With the arrival of Pokemon TCG Pocket’s latest expansion pack, Space-Time Smackdown, multiple shiny new Pokemon cards have been introduced to the game. Not only that, but a whole bunch of Generation IV Pokemon have been finally added, inviting the creatures of the region of Sinnoh into the mix.
That means the likes of Gen IV starters Turtwig, Piplup, and Chimchar are here, alongside their evolutions; Infernape ex being one of the most impressive cards when it comes to the available starter evolutions in the set. Below, we’ve detailed the best Infernape ex deck guide and card list in Pokemon TCG Pocket to help you make the most of the Fire-type monkey ‘mon.
Pokemon TCG Pocket Infernape ex deck guide and card list
This Infernape ex deck in Pokemon TCG Pocket functions similarly to our Charizard ex deck, though Infernape ex is much quicker to set up — requiring just two Energy to deal 140 damage to the opponent.
As we would with a Charizard ex deck, or most Fire-type decks that require multiple Energy, we’re bringing along Moltres ex to help stack Energy and provide additional attack power. These are the only Pokemon we’re taking along, though you could consider bringing strong Basic Fire-type Pokemon such as Magmar or Heatmore if you don’t mind forgoing some of the Trainer Cards in this deck.
- 2x Chimchar
- 2x Monferno
- 2x Infernape ex
- 2x Moltres ex
- 1x Magmar
- 2x Poke Ball
- 2x Professor’s Research
- 2x Rocky Helmet
- 1x Leaf
- 2x Dawn
- 2x Pokemon Communication
In an ideal world, you want to have Moltres ex in the Active Spot while setting up Infernape ex on the bench. Given that Infernape ex needs to evolve from Chimchar and Monferno, and ideally have two Energy (and no more!) attached before being put into the Active Spot, you will likely spend two or three turns at most setting this deck up.
Now, there are two ways you can play this deck: you can either focus on putting two Energy onto your two Infernape ex Pokemon if you have two Chimchar available to you, or you can attach Energy to Moltres ex manually each turn while using Moltres ex’s Inferno Dance attack to pop Energy onto Infernape ex. Any excess Energy we get from Inferno Dance can be placed onto our spare Chimchar or Magmar.
The approach you take really depends on whether you want to use Moltres ex to attack, or whether you want Infernape ex to try and sweep through the competition — if you end up with two Dawn Supporter cards in hand, definitely opt for the latter.
It’s worth noting that any additional Energy attached to Infernape ex beyond the two Energy they need to attack will be wasted, but with the help of the Dawn Supporter card, we can move Energy from our spare Chimchar or Magmar onto our Infernape ex in the Active Spot. This means that if we have two Dawn’s in hand, and attach two Energy to Infernape ex manually/by using Dawn, Infernape ex can attack three turns in a row before needing to retreat. That is, unless they’re knocked out in that time.
At this point, you’d hope the battle is over. Though, if it isn’t, your next move largely depends on how much Energy your Moltres ex, Magmar, or second Infernape ex has. If any have enough Energy attached to attack, you can switch one of them in and attack using them until one of our Infernape ex’s has enough Energy to attack again. If your opponent has already got their strongest Pokemon built, it might be worth putting Magmar or Chimchar/Monferno (if not yet evolved into Infernape ex) into the Active Spot to be knocked out rather than Moltres ex (unless they have enough HP to withstand an attack).
This gives us enough time to put enough Energy onto Infernape ex to attack again (or onto Moltres ex, if they still have one Energy attached) and means we only lose one Prize Point rather than two.
As per usual, we’re bringing along Poke Ball Item cards and Professor’s Research Supporter cards to help ensure we have the cards we need in our hand. On top of that, though, we’re using the Pokemon Communication Item card to let us swap Pokemon in our hand with one in our deck. This is great for Pokemon that need to evolve, allowing us to swap a pesky Magmar for Monferno if needed, and so forth.
We’re bringing along one Leaf Supporter card too, mainly because they will allow us to retreat Moltres ex without discarding any Energy. Last, but not least, we’re filling the final card slots with two Rocky Helmet Item cards. If these are attached to our Active Pokemon and the opponent attacks, the Tool will deal 20 damage to the attacking Pokemon, basically providing any Pokemon you want with Druddigon’s Rough Skin Ability.
This is great for chipping away at powerful ex Pokemon before or after dishing out Infernape ex’s 140 damage attack, sometimes putting opponents off attacking altogether. That said, coming up against Charizard ex’s 200 damage attack will still be a problem…
For more on Pokemon TCG Pocket, take a look at our guide to the best decks, as well as our guide to all the Secret Missions that are available to complete in-game.