Dark-type decks weren’t always meta-defining in Pokémon TCG Pocket, but since the introduction of Weavlle ex and Darkrai ex in the Space-Time Smackdown expansion set, they’ve felt unstoppable in the competitive scene.
Below, you’ll find the best Darkrai ex Pocket deck list, including a breakdown of all the cards you’ll need, the deck’s overall strengths and weaknesses, and other popular iterations of the deck to take a look at while building.
Best Darkrai ex Pocket deck list
While some Pocket players may choose to run with just Darkrai ex as the star of the deck—or even blend it into a Koga-Weezing list—we found that it worked most effectively with Weavile ex.
The two have a beautiful synergy, thanks to Darkrai ex’s unique damage-dealing Ability that Weavile ex can build off of with Scratching Nails. Darkrai ex can claim extra Energy and deal damage at the same time, which lets Weavile ex stack extra damage onto its attack.
The addition of Spiritomb means there are several sources of damage to use when playing this deck. Weavile ex and Darkrai ex act as the main damage dealers, but Spiritomb provides consistent chip damage that can help set up for early game Knock Outs.
The deck is a lethal addition to the current selection of Dark-type decks in Pocket, with the majority of cards in its list coming from the Space-Time Smackdown set.
Alongside the quartet of Dark-type Pokémon in this list, plenty of Pokémon Tools, Items, and Supporters help you get into the action quickly. There isn’t too much setup required here, with only one evolution to sort in the early game.
Plenty of draw power is available from Poké Ball and Professor’s Research, alongside the addition of the Pokemon Communication Item card.
While Weavile ex and Darkrai ex are the most natural pairing in the game right now, there are other key variants that you can experiment with to build your deck.
Other possible pairings for a Darkrai ex deck include:
- Koffing and Weezing, specifically the Mythical Island Koffing and Genetic Apex Weezing
- Koga for easy movement in Weezing-Darkrai ex decks
- Mew ex for additional move variety via Genome Hacking
- Druddigon to provide extra bulk and an easy setup process
- Mars for additional disruption and control
There are other Supporters that you can experiment with in this deck list too, like Giovanni, Blue, and the ever-trusty Potion. If you’re hoping to make swaps, we’d suggest cutting a copy of Giant Cape to make room for another card. It’s important, but not essential, to have two copies.
How the Darkrai ex deck works
Darkrai ex has the Nightmare Aura Ability, which is what lets it mesh with Weavile ex so effectively. Whenever a Dark Energy Token is attached to Darkrai ex, 20 damage is done to the opponent’s Active Pokémon.
Alongside Nightmare Aura, it has Dark Prism. This attack is fairly standard, dealing 80 damage a pop, but it can be powered up easily via Dawn, which gives it value.
Weavile ex has the Scratching Nails attack which deals 30 base damage and stacks an extra 40 damage on top if the opponent’s Active is already damaged. By itself, it may not seem like much, but with Nightmare Aura in play, it can lead to incredibly easy Knock Outs.
The other Pokémon in this list is Spiritomb. We’ve only included one copy, but it’s still an important part of the strategy thanks to its Swirling Disaster attack, dealing 10 damage to every one of the opponent’s Pokémon.
The majority of the non-Pokémon cards in this list focus on survivability and draw power. Leaf and Giant Cape help key critters escape Knock Outs by either leaving battle without spending too much Energy or gaining an extra sliver of HP.
Cyrus throws a level of disruption into the mix, letting you pull an injured opponent back onto the field for an easy Knock Out. Think of this card as a slightly meaner version of Sabrina from Genetic Apex.
Strengths and weaknesses
The best thing about this deck list is the synergy between Nightmare Aura and Scratching Nails. Being able to theoretically hit with 20 damage and then follow up with 70 damage for just one Energy is immensely valuable, especially in the early game.
Additionally, the Energy support from Dawn means that setting up for this combination can happen in the first couple of turns with ease. This deck favors a quick, punchy playstyle, and it excels when matched up with decks requiring setup.
Being a Dark-type deck in the current Pocket meta has its perks. While it is likely you’ll run into Grass-type decks like Celebi ex, there are plenty of Psychic-type decks in the mix, like Mewtwo ex and Mew ex, putting this list at an advantage.
There are negatives to consider before running Darkrai ex, though. It does have strong early-game damage output, but it can’t go any higher than the 90 damage combination from both Darkrai ex and Weavile ex with Dawn’s help. This means it can be outpaced in the late game.
The HP pools of each Pokémon ex in this list put them at risk of easy Knock Outs without the Giant Cape, too. Decks like Charizard ex, Gyarados ex, and Blastoise ex can deal 140+ damage with ease, provided they survive your initial attacks. If an opponent disrupts your early game, it can be hard to survive.
This deck still feels fantastic to play, though, and it’s arguably one of the most interesting things to come out of the Space-Time Smackdown expansion set. If you’re looking for a way to deal with Psychic-type opponents and you’ve got Pack Hourglasses to spare, take this list for a spin and see how it feels.
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