Darkrai / Mega Absol / Greninja

Why this deck is in this tier

Tournament-winning deck with huge constant pressure and strong game control.

Strengths (key points)

• Very high passive damage (Darkrai EX + Greninja).
• Strong, constant board pressure.
• Mega Absol EX strongly disrupts the opponent’s hand.
• Very flexible with multiple lines of play.
• Good tempo control.
• Good mobility (low retreat costs).

Weaknesses (to watch)

• Bad starts when opening with Darkrai EX.
• Requires a multi-Pokémon setup (Darkrai + Greninja).
• Resource management is important.
• Weak to early aggression.
• Mega Absol EX can be situational.
• Requires good deck mastery to pilot well.

Card list

• ×1 Darkrai ex (A2-110)
• ×1 Mega Absol ex (B1-151)
• ×2 Greninja (A1-89)
• ×2 Froakie (A1-87)
• ×2 Chingling (B1-109)
• ×2 Professor's Research (P-A-7)
• ×2 Copycat (B1-225)
• ×1 Cyrus (A2-150)
• ×2 Rare Candy (A3-144)
• ×2 Poké Ball (P-A-5)
• ×1 Red Card (P-A-6)
• ×1 Rocky Helmet (A2-148)
• ×1 Inflatable Boat (A4a-67)

Required expansions

Other S Tier decks

• Mega Absol EX / Darkrai EX / Hoopa EX
  I rank it in S tier because it can create immediate pressure with several complementary attackers. The list has an excellent balance between damage, mobility, disruption and consistency.
• Mega Sceptile EX / Butterfree
  This is probably one of the most consistent. Caterpie, the draw engine, Quick-Grow Extract and the two Stadiums significantly accelerate the setup of Mega Sceptile EX.
• Mega Lucario EX
  I place Mega Lucario EX in S tier for its combination of speed, damage and flexibility. The list also includes several secondary Pokémon that help it adapt without significantly slowing down the main plan.
• Mega Altaria EX / Espeon / Darkrai
  I rank it in S tier because of its combination of control, status effects and constant pressure. Sleep can deny entire turns while Darkrai and Mega Altaria gradually build an advantage.
• Vespiquen ex / Shuckle ex
  The deck can handle many matchups thanks to Shuckle ex in the early game and Vespiquen ex's 140 damage. The ability to discard a damaged or obsolete Pokémon makes its game plan particularly stable.
• Magnezone / Oricorio / Miraidon ex
  Deck heavily represented in top decks, with Miraidon acting as a flexible finisher and strong sleep-counterplay.

Go further