Water-types have been getting stronger and stronger in Pokémon TCG Pocket since the game came out, with every new expansion set and mini set adding a new aquatic deck for players to make a splash with.
With the release of Triumphant Light, one card that’s caught the community’s attention is Glaceon ex. This popular Eeveelution has a unique Ability in Pocket, and to help you make the most out of it, we’ve put together the best Glaceon ex Pocket deck list to build today.
Best Glaceon ex Pocket deck list
Glaceon ex is the perfect deck to experiment with in Pocket if you want to play with chip damage and unique Abilities.
By itself, Glaceon ex doesn’t have the most remarkable damage output or competitive capabilities. Other Pocket Water-types have it beat in terms of sheer damage, but the Fresh Snow Pokémon’s Snowy Terrain Ability makes it worth experimenting with.
Snowy Terrain allows Glaceon ex to deal 10 damage to the opponent during the Pokémon Checkup phase of a match if it’s in the Active Position, providing small but steady increments of damage.
To help the beloved Eeveelution deal with the heavier hitters in the game, we’ve paired it with Palkia ex. This card is currently one of the most impressive Water-types in the game, offering an easy source of damage in the early game and a destructive late-game attack.
One of the biggest strengths of this deck is its survivability. Glaceon ex isn’t the tankiest ex card in the game, but we’ve added Giant Cape and Irida to help with HP and healing, respectively, along with Leaf to get it out of trouble if need be.
To build this deck, you’ll need to sink some significant Pack Hourglasses into Space-Time Smackdown, Triumphant Light, and Mythical Island.
It’s not the most beginner-friendly deck because of the variety of packs that you’ll need to open, but every card in the list can be used in another deck or build in some manner—for example, in a standard Palkia ex deck list—so it’s worth the investment.
If this list doesn’t work for your exact needs, though, there are plenty of different variants and fresh inclusions that you can try out.
Some popular inclusions for a Pocket deck list are:
- Articuno ex for additional damage and backline sniping
- The Greninja line for Bench sniping and additional Water-type damage
- Druddigon to help with setting up, especially with Rocky Helmet
- Sabrina for further disruption
- Mew ex for a wider range of offensive possibilities
- An additional copy of Manaphy for further Energy Token creation
- Dawn for easy Energy movement and management
An additional copy of Cyrus is also worth considering. This list has multiple sources of chip and backline damage, which makes Cyrus’s ability to swap in damaged cards and take them out even more valuable than normal.
How the Glaceon ex deck works
Glaceon ex features two key elements. The Snowy Terrain Ability acts somewhat like the Poison Special Condition, dealing 10 damage during the Checkup phase of a match if Glaceon ex is in the Active Position. The card also has a standard 90 damage attack with Freezing Wind.
Freezing Wind is a little expensive, costing three Energy Tokens, but if you can get Glaceon ex in position and keep it there, it’s possible to chip away at your opponent easily over time. This small chip damage also allows you to use Cyrus quickly, swapping in whichever cards benefit you the most.
To keep Glaceon ex alive and well, this list features two copies of Irida, allowing the user to heal 40 damage from each of their critters with Water-type Energy Tokens attached.
Palkia ex makes up for Glaceon ex having a smaller damage output than its other Water-type ex card counterparts, with Slash acting as a solid early game attack and Dimensional Storm putting out a lethal 150 damage with an extra 20 damage on the opponent’s Bench.
Managing Energy Tokens for both Palkia ex and Glaceon ex can be tricky though, which is where Manaphy comes in. We’ve only included one copy of this card for space, but if you wanted to experiment with variants, its ability to provide two Energy Tokens for the Bench is valuable.
To assist with Energy provision, this list also features the maximum number of Misty cards. While relying on coin flips can be tricky in Pocket, it’s worth having these cards due to it being a monotype Water deck.
There are several useful Supporters to help you set up the board while disrupting your opponent, too. Leaf is one of the most important cards, allowing you to dip out of danger if needed, while Cyrus makes use of the backline damage in the deck.
Strengths and weaknesses
One of the best things about this deck is the Snowy Terrain Ability. Any Special Condition or additional source of damage is a blessing in a Pocket match, and 10 damage every turn can open up the field to useful Supporters like Cyrus.
The variety of damage sources on offer here cannot be overlooked either. Eevee is a surprisingly strong early game pull, coin flips permitting, and both Glaceon ex and Palkia ex can provide Knock Outs if you can keep them topped up with Energy.
This is an adaptable deck, too. Some decks only perform well with a certain list or particular set of cards, but this Glaceon ex list can be restructured to fit additional cards like Druddigon or the Greninja line. The core damage sources stay the same, but the additional elements can be tweaked.
There’s plenty of survivability on offer here. Irida is one of the best additions that Triumphant Light made into the game, and Giant Cape helps to take Glaceon ex nicely out of Knock Out range. The presence of Leaf means damaged critters can escape from the Active Position easily as well.
In terms of sheer damage output, though, Glaceon ex does struggle. It’s not the tankiest Water-type ex card by any means, with Gyarados ex putting it to shame with bulk and Starmie ex offering the same damage for less Energy, and it can be easily outpaced by decks with a higher damage output.
Pairing it with Palkia ex fills in the gaps in damage, with this card offering a stronger early game move and a devastating sweep that hits the backline with Dimensional Storm. It’s better than a solo Glaceon ex deck, but it can still be outpaced.
It’s not the strongest in terms of HP and tankiness, either. While Glaceon ex does have plenty of tools in the list to keep it alive and Palkia ex is tanky enough on its own, the Eeveelution’s base HP stat puts it directly in the range of several high-output attackers like Gyarados ex and Charizard ex.
It’s still worth experimenting with a Glaceon ex deck if you come across this card while ripping packs, though. Out of the Eeveelution cards currently available in Pocket, it’s one of the more interesting options with its Ability, and pairing it with Palkia ex can make for some fun matches.
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