkia can shut it down immediately, but if it has a Giant Cape (and it often does), you’ll need to wear it down a little bit before trying.

Infernape Ex

While it has a scary 140 damage attack, its large HP pool isn’t enough to withstand Palkia, thanks to its disadvantages. Moltres has no such weakness, but it takes a while to get it going, and it won’t be a huge threat either even after being fully energized.

Infernape is still a Stage 2 Pokemon, so you have enough time to prepare for its arrival. If you can’t shut it down in the earlier stages, have Palkia ready to take the first hit from the blazing monkey.

A single Infernape cannot attack twice, and always goes down to Palkia’s Dimensional Storm. Glaceon can deal a total of 120 damage to it in a single turn, which might be enough to bring it down if it’s already damaged.

Other Matchups

Electric decks are currently quite unpopular (as this article is being written), but they can give Glaceon a run for its money. Or rather, its partners. Palkia and Manaphy are both weak to Electric, and even the popular alternative attacker Articuno isn’t safe from the thunder’s might.

You’ll need to adjust your game plan to avoid being knocked out easily, especially when it’s time for Manaphy to take over. As always, a good Misty can solve all of your problems. Especially if you use her on Palkia to take out one of the opponent’s bigger threats early.

Mirror matches heavily depend on how quickly you can set up. The faster you get a Glaceon to the front, the better. However, using your healing cards wisely is even more important here, as your opponent will always try to do the same.

Most older decks aren’t able to keep up with Glaceon’s constant pressure, so you won’t have to worry much about them.

Non-Ex decks, on the other hand, can be unexpectedly scary if Glaceon can’t shut them down in one turn. Be careful with those, especially if they’re running Lucario!