How to Build a Deck with No ex Cards in Pokemon TCG Pocket

In Pokemon TCG Pocket’s battle format, ex Pokemon are a bigger threat, but they come with a catch: losing one gives your opponent two points instead of one. This drawback has led many players to embrace the "non-ex archetype," which, as the name suggests, revolves around building competitive decks without any ex Pokemon.

palkia ex and vaporeon in pokemon tcg pocket.

Pokemon TCG Pocket: Palkia ex & Vaporeon Meta, Explained

Palkia ex and Vaporeon have teamed up to form one of the fastest and most lethal decks in Pokemon TCG Pocket’s meta; here’s how their synergy works.

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By Mohsen Baqery

If you’re considering this archetype, we’ve selected three of the best non-ex decks in the current meta. This guide will walk you through how to build these lineups and their core strategies. Before exploring them, though, here are some key tips for constructing your own non-ex decks in Pokemon TCG Pocket.

How to Build a Deck with No ex Cards

Follow these tips to build a strong non-ex deck:

Focus on cheap damage dealers. Don’t aim for high damage output right away. Instead, recruit Pokemon that can deal significant damage for minimal Energy, like Skarmory or Primeape (from the Mythical Island set), which can deal 50-70 damage with just one Energy.
Use feeders as damage dealers. Since your knocked-out Pokemon only give your opponent one point, you can afford to use the first two plays as feeders. Make the most of these early drops to inflict high damage, ideally targeting the Bench to disrupt your opponent’s strategy.
Build in revenge synergy. Non-ex Pokemon tend to have average or low HP, making early knockouts likely, especially against fast decks. To counter this, incorporate a revenge strategy. Cards like Marshadow or Tauros (from the Mythical Island set) let you replace a fallen Pokemon and deal heavy damage in retaliation.

The Best-Performing Non-ex Deck: Magnezone & Hitmonlee

magnezone and hitmonlee non-ex deck in pokemon tcg pocekt.

Tournament Appearance: ~4,000
Win Rate: ~ 53.5%
Meta Share: ~ 3%

In Pokemon TCG Pocket’s current meta, the Magnezone & Hitmonlee shell stands out as the best non-ex setup. The deck’s strategy is to disrupt the enemy’s evolutions with Hitmonlee while building Magnezone on the Bench using Magneton’s self-supplying Energy. You also have aggressive cards like Marshadow and Hitmonchan, which help pressure the opponent early, setting the stage for Magnezone’s finishing blow.

The Deck’s Pokemon Shell

pokemon-tcg-pocket-space-time-smackdown-053-magnezone

Magnemite	2
Magneton	2
Magnezone	2
Hitmonlee	2
Marshadow	1 or 2 (optional)
Hitmonchan	1 or 2 (optional)

Must-Have Trainer Cards

Cyrus
X Speed
Pokemon Communication

The Second-Best Non-ex Deck: Magnezone & Skarmory

magnezone and skarmory non-ex deck in pokemon tcg pocket.

Tournament Appearance: ~ 3,500
Win Rate: ~ 54.5%
Meta Share: ~ 2.5%

A reliable non-ex deck in Pocket is the Magnezone & Skarmory lineup. The strategy is simple: Use Skarmory (equipped with a Rocky Helmet) to stall and deal early damage. At the same time, work on powering up Magnezone on the Bench using Magneton’s Energy-generating ability. Additionally, channel any extra Energy to Heatran (with a Giant Cape) to turn it into your secondary damage dealer.

The Deck’s Pokemon Shell

pokemon-tcg-pocket-space-time-smackdown-111-skarmory

Magnemite	2
Magneton	2
Magnezone	2
Skarmory	2
Heatran	1 (optional)

Must-Have Trainer Cards

Giant Cape
Rocky Helmet
Cyrus

The High-Aggro Non-ex Deck: Rampardos & Lucario

lucario and rampardos deck in pokemon pocket.

Tournament Appearance: ~ 2,000
Win Rate: ~ 53%
Meta Share: ~ 1.5%

The duo of Rampardos and Lucario gained popularity in Pocket’s meta shortly after the release of the Space-Time Smackdown set. The reason for its rise was simple: high damage. Lucario’s ability to buff all Fighting-type Pokemon’s attacks unlocked new synergies and provided Rampardos with a supporting cast of high-damage, low-cost cards to counterbalance its slow build-up.