What are the best Pokémon decks? The physical Pokémon TCG meta has been in a more or less healthy spot for a while, and there’s no single best Pokémon TCG deck that stands head and shoulders above the others. Nonetheless, some decks are stronger than others – so we’ve created this guide to track the most powerful Pokémon decks in recent times.
While you’re gathering intel for your trainer career, make sure to check out our guide to the best Pokemon cards in the game right now, and our list of all Pokemon sets. You’ll probably also love the top-tier collectibles in our guide to the most expensive rare Pokémon cards in the world.
But is the secret to a killer Pokémon TCG deck just mashing together the cards with the highest stats or price tags? No siree. The best Pokémon decks are finely tuned engines, relying on quick energy acceleration, devastating synergies, and resilient card draw to put the hurt on lesser lists.
The best Pokémon decks are:
- Lugia VSTAR/Archeops – most versatile
- Gardevoir EX – best for aggression
- Lost Zone Box – best Lost Zone deck
- Mew VMAX – best for massive damage
- Miraidon EX – best Lightning deck
Lugia VSTAR/Archeops – most versatile
This feared VSTAR Pokémon card deck relies on Lugia’s Summoning Star VSTAR power, which can put Archeops on the bench without you needing to have a lousy Archen in your deck at all. Archeops’ ability can then throw special energy (like Double Turbo) onto Lugia letting you attack with Tempest Dive at stunning speeds.
The great thing about the Lugia VSTAR/Archeops deck is its versatility. You’ll likely have a large number of possible attackers ready, as Archeops can power up a different benched Pokémon every turn.
Gardevoir ex – best aggressive deck
One of the hottest Pokémon decks in the last several years, Gardevoir ex made a real splash in the meta. This Psychic Pokémon deck relies on the Psychic Embrace ability of Gardevoir ex.
Simply dump as much Psychic energy into your Discard pile as you can, then get it all back with Gardevoir ex, and load up attackers for instant KOs.
Gardevoir’s Brainwave attack has particular synergy here, but you can also include anything from Zacian V to Mewtwo V-Union.
Lost Zone Box – Rinsing a new mechanic
The Lost Zone is a relatively new concept in the Pokémon TCG, but it’s one players need to know about, because Lost Zone Pokémon decks are some of the strongest around right now.
The Lost Zone Box strategy is fairly straightforward. Use cards like Colress’s Experiment and Comfey to load up the Lost Zone. Then, once you’ve got enough cards in there, Pokémon like Sableye and Cramorant come online with powerful attacks.
Meanwhile, Pokémon Trainer cards like Mirage Gate provide excellent energy acceleration.
Mew VMAX – Best damage dealer
Mew VMAX is a scarily powerful archetype, relying on Mew’s Cross Fusion Strike attack to clone one of your benched Pokemon’s more useful moves.
A variety of different Pokémon and Trainer cards flesh out different versions of this deck (it’s been around for a while now) but the star of the show is always Genesect V.
For one thing, this Pokémon has a very strong move: Techno Blast can dish out 210 damage, and Mew VMAX’s free retreat cost nullifies the downside. But even better is Genesect V’s ability, Fusion Strike System, which can restock your hand as long as your bench is full of ‘mons from the Fusion Strike set.
Miraidon ex – Best Lightning deck
Another new Pokémon deck running loads of Scarlet and Violet critters, this strategy uses lightning type Pokemon, relying on Miraidon ex’s Tandem Unit ability to fill up the bench with ease.
Thanks to this effect, the deck is reliable and fast. You’ll want an Ultra Ball or Nest Ball to ensure you always find your Miraidon ex at the start of the game, but fewer search cards are needed overall since Miraidon ex can do your searching for you.
The main lightning Pokémon other than Miraidon itself is Regieleki, both V and VMAX. These cards each have their uses, the V able to slow things down with Lightning Wall, while the VMAX combos superbly with its terrifying Transistor effect.
And that’s all our run-throughs of the best Pokemon decks in the game. If you’re a beginner or returner to the hobby, though, don’t worry – we’ve still got you covered; try our guides on how to build a Pokémon deck and how to play Pokémon cards for starters.
Plus, if you’re losing track of the many, many Pokémon gadding about these days, allow us to save the day with our definitive answer to the eternal question: how many Pokémon are there?