Once at the top, Mewtwo ex and Gardevoir enjoyed a strong start in TCG Pocket, holding their ground after the release of the first miniset. However, their dominance crumbled with the arrival of the second major expansion, Space-Time Smackdown. This is the story of how Mewtwo ex and Gardevoir rose to power and eventually fell from grace in Pokemon Pocket’s meta.
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This analysis covers the best—and still viable—deck shell for the Mewtwo ex & Gardevoir archetype. It also explores the synergy behind them, the reasons for their decline after the A2 set’s launch, and what the future might hold for this duo.
Mewtwo ex and Gardevoir employ a ramp strategy. The goal is to get four Energy onto Mewtwo ex, your main attacker, as quickly as possible while utilizing Mew ex as a secondary attacker or a tech card to absorb damage and stall.
Step One: Stall or Amass
If you have Mewtwo ex in hand, start with it. If not, use Mew ex as a tank. If neither is available, you’ll have to play Ralts. In this case, be ready to switch Ralts out once you draw Mewtwo ex or Mew ex.
Step Two: Build the Power Plant(s)
Once you have the ideal Pokemon in the Active Spot, focus on building up Gardevoir. Use Mythical Slab or Pokemon Communication if you’re missing evolution cards. Aim to have Gardevoir ready by turn three to start generating Energy for Mewtwo ex.
Step Three: Switch in and Attack
After placing four Energies on Mewtwo ex, switch it into the Active Spot (if it’s not already there) and start attacking. Each attack will deal 150-170 damage, depending on the enemy’s type, but it will also discard two of Mewtwo ex’s Energies. On the following turn, grab one Energy from the Zone and generate another with Gardevoir to continue the assault.
You can make Mewtwo ex more tanky by attaching a Giant Cape. However, if your opponent is dealing chip damage to your Bench, consider using the Giant Cape to protect your Gardevoir instead.
The Best Deck Shell for Mewtwo ex & Gardevoir
The Space-Time Smackdown set hasn’t made major changes to Mewtwo ex & Gardevoir lineups. You still have Ralts, Kirlia, and Gardevoir on one side and Mewtwo ex and Mew ex on the other. For Trainer Cards, the ideal options are Giant Cape, Pokemon Communication, and Cyrus, which improve consistency. The rest of the deck includes standard cards found in most Psychic-type decks, such as Mythical Slab, Leaf, X Speed, Pokemon Ball, and Professor’s Research.
Must-Have Pokemon
|
Ralts |
2 |
|
Kirlia |
2 |
|
Gardevoir |
2 |
|
Mewtwo ex |
2 |
|
Mew ex |
1 or 2 (optional) |
Must-Have Trainer Cards
- Mythical Slab
- Pokemon Communication
- Leaf
- Giant Cape
- X Speed
Pros and Cons of Mewtwo ex & Gardevoir Decks
|
Pros |
Cons |
|---|---|
|
High damage output |
Slow build-up |
|
Straightforward play line |
Predictable attacks |
|
Ramp-friendly setup |
Vulnerable to draw RNG |
Advantages of Mewtwo ex & Gardevoir Decks
- The DMG-HP ratio is solid. If you can build up Mewtwo ex early, it can take down most big cards without getting knocked out too quickly. Mewtwo ex has 150 HP, which can be boosted to 170 with a Giant Cape, allowing it to endure a hit or two and take out the opponent’s main attacker.
- Playing a Mewtwo ex & Gardevoir deck is straightforward. You’re only dealing with one evolution line and one main goal: evolve into Gardevoir quickly and fuel Mewtwo ex with Energy. That’s mostly it.
- Things can go very well when the RNG is in your favor. If you’re lucky enough to draw the right cards on time, the ramp strategy can lead to lots of victories. Ideally, you want to go second, get Mewtwo out early, and evolve into Gardevoir before turn three—then you’ll be a real threat.
Disadvantages of Mewtwo ex & Gardevoir Decks
- The opponent can catch up. Mewtwo ex can’t deliver unless Gardevoir backs it up, and Gardevoir often takes a while to set up. This gives your opponent the chance to activate their primary damage dealer before you can.
- Mewtwo ex’s moves are easy to predict. Your opponent could easily counter your strategy because your play line is pretty simple.
- If you don’t draw the right cards, you lose. While Mythical Slab and Pokemon Communication have improved consistency, the deck still relies heavily on drawing specific cards at the right time, making it vulnerable to more consistent decks.
Mewtwo ex & Gardevoir Performance Report
- Meta Share: ~ 2%
- Win Rate: ~ 40%
- Tournament Appearance: ~ 2,500
Mewtwo ex & Gardevoir decks rose to the top of the meta with the A1a (Mythical Island) expansion. At that time, the deck had a 51% win rate and claimed nearly 18% of the metagame. However, the release of Space-Time Smackdown dethroned the duo in a brutal fashion.
Currently, Mewtwo ex & Gardevoir decks make up only 2% of the meta, a 16% drop from the previous set. Additionally, the deck’s win rate has fallen to 40%, showing that it’s now largely ineffective against most other top-tier options in Pokemon TCG Pocket.
Why Mewtwo ex & Gardevoir Failed
There are three primary reasons why Mewtwo ex & Gardevoir were crushed with the launch of the Space-Time Smackdown set:
The Rise of Darkness-type Decks
Space-Time Smackdown is dominated by Darkrai ex, a Darkness-type Pokemon that Mewtwo ex is weak against. Recent tournament data shows Darkrai ex has a 76% win rate against Mewtwo ex decks, which explains the decline in popularity of Psychic-type decks.
Metagame Shift Toward Bench Damage
Darkrai ex also popularized a new archetype focused on damaging Bench Pokemon. Cards like Darkrai ex, Hitmonlee, and Palkia ex synergize with this strategy. And Mewtwo ex has clearly been one of the victims of this trend. Since Mewtwo ex relies on its Bench to deal damage, the long-range damage style that’s become dominant in Pokemon Pocket has devastated the Mewtwo ex & Gardevoir duo.
Mewtwo ex’s Slow Build-up
The Mewtwo ex & Gardevoir combo was already struggling with Energy distribution and slow build-up, relying heavily on Stage Two Pokemon. Now that other top-tier decks are faster and can deal high damage early, this disadvantage has become even more crippling. Many lineups can’t even build Gardevoir on time because their Ralts or Kirlia are quickly knocked out on the Bench.
The Future of Mewtwo ex & Gardevoir in Pokemon Pocket
Given the current direction of Pocket’s meta, it’s hard to see a bright future for Mewtwo ex & Gardevoir decks. Their weakness to long-range or Bench damage is what’s pushing them out of the meta, and that’s not something easily fixed by simply releasing new Pokemon. To counterbalance this disadvantage, you would need to rely on tech cards.
There are two potential ways Mewtwo ex can become future-proof in TCG Pocket: 1) The game adds new tech cards that can protect Gardevoir from long-range attacks. 2) Gardevoir is replaced with a new Psychic-type Energy generator that functions more like Manaphy—requiring minimal Energy and being a Basic Pokemon. If neither of these conditions is met, Mewtwo ex decks will likely continue to fade from the meta and eventually become obsolete.
