Mega Garchomp ex Deck Guide: Best Deck Lists & How to Play | Pokémon TCG Pocket

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Hola Everyone! It’s your boy Anketsu here, and welcome to a brand new Pokémon TCG Pocket guide.

Mega Garchomp ex isn’t just a powerhouse. It’s a nuclear warhead with legs, ready to blow a hole through almost anything standing in its way!

With 220 HP and a devastating 190 damage attack, this Dragon-type monster can knock out some of the biggest threats in Pokémon TCG Pocket with a single hit.

And since knocking out a Mega Evolution means an instant win, Mega Garchomp ex has the firepower to end games on the spot.

In this guide, I’ll break down its best partners, the Trainers you need, and the deck lists worth trying. It’s clobberin’ time!

Now grab a seat, relax, and enjoy the guide!

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Main Cards Analysis

Below, you’ll find a full card analysis with combos and strategies.
If you want to skip to the complete decklist, click here:

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Pokémon Cards

Mega Garchomp ex 💥

Mega Garchomp ex is a Dragon-type Stage 2 Pokémon with 220 HP, and it’s the main reason to build this deck in the first place.

The card is available as a promo during the October 15–25 period, and its attack is about as straightforward as it gets:

Falling Edge 3 Energy (1 Water, 1 Fighting, 1 Colorless); 190 damage

After attacking, you have to discard 2 random Energy from Mega Garchomp ex.

There is nothing complicated about Falling Edge. You put three Energy on Mega Garchomp ex and deal a massive 190 damage, enough to score a one-hit KO on several important Pokémon in the current metagame, including threats such as Mega Altaria ex, Mega Lucario ex, and Hoopa ex.

That kind of damage makes Mega Garchomp ex a serious threat to any opponent who relies on Pokémon within that KO range. A single attack can remove a major threat and potentially decide the entire game.

Of course, that power comes with a significant drawback.

Mega Garchomp ex needs three Energy to attack, including both Water and Fighting Energy. That’s a demanding requirement in a fast-paced metagame where some major threats, such as Mega Blaziken ex, can start attacking with only two Energy.

On top of that, Falling Edge discards two random Energy after you attack. Simply getting three Energy onto Mega Garchomp ex isn’t enough; you also need a way to accelerate or recover Energy if you want to keep attacking consistently.

Getting Mega Garchomp ex Ready

Because of these limitations, building around Mega Garchomp ex means finding ways to get it ready to attack as quickly as possible.

One of the most useful options is Dragonair from Ruler of the Skies.

Dragonair becomes particularly effective when paired with the Rainbow Cave Stadium. Together, they allow you to recycle Energy every turn, helping you meet Mega Garchomp ex’s demanding Energy requirements more efficiently.

The Dragonair + Rainbow Cave combination has already become a staple of Dragon decks, and I covered the same engine in my Mega Rayquaza ex deck guide a few weeks ago. It fits Mega Garchomp ex particularly well because every extra bit of Energy acceleration helps bring Falling Edge within reach.

Another option is Wally, a Supporter that attaches a Colorless Energy to one of your Stage 2 Pokémon. Here, that means Mega Garchomp ex itself. However, Wally cannot accelerate Gible or its other pre-evolutions, and its Energy only satisfies the Colorless requirement for Falling Edge, not the Water or Fighting requirement.

Wally is therefore best viewed as an additional way to complete Mega Garchomp ex’s setup rather than a replacement for your main Energy acceleration engine.

Cards such as Rare Candy, Dragonair, Rainbow Cave, and Wally can all help you get your main attacker ready, but choosing the right combination is only part of the equation. You’ll also need to protect your Evolution line and manage your early game carefully, which is where the deck’s actual gameplay comes into play.

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Other Pokémon 🐉

Besides the Dragonair mentioned above, there are several other Pokémon worth considering when building your Mega Garchomp ex deck.

Dragonair from Ruler of the Skies, with its Dragon’s Blessing Ability, has become pretty much a staple in Dragon decks at this point, so there isn’t much more to say about it. If you’re playing a Dragon deck, this is one of the first cards I would look at.

The simplest option is to pair Mega Garchomp ex with its “baby” counterpart: the regular, non-ex Garchomp from Team Rocket’s Ambition. It works similarly to its Mega evolution, but gives you a much safer option when things go wrong. If your opponent manages to KO the regular Garchomp, you only give up one point instead of two.

Another option I really like is what I call the coin-flip duo: Igglybuff + Darkrai.

Both Pokémon can take advantage of the incredibly annoying Sleep mechanic to stall your opponent, deal some damage, and, most importantly, buy you the extra turns you need to get Mega Garchomp ex ready. It’s not the most elegant strategy in the world, but if your opponent is forced to sit there asleep while you’re building your board, I’ll take it.

There is also a completely different direction you can take with the deck by making better use of the Water Energy required by Falling Edge.

Cards such as Mantyke, Milotic ex, and Mega Sharpedo ex can all make use of your Water Energy, allowing you to build a more Water-oriented version of the deck while still keeping Mega Garchomp ex as your main attacker.

This can even let you approach the deck almost like a Mono-Fighting deck, while using Water Pokémon as secondary options that take advantage of the Energy you’re already running.

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Trainer Cards 🎒

We’ve already covered Wally and Rainbow Cave, and these are among the strongest cards you can add to a Mega Garchomp ex deck. But if you want to get a little more experimental, there are some less obvious options worth trying.

One particularly spicy combination is Shooting Shore + Irida.

Shooting Shore is a Stadium that heals Pokémon with Water Energy attached, while Irida heals 40 damage from every Pokémon that has Water Energy attached.

This becomes especially interesting if you’re playing one of the more Water-focused versions of the deck with cards such as Mantyke, Milotic ex, or Mega Sharpedo ex. Instead of simply accepting the damage your board takes while you’re setting up, you can use these cards to keep your Pokémon alive for longer and squeeze even more value out of your Water Energy.

And honestly, if you want to play a slightly weird Mega Garchomp deck just because you can, I won’t judge you. At this point, even the Ranked ladder has lost some of its prestige when basically everyone can make it to Master Ball anyway. who simply has the deck from a player who actually knows how to pilot it.

Tools worth considering

Rocky Helmet can help improve your early game by giving you some extra damage while your opponent is trying to chip away at your Pokémon. That extra damage can also be particularly useful against the Lucky Ice Pop spam you may run into.

Big Air Balloon is another card I really like here. It can give you a way to save Mega Garchomp ex in desperate situations by making it easier to retreat.

Of course, this is Pokémon Pocket, so there’s always a catch.

You spend all that effort saving your Mega Garchomp ex, finally retreat it to safety… and then your opponent plays Cyrus and drags it right back.

GG.

Does this happen to anyone else, or am I personally cursed by Cyrus? I genuinely cannot explain how angry I get every single time this happens.

Staple Trainers

Finally, there are all the usual staples.

I’m mentioning these last because they’re the cards you’ll find in pretty much every competitive deck anyway: Professor’s Research, Copycat, Cyrus, Sabrina, Poké Ball, Pokémon Center Lady, Rare Candy, and the other standard consistency cards.

There isn’t much reason to reinvent the wheel here. Mega Garchomp ex already has a fairly demanding setup, so your Trainer lineup should generally focus on consistency and getting your main attacker online rather than filling the deck with too many gimmicks.

How to Play Mega Garchomp ex ⚔️

Mega Garchomp ex is a relatively slow deck during the early game, and your main objective is simple: buy enough time to build your Energy setup.Mega Garchomp ex is a relatively slow deck during the early game, and your main objective is simple: buy enough time to get your setup going.

Your first priority is keeping Gible alive while building your Bench with the Energy acceleration your version of the deck relies on, whether that’s Dragonair, Milotic ex, or another option.

If you get a good opening, establish your Gible, find your Energy acceleration, and protect your setup, the deck becomes extremely dangerous.

If you brick, however, things can get ugly very quickly. Without Dragonair or your other Energy acceleration pieces, you might never get Mega Garchomp ex ready in time.

The good news is that the actual sequencing is extremely simple.

Almost linear.

Actually, scratch that.

Linear as hell!

You put down Gible, give it the first Energy you can find, evolve into Dragonair, and start using your Energy acceleration to find the remaining Energy you need. Once Mega Garchomp ex has the required three Energy, you attack and let the 190 damage do the talking.

That’s basically the whole plan. No complicated combos or galaxy-brain plays required. Just get your Pokémon ready, charge up Mega Garchomp ex, and unleash your nuclear warhead with legs.

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DeckList 🃏

Mega Garchomp ex Deck Dragonite

The standard Mega Garchomp ex build: solid, reliable, and straight to the point. It focuses on getting your main attacker ready and making the most of its devastating power.

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Mega Garchomp ex Matchups and Meta Analysis 📊

Favorable Matchups ✅

Mega Garchomp ex is particularly effective against Mega Evolutions with 190 HP or less, as Falling Edge can knock them out in a single attack.

In Pokémon TCG Pocket, knocking out a Mega Evolution earns you 3 points and an instant win. This makes Mega Garchomp ex a serious threat against decks that rely on these Pokémon as their main attackers.

The real advantage is that your opponent has to respect this threat throughout the game. You can keep Mega Garchomp ex on your Bench and wait for them to expose their Mega Evolution. Once they do, you have the potential to end the match with a single attack.

Against these decks, Mega Garchomp ex acts as a deterrent: your opponent can’t commit their main attacker without risking the entire game.

Unfavorable Matchups ⚠️

Mega Garchomp ex struggles against fast, aggressive decks that can apply pressure from the very first turns.

The problem isn’t its damage output, but whether it gets the chance to use it. Decks that start attacking early can knock out Gible, Dratini, or other key Basic Pokémon before your Evolution lines are ready, leaving you with very few ways to recover.

Since Mega Garchomp ex needs specific cards to get going, you also have less room to include bulky Basic Pokémon that can absorb hits or stall while you prepare your main attacker.

Against faster opponents, you can end up losing before Falling Edge ever becomes relevant. And that’s the biggest weakness of this deck: it can destroy almost anything in its way, provided it survives long enough to attack.

FINAL THOUGHTS 💣

Thanks for reading another Anketsu.com deck guide! Mega Garchomp ex is a beast when it gets going, and I’d love to hear what you think about it.

How are you playing Mega Garchomp ex? Do you like this deck, and do you think this is the best promo we’ve received so far?

If you’re passionate about TCGs in all their forms, save Anketsu.com to your bookmarks and come back for more guides, deck lists, and TCG content!

Drop your thoughts in the comments, and don’t forget to share this guide with your fellow players, and as always… HOLA!

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F.A.Q. 🚨

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