Pikachu ex Deck
0.1% of the meta · Updated September 8, 2026
Signature card
Pikachu ex
Crown Rare
Strengths
- Circle Circuit scales damage with each Benched Lightning Pokemon, reaching 90 damage at a full bench of three.
- Thunderbolt at 150 damage provides a one-hit KO option against most ex Pokemon when Circuit falls short.
- Multiple Lightning Basics (Pichu, Oricorio, Zeraora, Tapu Koko ex) all pull double duty as Circuit fuel and bench presence.
Weaknesses
- Losing Pikachu ex awards the opponent 2 points; Thunderbolt's energy discard leaves it exposed the turn after.ex KO
- Circle Circuit is zero damage with an empty bench; slow opening hands that miss Lightning basics drastically reduce early output.Consistency
- Ground-type and resistance mechanics in unfavorable matchups like Armarouge ex reduce Lightning damage output significantly.Matchup
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Est. 842 packs to collect all core cardsdetails
Key Moves & Abilities
Strategy Guide
Auto-generatedPikachu ex uses Circle Circuit to scale damage with the number of Benched Lightning Pokemon, turning a full bench into a multi-damage attacker, while Thunderbolt offers a 150-damage burst option at the cost of all Energy. The win condition is establishing a wide Lightning bench quickly and repeatedly circuiting for knockouts.
Open by benching as many Lightning Pokemon as possible — Pichu, Oricorio, Zeraora, and Tapu Koko ex each add 30 damage to Circle Circuit. Poké Ball finds Lightning Basics while Professor's Research and Copycat draw into the full bench. Mid-game, Circle Circuit scales to 90 damage with a full bench of three Lightning Pokemon. X Speed manages retreat costs. Closing turns use Thunderbolt at 150 for a single decisive knockout when Circle Circuit falls short, then Elemental Switch moves Energy from a Benched Pokemon back to Pikachu ex to restore attack readiness.
Damage Math
Opponent's Active Pokemon via Circle Circuit
30 damage x 3 Benched Lightning Pokemon = 90 damage ceiling
Each Benched Lightning Pokemon adds 30; bench holds at most 3 Pokemon
Opponent's Active Pokemon via Thunderbolt
Thunderbolt fixed 150 damage; discards all Energy from Pikachu ex
Single-use burst; requires re-attaching Energy before next Thunderbolt
How to Play
Fill the Bench with Lightning Pokemon Early
Circle Circuit's damage depends entirely on Benched Lightning Pokemon. Use Poké Ball to grab any Lightning Basic and Professor's Research or Copycat to chain draw into the rest. Starting Plains ensures a smooth opening. With three Lightning Pokemon benched, Circle Circuit hits 90 per turn — enough to threaten most non-ex targets in one hit.
Sequence Thunderbolt for Decisive KOs
Save Thunderbolt (150 damage, discards all Energy) for targets that survive a Circle Circuit hit or for turns when you need an immediate 2-point knockout. After Thunderbolt, use Elemental Switch to move Energy from one of your Benched Pokemon to Pikachu ex, restoring its attack readiness faster than attaching from scratch.
How to Beat This Deck
Shrink the Opponent's Lightning Bench via Targeted KOs
Every Lightning Pokemon on the opponent's bench adds 30 to Circle Circuit. Knocking out Benched Lightning Pokemon — starting with the highest-damage contributors — directly reduces Circuit output. Forcing the opponent to replace fainted bench sitters with non-Lightning Pokemon permanently lowers their ceiling.
Attack After Thunderbolt When Pikachu ex Is Energyless
Thunderbolt discards all Energy from Pikachu ex. The turn immediately after Thunderbolt, Pikachu ex cannot attack unless Energy is re-attached. Applying high pressure on that turn — either by KO'ing Pikachu ex or threatening the bench — exploits the one-turn window of vulnerability before Elemental Switch can restore Energy.
Use Giant Cape to Outlast Circle Circuit Hits
At maximum bench scale Circle Circuit hits 90 damage. Giant Cape increases HP by 20, pushing targets out of one-hit KO range and requiring Pikachu ex to spend two attacks on a single target. This buys turns to establish your own win condition and erodes Pikachu ex's point-per-turn efficiency.
Common Substitutions
Bench Lightning Pokemon for Circuit scaling
- Zeraora:In the top build; a Lightning Basic that adds 30 to Circle Circuit and provides secondary utility.
- Oricorio:In the top build; another Lightning Basic bench filler that boosts Circuit damage.
- Tapu Koko ex:In the top build; Lightning ex bench filler — note it awards 2 points if KO'd, so weigh the Circuit boost against the risk.
Threats — Weak Against
Based on type weakness analysis of core cards. View full matchup matrix →