Pokémon TCG Pocket: Mega Absol ex Deck List Strategy

Mega Evolution Pokémon ex are making their mark on Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket in a big way despite their hefty three-point drawback. We previously broke down the fiery might of Mega Blaziken ex and its immense attack damage, but today we’re focusing on a Pokémon with a different shade of power: Mega Absol ex. This Mega Evolution Pokémon ex might not pack the same punch as its peers, but its disruptive attack more than makes up for it.

Game Plan: While Mega Absol ex is this deck’s workhorse, it shouldn’t be deployed until you score some points with Hydreigon first. Mega Absol ex gives three points upon being Knocked Out—immediately losing you the game—so you’ll want to focus on getting value out of your “one-point” Pokémon before securing victory with the Disaster Pokémon. Ideally, Cleffa can help set up the battlefield with Twinkly Call, Hydreigon can earn a KO or two, and then Mega Absol ex can swoop in with its Darkness Claw attack. This deployment strategy forces opponents to work through each of these Pokémon for a “five-point game”—one point each for Cleffa and Hydreigon, and then a lofty three points for taking down Mega Absol ex.

As a “baby” Basic Pokémon, Cleffa offers unique flexibility with no Retreat Cost or Energy requirement to attack. The Star Shape Pokémon didn’t shine as an addition to decks when it debuted in Wisdom of Sea and Sky, but in this deck its Twinkly Call attack is a powerful tool to set up for this strategy’s reliance on its Stage 2 Pokémon, Hydreigon. Including Cleffa also decreases the chance of having to start with Mega Absol ex in the Active Spot, which could result in a disastrous early-game KO.

Another good option for the early game is Deino, the Basic Pokémon that eventually evolves into Hydreigon. As a Stage 2 Pokémon, Hydreigon can be slow to get into play, but the always-sweet Rare Candy makes it even more likely you’ll ladder up to the Brutal Pokémon’s powerful Hyper Ray attack sooner rather than later.

Hyper Ray has a steep cost of Energy, and it requires you to discard all of Hydreigon’s Energy attachments, but it’s easy to compensate with Hydreigon’s Roar in Unison Ability, which allows you to attach two Energy per turn (though it does 30 damage to Hydreigon as well). Hyper Ray’s capable of one-hit KOing the commonly used Giratina ex, which is weak against Darkness type, and if you combine it with Giovanni it can even one-hit KO Giratina ex’s partner in crime, Darkrai ex!

Once Hydreigon is done dishing out the KOs, you can pivot to Mega Absol ex by KOing the Brutal Pokémon with its own Roar in Unison Ability, which will save you the Retreat Cost and prevent your opponent from earning a point. Proceed with caution, though—Mega Absol ex must finish the job as the final Pokémon in your lineup. Its Darkness Claw attack does 80 damage, which might be underwhelming, but its secondary effect reveals your opponent’s hand and allows you to discard a key Supporter card from it to orchestrate the perfect plays in your final turns, providing a unique amount of agency as you chase victory.

This Mega Absol ex deck features a fairly standard suite of Supporter cards, but there are a couple of key cards to keep in mind. First, the new Copycat Supporter is great for providing valuable shuffle draw as you set up your strategy, keeping pace with opponents using Suicune ex and Sylveon ex’s Abilities to draw a mass of cards in the early game. On the offensive, Repel comes in clutch to push bulky Pokémon out of the Active Spot and ensure Hydreigon can earn easy one-hit Knock Outs on unsuspecting Benched Pokémon.

We hope you enjoyed this dark and destructive strategy, Trainers! Remember, keep Mega Absol ex out of the action early on if you want to avoid a disaster.