Three decks are currently ruling the meta of Pokémon TCG Pocket’s first major expansion, Genetic Apex. The first is the fast and cheap Pikachu EX assassin deck which specialises in getting onto the field and taking out targets before they can become a true threat, while the second is the powerhouse Mewtwo EX deck which funnels Energy generated by Gardevoir into heavy-hitting attacks back-to-back. Meanwhile, the third is the Articuno EX deck, an interesting pressure deck with a large focus on luck and a risk-reward frame of mind: while running it is risky, especially compared to the more reliable Pikachu and Mewtwo decks, the results speak for themselves with Articuno EX becoming one of the deadliest decks in the format.
Articuno EX has the unique ability to hit both the Active slot and the Bench for damage in a single attack. While the damage isn’t super high, it will quickly rack up between turns, whittling down your opponents until they have nowhere else to turn to. What’s even better about this deck is that it has the potential to win games in a single turn if you get lucky with everyone’s favourite Supporter card, Misty. Whether you’re here for the instant win conditions or for the slow, glacial pressure that you’ll exact onto your opponents, the Articuno EX deck has a little something for everyone.
Here’s how to make the Articuno EX deck in Pokemon TCG Pocket.
If you’d like to read some other Pokémon TCG Pocket articles or even some articles about the real Pokemon TCG, you can find more here on KeenGamer:
- Pokémon TCG Pocket | Pikachu EX Deck Guide
- Pokémon TCG Pocket | Mewtwo EX Deck Guide
- Pokémon TCG Pocket | Best Cards from Each Genetic Apex Pack
- 10 Best and Most Expensive Pokemon Stellar Crown Cards
- 10 Best and Most Expensive Pokémon 151 Cards | Pokémon TCG
Pokemon TCG Pocket
Pokemon TCG Pocket Articuno EX Deck List
The Articuno EX deck is a mono-Water deck in TCG Pocket and arguably the best showcase of the power of Misty’s Supporter card. If you get lucky, Articuno can win the game turn one or put you in an extremely advantageous position from the jump, even if you draw the short straw and go first. With the ability to hit both the Active and Bench with some high chip damage and one of the game’s most frightening offensive forces as a backup attacker, the Articuno EX deck thrives as a pure power deck to pressure your opponents.
Firstly, here’s a list of essential cards you need to make the Articuno EX deck work in Pokemon TCG Pocket. This deck list comprises only six Pokemon, with the rest being powerful Supporter or Item Cards. Compared to other decks, like Pikachu EX, Articuno won’t have a lot of backup options to switch to, so keep that in mind when building this deck.
- Articuno EX x2 (Genetic Apex 084)
- Staryu x2 (Genetic Apex 074)
- Starmie EX x2 (Genetic Apex 076)
- Poke Ball x2 (Promo-A 005)
- Misty x2 (Genetic Apex 220)
- Sabrina x2 (Genetic Apex 225)
- Professor’s Research x2 (Promo-A 007)
Essential Cards
With the essential card list locked down, you can begin filling up the rest of your deck with non-essential, but still incredibly powerful, cards. While the base of the Articuno EX deck will shine no matter what additional cards you put into it, we recommend not stuffing it with too many Basic or Evolution Pokemon: the more Pokemon you add, the more difficult it will be to pull Articuno EX, the star of the show and the Pokemon revolves completely around.
- Psyduck x2 (Genetic Apex 057)
- Potion x2 (Promo-A 001)
- X Speed x2 (Promo-A 002)
- Red Card x2 (Promo-A 006)
- Giovanni x2 (Genetic Apex 223)
Non-Essential Cards
Card Breakdown
Articuno EX
The cornerstone of this entire deck is Articuno EX, the deck’s namesake and also its strongest Pokemon from an offensive and defensive level. While Articuno may not have the brute strength of other EX Pokemon like Mewtwo EX or Charizard EX, it does have the unique ability to hit the opposing Bench, transforming it into a brutal pressure Pokemon which can quickly close off your options if you don’t take it out fast enough.
Like its Legendary Bird brethren, Articuno EX is a Basic Pokemon with 140 HP and access to two attacking moves. The first, Ice Wing, is a simple 40-damage attack that costs two Energy to cast. Meanwhile, the second, Blizzard, is a lot more interesting, costing three Water Energy to use. This attack deals 80 damage to your opponent’s Active Pokemon and then 10 damage to each of your opponent’s Benched Pokemon.
While Ice Wing is no slouch in terms of damage, Blizzard is the real reason you run Articuno EX as it’s why you’ll win games. 80 damage already makes Blizzard a very solid option for raw damage, allowing Articuno to KO other powerful EX Pokemon like Mewtwo EX or Pikachu EX in only two hits, with the chip damage that gets through to the opponent’s Bench being an excellent pressure tool. 10 damage doesn’t seem like a lot but it quickly racks up, especially if you have three Benched Pokemon or one which is already wounded; in the right situations, Articuno can KO several Pokemon with a single move, essentially winning the game in one fell swoop.
And this is without considering Misty in the equation. Blizzard works best against Basic or Stage 1 Pokemon who have low HP, so the longer the match goes on, the tougher Articuno may find it to effectively punish. Well, a lucky Misty trigger can get you the Energy you need right out of the gate; if you get lucky, you can even use Blizzard on your first turn before your opponent gets to attach any Energy. Articuno EX is extremely deadly and while it is very luck-reliant to perform at its peak, it will still win you plenty of games.
Articuno EX, Hit Both the Active and Bench
Starmie EX
Alongside Articuno EX, this deck also employs Starmie EX as our only other attacking Pokemon. Starmie EX is a Stage 1 Water EX Pokemon who evolves from Staryu and has 130 HP. It only has one move at its disposal, Hydro Splash, which costs two Water Energy and deals 90 damage to the opponent’s Active Pokemon. Interestingly, it is also one of the only Pokemon in TCG Pocket, and the only EX Pokemon, with a Retreat Cost of zero.
In many ways, Starmie EX is a more reliable version of TCG Pocket’s current reigning terror, Pikachu EX. Starmie deals the same damage as a full Bench Pikachu, it has 10 more HP than Pikachu, and it even has a lower Retreat Cost than Pikachu: the only thing holding it back is that you need to evolve into it from Staryu. Even with that in mind, though, it doesn’t stop Starmie EX from being a brutal attacker capable of two-shotting most Pokemon in the game.
What makes Starmie EX especially deadly is how early you can deploy it to the battlefield, which is the same principle behind Pikachu EX’s meta-domination. Paired with Articuno EX, you can easily have Starmie up and running in one a handful of turns, hitting heavier, tankier Pokemon for half their health in a single hit. Then, if they retreat, you have Articuno in the background to slowly whittle them down. In this Starmie EX is both the blade which strikes first and the executioner’s axe, acting as the brutal first, or last, blow in any confrontation.
Starmie EX, Clean Attacker
Psyduck
While you can run this deck with just Articuno EX, Staryu, and Starmie EX, some players want to bring along some other Water Pokemon so that they can more safely set up if Misty either fails to appear or fails to perform. Of course, you don’t want to flood your deck with Pokemon as that will make it much harder to reliably pull Articuno or Starmie, your heavy hitters, so we recommend sticking to useful Basic Pokemon like Psyduck if that’s the route you want to take.
At first glance, Psyduck is pretty unremarkable. With only 60 HP, Psyduck isn’t particularly tanky and it only has one move, Headache, which deals a measly 10 damage. What gives Psyduck utility, though, is Headache’s secondary effect that prevents your opponent from using any Supporter cards on their next turn.
Supporters are the backbone of most decks in Pokemon TCG Pocket and, with Psyduck, you can shut down a lot of very dangerous strategies in the early game, giving your Articuno EX or Starmie EX time to set up. For example, in a mirror match against another Articuno EX, Psyduck’s Headache prevents them from using Misty, meaning that they will need to manually build up Energy if they want to employ Blizzard: meanwhile, you just get to safely set up, opening the door for an extremely advantageous second turn.
Psyduck, Early Game Disruptor
Misty
We’ve mentioned her several times in this guide but Misty is arguably the core of this entire deck, as well as most Water-type decks in Pokemon TCG Pocket. While her value is extremely luck-dependent, the potential offered by Misty’s Supporter card makes her a no-brainer pick for any Water deck, including the Articuno EX deck, because of her absurd Energy generation.
When played, Misty will have you choose one of your Water Pokemon. Then, you’ll flip a coin until you land on tails: for every heads you get before that point, one Water Energy is added to the selected Pokemon. While most lucky rolls will get you between two or three Energy, Misty has the potential to get you upwards of six, seven, eight, or even ten Energy from one cast.
For the Articuno EX deck, Misty is a shortcut to either Blizzard or Hydro Splash, allowing you to deploy your two strongest attacks much sooner. If you get lucky enough to pull Misty and an Articuno EX on the first turn, you can potentially be using Blizzard before your opponent even attaches an Energy to their Pokemon: there’s not much that survives an 80 damage attack on turn one, especially one that will also soften up their Bench for additional attacks or Sabrina triggers. Misty is ridiculously strong but, notably, you don’t need her to roll well to win, she makes the process much easier.
Misty Supporter Enables Quick KOs
Professor’s Research and Poke Ball
The final cards worth discussing in detail are this deck’s draw support cards, Professor’s Research and Poke Ball. These two Promo-A cards are staples in almost every single Pokemon TCG Pocket deck and the Articuno EX deck is no different. This is thanks to their absurd value in drawing cards, particularly in giving you additional opportunities to draw the cards you need to succeed.
Poke Ball is the more focused of the two Trainer cards, drawing a random Basic Pokemon from your deck when used. For the Articuno EX deck, this card can only draw Articuno EX or Staryu (or Psyduck, if you decide to add it), two fantastic Pokemon which will quickly and efficiently get your core strategy going. However, this does mean that Poke Ball might become a bit of a dead pull if the match goes on for a while and you draw all your Basics naturally, so keep that in mind.
Meanwhile, Professor’s Research is the more liberal draw support, allowing you to pull two of anything from your deck: Basic Pokemon, EX Pokemon, Supporters, Items, you name it, Professor’s Research can pull it. This makes it a lot less reliable than Poke Ball but it also allows you to worm your way out of any situation. Good old Professor Oak can get you the Misty you need or the Starmie EX you’re missing to trounce your opponent, for example.
Prof. Research and Poke Ball, Draw Support
How to Play the Articuno EX Deck in TCG Pocket
The ideal opening gambit for the Articuno EX deck in Pokemon TCG Pocket has you daw both Articuno EX as well as Misty in your starting hand. If you go second, this just lets you start naturally building up Articuno EX in the Active slot much sooner but, if you go first, you can Misty to potentially circumvent the Energy limitations on the first turn: if you get lucky and roll three heads, you suddenly have enough Energy to cast Blizzard turn one, which is enough to win some games instantly. If you don’t get that lucky, don’t fret as any Energy from Misty is beneficial, allowing you to get off Blizzard much sooner.
While you’re building up Articuno EX in the Active, you’ll also want to keep an eye out for Staryu and Starmie EX cards as they’ll be your strong, cheap backup attackers. Misty can be used to build one of your EX Pokemon while the natural Energy gains from your Energy Zone can be used to simultaneously build up the other. At the same time, be aware of any Sabrina or Giovanni cards that come your way: Sabrina can add even more pressure onto Blizzard while Giovanni can help you sneak in some cheeky KOs you probably weren’t suppossed to get.
The main goal of any Articuno EX deck is to just relentlessly attack your opponents with Blizzard. The high upfront damage will be enough to have most players retreating and switching their Pokemon, something you can exploit with Starmie or Articuno when the new Pokemon comes into the Active. If any stall decks can survive and heal that Blizzard damage, their Bench will slowly begin to whittle down each turn: eventually, there will be nowhere left to run as both their active and Benched, will be too weak to survive another round.
The worse matchups for Articuno are against fast, cheap teams like Pikachu EX or against teams with constantly healing like Venusaur EX and Butterfree. While Articuno can readily handle Pikachu EX with a good Misty, Pikachu’s high damage and ability to hit for Weakness will make it tricky to face if you fail to get enough Energy for Blizzard before Pikachu gets a full Bench. Similarly, the combination of Venusaur EX’s healing and Butterfree’s Powder Heal completely out heals Blizzard’s chip and raw damage, making it a hard counter.
Articuno EX Deck
That was how to make the Articuno EX deck in Pokemon TCG Pocket.
