Pokémon TCG Pocket: Charizard EX Deck Guide

In every spinoff Pokémon game, Charizard makes an appearance in some way, shape, or form, and Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket makes sure the Fire-type Pokémon continues to dominate.

Charizard EX is one of the most powerful decks in the game, capable of putting out more damage than any other deck, one-shotting every single Pokémon card in the game. Yes, it’s a bit excessive, as fire-breathing dragon creatures tend to be, but what can you do?

If you want the best Charizard EX deck around, use our guide to help get the best cards you need for your deck, the best budget alternatives, and some tips on how to deal with its strengths and weaknesses.

Note: This guide has been updated to reflect the new cards introduced with the Mythical Island mini-expansion.

Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket - Best Charizard EX Deck (Mythical Island)

Charizard EX is a solid A Tier deck in Pokémon TCG Pocket, and it's all reliant on three EX cards in Charizard, Arcanine, and Moltres. Originally not part of the deck, the meta has progressed to include Arcanine EX, and a variation of this list even won one of the major Pokémon TCG Pocket tournaments.

As you'd expect, you'll want to pick those Charizard booster packs to get most of the cards necessary.

It's a Fire deck, so it uses Fire energy, of course, along with a few new additions from the Mythical Island set:

• 2x Charmander
• 2x Charmeleon
• 2x Charizard EX
• 1x Growlithe
• 2x Arcanine EX
• 2x Moltres EX
• 2x Poké Ball
• 1x Giovanni
• 2x Professor’s Research
• 2x Leaf
• 2x Sabrina

The win condition with this deck is a lengthy but powerful setup process: play Moltres EX, give it one energy, and use Inferno Dance. This move requires you to flip three coins and for each head you can place a Fire energy on any benched Pokémon.

If you’re going up against a heavy hitting deck like Mewtwo EX or Blastoise EX, you’re going to want to prioritize getting Charizard EX going with Moltres EX. However, if you run into something smaller like a Pikachu EX or Exeggutor deck, you’ll want to hope you find your Growlithe as an Arcanine EX is easier to power up and can one shot or rushdown those decks before they overwhelm you.

Moltres EX can provide some backup if you don't have Charizard EX or Arcanine EX ready in time, hitting opponents for a respectable 70 damage with its Heat Blast attack.

The new additions to this deck from the Mythical Island set are simply two Leaf Supporter cards, as they greatly discount the cost required to swap out Moltres EX. Furthermore, you can swap out Charizard EX without wasting any energy.

Some players have experimented with Larvesta and Volcarona in this deck but we find the 80 damage to a random Pokémon is too inconsistent when going up against Pikachu EX.

Charizard EX Best and Worst Matchups

The best matchups for Charizard EX are slower lists like Dragonite and Mewtwo EX as they often give you time to get your Moltres EX engine rolling.

The worst matchups are fast decks like Pikachu EX and Starmie EX. Both of these decks can start whittling away your Pokémon before you can get a single Crimson Storm off or even set up Arcanine EX. Unfortunately, the Mythical Island Vaporeon is poised to make Water-type decks much more threatening.

Even worse, Mew EX can set off a Crimson Storm with only 3 Colorless energy when positioned correctly. We expect Charizard and Arcanine EX to drop out of the meta fairly soon.

Charizard EX Budget Options

No matter what you’re going to want two Moltres EX in this deck as it’s the engine that makes it work. Without it, Fire type decks simply struggle too much.

If you don't have Arcanine EX to slot in, Vulpix and Ninetails are good choices alongside 2x Blaine Supporter cards instead of Sabrina. You can also try Larvesta and Volcarona if you get those from Mythical Island packs.

This deck is pretty straightforward in its goal so it doesn’t have an alternate win condition. Hopefully you'll be able to burn your enemy to a crisp.

And there you have it – all the tools necessary to build and burn through your opponents in Pokémon TCG Pocket battles. If you're not feeling the heat, however, have a look at our Tier List for more of the best decks in the TCG.