The three top decks in Pokemon Trading Card Game Pocket (PTCG Pocket) are Pikachu ex, Articuno ex and Starmie ex, and Mewtwo ex and Gardevoir. Read on to see our findings as we pit these three top decks against each other and how they compare!

Deck Matchup Statistics

Articuno ex Deck

Deck	Commentary
Articuno ex Deck Deck Type:	Strengths: • Can sweep through teams after a successful Misty. • Has access to all the best Trainer cards. Weaknesses: • Weak to Lightning-type decks. • Difficult to recover if Misty usage is unsuccessful.
Card List

Articuno ex Deck Strategy Guide and Card List

Mewtwo and Gardevoir Deck

Deck	Commentary
Mewtwo and Gardevoir Deck Deck Type:	Strengths: • Consistent and powerful. • Simple strategy to implement. Weaknesses: • Weak to Dark-type Pokemon. • Hard to set up Gardevoir
Card List

Mewtwo and Gardevoir Deck Strategy Guide and Card List

Results of 10-Game Round Robin

To summarize the results of our 10-game round robin between the three top decks, Pikachu ex won twice, Articuno ex and Starmie ex won 0 times, while Mewtwo ex and Gardevoir won once. With Pikachu ex leading the three decks in wins, it is a fair point to say that Pikachu ex is at the very top of the Genetic Apex format.

This does not mean that Articuno ex and Starmie ex is weak, however. It is still an effective and explosive deck. Based on our testing, if the Starmie deck's Misty had flipped heads more times, or if it went second more times, it is highly possible that it could beat Pikachu ex.

Mewtwo ex and Gardevoir appear to be at a disadvantage against Pikachu ex's tempo, but it is about 50/50 against Articuno ex and Starmie ex.

Pikachu ex vs Articuno ex and Starmie ex

VS

10 Match Tests vs Pikachu ex Deck - Matchup Statistics

This matchup ended with a 10-9 victory in Pikachu ex's favor. This is a very close set, considering Articuno ex and Starmie ex's type disadvantage.

Most of the games where the Starmie ex deck won were games where it scored lucky Misty flips, but there were also games when Zapdos ex worked as a wall that could also severely damage Articuno ex.

While the Pikachu ex deck's type advantage was also a deciding factor, the presence of Pincurchin allowed the Articuno ex and Starmie ex deck to OHKO it with a well-placed Sabrina. This allowed it to win the points race in some games.

Articuno ex and Starmie ex vs Mewtwo ex and Gardevoir

VS

Mewtwo ex takes a 9-10 victory over Starmie ex and Articuno ex, with Gardevoir being set up on three games allowing Mewtwo ex to attack freely.

The approach that Mewtwo ex has to take in this matchup is to first use one of its Mewtwo exs as a wall while a second one sets up on the Bench. It then uses Gardevoir to accelerate Energy onto Mewtwo ex letting it attack for multiple turns in succession.

Articuno ex must rely on lucky Misty flips to put the matchup in its favor, however it isn't always lucky and must pivot to Starmie ex's two-Energy Hydro Splash to reliably deal damage to Mewtwo ex.

Mewtwo ex and Gardevoir vs Pikachu ex

VS

This matchup ended with Mewtwo ex losing 6-10 to Pikachu ex. Mewtwo ex had more first turns, but the results still showed the overwhelming strength of Pikachu ex.

Both decks excel when going second but it can be said that Pikachu ex, a deck that doesn't rely on evolutions, is more consistent than Mewtwo ex and Gardevoir.

Mewtwo ex also has lots of requirements in order to gain maximum value out of the deck, such as completing the Gardevoir evolution line and getting multiple Energy on Mewtwo ex. Pikachu ex, on the other hand, requires significantly less. It requires only 3 Pokemon on your Bench and two Energy attachments. The lesser amount of conditions for an optimal board state swings the matchup in Pikachu ex's favor.

Pokemon TCG Pocket Related Guides

Best Meta Decks Tier List

Meta Decks

S Tier Decks
Arceus ex
A+ Tier Decks
Carnivine	Rampardos	Crobat
Magnezone and Skarmory	Exeggutor ex	Heatran
Charizard ex	Palkia ex	Darkrai ex
Weavile ex	Yanmega ex	Origin Forme Palkia
A Tier Decks
Leafeon ex	Garchomp ex	Probopass ex
Infernape ex	Pachirisu ex	Gyarados ex and Greninja
Pikachu ex	Dialga ex	Articuno ex
Gallade ex	Abomasnow	Celebi ex
B Tier Decks
Glaceon ex	Bronzong	Tyranitar
Staraptor	Donphan	Starmie ex and Articuno ex
Mewtwo ex and Gardevoir	Golem	Pidgeot ex
Scolipede and Weezing	Garchomp	Porygon-Z
Arcanine ex	Dialga ex and Bastiodon	-
C Tier Decks
・Houndoom Deck ・Snorlax Deck ・Lucario Deck ・Pikachu ex and Raichu Deck ・Venusaur ex Deck ・Volkner Deck ・Togekiss Deck ・Aerodactyl ex Deck ・Alakazam and Jynx Deck ・Dragonite Deck ・Machamp ex Deck ・Blastoise ex Deck ・Marowak ex Deck ・Torterra Deck ・Empoleon Deck ・Mismagius ex Deck ・Volcarona and Arcanine ex Deck ・Wigglytuff ex Deck ・Gengar ex Deck

Off Meta Decks

(A2)
・Dialga ex and Lickilicky ex Deck ・Lake Trio Deck ・Rhyperior Deck ・Togekiss Deck
(A1)	(A1a)
・Arbok Lock Deck ・Brock Deck ・Cinccino Deck ・Frosmoth Deck ・Kingler and Articuno ex Deck ・Lt. Surge Deck ・Melmetal Deck ・Mewtwo ex and Weezing Deck ・Primeape Deck ・Venusaur ex and Weezing Deck ・Victreebel and Exeggutor ex Deck	・Gyarados ex and Vaporeon Deck ・Mew ex and Weezing Deck ・Vaporeon and Articuno ex Deck

Deck-Building Guides and Articles