Charizard ex Incineroar ex Deck Guide

We’re back with another guide—and kicking things off with heat.
We’re diving right back into it with one of the strongest decks you can run in Celestial Guardians. Whether you’re going all-in on A2b-010 or pairing it with A3-033, this build is all about fast damage, bold plays, and A3-144 high rolls. Risky? Definitely. But when it works, it really works.

• Strengths
• Weaknesses
• How to Play
• Most Optimal Deck Build

Let's start to burn things down!

Strengths & Weaknesses

Pros	Cons
+One of the best uses of A3-144—letting you run two Stage 2 lines while skipping Stage 1 entirely, which saves a ton of space in the deck.	- Not evolving early enough can cost you the game, which makes this deck high-risk, high-reward.
+ One-Energy attacks that can snowball fast if set up early benefits from early A3-144 combo.
+ 150 damage and 180 HP is enough to mostly obliterate everything and also live to tell the tale.
+ Easily the strongest deck when you hit the A3-144 combo early.

How to Play Charizard ex Incineroar ex

Start with either A2b-008 or A3-030 and evolve into A2b-010 or A3-033 as your damage dealer. A2b-010's Stoke lets you gain energy for the Steam Artillery. While A3-033 has Fire Fang to inflict Burn while Scar-Charged Smash gives you 140 damage as long as you're damaged which can be triggered from A3-030.

Turn 1:

• If you start with A2b-008, your top priority is finding a way to evolve it into A2b-010—either with A3-144 + A2b-010 or by going through A2b-009 if needed. However, if you already have A3-144 and A3-033 in hand, it might be better to shift focus and start digging for A3-030 instead.
• If you start with A3-030, the plan is the same—evolve it into A3-033 as soon as possible. But if you can’t find A3-033 and only have access to the A2b-010 line, you can safely put 1 Energy on A3-030 to use for an early attack or just to retreat later. Don’t be afraid to let A3-030 take hits early on—this gives you room to evolve into A2b-010 safely or bring in another A2b-008 if needed. You can afford to lose two points while setting up.
• If you don’t have the A3-144 combo, using A2b-069 early is highly encouraged—you want to win fast, so digging for it matters. If you already have A2b-009 in hand, evolve A2b-008 first before using A2b-069 so you're only hunting for A2b-010 afterward.
• If you start with both, it’s almost always better to go with A2b-008—since you run two A2b-010 but only one A3-033, making it more likely to pull off.

Midgame:

• Ideally, you’ll have one attacker pressuring while the other sets up. Having more Basics also means you’re less likely to get rushed early.
• Burn damage from A3-033 can help you in certain matchups such as Oricorio because it can't be damaged from EX Pokémon. In fringe scenarios, having another A2b-008 evolve only to A2b-009 is also another option.
• Use A3-155 or A2-147 to survive key turns and avoid getting knocked out too early.
• A1-225 shines in clutch moments—either to secure a closing knockout or to A3-151 right as you're about to start swinging to remove Tools.

I really prefer this version—not just because you’ve got two attackers to choose from, but also because having three Basics gives you more breathing room. You can afford to lose two while setting up the third, making the whole deck feel more reliable.

How to Play Charizard ex only

This build is all about getting A2b-010 up and running as fast as possible. You want to start with A2b-008, and your main goal in the first few turns is simple: hit the A3-144 combo and start applying pressure with Stoke.

Stoke gives you 3 Energy right away, which powers up Steam Artillery—hitting for 150 damage every turn. Since you only run two Basics, there's no time to stall. If you don’t evolve fast, you’re getting rushed down.

Turn 1:

• If you open with A2b-008 + A3-144 + A2b-010, you’re golden. Use Stoke immediately to charge up for big damage next turn.
• If you're missing the combo, start digging with Trainers like A2b-069. Getting to A3-144 quickly is key to surviving.
• Ideally, bench a second A2b-008 early. That way, you can use the active one as a sponge while safely evolving the benched one—especially if you’re going through A2b-009 instead of A3-144.
• Use healing tools like PROMO-001 or A2-147 to keep your active A2b-008 alive a bit longer so you have more time to evolve from the Bench.
• If you already have A2b-009 in hand, evolve first before using A2b-069—that way, you’re only digging for A2b-010.

Midgame:

• The goal now is simple: get A2b-010 attacking as soon as possible and overwhelm your opponent before they stabilize.
• Use healing like A3-155 or PROMO-001 to keep A2b-010 alive for a few extra turns while setting up your next one on the Bench.
• With 150 damage a turn and 180 HP, A2b-010 trades really well—but only if you stay ahead on tempo.

It’s a straightforward deck with explosive payoff. If you like high-speed, high-reward playstyles and don’t mind putting your whole plan into one setup, this is the deck to run.

Card Choices

Charizard ex Incineroar ex

• A2b-008 – We're using the Shining Revelry Charmander because the 20 damage can be reliable early on, especially if you manage to evolve it into A2b-009, which adds up to 60 damage. This clears a lot of Basic Pokémon running the meta—especially Stage 2 line Basics.
• A1-033 – We're also running the Genetic Apex Charmander because attacking for 30 damage twice can help you knock out the 60 HP Basics. The Energy you discard doesn’t matter much since you only need 1 Energy to use Stoke.
• A2b-009 – A safety net if you miss A3-144. Helps you evolve manually and makes the deck slightly more consistent.
• A2b-010 – Your main win condition. Easily set up with just 1 Energy using Stoke, then follow up with 150 damage every turn. The deck is built around getting this going fast.
• A3-030 – Only 1 copy is included so you can increase your odds of finding Charmander. It’s here as a backup option but not the focus.
• A3-033 – Your secondary win condition. Useful when you don’t find A2b-010 in time or need to pressure certain matchups like Oricorio with Burn damage.
• A3-144 – Core to the build. Lets you skip straight to Stage 2. Getting this early is how you start snowballing.
• A2b-069 – Best recovery tool if your opening hand misses combo pieces. Also strong in the midgame to disrupt your opponent if you feel they also have the combo pieces.
• A1-225 – Great for clutch knockouts, especially later in the game if they try to stall with another Pokémon to survive.
• A3-151 – For dismantling Giant Cape since that's the way to escape the 150 damage from Steam Artillery. Also lets you remove Poison Barb just in case it lingers on a high-HP Pokémon like A2b-010.
• A3-155 – Helps A2b-010 stay alive longer since it will be tanking a lot of attacks.
• A2-147 – Just here for survival. Only running 1 copy since there's a lot of Guzma in the format—you don’t want to see this card too often.
• PROMO-007 and PROMO-005 – Core draw engine. Poké Ball helps fetch your setup pieces while Professor Research keeps your hand moving when you need to dig deeper.

Charizard ex only

• 2 A2b-008 – We're using two copies of Shining Revelry Charmander here because we're running 2 A2b-009 this time, making you reach 60 HP damage more reliable—unlike the 1-1 version from above.
• 2 A2b-009 – We're running 2 copies since you want to evolve to A2b-010 as much as you can, because there's no other safety net aside from another A2b-008—unlike the Incineroar version where you have A3-030.
• A2b-010 – The whole deck is built around getting A2b-010 out early and swinging for 150 every turn.
• A3-144 – Much more reliant than the first build, you want this fast.
• A2b-069 – Your go-to card when you miss the combo early. Use it after evolving to A2b-009 so you only have to find A2b-010.
• A1-225 – Great for clutch knockout, especially later in the game if they try to stall with another Pokémon for survival.
• A3-151 – For dismantling Giant Capes since that is the way to escape the 150 damage from Steam Artillery. Also lets you remove Poison Barb just in case since it lingers on a high HP Pokémon like A2b-010.
• A3-155 – Helps you let A2b-010 stay alive longer since it will be tanking a lot of attacks.
• A2-147 – Just more for survival, only running 1 since there is a lot of A3-151 so you don't want to see this card often.
• 2 PROMO-001 – Running 2 to help your Basics survive longer while you work on evolving into A2b-010. That extra turn can make all the difference.
• A2-155 – A solid disruption tool that can slow down your opponent just enough to give you time to evolve safely.
• 1 PROMO-005 – Only 1 Poké Ball since we just need to find the other Charmander. Having two in hand after already finding it can feel like a dead draw.
• PROMO-007 - draw engine.

Other Card Choices

Flexible picks you can tweak based on meta or preference.

A2-150 – I don't see the need for Cyrus since you are mostly one-shotting your opponents, and in case you need to target a softer target, you can always use A1-225.

A2b-071 – Not included because most of your opponents are getting one-shot anyway. The few that survive—like opposing A2b-010 at 180 HP—can’t still be knocked out by Red. Targets with A2-147 can usually be dealt with using A3-151. That said, if you specifically want to deal with threats like A2a-047 or A2-095, feel free to slot Red in.

A2b-070 – If you want healing that can also clear Status, this is a good option.

PROMO-006 – Some builds include this to shrink your opponent’s hand, which aligns with the aggressive pace. It’s more niche than A2-155, but still worth considering.

Final Thoughts

Whether you go all-in on Rare Candy with the solo Charizard build or add some backup firepower with Incineroar, both versions of this deck bring serious heat. The combo is simple but deadly—hit the early evolution, and you’re swinging for 150 every turn while your opponent scrambles to keep up.

The solo build is faster and more explosive, but riskier with only two Basics. The double build trades a bit of speed for consistency, giving you a second win condition and more breathing room during setup.

In the end, it’s a high-reward deck that punishes slow starts and thrives on tempo. If you enjoy early pressure, clean knockouts, and the thrill of hitting the combo right on time—this is the deck to run.

You can also check out our other guides for more insights! With the ranked format here, now is the perfect time to master these strategies, climb the leaderboard, and dominate matchups!