The new Pokémon Trading Card Game set ex, Starter Deck Generations, has many great deck options for competitive players. Considering that some rely entirely on brute force To dominate opponents, there are others who rely more on careful planning and timely strategies to outsmart enemies. As a long-time competitive Pokémon TCG player, I discovered which cards from this new set are the best assets to have in battle.
THE ex Starter Deck Generations set has nine decks available, each associated with a particular Pokemon generation. In addition to containing many useful regular cards, there are also several powerful former cards which can change the tide of battle in just a few turns. When considering what to play in competitions, players should definitely consider utilizing these specific cards during battle.
10
Toedscruel
Able to help Pokémon retreat faster
Toedscruel is a regular Fighting-type card that appears in the Generation Nine-centric deck. Despite his decent 130 health points and his Mud Shot attack being capable of dealing a good amount of damage, not made to be played as a striker during a game. Instead, it aims to help the player's other cards constantly change position on the board.
What makes Toedscruel especially useful is its Forest Path ability, which makes the cost of withdrawing the player's active Pokémon worth two energy less. This is extremely useful for players using the Generation Nine deck, as it means the main attacker, Koraidon ex, can constantly be swapped out for free. As long as the player finds Toedscruel in their deck in time and can ensure he doesn't get KO'd, this will ensure he remains a formidable foe throughout the battle.
9
Alcremie Ex
A useful healer at the bank
Alcremie ex may seem underwhelming at first glance, but it can be useful in battle. This is mainly due to its Sweet Gift ability, which allows players to heal 30 damage from one of your Pokémon once per turn. This means that players can choose to heal their main attacker or have Alcremie recover his health to ensure longer survival.
If Alcremie's ability isn't enough to significantly heal an injured Active Pokémon, use Alcremie's Cook supporter card. TCGof Twilight Mask to heal 70 more health points.
Even with its Whip Shot attack capable of dealing a significant 160 points of damage, Alcremie ex is not designed to be an attacker in competitive decks. It is better leave Alcremie on the bench so he can focus on healing and instead have Zacian's ex be the main cause of harm. With so many powerful cards from other decks to worry about, having multiple healing methods in addition to item cards is a very useful strategy.
8
Paldean Clodsire Ex
Strong poisonous attacks
As the second powerful ex card in the Generation Nine deck next to Koraidon ex, Paldean Clodsire ex is a very useful asset to have in battle. His first attack, Poison Ring, is a clear highlight, as poisons the opponent's active Pokémon and prevents them from retreating. This reduces the opponent's health each turn while ensuring that they cannot flee when Clodsire or Koraidon ex prepare to deliver the finishing blow.
It's best to have Clodsire inflict poison status with Poison Ring as needed before bringing out Koraidon ex for massive damage, constantly switching between them as needed utilizing Toedscruel's ability and Switch cards.
Paldean Clodsire's second attack, Giga Impact, is certainly very useful, but it can also be a hindrance during battle. It can deal a whopping 220 damage, which can knock out or seriously injure many ex-Pokémon, but makes Clodsire unable to attack during its next turn. My best suggestion is that players using Clodsire in their decks take care to use Giga Impact as sparingly as possible to ensure their Pokémon remain useful throughout battle.
7
Mimikyu Ex
A way to paralyze opponents with confusion
Mimikyu is known for being a Pokémon that initially appears unassuming, but hides a terrifying power, and its former card is a great reflection of this. Its first attack, Mischievous Hands, does an excellent job of slowly reducing the health of benched Pokémon, making it a threat to any opponent's Pokémon. His second attack, Ghost Trip, helps him shine as it deals 120 damage while confusing the opposing active Pokémonthus preventing them from attacking or retreating.
Given the fact that Mimikyu's attack damage is lower than that of most former Pokémon, players should primarily focus on using Ghost Trip to stop the opponent with confusion. At the same time, the Energy Sticker item card of TCG Scarlet and Violetof 151 set must be attached to a powerful benched Pokémon like Tapu Koko ex, providing it with enough energy to eventually unleash devastating attacks when it is placed in the active spot. Even though Mimikyu is not intended to serve primarily as a damage dealer, its ability to utilize status conditions makes it a very useful asset in any competitive deck.
6
Noivern Ex
An agile flyer who constantly changes position
Noivern is an incredibly fast and powerful sixth generation Pokémon. Noivern is known for relentlessly attacking Pokémon with immensely powerful sound waves. Combining with this absolute strength, Noivern's ex's second attack, Sonic Blast, deals an impressive 220 points of damage to opponents, which can knock out or seriously damage most other ex-Pokémon that try to face it. The only downside to this attack is that it causes Noivern to deal 30 damage to itself, but its 270 total health means it can easily withstand multiple uses without worry.
Noivern ex's first attack, Strafe, makes it much more useful in battle. Despite only dealing 50 damage to the opponent's Pokémon, the player can trade Noivern for any of your benched Pokémon. Players should make sure to set up their Benched Pokémon's attacks before using Strafe, in preparation for dealing massive damage during their next turn or to prevent Noivern from taking further damage.
5
Silveon
A way to combat powerful former cards
Another very useful feature in the Generation Six deck, Sylveon, is a non-ex card that is sure to shake up the competitive scene. Its ability, Safeguard, prevents Sylveon from taking any damage from an opponent's former Pokémon, which is very similar to Mimikyu from TCG'and Paldea evolved. This makes Sylveon the perfect card for hinder players whose decks rely heavily on ex-Pokémon to cause damage.
To deal with players who use normal cards to try to bypass Sylveon's Safeguard ability, attach Sylveon's Rocky Helmet card. Scarlet and Violet for Sylveon. This will cause any active Pokémon that deals damage to it to also take damage.
I've found that a great way to use Sylveon competitively is to use it alongside Noivern. After Noivern uses his Strafe attack, have him switch to Sylveon if the opponent has an ex card in play. This will force the opponent to switch to a weaker Pokémon or leave them unable to do anything during their turn, allowing players to buy enough time to prepare their strongest attacks.
4
Lucario Ex
Building power every two turns
As one of the ex cards that are part of the Generation Four deck, Lucario ex is a very useful asset just due to its strength. His second attack, Tornado Rush, is the one that stands out the most, as it initially deals 100 damage, but can deal 100 more points of damage during Lucario's next turn before applying weaknesses or resistances.
The fact that Lucario ex can deal so much damage at once means it's a huge threat to many ex-Pokémon. That's it especially dangerous for powerhouses like Noivern and Snorlax exwhich takes double damage from Fighting-type attacks. Combined with Lucario ex's high HP and Rigid Band card 151, which allows it to suffer less damage from attacks, it is certainly a powerful and difficult card to take down.
3
Xerneas Ex
Immensely strong when combined with other cards
When I first learned about the ex Starter Deck Generations set, Xerneas ex was an immediate standout due to the threat it poses to other ex Pokémon. Specifically, its second attack, Rising Horn, initially deals a decent 120 points of damage, which can knock out most regular cards in a single hit. However, if the opponent's Active Pokémon is an ex, then Rising Horn deals 100 extra damage.
Combining Xerneas ex, Noivern ex, and Sylveon in one deck makes a particularly threatening card combination. Not only will players be able to constantly switch between their various benched Pokémon, but they will also be able to avoid taking damage before dealing devastating blows. It all combines to create what I consider to be one of the best decks in the entire set.
2
Amoongus Ex
Strong attacks combined with sleep status condition
As one of the former cards in the Generation Five deck, both of Amoongus's attacks are notable primarily due to their secondary effects. Its first attack, Spore Ball, can only do 30 damage, but has the added bonus of put the opponent to sleepthus preventing them from attacking. Additionally, Mushroom Swing's second attack initially deals 100 damage, but can occasionally deal 180 damage after a successful coin toss.
I've found that an effective way to increase Amoongus's damage capacity is to keep Lilligant on the bench. Your Sunny Day ability can increases the attack damage of any Grass or Fire-type Pokémon by 20 points. Once Lilligant is in play and the opponent's Active Pokémon is asleep, players can continue attacking with Amoongus or bring in another strong Pokémon like Reshiram ex to deal the finishing blow.
1
Tyranize Ex
It gets stronger the more energy it acquires
Of all the letters in the whole ex Starter Deck Generations defined, Tyranitar ex is an absolute powerhouse with many useful features. In addition to having a total of 340 health points, its first attack, Crush, deals 50 damage times the amount of energy attached to itleading to some powerful moves that can dominate many Psychic-type cards, such as Mimikyu ex.
Tyranitar's second attack, Tyrant Crash, allows the player to look at the opponent's current hand and choose which card to discard, potentially removing a key card from the game.
Tyranitar ex becomes even more interesting with the addition of regular cards like Houndoom. Since Houndoom allows players to search for two energies and attach them to their Pokémon however they want, this could easily allow Tyranitar to deal enough damage with Crush to overpower and KO many former Pokémon. All of this combines to make Tyranitar ex an essential card for Pokémon Trading Card Game deck.