Arcanine ex Deck Guide

Introduction

If you're looking at our Arcanine ex deck guide, most probably you opened the Pikachu Pack as your very first pack after downloading Pokemon TCG Pocket. You've come to the right place, because I'll be covering some free-to-play (F2P) deck list (refer below) discussing the deck setup, key guides, and more, helping you decide to use your Arcanine ex before moving on with other decks.

Deck List

Free-to-play Arcanine ex Deck List

Arcanine ex & Moltres Deck List

Arcanine ex & Rapidash Deck List

Core Cards

• a1-39-growlithe
• a1-41-arcanineex
• a1-42-ponyta
• a1-43-rapidash

Arcanine ex

a1-41-arcanineex is the heart of this deck. As a stage-one Pokémon, it requires minimal setup but offers solid damage output with 120 base damage. Its three-energy cost makes it faster to set up than some other fire-type heavy hitters, like a1-253-charizardex. Though a1-41-arcanineex can take a toll on itself through recoil damage, the deck’s retreating options, such as X-Speed, help preserve its lifespan and enable strategic swaps before getting knocked out by the opposing Pokémon.

Ponyta and Rapidash

The a1-42-ponyta-to-a1-43-rapidash line adds extra fire-type options with low energy costs. Rapidash, though less powerful than Ninetales, can still deliver decent damage for a single fire energy. This line is particularly useful for maintaining pressure on opponents while conserving resources for powering up Arcanine ex and other core attackers.

Arcanine ex Deck Guide

Playing the F2P Decklist

For the F2P decklist, you’ll want to lead with a1-42-ponyta and hopefully have a1-43-rapidash ready to begin threatening some burst damage with a1-221-blaine for only 1 fire energy. At the bench you would setup a1-39-growlithe into a1-41-arcanineex while attaching fire energies to it every turn until a1-43-rapidash gets knocked out. After this, it's just stomping your opponent's Pokémon for 120 every turn.

Playing with Moltres ex

As for the decklist featuring a1-47-moltresex, it's best to start with said card and begin powering up your benches with Inferno Dance. After that, it's just swapping in a1-41-arcanineex or a1-38-ninetales to start dealing serious damage to your opponent's Pokémon. a1-38-ninetales deals 90 damage, and with a1-221-blaine, it can hit for 120, taking out low to mid-HP opponents efficiently. This is especially useful for eliminating common threats like Pikachu.

Deck Weaknesses

• Arcanine ex decks may still struggle against heavy water-type teams just like any other fire-type decks in the current META.
• Rapidash, though present for flexibility, lacks the power needed in some situations when facing a1-96-pikachuex or a1-76-starmieex from the get-go disrupting your tempo to setup a1-254-arcanineex before its ready.

Closing

While a1-41-arcanineex may not be the top-tier choice in the Fire-type meta currently, it offers a nice alternative for free-to-play players who can't seem to get that juicy a1-253-charizardex in their collection. Again, this whole guide is not saying you should stick to a1-41-arcanineex the whole time, but I hope the deck lists above can help you use that a1-41-arcanineex effectively during your early days in Pokémon TCG Pocket.

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