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Did you know you can get a Shining Revelry ex Starter Deck for free? Find out how here. I know a lot of you have been wondering which ex Starter Deck to choose — and trust me, you’re not alone. The safest answer is always to wait until you’re done pulling from Shining Revelry and then pick the ex you didn’t get. But let’s be real — that’s not always the most fun option. You want to enjoy this season, and waiting it out means missing the chance to play with some of the best cards while they’re actually relevant.
Also, keep in mind that the decks include more than just the ex card. Some of them come with standout Trainers or useful Pokémon that can easily slot into your other builds. So in this article, I’ll be giving you my thoughts, some tips, and hopefully a bit of guidance so you can pick the best Starter Deck for your needs — or at least not regret what you end up choosing.
9. Bibarel ex
Sadly, we’ll have to start with A2b-065 — arguably the weakest of the nine ex Starter Decks. Even before the expansion dropped, it was already predicted to fall short. Dealing 100 damage for four Energy, even with the 30 HP heal, just isn’t cutting it in today’s meta. There’s a reason even A1-004 isn’t holding up anymore, and also that's because its Stage 2. The amount of raw damage coming from top decks right now makes Bibarel easy to fall behind with.
That said, if you’re playing just for fun, this deck can still be a good time. It leans into a stall-and-heal playstyle, and if that’s your thing, there’s a way to make it work. For this list, I’ll be featuring a more enhanced version of the starter deck, doubling down on the stall package and switching to Water Energy to take full advantage of A2a-072. This lets you recover up to 90 HP in one turn between A2a-072, A2b-065’s attack, and PROMO-001.
I’ve also added A2-150 for some disruption, especially to punish retreat plays — a useful option when your damage output is low. A2-146 is there to improve consistency, but feel free to swap it for an extra PROMO-001 if you prefer to lean even harder into healing.
8. Tinkaton ex
Next up is A2b-054 — and this one’s a little harder to justify. When you already have access to A2a-071 as a Basic Pokémon, it’s tough to recommend A2b-054 purely on efficiency. Not only does it lack consistency, but it also relies on a coin flip for its damage. That alone makes it shaky at best.
The only real reason to consider it is its synergy with A2-119, which gives it some potential. Without A2-119, though, it’s just not worth picking up unless you’re going for full Starter Deck completion.
That said, there are a couple of strong inclusions in the A2b-054 deck. First is A2b-057 — a non-ex version of Celebi that definitely has potential down the line. And more importantly, it comes with A2b-072, which I’d argue is one of the best cards in Shining Revelry. If you’re looking to pick up a copy of Rocket Grunt, this deck is one way to do it.
The list I’ll be featuring here is another version of A2a-071-A2-119. It’s still surprisingly potent, especially with how tanky your Pokémon are.
I’ve also tuned this version to perform better into the A2b-035 matchup. With A2b-054 sitting at 160 HP, it stays just out of range of a A2b-071-powered A2b-035. However, A2-110 can still chip it down, so the goal is to stay out of danger range and ensure A2b-054 can swing again. I think this is the most effective way to utilize the card.
7. Lucario ex
A2b-043, unfortunately, isn’t quite cutting it in Shining Revelry. Sometimes you just wish the damage was a clean 130 to the Active — the forced bench damage often ends up being more awkward than helpful.
After testing, the best way to use A2b-043 is in a straightforward Fighting-type toolbox. We’re kind of cheating here by also including A2-092, which helps turn the bench damage into more of a follow-up threat rather than the deck’s primary win condition. Because of that, we skip A1-154 entirely and instead run A2a-036 and A1a-047 to better capitalize on A2-092’s setup potential.
Another reason to consider this deck is that it includes A2b-071, which pairs well with A2-148 to create a cumulative damage setup that enables more reliable knockouts. If you're still missing a copy of Red, this might be a decent excuse to pick up A2b-043.
The best part? You only really need one copy of A2b-043, making this build super accessible if you already have the rest of the pieces.
6. Pikachu ex
The new A2b-022 isn’t exactly making waves in Shining Revelry, but 150 damage is still very relevant in today’s meta. That number hits the sweet spot for one-shotting a lot of common threats — even if it means discarding all your Energy. The problem, of course, is when opponents cross that 150 HP threshold. That’s where A2b-071 (thankfully included in the starter deck) comes in to close the gap. But beyond that, you don’t have many outs.
The best version of A2b-022 so far leans into one of its most obvious synergies: A2b-025 — and the good news is, the starter deck already includes two copies. A2b-025 helps accelerate Energy onto A2b-022 efficiently, giving you strong early tempo. When that goes down, you’ve got a backup plan with A2-053, which can generate Energy on its own.
The great thing about A2-053 is that it only gives up one point, so you can safely send it out to absorb a hit while setting up A2b-022 for a clean swing. This gives you two reliable acceleration paths: open with A2b-025, fall back on A2-053, and then bring in A2b-022 to close out games.
5. Charizard ex
The new A2b-010 is unfortunately a bit underwhelming. Not only does the 150 damage fall slightly short in today’s meta, but you also have to take a hit just to generate Energy — which isn’t ideal. That said, the good news is you can still run it alongside A1-036, meaning you only need one copy of each.
The best part about the starter deck is that it includes two copies each of A2b-008 and A2b-009. If you’re missing any of those and don’t want to craft them, this is easily the best way to start playing Charizard right away. It also comes with a copy of A2b-071 — a nice bonus — though ironically, Red isn’t really needed in the Charizard deck.
What we’re running here is the classic Charizard list, but optimized. With the addition of A2b-069 and A2-146, we can now more easily choose which Charizard we want depending on the game state. The plan is still simple: open with A1-047 while you charge up Charizard. Thanks to A2b-069, you’ll more consistently find A1-047 early and even have the option to instantly retreat a starting A2b-008 into it if needed.
Later in the game, you can evolve into whichever Charizard fits the situation. If A1-047 missed a lot of flips, A2b-010 becomes reliable for getting Energy. If you already have a lot of Energy built up, A1-036 is still your go-to for heavy pressure.
4. Beedrill ex
A2b-003 is one of the harder ex cards to evaluate. Its attack can be devastating if used early, completely disrupting your opponent’s tempo before they can stabilize. But the challenge is getting to that point — it takes planning, and the setup can be fragile.
Thankfully, Grass has access to strong support. A1-219 gives you time to set up, and consistency cards like A2b-069 and A2-146 make it easier to find your pieces early.
The deck also includes A2b-007, a promising card that specifically targets EX Pokémon — definitely worth considering if you’re missing a copy. Plus, you get A2b-071 as a bonus Trainer.
Some players run A1-023 as another dual option, but I’m not a huge fan. At that point in the game, I’d rather have a fully charged A1a-003 sitting on the Bench, ready to deal unlimited damage, than rely on a Stage 2 trying to remove Energy after the opponent is already set up or a Stage 1 trying to deal 40-80 damage.
I’ve tried pairing Beedrill with A2a-010 for flexibility, and while it’s serviceable, the best version in my testing is the one that focuses solely on Beedrill. You want to maximize its pressure early and punish decks before they stabilize. Stretching into support lines just slows it down — and Beedrill is strongest when it strikes first.
3. Paldean Clodsire ex
A2b-048 still feels like a strong card — it’s just being held back by one of the top decks in the format: A2a-071. If A2a-071 ever steps down from the top tier, Clodsire might finally have its time to shine. But even then, new threats may rise, so the meta could shift in other ways.
One caveat with the Starter Deck is that it only includes one copy of A2b-051, which is unfortunate since the deck does rely on it. However, it does include A2b-072, and considering how good Team Rocket Grunt is, that might be reason enough to pick this up — especially if you’re still missing a copy.
The version I’m featuring centers around A2b-051 for its Poison pressure. While the effect relies on a coin flip, it’s not everything — A2b-047 can also poison, which ensures A2b-048’s Venoshock is active when it needs to be. We’re only running one A2-110 here, as it's more of a supplemental attacker that complements the Poison strategy rather than being a primary win condition.
Trainer-wise, the goal is consistency. You can absolutely include the A2b-072 from the starter deck, but I’ve leaned more toward A2-147 to help Clodsire and Darkrai survive hits and stay on board longer.
2. Wugtrio ex
After A2b-035, A2b-019 feels like the next ex card with real potential. It has access to a solid Water-based engine featuring cards like A2-050 and A1-220, and its core strategy is very similar to one of the strongest decks in the format: A1a-018.
Of course, its biggest weakness is obvious — the damage output is completely random. You’re relying on coin flips every turn, and that makes the deck inherently inconsistent. Still, the reason I’m ranking Wugtrio this high is because it’s the only Starter Deck that includes A2b-069. Since I’ve featured A2b-069 in so many of the builds throughout this guide, having at least one copy is a great reason to pick this deck up.
The list I’ll be featuring is a slightly different take on Wugtrio. Instead of running A2a-023, we’re replacing it with A1-083, which only has one retreat cost. This lets us cut A1a-068 and run PROMO-002 instead, making it easier to play Supporters like A1-220 and A2-154 without using up a switch effect.
We’re also adding A2-147 to keep A2-050 and A2b-019 out of typical damage ranges. From there… it’s just a matter of hoping the flips go your way.
1. Giratina ex
Okay, let’s be real — most of you probably saw this coming. A2b-035 is hands down the best ex card in Shining Revelry right now. It’s just too good not to own that I made a guide here. That said, I will argue that only having one copy does make it a little less versatile — maybe as a backup attacker for A1-129-A1-132 or A2a-071-A2-119. But to be fair, that limitation applies to most of the ex cards in this set.
What sets A2b-035 apart is its ability to generate Energy on its own. That’s a massive deal. It means you can hit for 130 damage with no other setup required, and the fact that all of this is packed into a single card makes it highly splashable and efficient. The only real “regret” might be pulling too many copies later — but if you’ve already gotten value out of it, that’s a win in my book.
The only downside is the Trainer included in the deck: A2b-070. While it fits the stall angle, it’s a bit of a letdown if you’re hoping to grab a copy of something like A2b-072 or A2b-069.
The deck I’ll be featuring here is actually one of the strongest rising lists in Shining Revelry right now. I’ve also created a full guide on it for more in-depth info. The core strategy revolves around charging up A2b-035 for big late-game damage while tanking early with A1a-056 and chipping away with A2-110. This trio creates constant pressure across all phases of the game — early stall, mid-game chip, and late-game burst.
It’s easily one of the decks you’ll be seeing the most in Ranked — and likely one you’ll be playing yourself.
Final Thoughts
So that’s it — I hope you found these suggestions helpful. Of course, the safest choice is still to pick the ex you don’t have, but if you’re itching to play now, A2b-035 is the clear standout. The rest make great pickups if you're missing key pieces.
Also, don’t overlook the value of included Trainers like A2b-072, A2b-071, or A2b-069 — they’re a big reason why some decks ranked higher than others.
Thanks for reading, and thanks for the support!
