Pokemon TCG Pocket’s new Promo-A featured card, Ultra Necrozma ex, is a series first: it's the very first ex Dragon-type Pokemon to enter the game, which is exciting on its own. But the question is whether this flamboyant ex can break the Dragon-type curse and actually become a meta card.
So far, Pokemon TCG Pocket has introduced thirteen Dragon-type Pokemon, with only Druddigon and Garchomp finding partial success in PvP arenas. The newest addition, Ultra Necrozma ex, has shown some promise in creating "fun" lineups, but like its predecessors, it remains a challenging Dragon card to build a competitive deck around.
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This guide offers the closest blueprint to a perfect Ultra Necrozma ex deck. It may not match the power or consistency of other meta setups, but it's your best shot at exploring the mill archetype in Pokemon TCG Pocket's current metagame.
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Ultra Necrozma ex Card Overview
- Card Number: Promo-A #81
- Type: Dragon (Ultra Beast)
- Evolution: Basic
- HP: 150
- [Move #1]: Photon Claw – 60 DMG
- [Move #2]: Shoegaze – 120 DMG
- Text: Discard the top five cards of each player's deck.
- ATK Energy: Three Colorless for Photon Claw; Two Psychic and two Steel for the Shoegaze move
- Retreat Cost: Two
- Weakness: None
- Expansion: Extradimensional Crisis
You can get multiple copies of the Ultra Necrozma ex deck by participating in Pokemon TCG Pocket's May 2025 Drop Event.
The Best Deck and Card List for Ultra Necrozma ex
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Energy Type: Steel |
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A consistent deck shell for Ultra Necrozma ex is a Giratina-Lunala setup. The strategy involves setting the deck's Energy Type to Steel while using the Giratina ex and Lunala ex duo to generate and transfer Psychic Energy.
You can swap one copy of a Trainer Card for a Red Card to lean into the milling aspects. If you're running Lunala ex, consider replacing Dawn with other Trainer Cards like Repel or even Guzma.
How to Play an Ultra Necrozma ex Deck
- Start with Ultra Necrozma ex, or use Giratina ex to stall if needed.
- Attach the zone's Energy to Ultra Necrozma ex. (The deck is built around Steel-type Energy.)
- Generate Psychic-type Energy using Giratina ex.
- Evolve Lunala ex on the Bench. (Use Pokemon TCG Pocket's new Rare Candy card to speed up the evolution.)
- Once Ultra Necrozma ex has two Steel Energy and Giratina ex holds two Psychic Energy, activate Lunala ex's Psychic Connect ability to transfer the Psychic Energy to Ultra Necrozma ex.
- Begin milling the opponent's deck using Ultra Necrozma ex's Shoegaze attack once your setup is complete.
Alternative Deck Shells for Ultra Necrozma ex
Another approach to building an Ultra Necrozma ex deck is to remove Lunala ex entirely. In this setup, the deck should be built with a dual Steel-Psychic Energy type. Giratina ex remains a key piece, generating Energy and serving as a secondary damage dealer. However, instead of Lunala ex, you'll rely on Dawn to move Energy around as needed.
A dual-Energy Ultra Necrozma ex deck might lack the consistency of the Steel-type variant. However, by removing Lunala ex, it frees up space for four to six Trainer cards. For example, you can swap this Pokemon's evolution line for a powerful mill combo using Hand Scope and Red Card alongside Ultra Necrozma ex's Shoegaze. Here's why this strategy can be so effective:
Hand Scope reveals the opponent's hand. If they hold valuable cards like evolutions, you can play Red Card to shuffle their hand back into the deck. Then, you may use Shoegaze to try and discard those valuable cards.
Fun Synergies to Try with Ultra Necrozma ex
- Persian: This Stage 1 Pokemon from Genetic Apex offers two advantages: it's Colorless, so it fits smoothly into Ultra Necrozma ex decks, and it can remove a card from the opponent's hand, supporting the milling strategy.
- Komala: A perfect tech card to counter the notorious Lightning-type Oricorio. Ultra Necrozma ex decks struggle against Oricorio, but Komala can one-shot it, preventing the opponent from nullifying your ex attacker.
- Celesteela: When on the Bench or in the Active Spot, Celesteela removes some retreat costs. It lets you switch Benched Pokemon into the Active Spot as long as they swap with an Ultra Beast, like Ultra Necrozma ex.
How Good Are Ultra Necrozma ex Decks?
Actual PvP data on Ultra Necrozma ex’s performance is limited, making it hard to judge whether it's a good or bad card. What's clear is that this Promo-A Pokemon has boosted the popularity of the mill archetype in Pokemon TCG Pocket.
Previously, building a full deck around milling was unfeasible, and the strategy was mostly a gimmick. Now, thanks to Ultra Necrozma ex's Shoegaze attack, there's a reliable way to discard the opponent's cards, which has helped popularize the archetype.
The Problem with Ultra Necrozma ex
Ultra Necrozma ex faces three major issues that keep it from becoming a meta card:
- Slow and Clunky Setup: Building Ultra Necrozma ex takes time. Whether using a dual- or single-Energy deck, attaching two Psychic and two Steel Energies to one Pokemon is difficult. Experienced players know dual-Energy cards often struggle in the meta because of their slow setup. And the new Promo-A card is no exception to that.
- Mediocre Damage: Ultra Necrozma ex's max damage is 120, which isn't enough to reliably take down most meta cards in Pokemon TCG Pocket.
- Self-afflicting Effect: Its ability discards cards from both players, effectively self-milling, which can backfire. Even worse, by the time you're ready to mill, the opponent has likely evolved their main damage dealer, so losing five cards at that stage may not matter much.
The Future of Ultra Necrozma ex in Pokemon TCG Pocket
Like most promotional cards in Pokemon TCG Pocket, Ultra Necrozma ex doesn't seem to have a bright future. While it has helped popularize the relatively new mill archetype, it offers little beyond that. Given the current metagame dominated by Silvally, Pheromosa, and Buzzwole ex, it's unlikely Ultra Necrozma ex will become a competitive option.
For Ultra Necrozma ex to thrive, two things need to happen: 1) an easier way to produce and move Psychic or Steel Energy, and 2) more cards with milling synergies to amplify Shoegaze's effect. That said, both changes seem unlikely in Pokemon TCG Pocket's near future, which suggests Ultra Necrozma ex might fade away sooner than expected.
- Released
- October 30, 2024
- Developer(s)
- DeNA, Creatures Inc.
- Publisher(s)
- The Pokemon Company
- Multiplayer
- Online Multiplayer
- Cross-Platform Play
- Yes
WHERE TO PLAY
- Genre(s)
- Digital Card Game
