★ Mega Rising (B1) introduces the Mega Evolutions!
☆ New Decks: Mega Blaziken ex | Mega Gyarados ex
Mega Altaria ex | Mega Absol ex | Greninja ex
★ Events: Wonder Pick | Anniversary Celebration
☆ Trading Board: A4b and B1 Available for Trading!

This guide will show you how to build some of the strongest Lucario Decks. We'll cover the best Lucario Deck builds, how to use them, as well how to beat Lucario Decks, and more!
List of Contents
| Lucario Deck Variants | Strengths and Weaknesses |
|---|---|
Hitmonchan ex and Lucario Deck
[★ Best ★] |
Strengths:
• Can immediately apply offensive pressure, especially against low HP Pokemon. • Lucario can help Hitmonchan ex deal more damage. • Cannot hit for Weakness. Weaknesses: • Can only do 50 damage without damage modifiers. |
Rampardos and Lucario Deck
[★ Best ★] |
Strengths:
• Rampardos's low-cost attack can OHKO most Pokemon and deal meaningful damage to Pokemon who can tank it. • Lucario can help Rampardos get important KOs. • Very energy-efficient with low-cost Attacks. Weaknesses: • Makes use of Stage 2 Pokemon, which may require multiple turns to set up. • Makes use of Fossil Pokemon, which are difficult to set up. |
Poliwrath ex and Lucario Deck
|
Strengths:
• Poliwrath ex has a hefty 180 HP, making it difficult to KO. • Poliwrath ex can deal 100 to 140 damage with its Hydro Knuckle Attack. • Mantyke can speed up Poliwrath's setup with its Splashy Toss. Weaknesses: • Poliwrath requires two different types of Energy to deal 140 damage with Hydro Knuckle. |
Donphan ex and Lucario Deck
|
Strengths:
• Donphan ex can deal 50 damage with one Energy. • Both Pokemon in the deck can be set up quickly. Weaknesses: • Donphan ex relies on other cards to boost its damage. • Donphan ex needs more Energy to deal higher damage. |
Garchomp ex and Lucario Deck
|
Strengths:
• Garchomp ex can attack Benched Pokemon for just one Energy. • Lucario can help Garchomp ex OHKO bulkier opponents. • Marshadow can function as both an early-game attacker and a finisher. Weaknesses: • Weak to faster decks. • May take time to set up if the Rare Candy is not available. |
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| Energy Used | |||||||||||||||
Hitmonchan ex is played alongside Lucario and aims to make use of an aggro strategy, dealing damage and KOs before the opponent can set up their board.
This deck makes use of 2 Giovanni as a way to KO 60 HP Pokemon.
| Expansions | Cards to Get and Packs to Open |
|---|---|
| Genetic Apex (A1) | Giovanni x 2 (Mewtwo Pack) Sabrina x 1 (Charizard Pack) |
| Mythical Island (A1a) | Marshadow x 1 (Mew Pack) |
| Spacetime Smackdown (A2) | Riolu x 2 (Dialga Pack) Lucario x 2 (Dialga Pack) Cyrus x 1 (Palkia Pack) Mars x 1 (Palkia Pack) |
| Triumphant Light (A2a) | No cards needed from this expansion. |
| Shining Revelry (A2b) | No cards needed from this expansion. |
| Celestial Guardians | No cards needed from this expansion. |
| Extradimensional Crisis | No cards needed from this expansion. |
| Eevee Grove | No cards needed from this expansion. |
| Wisdom of Sky and Sea | Tyrogue x 2 (Ho-Oh Pack) |
| Secluded Springs | No cards needed from this expansion. |
| Mega Rising | Hitmonchan ex x 2 (Mega Blaziken Pack) |
| Promo-A | X Speed x 1 (Promo-A Pack) Poke Ball x 2 (Promo-A Pack) Red Card x 1 (Promo-A Pack) Professor's Research x 2 (Promo-A Pack) |
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| Energy Used | |||||||||||||||
This deck makes use of Hitmonchan as an early-game attacker while Rampardos gets set up on the Bench. Rare Candy can be used to quickly set up Rampardos for an explosive 130 damage Head Smash as early as turn 2. Meanwhile, Lucario manly functions as support on the Bench, boosting the power of your Pokemon by 20. This boost can increase to 40 when there are two Lucarios in play.
The deck runs a single copy of Cranidos who has an inexpensive Attack, and also benefits from Lucario's damage buff.
Red is used for when your Lucario's Fighting Coach damage buff isn't enough, while Lillie is used to keep your Rampardos healthy.
The deck also runs Guzma to get rid of pesky tool cards, and Iono to help refresh your hand and disrupt your opponent.
| Expansions | Cards to Get and Packs to Open |
|---|---|
| Genetic Apex (A1) | Hitmonchan x 1 (Charizard Pack) |
| Mythical Island (A1a) | No cards needed from this expansion. |
| Spacetime Smackdown (A2) | Cranidos x 1 (Dialga Pack) Rampardos x 2 (Dialga Pack) Riolu x 2 (Dialga Pack) Lucario x 2 (Dialga Pack) Skull Fossil x 2 (Dialga Pack) |
| Triumphant Light (A2a) | No cards needed from this expansion. |
| Shining Revelry (A2b) | Iono x 1 (Shiny Charizard Pack) Red x 1 (Shiny Charizard Pack) |
| Celestial Guardians | Rare Candy x 2 (Any Pack) Guzma x 1 (Lunala Pack) Lillie x 1 (Solgaleo Pack) |
| Extradimensional Crisis | No cards needed from this expansion. |
| Eevee Grove | No cards needed from this expansion. |
| Wisdom of Sky and Sea | No cards needed from this expansion. |
| Secluded Springs | No cards needed from this expansion. |
| Mega Rising | No cards needed from this expansion. |
| Promo-A | Poke Ball x 2 (Promo-A Pack) Professor's Research x 2 (Promo-A Pack) |
| Alternate Cards | Possible Cuts |
|---|---|
![]() Guzma (A3 151) |
![]() ![]() • An extra Guzma can often ensure that you won't be attacking into Rocky Helmet or Poison Barb. This also helps in getting Pokemon with Giant Cape into KO range. |
![]() Pokemon Center Lady (A2b 070) |
![]() ![]() • Pokemon Center Lady allows you to heal your Basics and Stage 1s which Lillie cannot. You can cut a copy of Red to keep your healing card count high. |
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| Energy Used | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Poliwrath ex is the deck's primary attacker, being able to do 100 to 140 damage for only 3 Energy. This is very easy to achieve if you have Mantyke in the early game to accelerate 1 Water Energy onto your Poliwag.
Lucario and Red give Poliwrath ex damage boosts, which can be helpful if you did not draw Mantyke on the first turn.
You may use Sylveon ex to help you search for the support and evolution cards that you may need.
| Expansions | Cards to Get and Packs to Open |
|---|---|
| Genetic Apex (A1) | Misty x 1 (Pikachu Pack) |
| Mythical Island (A1a) | No cards needed from this expansion. |
| Spacetime Smackdown (A2) | Riolu x 2 (Dialga Pack) Lucario x 2 (Dialga Pack) |
| Triumphant Light (A2a) | No cards needed from this expansion. |
| Shining Revelry (A2b) | Red x 1 (Shiny Charizard Pack) |
| Celestial Guardians | Rare Candy x 2 (Any Pack) |
| Extradimensional Crisis | No cards needed from this expansion. |
| Eevee Grove | Sylveon ex x 1 (Eevee Pack) |
| Wisdom of Sky and Sea | Eevee x 1 (Any Pack) |
| Secluded Springs | Poliwag x 2 (Suicune Pack) Mantyke x 2 (Suicune Pack) Poliwrath ex x 2 (Suicune Pack) |
| Mega Rising | No cards needed from this expansion. |
| Promo-A | Poke Ball x 2 (Promo-A Pack) Professor's Research x 2 (Promo-A Pack) |
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| Energy Used | |||||||||||||||
Donphan ex is this deck's main attacker. It can attack and deal 50 damage for only one Energy as soon as it evolves. It can increase its damage by having more Energy attached, as well as having other cards such as Lucario and Red to support it.
Hitmonlee can be used as an early-game attacker if the player doesn't have Phanpy in their starting hand. Meanwhile, Marshadow functions as an effective secondary attacker after one of the player's other Pokemon has been knocked out.
| Expansions | Cards to Get and Packs to Open |
|---|---|
| Genetic Apex (A1) | Hitmonlee x 1 (Mewtwo Pack) Sabrina x 1 (Charizard Pack) |
| Mythical Island (A1a) | Marshadow x 1 (Mew Pack) |
| Spacetime Smackdown (A2) | Riolu x 2 (Dialga Pack) Lucario x 2 (Dialga Pack) Giant Cape x 1 (Dialga Pack) Cyrus x 1 (Palkia Pack) |
| Triumphant Light (A2a) | Phanpy x 2 (Arceus Pack) |
| Shining Revelry (A2b) | Red x 1 (Shiny Charizard Pack) |
| Celestial Guardians | Guzma x 1 (Lunala Pack) |
| Extradimensional Crisis | No cards needed from this expansion. |
| Eevee Grove | No cards needed from this expansion. |
| Wisdom of Sky and Sea | Donphan ex x 2 (Ho-Oh Pack) Silver x 1 (Ho-Oh Pack) |
| Secluded Springs | No cards needed from this expansion. |
| Mega Rising | No cards needed from this expansion. |
| Promo-A | Poke Ball x 2 (Promo-A Pack) Professor's Research x 2 (Promo-A Pack) |
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| Energy Used | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Garchomp ex is paired with Lucario in this deck. Having at least one Benched Lucario card will boost Garchomp ex's damage output, which can allow Dragon Claw to OHKO bulkier opponents.
Marshadow can function as an early-game attacker while Garchomp ex sets up in the bench. However, it can also be used as a finisher after one of your Pokemon has been knocked out.
| Expansions | Cards to Get and Packs to Open |
|---|---|
| Genetic Apex (A1) | No cards needed from this expansion. |
| Mythical Island (A1a) | Marshadow x 1 (Mew Pack) |
| Spacetime Smackdown (A2) | Riolu x 2 (Dialga Pack) Lucario x 2 (Dialga Pack) Gible x 2 (Palkia Pack) Cyrus x 2 (Palkia Pack) |
| Triumphant Light (A2a) | Gabite x 1 (Arceus Pack) Garchomp ex x 2 (Arceus Pack) |
| Shining Revelry (A2b) | Iono x 1 (Shiny Charizard Pack) Red x 1 (Shiny Charizard Pack) |
| Celestial Guardians | Rare Candy x 2 (Any Pack) |
| Extradimensional Crisis | No cards needed from this expansion. |
| Eevee Grove | No cards needed from this expansion. |
| Wisdom of Sky and Sea | No cards needed from this expansion. |
| Secluded Springs | No cards needed from this expansion. |
| Mega Rising | No cards needed from this expansion. |
| Promo-A | Poke Ball x 2 (Promo-A Pack) Professor's Research x 2 (Promo-A Pack) |
| Alternate Cards | Possible Cuts |
|---|---|
![]() Hitmonlee (A1 154) |
![]() ![]() ・Hitmonlee can damage Benched Pokemon. This allows you to draw them out with Cyrus in order to score a KO. |
| Other Lucario Decks | ||
|---|---|---|
Gallade ex and Lucario
|
Lucario ex and Lucario
|
Lucario and Primeape
|
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| Energy Used | |||||||||||||||
Lucario is paired with Gallade ex in this deck to provide support. Having at least one Lucario in the Bench can boost Gallade ex's damage, providing it an opportunity to OHKO Energy-efficient opponents.
The Rare Candy can allow you to evolve Ralts directly into Gallade ex, allowing you to use Energized Blade as soon as possible.
| Expansions | Cards to Get and Packs to Open |
|---|---|
| Genetic Apex (A1) | No cards needed from this expansion. |
| Mythical Island (A1a) | No cards needed from this expansion. |
| Spacetime Smackdown (A2) | Ralts x 2 (Dialga Pack) Kirlia x 1 (Dialga Pack) Riolu x 2 (Dialga Pack) Lucario x 2 (Dialga Pack) Gallade ex x 2 (Dialga Pack) Pokemon Communication x 2 (Dialga Pack) Rocky Helmet x 2 (Palkia Pack) |
| Triumphant Light (A2a) | No cards needed from this expansion. |
| Shining Revelry (A2b) | No cards needed from this expansion. |
| Celestial Guardians | Rare Candy x 2 (Any Pack) |
| Extradimensional Crisis | No cards needed from this expansion. |
| Eevee Grove | No cards needed from this expansion. |
| Wisdom of Sky and Sea | No cards needed from this expansion. |
| Secluded Springs | No cards needed from this expansion. |
| Mega Rising | No cards needed from this expansion. |
| Promo-A | X Speed x 1 (Promo-A Pack) Poke Ball x 2 (Promo-A Pack) Professor's Research x 2 (Promo-A Pack) |
| Alternate Cards | Possible Cuts |
|---|---|
![]() Giant Cape (A2 147) |
![]() ![]() ![]() ・Equipping the Giant Cape can help prevent Gallade ex from getting OHKO'd. |
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| Energy Used | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Having multiple evolution lines for Riolu increases the likelihood that you'll be able to evolve Riolu into either Lucario' or Lucario ex, both of which are present in this deck.
Sudowoodo also makes an appearance in this deck as an early-game attacker, with Marshadow and its powerful Revenge Attack ready for when one of your Pokemon gets KOd.
| Expansions | Cards to Get and Packs to Open |
|---|---|
| Genetic Apex (A1) | Sabrina x 1 (Charizard Pack) |
| Mythical Island (A1a) | Marshadow x 1 (Mew Pack) |
| Spacetime Smackdown (A2) | Riolu x 2 (Dialga Pack) Lucario x 2 (Dialga Pack) Rocky Helmet x 2 (Palkia Pack) Cyrus x 1 (Palkia Pack) |
| Triumphant Light (A2a) | Sudowoodo x 2 (Arceus Pack) |
| Shining Revelry (A2b) | Lucario ex x 2 (Shiny Charizard Pack) Red x 2 (Shiny Charizard Pack) |
| Celestial Guardians | No cards needed from this expansion. |
| Extradimensional Crisis | No cards needed from this expansion. |
| Eevee Grove | No cards needed from this expansion. |
| Wisdom of Sky and Sea | No cards needed from this expansion. |
| Secluded Springs | No cards needed from this expansion. |
| Mega Rising | No cards needed from this expansion. |
| Promo-A | X Speed x 1 (Promo-A Pack) Poke Ball x 2 (Promo-A Pack) Professor's Research x 2 (Promo-A Pack) |
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| Energy Used | |||||||||||||||
This deck makes use of Primeape from Mythical Island to do a steady 50 damage for only one Energy. Lucario boosts this even further by adding an additional 20 damage to it, making for a 70 damage swing if you have one Lucario.
Your damage can be boosted even further by having two Lucarios, and by using Red.
The Pokemon in the deck all have low HP and are easy to KO, making it more consistent in meeting Marshadow's Attack condition.
| Expansions | Cards to Get and Packs to Open |
|---|---|
| Genetic Apex (A1) | Sabrina x 1 (Charizard Pack) |
| Mythical Island (A1a) | Mankey x 2 (Mew Pack) Primeape x 2 (Mew Pack) Marshadow x 2 (Mew Pack) |
| Spacetime Smackdown (A2) | Riolu x 2 (Dialga Pack) Lucario x 2 (Dialga Pack) Rocky Helmet x 2 (Palkia Pack) |
| Triumphant Light (A2a) | No cards needed from this expansion. |
| Shining Revelry (A2b) | Red x 1 (Shiny Charizard Pack) |
| Celestial Guardians | No cards needed from this expansion. |
| Extradimensional Crisis | No cards needed from this expansion. |
| Eevee Grove | No cards needed from this expansion. |
| Wisdom of Sky and Sea | No cards needed from this expansion. |
| Secluded Springs | No cards needed from this expansion. |
| Mega Rising | No cards needed from this expansion. |
| Promo-A | X Speed x 2 (Promo-A Pack) Poke Ball x 2 (Promo-A Pack) Professor's Research x 2 (Promo-A Pack) |


Lucario's Fighting Coach Ability increases the damage dealt by your Fighting Pokemon by 20. Use Red to push it even further!



Pokemon like Carnivine and Skarmory can exert immediate offensive pressure on your board, even before you can set up Lucario or its partners.
Starmie ex can also do a sizeable 90 damage for only 2 Energy, knocking out Riolu and Lucario's low-HP partners.

Best Lucario Decks and Card List



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