If you’re a fan of Electric-type Pokemon, then building a Zapdos ex deck in Pokemon TCG Pocket might be a good idea. This powerful legendary bird can dish out 200 damage if luck is on your side, and while not as reliable as Charizard ex, they are good fun to play with when things go well.
There are a few versatile Electric-type Pokemon you can use to accompany Zapdos ex as well, making this one of the more customisable decks available without putting yourself at huge detriment to other Electric-type players. That said, you ideally want two Zapdos ex, or a Pikachu ex to at least accompany your single Zapdos ex, and these aren’t the easiest cards to acquire. We’ve offered some more free-to-play friendly alternative cards to help you in the meantime though.
Anyways, here’s our card list and guide to the best Zapdos ex deck in Pokemon TCG Pocket.
Pokemon TCG Pocket best Zapdos ex deck – card list and guide
This Zapdos ex deck can go two ways in Pokemon TCG Pocket. If you’re lucky and happen to have two Zapdos ex, you’ll want to use both of them alongside either Raichu or Electrode, and the Lt. Surge Supporter Card. You can also swap one of the Zapdos ex for a standard Zapdos in the meantime.
If you’re instead in a situation like me, where you’ve only one Zapdos ex and not much else when it comes to strong Electric-types, I’ve been using Eevee and Jolteon as a placeholder. They’re not as strong as Zapdos ex for sure, but they have a similar coinflip attack that can do up to 160 damage if luck is on your side.
- 2x Zapdos ex (can swap one of these for Pikachu ex)
- 2x Voltorb
- 2x Electrode
- 1x Pikachu
- 1x Raichu
- 2x Fossil Cards (can swap for 1x Eevee and 1x Jolteon, if needed)
- 2x Lt. Surge
- 2x Poke Ball
- 2x Professor’s Research
- 2x Sabrina
- 2x Potion
If you have two Zapdos ex, you primarily want to stack Energy on them and have them start attacking your opponent. Considering some of the most popular decks right now are Water-types featuring Starmie ex, Lapras ex, and Articuno ex, you will find that Zapdos ex can do incredibly well against these decks, provided you can stack Energy onto the Pokemon before your opponent. This is hard where Misty is involved, but fingers crossed!
If worst comes to worst and Zapdos ex is low on HP, this is where Electrode, Raichu, and Lt. Surge comes in. Lt. Surge will allow you to move all Energy from your benched Pokemon to either Raichu or Electrode — if they’re in the Active Spot — which can come in clutch when you need one final Prize Point, or it’s the beginning of the battle and you’ve found yourself in a sticky situation.
On top of this, you could also throw Pikachu ex into this deck over your Fossil Card or missing Zapdos ex if you have it, as this Pokemon will deal up to 90 damage depending on how many Electric-types you have on your bench.
If you have two Zapdos ex and Electrode’s in this deck, we recommend using Fossil Cards over adding any additional ‘mons such as Raichu or Jolteon. They’re great for countering the Sabrina Supporter Card, keeping your Benched Pokemon safe while you build them and preventing your opponent from claiming two Prize Points from a low-HP ex Pokemon you may have retreated. If, however, you don’t have multiple ex Pokemon or Electrode copies, it can instead be worth bringing along another powerful Pokemon you can utilise.
In this instance, and provided Pikachu ex isn’t involved, I recommend Eevee and Jolteon given Jolteon’s similarities to Zapdos ex. You can also use a standard Zapdos card as previously mentioned, or try a powerful single-Energy card such as Kangaskhan. Electabuzz also benefits from Lt. Surge, so you could consider using them over Jolteon too if needed. Though, Electrode’s attacks are more reliable than Electabuzz.
Pikachu and Raichu are filler cards more than anything, given that Raichu’s Thunderbolt attack means discarding three Energy to deal 140 damage, but they can be incredibly useful in certain situations. They’re great if you only need to knock out one more card, as you can switch Raichu in, use Lt. Surge to provide them Energy, and finish the battle. If Raichu already has energy, even better, as you can have them attack, then use Lt. Surge the following turn, and have them attack again.
Overall, one of the best versions of this deck will use two Zapdos ex, two Electrode’s, and a Raichu and/or Pikachu ex for sticky situations. More free-to-play friendly versions, however, can utilise the likes of Jolteon, standard Zapdos, and Electabuzz in their deck. I’m also a pretty big fan of Magnemite and Magneton, who is a self-sufficient Pokemon that can put an Energy on itself every turn on top of the Energy card you choose to dish out. They sadly only do 60 damage when built though, which makes the wait for them to appear, and to be built, not always worth it.
For more on Pokemon TCG Pocket, take a look at our Mewtwo ex deck guide and Venusaur ex deck guide. Additionally, be sure to take a look at how to craft cards you do not have, and how to add Flair to your cards.