Weezing EX / Hoopa EX / Mega Absol EX

Why this deck is in this tier

I rank this deck in A tier because of its excellent Energy flexibility: Weezing EX generates passive Poison + Burn damage without monopolizing Energy, allowing Hoopa EX or Mega Absol EX to be powered immediately. The deck is very strong and technical, but effects that prevent Special Conditions and certain specific matchups can significantly reduce its effectiveness.

Strengths (key points)

• Excellent Energy freedom. Weezing EX does not need Energy to provide its main damage contribution, allowing Mega Absol EX or Hoopa EX to be powered immediately.
• Poison + Burn create strong passive pressure. This extra damage helps reach KO thresholds that a single attack would normally miss.
• Hoopa EX becomes a much more realistic attacker. Two Energy can be invested into it without sacrificing the deck's passive damage engine, opening additional lines of play.
• Mega Absol EX benefits particularly well from the Weezing engine. Previously accumulated damage makes its KOs easier while Energy can be committed directly to it.
• Two Cyrus work extremely well with Special Condition damage. I can pull up an already damaged target or expose a Pokémon to additional Poison and Burn damage.
• Mars can completely swing a game. A well-timed Mars can disrupt a prepared hand and deny the opponent the answer they need on a decisive turn.

Weaknesses (to watch)

• The Koffing + Weezing EX line takes a lot of deck space. Four slots are required for the main engine, whereas a Basic Pokémon engine would be considerably more compact.
• Effects preventing Special Conditions are a major problem. If Poison and Burn cannot be applied, a significant portion of the deck's damage output disappears.
• Very durable Pokémon and strong healing can complicate KO calculations. The deck relies heavily on reaching precise cumulative damage thresholds.
• The deck requires constant calculation and anticipation. Attack damage, Poison, Burn and other damage sources must continually be combined to determine the optimal target.
• Weezing EX should not always be played immediately. Its effect can be much stronger when held until the correct opposing Pokémon reaches the Active Spot, making the deck more demanding to pilot.
• Field Blower can become essential in certain matchups. Defensive Tools can move an opposing Pokémon outside a KO threshold, and having only one copy leaves little margin for error.

Card list

• ×2 Hoopa ex (B4-103)
• ×1 Mega Absol ex (B1-151)
• ×2 Team Rocket's Koffing (B4a-42)
• ×2 Team Rocket's Weezing ex (B4a-43)
• ×1 X Speed (P-A-2)
• ×2 Poké Ball (P-A-5)
• ×1 Field Blower (B3-147)
• ×2 Deceptive Needle (B4-148)
• ×2 Professor's Research (P-A-7)
• ×2 Cyrus (A2-150)
• ×1 Mars (A2-155)
• ×2 Copycat (B1-225)

Required expansions

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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