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Lightning Deck Pokémon TCG Pocket – Pikachu ex Guide

    By Dore Madeline

    When building a Lightning deck in Pokémon TCG Pocket, Pikachu ex remains your most efficient cornerstone. Its attack, Circle Circuit, deals 30 damage for each Benched Pokémon (excluding the Active Pikachu ex), capping at 90 damage for just two Lightning Energy. This means your primary goal is to fill your Bench with Basic Lightning Pokémon as quickly as possible. The deckbuilding constraint is severe: you need at least six Basic Lightning Pokémon to consistently hit the damage cap, leaving almost no room for off-type techs or evolution lines unless you carefully pare down the list.

    Core Variants and Key Supporters

    Pachirisu ex functions almost identically to Pikachu ex, but its attack, Sparking Gadget, requires a Pokémon Tool—typically Rocky Helmet or Giant Cape—to reach its full potential. You trade the flexibility of Circle Circuit for a slightly earlier heavy hit, as Pachirisu ex can start dealing 70–90 damage on turn two if you draw a Tool. This variant focuses on overwhelming the opponent before they set up a bulky board.

    Zebstrika’s Thunder Spear lets you target any Pokémon, including Benched ones. This is invaluable for finishing off threats that survived a Circle Circuit or for sniping key evolving Pokémon your opponent is charging on the Bench. In the mirror match, snipping 20–30 HP off a Benched Pikachu ex can secure a two-prize knockout later. It also excels in a tank-heavy meta where you can ignore the Active spot to remove dangerous setup pieces.

    Raichu combined with X Speed and Lt. Surge creates an aggressive swing turn. Retreat a damaged Pikachu ex, promote Raichu, and use Lt. Surge to reattach the Energy from the Retreat. Raichu’s Thunderbolt is the most powerful non-RNG Lightning attack, one-shotting most threats including ex Pokémon. This is especially effective in the mirror, where it can take down anything in one hit.

    Voltorb → Electrode offers a smooth early curve. Electrode’s attack deals up to 90 damage on turn two for two Energy, but its real value is zero Retreat Cost. You can start with Voltorb in the Active slot, attach Energy to a benched Pikachu ex, then evolve and Retreat for free on turn two to bring Pikachu ex online without needing X Speed. This line can also serve as a secondary attacker, though it rarely shares space with the Raichu package.

    Utility Attackers for Tempo and Tech

    Dedenne has become the preferred cheap paralysis user. Its Thunder Shock costs one Energy and has a reasonable chance to Paralyze the opponent. Paralysis is currently uncurable unless the Active Pokémon evolves, essentially giving you a free turn to attach Energy to your backrow. The 10 damage is negligible, but the tempo swing is critical for a deck that lacks Energy acceleration.

    The new Electabuzz deals 40 damage to any Pokémon with Thunder Spear for two Energy. This is significant because it puts Celebi ex into knockout range after a single Circle Circuit—something Zebstrika cannot do. As a Basic, it takes up less deck space than the Zebstrika line, making it a flexible inclusion for finishing off benched threats.

    Rotom is a niche but potent tech for a Tool-heavy meta. Its Assault Laser deals 50 damage if the opponent’s Active has a Tool attached. This one-shots Manaphy with Giant Cape, pressures Skarmory, and threatens any Pokémon holding a Rocky Helmet. With 70 HP and costing only one Prize, it trades favorably when the condition is met.

    Known Weaknesses

    The Pikachu ex archetype has three main vulnerabilities:

    • Severe deckbuilding constraints: you must run mostly Lightning Basic Pokémon to maximize Circle Circuit, limiting your inclusion of support Pokémon, evolution lines, and non-Lightning tech.
    • Fragility: Pikachu ex has only 120 HP, making it a two-Prize target that can be knocked out quickly by many common threats.
    • Inability to one-shot bulky ex Pokémon: Mewtwo ex, Charizard ex, and Venusaur ex survive a maxed Circle Circuit. Only Zapdos ex can take them down, and its attack is unreliable. You need to sequence multiple attackers or rely on bench sniping to get there.

    Once your opponent establishes board control with a wall or a fast evolution, Pikachu ex decks often struggle to recover. You must balance speed with smart bench management to avoid running out of options.

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