Table of Contents
Introduction
Welcome to my Blaine Aggro Deck Guide! This deck has made a remarkable impact unofficial competitive Pokémon TCG Pocket events/scene, with its hyper-aggressive fire-type strategy easily earning a place among the top eight decks to play in our current Genetic Apex Meta Tier List. Built around a1-221-blaine power-boosting ability, this deck maximizes the damage output of key Pokémon like a1-38-ninetales, a1-43-rapidash, and a1-44-magmar.
a1-221-blaine effect is game-changing, adding 30 extra damage to these Pokémon’s attacks, allowing them to reach that upper damage thresholds and keep your opponents at their toes. Also, this deck is quite free-to-play (F2P) friendly as it doesn't require you to break the bank to chase those EX cards to start playing Pokémon TCG Pocket competitively.
Deck List
Earlier Version of a Blaine Ninetales Deck List
5 Basic Pokémon Blaine Deck List
Blaine Pidgeot Deck List
Core Cards
These are the core cards for the deck (best to have 2 copies of each in the deck):
- a1-37-vulpix
- a1-38-ninetales (irreplaceable)
- a1-42-ponyta
- a1-43-rapidash
- a1-44-magmar
- a1-221-blaine (irreplaceable)
- a1-225-sabrina or the whole a1-188-pidgeot evolution line
The core of this deck consists of two a1-37-vulpix, two a1-38-ninetales, two a1-42-ponyta, and two a1-43-rapidash, with each Pokémon synergizes with a1-221-blaine.
a1-38-ninetales stands out as the main finisher of the deck, with its Flamethrower attack dealing a base 90 damage for just two fire energy. When combined with a1-221-blaine, this jumps to 120 damage, capable of knocking out many common basics and some evolved Pokémon in the current expansion. a1-43-rapidash, with its low retreat cost, decent HP, and respectable damage output, complements a1-38-ninetales offensive potential, providing consistent pressure across turns.
Tech Inclusion: Magmar
In my mind, having basic Pokémon in your deck is akin to having basic lands in Magic: The Gathering. After a few hundred games playing Pokémon TCG Pocket, I found that playing just 4 basic Pokémon could often lose you some games because your sole Active Spot pokemon got knocked out without any benched Pokémon early in the game. Sometimes, you just draw 2 basic Pokémon and couldn't keep up with your opponent's fully developed board state. Thus, by adding one or two copies of a1-44-magmar, could improve the probability of you getting that crucial 1 or 2 match points in versus mode.
A typical value play would be like this:
- You go first
- You play a1-42-ponyta at the active spot with a1-44-magmar and pass the turn.
- At your following turn, you evolve to a1-43-rapidash and begin whacking for 40 damage.
- If your a1-43-rapidash is still alive during your next turn, you continue to whack for 40 damage while attaching 1 fire energy to a1-44-magmar.
- When your opponent knocks out a1-43-rapidash, you're ready to bring out a1-44-magmar and focus on powering up your Ninetales.
This situation would still bring about 130 damage in total without taking into consideration that a1-221-blaine can add another 30. Which is decent and works well if you're not able to get a1-37-vulpix and a1-38-ninetales on your board.
Playing the Pidgeot Variant
a1-188-pidgeot typically has an ability or move that lets you rearrange your opponent’s active Pokémon with Drive Off, similar to a1-225-sabrina effect. This allows you to pull out vulnerable or setup-dependent Pokémon from the opponent’s bench, setting up easy knockouts when combined with a1-221-blaine.
This control is particularly useful for a tempo strategy, as it lets you target high-value or low-HP Pokémon that can be quickly KO’d by Ninetales or Rapidash with the help of a1-221-blaine. If you're running a1-225-sabrina, you won't be able to use a1-225-sabrina and a1-221-blaine at the same time but a1-188-pidgeot gives you that combo effect this deck is missing with Drive Off.
Blaine Aggro Deck Guide
Whenever I play an aggro deck, I see myself as the problem that my opponent needs to solve. It’s essential to play with an aggressive mindset, aiming to pressure your opponent from the very start - Thus, it's best to start with a1-42-ponyta into a1-43-rapidash to begin damaging your opponent's Pokémon with only one fire energy. If you're going second, consider going with the a1-37-vulpix into a1-38-ninetales line.
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In certain cases when playing this deck, I find myself using a1-221-blaine with a1-42-ponyta or a1-43-rapidash as early as possible to knockout those early basic Pokémon within a one-hit-KO range with 50-70 HP. Thus, bricking their hands for those evolution cards they were planning to play in the process.
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Playing this deck is all about maintaining tempo by outpacing your opponent and limiting their options. Cards like Potion help sustain your attackers, allowing a1-38-ninetales or a1-43-rapidash to stay in the game longer, especially after absorbing one or two hits. Also, X-Speed also improves your board mobility, making it easier to retreat Pokémon when necessary and ensuring you can maintain pressure without losing momentum - Note that both a1-38-ninetales and a1-43-rapidash only requires one energy to retreat.
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Additionally, if you’re running a tech like a1-188-pidgeot, you have potential board control that can buy you time to set your a1-38-ninetales ability flamethrower with a1-221-blaine as explained earlier.
Match-ups and Strategy
Versus Slow Decks
- Against slower decks or those that require time to build up, such as a1-129-mewtwoex or a1-244-dragonite based decks, apply relentless pressure with Ninetales and Rapidash to deny them the setup time they need.
Versus Fast Decks or Mirror Match
- Against faster decks (for example decks featuring a1-23-exeggutorex), focus on balancing aggression with strategic switches, using Blaine effectively and Potion or X-Speed to extend the life of your attackers or denying your opponent that 1 match point.
Deck Weaknesses
- Most of the Pokémon in a typical Blaine Aggro Deck, such as a1-38-ninetales, a1-43-rapidash, and a1-44-magmar, have relatively low HP compared to EX Pokémon and high-HP evolutions. This makes them susceptible to knockouts from stronger or even mid-tier attackers, especially if they can deal a quick 80–100 damage.
- Since this deck doesn’t include any EX Pokémon, it lacks tanky options that can withstand multiple hits. As a result, this deck is often forced into a “hit fast, win fast” approach, leaving it weak against decks that can stall or defend well over multiple turns.
Closing
Thanks for reading our Blaine Aggro Deck Guide! I usually run this deck if I want to play fast matches to rake up some EXP to level up my account. The deck still has room for improvement and I've even see other players using a1-255-moltresex when I get a mirror match. Hope this write-up somehow inspires you to try out this deck!
- Join our Reddit community at r/ptcgpocketgg
- You can find me in-game at: 0404-6206-3464-5405 (Friend ID)
