Mega Charizard X ex Deck List and Guide
The world probably isn’t ready for what’s about to come when Phantasmal Flames comes out in November. In a year filled to the brim with massive sets – Destined Rivals, Prismatic Evolutions, Mega Evolution – Phantasmal Flames could still very well take the cake for the best set of the year, and that’s largely thanks to this big guy: Mega Charizard X.
There’s a lot to cover here to make sense of all the hype surrounding Mega Charizard X – what this Pokemon is, why it matters, and even some Pokemon TCG history behind how this deck is going to work when the set releases in November.
So let’s dive into everything, including the history behind Mega Charizard X, the existing deck archetype it is going to be paired with (Charizard ex), and more.
Two worlds collide – Mega Charizard X and Tera Charizard ex
Early deck lists in Japan show that inherent synergy between Mega Charizard X and Tera Charizard ex. Deck lists feature the two together in a complimentary role much in the same way Mega Gardevoir ex is currently being paired with Gardevoir ex.
Also similar to Gardevoir ex, Charizard ex has a long history in the Pokemon TCG meta – a meta that it once dominated not so long ago. In those days, virtually every major tournament was won by Charizard ex, and nothing could put a stop to it except for a bad matchup into the new (at the time) BDIF, Regidrago VSTAR. However, Regidrago innevitably rotated out as do all great decks, and with it gone Charizard ex was free to once again soar to the top of the Pokemon card heap – if to a much more modest degree.
Following the release of Mega Charizard X ex, however, Charizard’s time at the top of the meta could certainly be nigh. Mega Charizard X acts as a huge upgrade to the overall Charizard ex strategy, filling gaps in its strategy that it has always had up until now.
While it changes the strategy of this deck, it also changes its play style. While Charizard ex was a deck that always liked to run relatively few energies, Mega Charizard X will want plenty of energy around that it can then use to power up its insane Inferno X attack.
Mega Charizard X ex deck list
You can tell from the above deck example deck list that Charizard X has a relatively hefty reliance on fire energy. Although admittedly you’ll only really need four on the field at a time to knockout even the biggest Mega Pokemon out there in a single blow.
Oricorio ex unlocks powerful energy acceleration
Another significant addition to this deck strategy overall is the inclusion of a powerful new Oricorio ex. This Oricorio ex lets you attach as many fire energies from your hand to your fire type Pokemon as you’d like each turn, provided you have a fire type Mega Pokemon in play. It’s a fairly broken ability that really grants considerable power to Mega Pokemon decks. Of course, with it being fire energies specifically, Oricario ex fits Mega Charizard X ex like a glove.
In a bind you can also use Oricario ex to attack. Its Fire Wing may only do 110 damage, but that’s enough to close out the game against most single prize Pokemon.
Also noteworthy: because Oricario ex attaches energies from the hand instead of the deck the way Tera Charizard ex does, it’s helpful to have some energy retrieval handy. That’s why this deck runs Superior Energy retrieval at one copy.
Tera Charizard ex deck strategy refresher
By now, the Charizard ex deck is such an established meta deck that you may already know how it works. If that’s the case, then use the above info to upgrade your strategy with the powerful new addition of Mega Charizard X ex. If, however, you’re entirely new to both Charizard ex and Mega Charizard X ex, then let’s go over a few important points about how this deck works.
For starters, if you’re looking to build this deck with the most ease, you may want to start with the Charizard ex League Battle Deck – a prebuilt deck you can purchase from my friends at TCGPlayer that includes much of what you’ll need to build this deck.
All about Tera Charizard ex
Tera Charizard ex is considered one of the strongest attackers for good reason. For starters, its Burning Darkness gains damage output for every prize card your opponent has taken, maxing out at 330 damage. While that’s not enough to knock out a Mega Pokemon in one shot, it’s good enough to knock out any regular Pokemon ex. You’ll leave the Mega Pokemon ex one-hit-knock-outs to your Mega Charizard X ex.
A few other points about Charizard ex:
Its Tera typing prevents it from taking damage from attacks while on the bench.
Infernal Reign is a powerful energy accelerating ability, letting you attach three fire energy from your deck.
As Charizard ex gets stronger with each prize card your opponent has taken, you typically want your opponent to attack first – preferably into a single prize Pokemon. It’s also the reason that Charizard ex is considered the ultimate comeback deck, letting you sneak out wins while your opponent is actually ahead of you.
Pidgeot ex is the ultimate consistency engine
Finally, we should certainly talk about Pidgeot ex. Despite the fact that this card has been out for a while, it’s still the ultimate consistency engine for Charizard ex. As a Stage 2 deck, Pidgeot ex fits seamlessly into this deck strategy. Once it is on your field, it makes finding what you need each and every turn much, much easier. While other partners do exist and fair well competitively, Pidgeot ex remains the gold standard in Charizard ex decks.
Mega Charizard X ex is about to have an outsized impact on the Pokemon TCG. I wouldn’t be surprised if it quickly becomes one of the best Pokemon TCG decks in the standard format, and it should be immensely popular among players.
