Ampibidou EX / Magnezone

Why this deck is in this tier

The deck combines the fast pressure of Ampibidou EX with the energy acceleration from the Magnemite/Magneton/Magnezone line. It is slightly slower than some variants but offers stronger control and better long-term scaling.

Strengths (key points)

• Ampibidou can attack quickly and reach 140 damage with enough energy in play.
• Magneton functions as an energy engine similar to Zeraora variants.
• Oricorio (Plumeline) is less problematic in this build.
• The deck offers better control gameplay than the Zeraora/Pichu variant.
• Tournament-tested and proven competitive.
• Strong mid- and late-game pressure.

Weaknesses (to watch)

• Slower setup than the Zeraora/Pichu version.
• Can brick more often.
• The Magneton engine takes time to establish.
• Weaker early-game explosiveness.
• Heavy reliance on powering up Ampibidou to maintain pressure.
• Energy placement decisions are critical to avoid losing tempo.

Card list

• ×1 Bellibolt ex (B2a-42)
• ×2 Magnemite (B1a-24)
• ×2 Magneton (A1-98)
• ×2 Magnezone (B1a-26)
• ×1 Oricorio (A3-66)
• ×1 Tadbulb (B1b-56)
• ×1 Lucky Ice Pop (B1b-145)
• ×1 Rocky Helmet (A2-148)
• ×1 Protective Poncho (B1b-147)
• ×2 Professor's Research (P-A-7)
• ×1 Poké Ball (P-A-5)
• ×1 Cyrus (A2-150)
• ×1 Clemont (B1a-68)
• ×1 May (B1-223)
• ×1 Dawn (A2-154)
• ×1 Lisia (B1-226)

Other A Tier decks

• Zoroark ex / Darkrai ex / Mega Absol ex
  Very good deck, with Roaring Moon acting like an extra “Sabrina” effect on top of a Supporter, but its anti-Oricorio plan can require a lot of energy.
• Mega Manectric ex / Zeraora / Oricorio
  Deck very aggressive, with Zeraora to start quickly and Elemental Switch to accelerate Mega Manectric ex. Its main limit is that it becomes less comfortable if it cannot take an early point.
• Mega Lucario ex / Hitmontop / Shaymin
  Deck very aggressive, with a lot of draw and Shaymin to ease Riolu or Hitmontop retreats. Its main weakness is draw dependency, since there is only one Lucario and one Mega Lucario ex.
• Magnezone / Oricorio / Ogerpon
  Very strong against the meta thanks to Oricorio + Ogerpon blocking status conditions, with fast pressure from Magnezone. However, it relies on evolution setup.
• Charizard EX / Entei / Ogerpon
  Very fast offensive deck with strong pressure from Charizard EX and Entei, but setup-dependent and vulnerable to bad openings.
• Mega Gengar / Darkrai
  Extremely strong once set up thanks to trainer lock, but relies on a slow and fragile setup.

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