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Gyarados ex and Palkia ex Pokémon TCG Pocket cards on blurred Froakie background.
Images via The Pokémon Company, remix by Dot Esports

Best Water deck in Pokémon TCG Pocket

Water-type decks in Pokémon TCG Pocket can be powerful in both solo and PvP battles. Here's the best Water deck in Pocket to try out.

Pokémon TCG Pocket has a great deck option for every Energy type in the game. Whether you prefer to dip into solo battles during events or tackle other players in online matches, there’ll be the perfect list for you to experiment with.

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If you’re hunting for a powerful Water-type deck, we’ve got you covered. Below, you’ll find the best Water deck in Pocket, looking at both solo battles and PvP gameplay.

Best solo Water-type deck in Pocket

Gyarados ex, Druddigon, and Greninja Pokémon TCG Pocket cards on a pink background.
This deck is slow but mighty. Images via The Pokémon Company, remix by Dot Esports

The best Water-type deck in Pocket for solo players to pick up is Gyarados ex, which features the Greninja line and Druddigon for support. This list is tanky, with Gyarados ex having one of the highest HP stats in the game, but it’s also flexible and offers plenty of utility.

With 180 HP and a lethal 140 damage attack, Gyarados ex is a beast. Thanks to its high Energy requirements, it can be hard to set up, but once it’s in motion with Energy Tokens to spare, it can Knock Out most opponents easily.

Magikarp is, unsurprisingly, incredibly squishy, with only 30 HP. It has the attack Leap Out, though, allowing it to zip back to the Bench with its Energy Tokens intact, making setting up easier.

Druddigon helps to get Gyarados ex ready to go by acting as a shield. It has the Rough Skin Ability, meaning that when this creature is in the Active Spot, it deals 20 damage each time it takes an attack from the opposing Pokémon.

The Greninja line acts as a secondary source of damage, assisting with Bench sniping. Froakie and Frogadier aren’t particularly useful, with Frogadier’s main selling point being its ability to deal 30 damage for just one Energy Token, but Greninja offers plenty of utility.

The Ninja Pokémon has the Water Shuriken Ability, which lets the user snipe an opponent’s Pokemon for 20 damage once per turn. Having two Greninja on the board can help you prevent an opponent from getting any meaningful evolutions during their turn.

Other popular Gyarados ex variants feature Articuno ex or Vaporeon for its Energy Token management support. It can be a slower deck to play with, especially in a game with lists like Celebi ex and Infernape ex to contend with, but it’s a powerhouse in solo battles.

Best Water-type PvP deck in Pocket

Palkia ex, Eevee, and Manaphy Pokémon TCG Pocket cards on a pink background.
Featuring one of the best Space-Time Smackdown cards. Images via The Pokémon Company, remix by Dot Esports

The best Water-type deck for PvP Pocket fans right now is Palkia ex, with Vaporeon, Manaphy, and Articuno ex beside it. It’s a relatively new deck, with the starring card Palkia ex originating in the Space-Time Smackdown set, but it’s already made an impact in the competitive scene.

Palkia ex has two attacks, and they’re both valuable. Slash deals 30 damage for just one Energy Token—this may seem low, but most powerful ex cards do not have an easily accessible early-game attack, so this gives Palkia ex an advantage.

It also has the attack Dimensional Storm. This expensive attack deals 150 damage to the opponent’s Active while discarding three Water Energy Tokens from Palkia ex and dealing 20 damage to the opponent’s Benched ‘mons. It’s pricey but can lead to a quick win.

Getting Palkia ex Energized consistently can be a challenge, which is where Vaporeon and Manaphy come in. Manaphy has the Oceanic Gift attack, which gives a Water Energy Token to two Pokémon on your Bench.

Vaporeon has the Wash Out Ability, allowing the user to move a Water Energy Token as often as they like from one of their Benched ‘mons to their Active. Combining this with Manaphy’s attack means that getting plenty of Energy onto the board is relatively easy.

Articuno ex acts as a secondary source of damage, favoring a Bench-damaging move with Blizzard. This attack deals 80 damage to the opponent, but an additional 10 damage to each of the opponent’s Benched critters as well, chipping away at their HP.

It’s important to have the right Supporters on hand when playing Palkia ex to ensure that you’ve always got an answer to any challenges your opponent might throw up. Alongside the necessary Misty duo, Rocky Helmet helps with setting up, Leaf can help get any key critters out of harm’s way, and Cyrus can throw some disruption into the mix.

Some players also run Palkia ex with other cards like Blastoise ex or even Starmie ex. Another viable option is Mew ex, which can open up the field for a wider range of moves via the Colorless Genome Hacking attack.

Palkia ex isn’t the most beginner-friendly PvP deck in Pocket, but if you’ve got Pack Hourglasses to burn and you don’t mind an Energy management-focused list, it’s a blast to play. Dive into our full breakdown of the Palkia ex deck here to get started building it today.


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Author
Image of Em Stonham
Em Stonham
Em is a Freelance Gaming Writer at Dot Esports who specializes in Pokemon and World of Warcraft. With a love for RPGs and TCGs, Em has spent the last few years covering gaming news and reviews for sites like IGN, Nintendo Life, and Dexerto.