Meta Tier List

• Expansion: Mythical Island (A1a)
• Updated: January 16, 2025

Tier	Deck
Tier 1	🟣 Mewtwo ex Gardevoir 🔵 Gyarados ex Greninja 🔼 🟡 Pikachu Zebstrika ex
Tier 2	🔴 Charizard ex Moltress 🔴 Arcanine ex 🟢 Celebi ex Serperior 🔽 🟤 Aerodactyle ex Primeape 🔼 🟤 Golem Druddigon 🟡 Pikachu ex Raichu
Tier 3	⚫ Scolipede Weezing 🆕 🔴 Blaine Aggro 🟤⚪ Farfetch'd Marshadow Mew ex 🔵 Starmie ex 🔵 Articuno ex Greninja 🟤 Marowak ex Sandslash ⚪ Wigglytuff ex 🟢 Venusaur ex 🟤 Machamp ex
Tier 4	⚫ Arbok Weezing 🔽 🟠 Dragonite 🔵 Blastoise ex 🟣 Alakazam

Tier Explanation

To create this Meta Tier list, I used data from tournaments and my expertise and opinions of respected players. This tier list will hold meta-staple decks that you'll likely encounter in tournament play and will be updated as the meta changes up.

The decklists shared here have found success in tournament events but can be tweaked depending on meta shifts or players' preferences.

Tier 1

Mewtwo ex Gardevoir

The Mewtwo ex Gardevoir deck relies heavily on a1-129-mewtwoex as the main damage dealer, using its early Psychic Sphere as an early damage dealer to threaten to knock out most Pokemon with two attacks. However, a1-129-mewtwoex's Psydrive is where things start kicking off, allowing you to damage the opponent's Pokemon by 150, knocking out almost any Pokemon with 1 hit.

To activate Psydrive, you need to attach 4 Energy to a1-129-mewtwoex, which can be a tad tough to get, on top of that, every time you activate Psydrive, you're forced to discard two Psychic Energy from a1-129-mewtwoex, stopping you from reactivating it on the upcoming turn. This is where a1-132-gardevoir comes to use, allowing you to attach 1 Psychic Energy to a Psychic Pokemon in the active spot through Psy Shadow, ensuring you get the most out of a1-129-mewtwoex's heavy attack.

a1a-32-mew-ex is a secondary damage dealer, best taken advantage of when the opponent has an Active Pokemon with a high damage attack. Genome Hacking will copy one of the attacks of the opponent's Active Pokemon, allowing a1a-32-mew-ex to use it as its own.

Mewtwo ex Deck Guide – Mythical Island Update

Gyarados ex Greninja

The Water deck uses a1a-18-gyarados-ex as its main damage dealer, but its attacks are a bit costly, so we're using a1-220-misty to speed up our attacks.

a1a-18-gyarados-ex deals 140 damage and discards 1 Energy from a random Pokemon in play. If it hits one of the opponent's Pokemon, we can slow the opponent's strategy and even prevent them from attacking.

If lucky, a1-220-misty can give us extra Water Energy, enabling us to attack on earlier turns. As for a1-89-greninja, its Water Shuriken offers an extra 20 damage to back up a1a-18-gyarados-ex Rampaging Whirlpool, allowing to push up 160 damage in one turn. Water Shuriken can also target opponent's Benched Pokémon, meaning we can snipe low-health Pokémon and get Match Points.

Gyarados ex Deck Guide

Pikachu ex Zebstrika

a1-96-pikachuex plays aggressively, for only 2 Lightning Energy we can start pushing up to 90 damage on the opponent's Active Pokemon, potentially ruining their strategy by knocking out a valuable Pokemon. a1-96-pikachuex's Circle Circuit is tied to the number of benched Pokemon we have, so we're dealing an extra 30 damage for each Pokemon on our bench. Filling up the bench is a must to get the most out of our attack.

a1-104-zapdosex is another heavy attacker with Thundering Hurricane, dealing 50 damage for each head you get after flipping a coin 4 times. a1-106-zebstrika can damage Pokemon on the bench, so he works best if you're trying to get a knockout on a low-health Pokemon.

All your Pokemon have low retreat costs, so moving them back to the bench and preventing the opponent from getting a knockout is part of your strategy. This prolongs the game and gives you the chance to go for more attacks with your Pokemon.

a1a-28-joltik and a1a-29-galvantula are considerations to add to your list, giving you an alternative attacker that deals 70 damage to the opponent's Active Pokemon and prevents it from retreating.

Pikachu ex Deck Guide – Mythical Island Update

Tier 2

Charizard ex Moltress

This deck uses a1-47-moltresex's Inferno Dance to give your Benched Pokemon Fire Energy. There is a randomness to it, having to flip 3 coins and for each head, you can attach a Fire Energy to a benched Pokemon.

Since the main carry in this deck is a1-36-charizardex. we want to focus on attaching Energy to him, even as we are evolving it from a1-33-charmander and a1-34-charmeleon. a1-36-charizardex's Slash deals 60 damage, capable of knocking out Basic Pokemon and requiring two attacks to knock out high-health Pokemon. Crimson Storm pushing a whooping 200 damage on the opponent's Pokemon, knocking out anything in its path. However, with great strength comes a downside, forcing you to discard two Fire Energy, so you can't reactivate it on the upcoming turn. We want to try to have 5 Energy on a1-36-charizardex so we get to activate Crimson Storm twice in a row.

a1-41-arcanineex plays faster than a1-36-charizardex since it's a Stage 1 Pokemon that needs 3 Energy to start attacking. Inferno Onrush deals 120 damage, but a1-41-arcanineex will deal 20 damage to itself whenever activated.

Charizard ex Deck Guide – Mythical Island Update

Arcanine ex

The a1-41-arcanineex version plays faster than a1-36-charizardex, going for attacks on earlier turns. However, you might find yourself struggling to one-shot an opponent's win condition without a a1-36-charizardex in the list.

Many players are including 1 copy of a1a-32-mew-ex in the list as a secondary win condition if you need to copy a high-damage attack with Genome Hacking.

Arcanine ex Deck Guide

Celebi ex Serperior

a1a-3-celebi-ex is the main win condition in this deck, flipping a coin equal to the number Energy attached to a1a-3-celebi-ex. For each heads, a1a-3-celebi-ex will deal 50 damage, so having 2 Energy cards means you can push up to 100 damage. The more Energy you have on a1a-3-celebi-ex, the more damage you threaten and can knock out higher health Pokemon. This is where a1a-6-serperior plays a vital role in this deck, with its Jungle Totem ability, each Grass Energy attached to your Grass-type Pokemon will count as 2 Grass Energy. This doubles the number of Coin flips we make, turning a1a-3-celebi-ex into a monster.

a1a-9-dhelmise can tank early hits but also synergizes with a1a-6-serperior's Jungle Totem. By itself, a1a-9-dhelmise needs 4 Energy to deal 90 damage with Energy Whip, but if a1a-6-serperior is in play, you'll only need to attach 2 Energy to get the 90-damage out of your attack.

Another version runs a1a-1-exeggcute and a1-23-exeggutorex, having an early win condition to play aggressively as you build up your a1a-3-celebi-ex + a1a-6-serperior combo carry.

Celebi ex Deck Guide

Aerodactyl ex Primeape

This deck wants to have a1a-46-aerodactyl-ex in play as quickly as possible for his Primeval Law ability, preventing the opponent from evolving their Active Pokemon. This might force the other player to take different approaches to their plan, slowing them down and buying you time to get more attacks through. a1-225-sabrina synergizes with your game plan, potentially moving a key Pokemon on their Bench to the Active spot and preventing it from evolving.

a1-142-primeape is a Single Point Pokemon that can deal up to 100 damage with Fight Back, perfect for posing aggression, especially if the opponent can't evolve to the Pokemon they need.

Aerodactyl Ex Primeape Deck guide

Golem Druddigon

a1a-45-golem being a Stage 2 Pokemon means we need early Pokemon to stall in the early game, and a1a-56-druddigon is perfect for the job. It uses Rough Skin ability to dish out damage back to the opponent's attacking Pokemon, making it weaker to your attacks later in the game.

Once a1a-45-golem is in play, he'll carry with Guard Press attacks dealing 120 damage and weakening the opponent's upcoming turn, taking 30 less damage when they attack a1a-45-golem. This makes it harder for them to knock out a1a-45-golem and allows you to attack more to win the game.

This list also uses a1a-47-marshadow and a1-154-hitmonlee for the extra damage. a1a-47-marshadow is perfect if one of your Pokemon was knocked out on the opponent's previous turn, increasing Revenge attack's damage to 100. As for a1-154-hitmonlee, you can target the opponent's Benched Pokemon, allowing you to knockout damaged Pokemon for the Match Points.

Pikachu ex Raichu

This deck is similar to the Tier 1 Pikachu ex, but uses a1-95-raichu as a finisher play. The plan is to use a1-226-lt-surge to move lightning Energy from your Benched Pokemon and onto a1-95-raichu. a1-95-raichu's Thunderbolt deals 140 damage, your strongest attack to knock out a higher health Pokemon. It will though discard all Energy from a1-95-raichu, so it's best played as a last attack to win the game.

Some lists go for the a1-97-magnemite a1-98-magneton, giving you extra Lightning Energy with Volt Charge ability.

Tier 3

Scolipede Weezing

a1a-55-scolipede works hand in hand with a1-177-weezing to create offensive pressure and use Poison to the best of its abilities.

Since a1a-55-scolipede is a Stage 2 Pokemon, we're relying on a1-177-weezing in the early stages of the game, giving opponents Poison with Gas Leak ability and chipping away at their health with a combination of Tackle attack.

Once a1a-55-scolipede is ready to join in, we can put a1-177-weezing in our hand (after we've applied Poison) through a1-222-koga. a1a-55-scolipede then deals 70 damage to the opponent's Active Pokemon with Venoshock. However, since we're poisoning the opponent's Active Pokemon, Venoshock becomes a 120-damage attack, capable of knocking out higher-health Pokemon.

Scolipede Weezing Deck Guide

Blaine Aggro

This is an aggressive deck that dishes 90 damage with a1-38-ninetales's Flamethrower, but since it discards a Fire Energy you will have to keep attaching another Energy to activate it. a1-43-rapidash's Rising Lunge is a 40-damage attack, but you'll also flip a coin, if it's heads, you get to deal 100 damage that could change the whole game in your favor by knocking out a Pokemon with one attack.

This list uses a1-221-blaine to boost the damage of either a1-38-ninetales or a1-43-rapidash by 30, making it easier for you to get knockouts and shut down opponents strategies.

Blaine Aggro Deck Guide

Farfetch'd Marshadow Mew ex

Starmie ex

a1-76-starmieex is an aggressive Pokemon, requiring 2 Water Energy to activate Hydro Splash and push 90 damage, enough to knock out basic Pokemon. Before your opponent can set up a win condition, you'll be posing a threat in play, and with a1-76-starmieex's 130 health, it can't be knocked out easily with one attack.

a1-220-misty accelerates your game plan, flipping a coin until you get tails and for each heads you get, you can attach a Water Energy to one Pokemon. This can also set up a1-84-articunoex's Blizzard to deal up to 110 damage to an opponent's Pokemon. Since a1-76-starmieex has no retreat cost, you can switch it with one of your benched Pokemon to deny your opponent an easy Point.

a1-89-greninja being a Stage 2 Pokemon, you need to evolve from a1-87-froakie and a1-88-frogadier, so it can take a couple of turns as a1-76-starmieex carries the early game. a1-89-greninja can sit in the back and damage opponent's Pokemon with Water Shuriken, even their Benched Pokemon.

Starmie ex Deck Guide

Articuno ex Greninja

The a1-84-articunoex deck takes advantage of the Pokémon Pocket ruling, which guarantees you'll always start with a Basic Pokémon in your hand. By including only a1-84-articunoex and filling the rest of the deck with Trainer cards, you ensure that a1-84-articunoex is always your starting Pokémon.

a1-84-articunoex + a1-220-misty allows you to start activating your attacks as early as possible, knocking out your opponent's Pokemon and collecting Points before they start putting any pressure on you. The Blizzard attack is the real damage dealer, pushing 80 damage and dealing 10 damage to all of the opponent's Benched Pokemon, meaning if a damaged Pokemon retreated, it won't be safe from Blizzard.

As you're dealing early damage with a1-84-articunoex, you'll be working on getting a1-89-greninja in play. a1-89-greninja's Mist Slash deals 60 damage to the opponent's Active Pokemon, but its real power is in its Water Shuriken ability, letting you deal 20 damage to one of the opponent's Pokemon. You can damage Pokemon on the opponent's Bench, enabling you to knock out damaged Pokemon hiding on the bench.

Marowak ex Sandslash

a1-153-marowakex's Boomerang is heavy on the luck factor, flipping a coin twice and dealing 80 damage for each heads. So depending on your luck, Boomerang can deal 0, 80, or 160 damage. Hitting the 160 damage on a high-health Pokemon is a game swinger, setting the stage for you to take the game.

As for a1-138-sandslash, it works perfectly with a1-153-marowakex since it needs the same type of Energy and can deal 70 damage with its attacks. Two Slash attacks combined with a Giovanni can knock out 150 HP Pokemon.

Marowak ex Sandslash Deck Guide

Wigglytuff ex

This deck uses a1-177-weezing to Poison the opponent's Active Pokemon with Gas Leak, slowly damaging them and putting them at risk of getting knocked out. When there's a threat for a1-177-weezing to get knocked out, you can return to your hand using a1-222-koga, preventing opponent from getting a Match Point.

a1-195-wigglytuffex later joins in, dealing 80 damage with Sleepy Song and putting opponent's Pokemon to sleep. Asleep prevents opponent's from attacking or retreating, and they'll have to flip a coin and get heads to wake them up.

Wigglytuff ex Deck Guide

Venusaur ex

a1-3-venusaur is a heavy tanker and he's difficult for opponents to knock out with his 190 HP. a1-4-venusaurex isn't pushing the most frightening attacks, but he's sticking in the Active spot for a while thanks to his Mega Bloom attack, healing him for 30 HP. The list has a1-219-erika and promo-1-potion for more healing power, ensuring the opponent has to do extra work to knock out a1-4-venusaurex.

The longer a1-4-venusaurex sticks in play, the more turns we get to activate Mega Bloom, getting more healing and 100 damage attacks through.

Venusaur ex Deck Guide

Machamp ex

Machamp ex Deck Guide

Tier 4

Arbok Weezing

a1-165-arbok's Counter ability hits hard, dealing 60 points of damage for just two energy (and an extra 20 damage against psychic type Pokémon). What makes it even more powerful is its ability to prevent your opponent from retreating, often allowing you to secure prize points that would otherwise be out of reach. a1-225-sabrina works especially well with a1-165-arbok, as you can switch out your opponent’s main attacker, locking their backline Pokémon into a "prison" with nowhere to run.

a1-222-koga, plays a pivotal role alongside a1-177-weezing. Weezing, with its hefty health pool, can endure a hit or two before you use a1-222-koga to safely return it to your hand. This strategy allows you to reset all energy attached and also the damage a1-177-weezing has taken, which isn’t a big issue since it only requires one energy to attack.

Arbok Weezing Deck Guide

Dragonite

The Dragonite deck is a powerful meta choice in Pokemon Pocket, using a1-185-dragonite as the main win condition. The only problem is that a1-185-dragonite's Draco Meteor is costly to set up, requiring 4 Energy to activate. This means we'll have to rely on a1-177-weezing to buy us time until a1-185-dragonite's Draco Meteor is ready to activate.

Draco Meteor deals 50 damage to 1 of the opponent's Pokemon 4 times, this means attacking with a1-185-dragonite twice should be enough to win the game since the opponent's Bench will also be at risk of getting knocked out.

Dragonite Deck Guide

Blastoise ex

On his own, a1-56-blastoiseex is a slow strategy to set up, he's a Stage 2 Pokemon requiring 3 Energy to activate Hydro Bazooka, so a1-220-misty will be useful to accelerate the heavy hits. Hydro Bazooka can push up to 160 damage on the opponent's Active Pokemon, knocking out most targets.

Blastoise Ex Deck Guide

Alakazam

Alakazam F2P Deck Guide