Zoroark ex / Darkrai ex / Mega Absol ex

Why this deck is in this tier

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.

Strengths (key points)

• Roaring Moon provides a switching effect usable in addition to a Supporter.
• The deck can combine draw and bench control.
• Roaring Moon has solid HP for a Basic Pokémon.
• Low retreat cost is useful with tools.
• Darkrai ex helps against Oricorio.

Weaknesses (to watch)

• Roaring Moon’s attack is inefficient for three energy.
• Beating Oricorio with Roaring Moon requires too much energy.
• The deck requires good tool management.
• The main plan relies more on effects than Roaring Moon’s attack.

Card list

• ×2 Zoroark ex (B3-106)
• ×1 Darkrai ex (A2-110)
• ×1 Mega Absol ex (B1-151)
• ×1 Bombirdier (B3-115)
• ×2 Zorua (B3-105)
• ×1 Roaring Moon (B3a-47)
• ×2 Copycat (B1-225)
• ×2 Professor's Research (P-A-7)
• ×1 Cyrus (A2-150)
• ×1 Pokémon Center Lady (A2b-70)
• ×2 Poké Ball (P-A-5)
• ×1 Lucky Ice Pop (B1b-145)
• ×2 Rocky Helmet (A2-148)
• ×1 Giant Cape (A2-147)

Required expansions

Other A Tier decks

• Weezing EX / Hoopa EX / Mega Absol EX
  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.
• 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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