Table of Contents
Hello everyone! If you’re just starting with Pokémon TCG Pocket or don’t have a large card collection, and you’re struggling to build a deck that can hold its own against other players, you’ve come to the right place! In this article, I’ll be sharing budget-friendly decks from each Pokémon type, so you’re sure to find something that suits your playstyle.
While these decks may not be as powerful as fully optimized archetypes, they can still compete with many meta decks at the early stages of the game. If you have an EX Pokémon, consider adding it to your deck as a centerpiece and building around it.
Colorless Pokémon are also great fillers for any missing spots in your deck, as they can use any Energy type for their attacks, making them versatile additions to any build. I’ll highlight the best Colorless Pokémon to consider adding.
Colorless Pokemon
These Colorless Pokemon are great additions to your list if you're missing certain cards or need an early
a1-198-farfetchd and a1-203-kangaskhan are great early Pokemon who only require 1 Energy to start attacking. So you don't have to commit too many resources on them and you can focus on your other late-game win conditions. They also can deal good damage, so they might knock out a Pokemon and get you a match point. a1-198-farfetchd is usually a more popular choice because of his 1 Energy retreat cost, whereas a1-203-kangaskhan needs 3 Energy to retreat.
As for a1-196-meowth, he's not much of an aggressor, but through Pay Day, he'll draw you a card to find the resources you need and then can retreat to safety for your other Pokemon to join in. If you go for a1-196-meowth in your list, then a1-197-persian becomes a consideration to add, dealing 40 damage with Shadow Claw and can discard a card from the opponent's hand.
More options if you're still missing cards to add to your deck. a1-200-dodrio can fill the early game package, allowing you to deal 40 damage with its Drill Peck. It has the same damage as a1-198-farfetchd, but the extra 20 health can keep it alive longer.
Fire Blaine Aggro
This is one of the best budget decks to pick up and is seeing play in Pokemon Pocket community tournaments. The Blaine deck plays aggressively, using a1-43-rapidash and a1-38-ninetales for the early attacks. a1-44-magmar is another addition to the list, but he's not a must!
a1-38-ninetales shines the most, Flamethrower dealing 90 damage with just 2 Fire Energy. Flamethrower will discard 1 Fire Energy every time you attack with it, so you'll have to keep attaching an Energy to a1-38-ninetales every turn for more attacks.
The a1-221-blaine supporter card is how this deck pushes extra damage to get knockouts. You can give a1-43-rapidash, a1-38-ninetales, or a1-44-magmar a +30 damage boost on their next attack, allowing you to knockout higher health Pokemon a turn earlier than usual.
Lightning Deck
This Lightning deck is packed with budget Pokemon that play aggressively. a1-101-electabuzz is a Basic Pokemon that needs 2 Lightning Energy to start going for those Thunder Punchs. You'll deal 40 damage and flip a coin, if it is heads, you’ll deal an extra 40 damage. If it is tails, a1-101-electabuzz will deal 20 damage to itself. So it's a risky attack, but getting that 80 damage can swing games in your favor. a1-100-electrode's Electro Ball is another option to reliably deal early damage to the opponent's Active Pokemon.
As for a1-102-jolteon, it'll flip 4 coins and for each Heads, you'll deal 40 damage with Pin Missle. So you can, if you're lucky enough, deal up to 160 damage with one attack, knocking out a high-health Pokemon.
Fighting Golem Onix
The fighting deck makes use of a1-150-onix and a1-140-dugtrio for the early stages of the game, presenting a threat as you work on evolving a1-147-geodude to a1-148-graveler and then have a1-149-golem.
a1-148-graveler can deal 70 damage with Rollout, but a1-149-golem is the real game changer. He's a 160-health Pokemon with an attack that deals 160 damage, capable of knocking out most Pokemon in its path. However, a1-149-golem activating Double-Edge will damage itself by 50, so it can put you in a vulnerable spot.
With a1-150-onix and a1-149-golem requiring a lot of Energy to start attacking and knockout Pokemon, we need a1-224-brock as an Energy accelerator, letting us attach a Fighting Energy on either a1-150-onix or a1-149-golem.
Grass Exeggutor Vileplume
We can play a1-22-exeggutor by evolving it from a1-21-exeggcute, its Stomp attack deals 30 damage, and you have a 50% chance to hit another 30 damage. With just 1 Grass Energy, you're putting tons of pressure on the opponent early into the game with a1-22-exeggutor. If you have the Ex version, add them to the list. a1-23-exeggutorex is an even scarier early-game threat, and with the extra HP, opponents won't knock it out as easily.
a1-13-vileplume is the late-game carry. It's a Stage 2 Pokemon, so you'll want a1-11-oddish on the Bench as you evolve it to a1-12-gloom and a1-13-vileplume. Once a1-13-vileplume is ready, its Soothing Scent deals 80 damage and will put the opponent's Active Pokemon to Sleep. This means they might end up missing attacks, giving you more chances to attack with a1-13-vileplume and sneak wins.
Water Greninja
a1-89-greninja can be a pesky Pokemon with its Water Shuriken ability, allowing you to deal 20 damage to one of the opponent's Pokemon. This means even if a1-89-greninja is on the Bench, it can still chip in to deal an extra 20 damage. However, a1-89-greninja is a Stage 2 Pokemon, so you can't make use of Water Shuriken early into the game.
a1-57-psyduck can prevent opponents from activating Supporter cards, and once it evolves a1-58-golduck, you're presenting a threat with the 70 damage from Aquad Edge attack. Another Pokemon you can have in the early game is a1-198-farfetchd, buying you time as you evolve a1-57-psyduck and a1-87-froakie.
Darkness Arbok Weezing
Another powerful budget choice is the a1-165-arbok a1-177-weezing deck. These two Pokemon work well together, a1-165-arbok's Corner attack deals 60 damage to the opponent's Pokemon and freezes it in its place, preventing the opponent from retreating it. This works well alongside a1-225-sabrina, forcing the opponent to switch out their main attacker to freeze a weaker target and focus on knocking it out.
As for a1-177-weezing, he has higher health compared to a1-165-arbok, so he can stick around for a couple of turns. The Gas Leak ability poisons the opponent's Pokemon, putting them on a timer as they slowly lose HP. The Tackle attack isn't doing much damage, but combined with the Poison damage, you can get a knockout. Since a1-177-weezing has a high retreat cost, a1-222-koga can return it back to your hand, preventing opponents from getting a matchpoint off of a low-health a1-177-weezing.
Dragon Dragonite
This Dragonite deck mixes Dragon and Darkness types. a1-185-dragonite is the win condition, but since it's a Stage 2 Pokemon that needs 4 Energy, it will take a couple of steps to get a1-185-dragonite ready.
In the meantime, we'll rely on a1-177-weezing to buy us time. The 110 health means it doesn't get knocked too easily with one attack, and will give us a couple of turns until a1-185-dragonite is ready to take over.
a1-185-dragonite's Draco Meteor unleashes four attacks, each dealing 50 damage. Each attack will target one of the opponent's Pokemon randomly. Their Bench is not safe, so if they have low-health Pokemon, you'll sneak match points and win the game.
Psychic Alakazam
The Alakazam deck can be a bit slow to get a1-117-alakazam into play, as he's a Stage 2 Pokemon. So you'll need to play a1-115-abra first and evolve it to a1-116-kadabra before having a1-117-alakazam ready to join in. a1-116-kadabra also needs 3 Energy to start attacking, so you need early Pokemon in the Active spot to buy you time.
a1-198-farfetchd and a1-203-kangaskhan are great budget choices to add, needing only 1 Energy to start attacking and can even net you Matchpoints.
Once a1-117-alakazam is ready to join in, he can deal 60 damage with the Psychic attack, and that damage increases by 30 for each Energy on the opponent's Active Pokemon.
Closing Words
Pokemon Pocket lets you match up against Beginner players, making it a perfect place to test out new strategies as you build your collection. These decks are easy to put together and will help you learn the game as you continue opening packs and expanding your card options. I hope you found this guide helpful! If you’d like to stay updated on my card game shenanigans, feel free to follow me on Twitter.
