Is Magcargo Deck good in Pokemon TCG Pocket?

Magcargo Deck is a Tier 3 deck with a 48% win rate and 0.2% meta share. It's a viable deck that can perform well in the right hands.

What cards do I need for Magcargo Deck?

The core cards for Magcargo Deck are: Magcargo. Top tournament builds also commonly include Flareon, Houndoom, Slugma, Arven.

How do you play Magcargo Deck?

Build your strategy around Magcargo. It's the deck's main damage dealer. This is a mono-fire deck, giving you consistent energy draws. Every energy card works for any attacker.

What is the best Magcargo Deck deck list?

The top-performing Magcargo Deck list runs: 1x Flareon, 1x Houndoom, 1x Magcargo, 1x Slugma, 1x Arven, 1x Big Malasada, 1x Copycat, 1x Guzma, 1x Heavy Helmet, 1x Iono, 1x Lucky Ice Pop, 1x May, 1x Mesagoza, 1x Pokémon Center Lady, 1x Pokémon Communication, 1x Potion, 1x Professor’s Research, 1x Red Card, 1x Sightseer, 1x Sitrus Berry. This build achieved 5W-0L at Weekly#2-10｜$100 forSeries｜Noex/Monotype/Singleton.

What beats Magcargo Deck in Pokemon TCG Pocket?

Magcargo Deck's core Pokemon are weak to water types. Strong counters include Suicune ex Deck, Alolan Ninetales ex Deck, Mega Slowbro ex Deck.

How many packs do I need to build Magcargo Deck?

Based on pull rates, you'll need approximately 35 packs to collect all core cards for Magcargo Deck. Most cards are reasonably accessible through regular pack opening.

Magcargo Deck

0.2% of the meta · Updated June 10, 2026

Tier 3

Win Rate

47.7%

Meta Share

0.2%

Core Cards

Estimated Pack Cost

estimated packs to collect all core cards

1x Uncommon~35/ea

MagcargoUncommon

Ho-Oh35 pks

Estimates based on pull rates. Actual results may vary.

Core Cards

Magcargo

Wisdom of Sea and Sky #031

Key Moves & Abilities

Strategy Guide

Auto-generated

Magcargo wins by using Spurt Fire to spread 50-damage hits randomly across targets, setting up multi-KO turns that score multiple points simultaneously. The win condition is chaining spread damage with healing and disruption until two or three opposing Pokemon fall on the same turn.

Open by getting Slugma into play and building toward Magcargo while flooding the trainer suite to maximize consistency. Spurt Fire costs only Fire and Colorless and randomly hits 1 other Pokemon three times, each hit doing 50 damage — that other Pokemon can be yours or your opponent's, and includes the opponent's Active. Over two turns that spread can place 150 damage on targets across the board. Use Pokémon Center Lady, Lucky Ice Pop, Potion, and Sitrus Berry to keep Magcargo alive through return damage while the spread accumulates. Red Card disrupts the opponent's setup and Sightseer plus Professor's Research refuel your hand. Flareon and Houndoom serve as flexible secondary threats when Magcargo's spread has done enough pre-damage.

Damage Math

Single Pokemon hit all 3 times

50 x 3 = 150

Random; best case on a single target, KOs most non-ex Pokemon

Strengths

Spurt Fire's spread can score multiple KOs in one turn, generating 2-3 points simultaneously without needing a traditional 1-v-1 attack sequence.
Massive healing suite (Pokémon Center Lady, Lucky Ice Pop, Potion) keeps Magcargo at 120 HP alive for multiple spread turns.
Magcargo is not an ex; the opponent only scores 1 point per KO, making each exchange heavily point-favorable against ex-based decks.

Weaknesses

Spurt Fire targeting is random; the spread can cluster on a single non-critical target or even hit your own benched Pokemon.Other
Magcargo's 3-retreat cost makes it difficult to swap and denies the flexibility to pivot mid-game.Deckbuilding
Gholdengo ex, Mega Kangaskhan ex, and Gengar ex can KO Magcargo before spread damage accumulates enough.Matchup

How to Play

Accumulate Spread Damage Over Multiple Turns

Spurt Fire randomly picks 1 other Pokemon three times — that Pokemon can belong to either player and includes the opponent's Active. Lead with Magcargo and attack every turn. Use Pokémon Communication to find the right attacker if Magcargo falls, and keep healing items ready. After 2-3 attacks most targets reach KO range and points flood in at once.

Key cardsMagcargoPokémon Center LadyLucky Ice PopPokémon Communication

Disrupt the Opponent's Recovery with Red Card and Sightseer

Red Card resets the opponent's hand mid-spread, slowing down their ability to heal or pivot to fresh Pokemon. Sightseer and Professor's Research keep your own trainer flow moving. Heavy Helmet punishes opponents who deal damage to your bench. This disruption layer extends Magcargo's active turns while the spread total climbs.

Key cardsRed CardSightseerHeavy HelmetProfessor's Research

How to Beat This Deck

KO Magcargo Before Spread Stacks

Magcargo has only 120 HP. High-damage single-hit attackers like Mega Kangaskhan ex can KO it before it fires twice. Scoring 1 point on Magcargo is acceptable if it prevents 2-3 points of accumulated spread damage. Prioritize Magcargo as your first target every game to cut the spread engine off early.

Maximize Bench Depth to Dilute Spread

Spurt Fire picks randomly from all other Pokemon across both sides. A full bench gives Spurt Fire more potential targets on your side, distributing hits more widely and reducing the chance any single opposing Pokemon takes all three hits in one turn.

Out-Heal with High-HP Non-ex Pokemon

Magcargo's spread caps at 150 on a single target over one turn. High-HP non-ex walls above 150 HP survive multiple spread cycles even without healing. Since Magcargo earns only 1 point per KO for the opponent, stalling with durable basics extends the game long enough to develop a more threatening attacker.

Common Substitutions

Secondary fire attacker

Flareon:Provides a direct attacker backup when Magcargo cannot reach the Active; in 27.66% of lists
Houndoom:Alternative fire attacker; appears in top build as a pivot when spread is not the right play

Healing support

Pokémon Center Lady:Core heal in 91.49% of lists; keeps Magcargo alive through early attacks
Lucky Ice Pop:Supplementary heal in 76.6% of lists; pairs with Potion for full healing coverage