Pokemon TCG Pocket: Best Mega Gyarados ex deck guide

The Pokemon TCG Pocket Mega Rising expansion introduces one of the most iconic Water-type Pokemon from Kanto into the spotlight: Mega Gyarados ex. With immense power and bulk, this card stands out as both a heavy hitter and a tactical disrupter. Building the right cards supporting Mega Gyarados ex, this deck is a competitively viable deck. This guide will help you understand how to assemble and play the best Mega Gyarados ex deck.

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Best Pokemon TCG Pocket Mega Gyarados ex deck guide: Cards you need

Also read: Pokemon TCG Pocket Mega Rising [B1]: All cards, types, and rarities

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Best Pokemon TCG Pocket Mega Gyarados ex deck guide: Strategy breakdown

All Mega Gyarados ex variants as seen in the game (Image via The Pokemon Company)

1) Mega Gyarados ex

• HP: 210
• Attack: Mega Blaster - 140 Damage
• Effect: Discard the top 3 cards of your opponent’s deck
• Energy Cost: 3 Water + 1 Colorless
• Retreat Cost: 3 Energy

Mega Gyarados ex is the main character of this deck. Its Mega Blaster not only deals a solid 140 damage but also discards your opponent’s deck, rendering a portion of the deck useless and limiting their options. With 210 HP, it can withstand most single attacks, making it one of the more durable cards in the current format.

2) Mantyke & Manaphy

Mantyke and Manaphy are your early-game support. They generate Water Energy and distribute them on your bench. Because Mega Gyarados ex is Energy hungry, these cards are essential to take the lead.

• Mantyke’s Splashy Toss: Attaches one Water Energy from your Energy Zone to one of your Benched Basic Pokemon.
• Manaphy’s Oceanic Gift: Selects two Benched Pokemon and attaches one Water Energy to each from your Energy Zone.

Other Pokemon cards that synergises well with Mega Gyarados ex (Image via The Pokemon Company)

3) Gyarados

While Mega Gyarados ex is enough in most matchups, it will hit a wall against Oricorio (Pom-Pom). In this situation a standard Gyarados acts as your situational backup.

Both Gyarados (Mega Rising) and Gyarados (Genetic Apex) are excellent choices:

• Genetic Apex Gyarados’ Hyper Beam deals 100 damage and discards a random Energy from your opponent’s Active card.
• Mega Rising Gyarados’ Hammering Tail also hits for 100 damage but discards the top card of your opponent’s deck.

Both require four Water Energy, so your pick depends on whether you prefer energy disruption (Genetic Apex) or deck milling (Mega Rising). The Genetic Apex version has a slight edge with 10 more HP.

Also read: 10 best cards in Pokemon TCG Pocket Mega Rising expansion, ranked

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Best Pokemon TCG Pocket Mega Gyarados ex deck guide: Support cards

Best support cards in this deck (Image via The Pokemon Company)

• Misty: Flip a coin until you get tails. For every heads, attach a Water Energy from your Energy Zone to one of your Water Pokemon. Perfect for quickly setting up Mega Gyarados ex.
• Elemental Switch: Transfers a Water, Fire, or Lightning Energy from one Benched Pokemon to your Active one. Helps reposition extra Energy efficiently.
• Red Card: Forces your opponent to shuffle their hand into their deck and draw three cards. Great for breaking their setup or slowing down their strategy.
• Professor’s Research: Draw two cards to keep your hand moving.
• Poke Ball: Fetches a random Basic Pokemon from your deck.
• May: Lets you take two random Pokemon from your deck and swap them between two in hand.
• Sabrina: Forces your opponent to switch their Active Pokemon with one from their Bench.
• Cyrus: Brings in one of your opponent’s damaged Benched Pokemon to the Active Spot.
• Irida: Heals 40 damage from all Pokemon with Water Energy attached.

Also read: Rarest cards in Pokemon TCG Pocket Mega Rising expansion

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Best Pokemon TCG Pocket Mega Gyarados ex deck guide: Alternate cards picks

• Milotic: For additional 60 HP healing
• Jellicent: Its ability, Bouncy Body, provides one Water energy every time it is hit by an attack
• Heavy Helmet: A Pokemon Tool that takes -20 from incoming damage
• Lisia: Pulls two random Basic Pokemon 50 or lesser HP from deck
• Red: +20 damage against ex Pokemon

This Pokemon TCG Pocket Mega Gyarados ex deck excels in both offense and disruption, so keep that in mind when you are swapping cards to not disrupt the momentum.

Also read: Pokemon TCG Pocket update: Increased deck limit, max player level and more

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Check out our other Pokemon-related articles:

• Pokemon TCG Pocket decks tier list
• Pokemon TCGP announces new Trading changes
• What are Pokemon Tools in Pokemon TCGP, and how to use them
• All status conditions explained in Pokemon TCGP
• How to access older packs in Pokemon TCGP

Edited by Aashish Victor