Best Garchomp Ex Decks in Pokemon TCG Pocket

Garchomp, one of the most fearsome Dragon types in Pokemon history, received the Ex treatment with the release of the Triumphant Light expansion set in Pokemon TCG Pocket. Here are the best Garchomp Ex decks in Pokemon TCG Pocket.

Best Garchomp Ex Decks in Pokemon TCG Pocket

Right off the bat, it’s important to note that Cynthica does not work with Garchomp Ex. She only works with the base form. Garchomp Ex’s strength is getting around walls like Druddigon and other high HP Pokemon to threaten your opponent’s bench. That said, it’s a Stage 2 Pokemon so getting it online before your opponent rushes you down with, for example, an Exeggutor Ex, might be a challenge. 

Garchomp Ex’s Linear Attack, which does 50 damage to a Pokemon either in the active spot or on the bench, is the main draw to play this card, as 3 Energy for its 100 damage Dragon Claw attack isn’t exactly a good ratio. Thankfully, the Triumphant Light versions of Gible and Gabite also do decent damage for one energy, meaning they’re not bad front-line attackers.

Below are three decks that can use Garchomp Ex in Pokemon TCG Pocket:

Hitmonchan (Fighting Energy)

• Gible 2x (Triumphant Light)
• Gabite 2x (Triumphant Light)
• Garchomp EX 2x
• Hitmonchan 2x
• Marshadow 1x
• Professor’s Research 2x
• Cyrus 2x
• Sabrina 1x
• Poke Ball 2x
• Pokemon Communication 2x
• X Speed 2x

The usual route to take with this deck is to keep the pressure on your opponent with Hitmonchan while you build up your Garchomp Ex line in the back. Farfetch’d is a good replacement for Hitmonchan depending on the kind of decks you’re going up against; however, Arceus Ex is weak to Hitmonchan.

If your opponent retreats after Hitmonchan damages a Pokemon, you can pull it forward with Cyrus to get hit with a Dragon Claw or you can hit it with Linear Attack while it’s on the bench. Finally, if any of your Pokemon go down, Marshadow can come in and clean up the mess.

Aerodactyl EX (Fighting Energy)

• Gible 2x (Triumphant Light)
• Gabite 2x (Triumphant Light
• Garchomp Ex 2x
• Amber Fossil 2x
• Aerodactyl Ex 2x
• Marshadow 1x
• Professor’s Research 2x
• Cyrus 2x
• Poke Ball 2x
• Pokemon Communication 1x
• X Speed 2x

This list differs from the previous one as you want to start with Gible into Gabite and into Garchomp Ex. Aerodactyl Ex helps here as a Poke Ball won’t grab the Amber Fossil required to evolve Aerodactyl Ex. As such, we only run a single Marshadow in this deck, so you’re very likely to Gible on your first turn.

Garchomp Ex doesn’t require a lot of energy investment – Linear Attack is often enough – so Aerodactyl Ex works as a late-game cleanup or a great card to switch into when it’s online. Every card in this list only has 1 retreat cost, making X Speeds incredibly valuable for weaving Pokemon in and out of trouble. Just watch out for opposing Cyrus plays – your own Cyrus plays will likely be key to winning the match.

Related: Pokemon TCG Pocket Tier List – Best Decks & Cards (February 2025)

Lucario EX (Fighting Energy)

• Gible 2x (Triumphant Light)
• Gabite 2x (Triumphant Light
• Garchomp Ex 2x
• Riolu 2x
• Lucario 2x
• Hitmonchan 1x
• Professor’s Research 2x
• Cyrus 2x
• Poke Ball 2x
• Pokemon Communication 1x
• X Speed 2x

This is the most potent Garchomp EX list but also the most risky – getting both Lucario and Garchomp Ex online before your opponent can rush you down will require a bit of luck. That said, Lucario turns Gible, Gabite, and Hitmonchan into far more potent attackers by giving them a flat +20 damage. Furthermore, Garchomp Ex’s Linear Attack will deal 70 damage for a single Fighting energy to your opponent’s Active Pokemon. This buff does not apply to Benched Pokemon.

If you manage to get both Lucario online, every single one of your Pokemon – Garchomp Ex or otherwise – will deal quite a lot of damage to your opponent. Sometimes, it might even be worth waiting to evolve your Gabite into Garchomp Ex as you don’t want to risk giving up two knockout points.

And those are the best Garchomp Ex decks in Pokemon TCG Pocket. As the meta continues to change week-to-week, expect to see trainers experiment even more with this iconic Dragon and Ground type Pokemon. 

Pokemon TCG Pocket is available now on mobile devices.