Flame of Many Colors — The Variants of Charizard ex

Hello everyone! I’ve recently returned from my brief Pokemon hiatus, and I’m excited to be back, particularly as we begin the 2024 season! As I apparently wasn’t content enough to simply visit for the World Championships, I recently moved across the seas to Japan, where I will now reside for the foreseeable future. What this means for you all is that my content will now come from a slightly different perspective than my previous vantage point as a player in the US Midwest.

As a player, I’ve always kept a close eye on developments in the Japanese metagame as a way to stay on top of things when we get each new set; now that I’ll be in the thick of that metagame, I’ll be able to give you all a firsthand account of how the newest cards are expected to impact the format. Here in Japan, we’re slightly ahead of the western set release schedule; however, the only set that we have exclusively is 151, which hasn’t been all that impactful in terms of the overall metagame. In addition, the release order of 151 and Ruler of the Black Flame was the opposite here in Japan (that is, 151 came out first), and as a result, there’s only been about a two-week headstart on the format here compared to everywhere else. While the Japanese meta typically differs a little bit from the non-Japanese meta, the early results from both regions show a similar direction in terms of the metagame. However, while there hasn’t been much of a lead, those two extra weeks have helped to establish a bit more refinement here, which we can use to our advantage.

[cardimg name=”Charizard ex” set=”Obsidian Flames” no=”223″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

When it comes to the cards in Obsidian Flames, most are unfortunately not all that competitive. The trainers are lackluster, and quite a few of the Pokemon ex came from the Japanese ex Starter Decks, which are Starter Deck levels of playability, which is to say, not great. The Pokemon ex that were from Ruler of the Black Flame are thankfully stronger, and a couple of those have been seeing play. [card name=”Glimmora ex” set=”Obsidian Flames” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Tyranitar ex” set=”Obsidian Flames” no=”66″ c=”name”][/card] are niche archetypes, but will pop up occasionally, and [card name=”Revavroom ex” set=”Obsidian Flames” no=”156″ c=”name”][/card] is a neat card that can potentially bring back the fun Tool Drop archetype.

However, if we’re looking for something more competitive, there are only two cards that I feel comfortable saying will certainly have an impact in the meta: [card name=”Pidgeot ex” set=”Obsidian Flames” no=”164″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Charizard ex” set=”Obsidian Flames” no=”223″ c=”name”][/card]. Pidgeot ex has one of the best consistency-oriented Abilities ever printed, and it is sure to show up in decks that already play [card name=”Rare Candy” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”191″ c=”name”][/card], as its effect is strong enough to be well worth the inclusion. As for Charizard ex, it has quickly become a top-tier archetype, both on its own and as a tech line in conjunction with other attackers. Its meta share has been high, and the deck has been getting results, even though the decklists are in an early, unrefined state. As players continue to develop this deck, I would expect its winning percentage to improve even more, and given its popularity both here in Japan and abroad, I don’t think it’ll take too long for a strong list to disseminate. In this article, I’m going to be taking a look at this new Charizard ex archetype, and show you both what I’ve put together as a strong “normal” Charizard ex list and some alternate ways to use Charizard that you might not expect!

Charizard ex / Pidgeot ex

[cardimg name=”Pidgeot ex” set=”Obsidian Flames” no=”225″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

To start things off, let’s take a look at the more normal list. While Charizard ex can work in quite a few ways, the most popular build has been a straightforward combination of Charizard ex and Colorless consistency Pokemon. Specifically, folks have been playing it with [card name=”Arceus VSTAR” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card] and that new Pidgeot ex that I hyped up in the previous paragraph. Arceus VSTAR is mostly used for Starbirth; it isn’t a great attacker, and since your other cards are Pokemon ex, you can’t actually take advantage of Trinity Nova’s Energy acceleration. Starbirth, however, can be worth the space, as it allows you to find Rare Candy, which you need to set up your Pokemon ex. The most common Starbirth use is to find a Rare Candy and Pidgeot ex, after which you can use Quick Search every turn. Quick Search seems to be as good now as it was back in 2006, especially in a Rare Candy–reliant archetype like this one. Being able to search for a Rare Candy every turn makes getting Charizard ex into play rather easy, and once you are set up, you can use Quick Search to find whatever you might need, be it a Supporter, a specific Tool or Item, or a niche one-of tech. Not only does Quick Search increase your consistency, it also allows your deck design to include far more situational one-of cards, since you can find them whenever you are in the situation where you would need them.

Charizard ex is typically the only attacking Pokemon in this build. Players have occasionally included one-of alternate attackers such as [card name=”Victini ex” set=”Obsidian Flames” no=”33″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Entei V” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”22″ c=”name”][/card], or my preferred choice [card name=”Delphox V” set=”Lost Origin” no=”27″ c=”name”][/card], but Charizard ex will still be the attacker for most of the match. As an attacker, Charizard ex starts off at a similar level to Pokemon like Arceus VSTAR, in that it can 2HKO things, but won’t get a lot of OHKOs. As the game goes on, however, Charizard ex’s damage continues to rise, to the point that in the late game, Burning Darkness will OHKO pretty much everything. At that point, Charizard ex has a big advantage, in large part thanks to its high HP. At 330, not much can OHKO Charizard ex, and even when your opponent does get a KO, they only get two Prizes, not the three they would get from KOing a comparably tough VMAX.

In that sense, this deck has a rather straightforward strategy: trade KOs in the early game, then take advantage of a positive Prize trade in the late game. The stats that Charizard ex has give it an advantage in a lot of matchups, and the consistency of Quick Search allows it to be adaptable throughout the game. I’ve seen quite a few lists for this kind of Charizard ex deck both here and abroad, and a lot seem to make a few mistakes: namely, not including enough Pokemon search and not including enough counter Stadiums. This list dodges those pitfalls, and includes a bit of spiciness to help deal with certain situations. Here’s the list:

[premium]

[decklist name=”Normal” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Manaphy” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”41″][pokemon amt=”18″]3x [card name=”Charizard ex” set=”Obsidian Flames” no=”125″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]1x [card name=”Charmeleon” set=”Obsidian Flames” no=”27″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Charmander” set=”Obsidian Flames” no=”26″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Pidgeot ex” set=”Obsidian Flames” no=”164″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Pidgey” set=”Obsidian Flames” no=”162″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Arceus VSTAR” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”123″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Arceus V” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”122″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Radiant Charizard” set=”Pokemon GO” no=”11″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Delphox V” set=”Lost Origin” no=”27″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Mew” set=”Celebrations” no=”11″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Manaphy” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”41″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”34″]4x [card name=”Professor’s Research” set=”Champion’s Path” no=”62″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Boss’s Orders (Ghetsis)” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”172″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Iono” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”185″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Cheren’s Care” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”134″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Rare Candy” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”191″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Battle VIP Pass” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”225″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”196″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]1x [card name=”Level Ball” set=”Battle Styles” no=”129″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Hisuian Heavy Ball” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”146″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]2x [card name=”Super Rod” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”188″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Choice Belt” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”135″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Defiance Band” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”169″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]3x [card name=”Mesagoza” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”178″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Artazon” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”171″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Path to the Peak” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”148″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”8″]7x [card name=”Fire Energy” set=”Crown Zenith” no=”153″ c=”deck2″ amt=”7″][/card]1x [card name=”V Guard Energy” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”169″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/energy][/decklist] 

The Pokemon lineup in my list is as described above — Charizard ex, a small number of alternate attackers, and a lot of consistency Pokemon. I don’t include many of the Stage 1s — only one Charmeleon — as you’ll rarely evolve that way. Most of the time, you’ll use Rare Candy instead, and with Quick Search, you won’t have any trouble finding those Rare Candy. The one Charmeleon is included as an emergency out in the case that you prize multiple Rare Candy; it’s also somewhat nice to have on the Bench in the late game, so that it’s easier to evolve into Charizard ex in the case that you get disrupted by [card name=”Iono” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”185″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Roxanne” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”150″ c=”name”][/card].

For your Charmander, I use the new one from Obsidian Flames, as the 30-damage attack can come up in niche situations. Once 151 comes out, you’ll want to replace three of those with the newer Charmander, as it has more HP and an attack that discards a Stadium (which can be great against [card name=”Path to the Peak” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”148″ c=”name”][/card]). Until then, though, the Obsidian Flames Charmander is the best one.

In addition to the Arceus VSTAR and the Pidgeot ex, I also have one copy of [card name=”Mew” set=”Celebrations” no=”11″ c=”name”][/card], to help search out Rare Candy or Pokemon search (mostly turn-one [card name=”Battle VIP Pass” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”225″ c=”name”][/card]). I’ve only included a 1-1 line of Arceus VSTAR, as you never want to have more than the one in play, and this gives you more space than you would have if you opted to include a 2-1 or 2-2 line. Many of my earlier versions of this list actually didn’t include any Arceus; while I’ve come around a bit to the idea of including it to guarantee those early Rare Candy, it still isn’t ideal to have in play compared to a board of just Charizard ex, Pidgeot ex, and non-Rule Box Pokemon. When you do use it, it’s best to attack with it early, so that it isn’t an easy KO out for your opponent later on. In some matchups, it ends up being about the same, so it’s well worth having it in play for Starbirth, but in ones where the opposing attacker can hit for 280-320 (such as [card name=”Giratina VSTAR” set=”Lost Origin” no=”131″ c=”name”][/card]), it can be a bit of a liability. With that said, you can use it to pressure opponents early in some cases; with [card name=”Choice Belt” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”176″ c=”name”][/card], Trinity Nova can OHKO most Basic Pokemon V, so you can use Arceus as a way to get off to an early head start.

[cardimg name=”Delphox V” set=”Lost Origin” no=”27″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

Delphox V and [card name=”Radiant Charizard” set=”Crown Zenith” no=”20″ c=”name”][/card] are the two alternate attackers in the deck. Delphox V can be useful in applying early pressure in the mirror match or any other deck that relies on weak evolving Basics, as well as to either set up KOs or finish off Pokemon that have been hit earlier by Arceus VSTAR or Charizard ex. Radiant Charizard is a natural inclusion in the deck, as it is a hard-hitting one-Prize Pokemon, though it can be a bit less useful than it might seem, since you’ll be using Charizard ex a bunch in the late game instead. It is most useful when your opponent is at exactly four Prizes, since KOing Radiant Charizard at that point gets them onto the more unfavorable three/one Prize route.

If they’ve taken one early Knock Out, then Radiant Charizard can still be useful as a single-Prize attacker, but you have to be a bit careful, since using it might instead give your opponent an easier path to winning. That is, if the opponent is capable of OHKOing Pidgeot ex, they can still win in two attacks from that position, and can do so by using only one [card name=”Boss’s Orders” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”154″ c=”name”][/card]. Additionally, they will go straight from two Prizes to zero in that scenario, which will limit Charizard ex’s attack damage. In matches where the 330 damage comes up, such as the mirror match, that can be critical. Even when it doesn’t, if you attack with Charizard ex instead of the Radiant Charizard, your opponent will typically have to use Boss’s Orders twice in order to win in two attacks, and even that is only possible if you have another easy-to-Knock-Out Pokemon on your field. So, I typically will only use Radiant Charizard in scenarios where my opponent is at an even number of Prizes.

For the Trainers, I put a heavy focus on Pokemon search, since that’s most of what this deck needs to function. The more Pokemon you can find early, the easier a time you’ll have setting up, and once you’re set up, you’re pretty much good to go. It’s impressive how quickly this deck can go from a bunch of Basics to fully established; one Arceus VSTAR can get you your Pidgeot ex, which can get you your first Charizard ex if you have either a Rare Candy or some way to find that Charizard ex in hand. The key is, you have to be able to find all of those Basic Pokemon early, especially if you’re up against a deck that is likely to KO one of your Basics right away. So, this list has a full four Battle VIP Pass, the [card name=”Level Ball” set=”Battle Styles” no=”129″ c=”name”][/card], the [card name=”Hisuian Heavy Ball” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”146″ c=”name”][/card], and two [card name=”Artazon” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”171″ c=”name”][/card] solely dedicated to finding your Basic Pokemon, along with the four [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”196″ c=”name”][/card] if needed.

A lot of the struggles I’ve seen with lists of this deck have to do with early-game inconsistency, but by focusing heavily on Pokemon search, that problem seems to mostly go away. The other main struggle that this deck can have is its weakness to Path to the Peak, as Charizard ex is heavily reliant on Abilities in order to function. With Giratina VSTAR being the most popular deck worldwide right now, you’re going to run into Path to the Peak, as it’s common for that deck to play three or even four.

So, likewise, the heavy Stadium count in this deck is mostly an attempt to combat Path to the Peak. With Path to the Peak in play, you can’t use Quick Search, Starbirth, or Infernal Reign, so it is necessary to be able to counter it at all times. Thankfully, [card name=”Mesagoza” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”178″ c=”name”][/card] and Artazon also double as Pokemon-search cards, so you can include them as extra Stadiums while also increasing your consistency. The “two birds, one stone” nature of these Stadiums makes them easy inclusions, and thus I’ve added in five. Artazon is best on turn one, whereas Mesagoza is best at most points afterwards when you need to find your Evolutions, Delphox V, or Radiant Charizard. In a bit of a twist, I’ve also included one copy of Path to the Peak myself, despite how dangerous it is to the deck. Path / Iono is a noxious combo against most decks, and it gives this deck even stronger comeback potential if it gets off to a slow start. Once you have a Charizard ex or two set up, you don’t actually need to find much, so you can be perfectly content locking down both sides of the field and forcing your opponent to draw out of the Path lock.

[cardimg name=”V Guard Energy” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”169″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

The focus on consistency does limit the number of tricks that I have in this list, but two others include the [card name=”Cheren’s Care” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”134″ c=”name”][/card] and the [card name=”V Guard Energy” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”169″ c=”name”][/card]. The V Guard Energy is mostly included as a tech against Giratina VSTAR, as that deck can give you a lot of trouble if you have to use Arceus VSTAR against them. Specifically, they can use Lost Impact to OHKO Arceus VSTAR and Pidgeot ex, and then Star Requiem to finish the game against a Charizard ex. V Guard Energy gives you a bit of a solution, since they can’t OHKO a Pidgeot ex with that attached unless they use Star Requiem, in which case they won’t be able to OHKO your Charizard ex. It can occasionally come up in other matchups as well, but that’s the main reason that V Guard Energy is in this list. Even with it, though, if you can set up against Giratina VSTAR without using Arceus VSTAR, that will improve your odds of winning the matchup.

The Cheren’s Care helps to further eliminate the awkwardness of having to use Arceus VSTAR, since you have a way to bounce it back to hand if it doesn’t get OHKO’d. You can also use Cheren’s Care on Pidgeot ex to prevent a 2HKO, though that can be somewhat riskier since doing so takes away your Quick Search. Still, if you’ve already established your attackers, you can do so without too much trouble. The combination of V Guard Energy and Cheren’s Care can go a long way to help this deck to beat LZ Giratina VSTAR decks, which help turn it from one of this deck’s harder matchups into a more manageable one. If you don’t expect to see much of that deck, these two spots can easily be turned into other tech cards, so that you can deal with whatever is prevalent in your particular meta. One of the best parts about having Pidgeot ex is that these techs become much more effective, since you can search them out when you need them.

The Energy count in this deck is somewhat low, but you don’t need a ton and can search for it every time you evolve into Charizard ex, so it works out well in this deck. You’ll want to keep track of how many you have left and of your [card name=”Super Rod” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”149″ c=”name”][/card], so that you don’t accidentally use Infernal Reign with too few Energy left in the deck, but so long as you keep an eye on that, you shouldn’t run into any problems even if you happen to prize a few.

Other Charizard ex Decks

The Japanese format tends to be known for coming up with some off-the-wall stuff, which makes me feel right at home given my tendency to try and play off-meta stuff myself. Charizard ex has been one of the more impressive examples of this, as it seems to fit into pretty much everything — even some decks you might not expect! At lower levels, Charizard ex has been combined with nearly every existing top archetype — Lost Box, [card name=”Mew VMAX” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”114″ c=”name”][/card], Palkia, Rapid Strike, and many more. What’s more is that these odd combo decks actually seem to work well strategically — it isn’t like Charizard ex is being thrown in simply for fun to spice things up. Below, I have lists for my two favorites of the odd-couple decks: Charizard ex / [card name=”Origin Forme Palkia VSTAR” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”40″ c=”name”][/card] and Charizard ex / Lost Zone Box.

Charizard / Palkia

[cardimg name=”Origin Forme Palkia VSTAR” set=”Crown Zenith GG” no=”GG67″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

At first glance, this deck may seem like two archetypes randomly thrown together, but in practice, it can be highly effective. Neither Charizard ex nor Origin Forme Palkia VSTAR has Colorless Energy as part of its attack cost, so neither can take advantage of the other’s Ability; that is, you can’t power up Charizard ex with Star Portal, and you can’t power up Palkia VSTAR with Infernal Reign. So then, why play these two seemingly incompatible cards together in the same deck?

The reasoning behind this deck has to do with how the two different Pokemon are strongest at different stages of the game. In the early game, Palkia VSTAR is an excellent attacker. It can push the pace of the game early, and either force the opponent to play around Subspace Swell or, if they can’t, take some easy early Prizes. Palkia VSTAR is especially strong against other VSTAR or VMAX decks, since you can use it to OHKO their Basic Pokemon V. This is something that Charizard ex can struggle to do, since even with Choice Belt, Burning Darkness can’t OHKO any Pokemon with 220 HP or more, such as [card name=”Arceus V” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”122″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Giratina V” set=”Lost Origin” no=”130″ c=”name”][/card]. So, in the early game, this acts as a Palkia VSTAR deck, with a goal of taking quick Prizes early and racing out to a bit of a lead. Then, in the late game, you change focus, and take advantage of Charizard ex’s ridiculous late-game strength. Effectively, you take advantage of the fact that Palkia is going to be stronger than the opponent early, and Charizard ex is going to be stronger than them later. By combining the two, you’ll have a tempo advantage throughout the game, which means you can take Prizes faster than your opponent, which means you’ll win.

Here’s the list:

[decklist name=”Charizard ex / Palkia” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Manaphy” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”41″][pokemon amt=”16″]2x [card name=”Origin Forme Palkia VSTAR” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”40″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Origin Forme Palkia V” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”39″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Charizard ex” set=”Obsidian Flames” no=”125″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Charmander” set=”Obsidian Flames” no=”26″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Pidgeot ex” set=”Obsidian Flames” no=”164″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Pidgey” set=”Obsidian Flames” no=”162″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Radiant Greninja” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”46″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Mew” set=”Celebrations” no=”11″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Lumineon V” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”40″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Manaphy” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”41″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”32″]4x [card name=”Irida” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”147″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Boss’s Orders (Ghetsis)” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”172″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Iono” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”185″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Professor’s Research” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”178″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Rare Candy” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”191″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”196″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Nest Ball” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”181″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Battle VIP Pass” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”225″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Lost Vacuum” set=”Lost Origin” no=”162″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Switch” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”194″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Super Rod” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”188″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Choice Belt” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”176″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]3x [card name=”Mesagoza” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”178″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”12″]8x [card name=”Water Energy” set=”Crown Zenith” no=”154″ c=”deck2″ amt=”8″][/card]4x [card name=”Fire Energy” set=”Crown Zenith” no=”153″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card][/energy][/decklist] 

This list has a lot of similarities to the Charizard ex / Colorless deck, though it is switched up a bit to add in all of the Palkia stuff. Being able to include [card name=”Irida” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”147″ c=”name”][/card] helps a lot with consistency; on turn one, you can use it to find Battle VIP Pass, and afterward, you can use it to find Rare Candy. It also gives you a way to search out [card name=”Lost Vacuum” set=”Lost Origin” no=”162″ c=”name”][/card], which gives this build a bit more protection against Path to the Peak. With that said, though, this build still can’t function with Path in play, so I’ve retained five cards which can remove it. I’ve still focused a lot on Pokemon search — there are still 15 cards which can search out Pokemon, counting the Irida, so the deck retains a lot of consistency, even with the awkwardness of adding so many more Energy and the Palkia line. Switching from Radiant Charizard to [card name=”Radiant Greninja” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”46″ c=”name”][/card] also helps in that regard; in addition, Radiant Greninja functions similarly to Delphox V, but with the added bonus of being a single-Prize attacker that you can use to control your opponent’s Prize map. Overall, this is a strong deck, which I could see getting consistent results if it ends up becoming more popular.

Charizard / Lost Box

[cardimg name=”Comfey” set=”Lost Origin” no=”79″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

The idea here is similar to the above deck, in that you complement Charizard ex with attackers that are better in other stages of the game. In this case, you’ll use [card name=”Cramorant” set=”Lost Origin” no=”50″ c=”name”][/card] early to set up a KO for Charizard ex, and then you can use [card name=”Sableye” set=”Lost Origin” no=”70″ c=”name”][/card] during that middle period of the game where Charizard ex isn’t quite swinging for KOs, but is getting close. This deck also has the benefit of being able to act as a non-V deck for most of the match, allowing you to better control the number of your opponent’s Prizes. That is, you can more easily force your opponent to go to three and one Prize remaining, which lets you hit a bit harder with Burning Darkness. Here’s the list:

[decklist name=”Lost Charizard” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Cramorant” set=”Lost Origin” no=”50″][pokemon amt=”15″]4x [card name=”Comfey” set=”Lost Origin” no=”79″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Cramorant” set=”Lost Origin” no=”50″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Sableye” set=”Lost Origin” no=”70″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Charizard ex” set=”Obsidian Flames” no=”125″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]3x [card name=”Charmander” set=”Obsidian Flames” no=”26″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]1x [card name=”Radiant Greninja” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”46″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Manaphy” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”41″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”34″]4x [card name=”Colress’s Experiment” set=”Lost Origin” no=”155″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Iono” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”185″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Boss’s Orders (Ghetsis)” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”172″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Raihan” set=”Evolving Skies” no=”152″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Battle VIP Pass” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”225″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Nest Ball” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”181″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]1x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”196″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]3x [card name=”Escape Rope” set=”Battle Styles” no=”125″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Switch Cart” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”154″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Switch” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”194″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Super Rod” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”188″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Lost Vacuum” set=”Crown Zenith” no=”135″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Mirage Gate” set=”Lost Origin” no=”163″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]3x [card name=”Rare Candy” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”191″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Artazon” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”171″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”11″]6x [card name=”Fire Energy” set=”Crown Zenith” no=”153″ c=”deck2″ amt=”6″][/card]3x [card name=”Psychic Energy” set=”Crown Zenith” no=”156″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Jet Energy” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”190″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card][/energy][/decklist] 

This deck is less “Charizard ex with Lost Box thrown in” and more “Lost Box with a Charizard ex line,” so it will play a lot like Lost Box does. If you’re familiar with Lost Box, it’ll feel the same; you’ll just have a late-game bomb to deal with Pokemon VSTAR / VMAX / ex. This deck thankfully is not as weak to Path to the Peak, so you don’t need to play quite as many counter Stadiums. So long as you can get one on the turn you plan to evolve, you’ll be able to function just fine.

As always with Lost Box, you’ll want to quickly find your [card name=”Comfey” set=”Crown Zenith GG” no=”GG14″ c=”name”][/card] and Radiant Greninja so you can start to draw through the deck and get cards into the Lost Zone. Ideally, you’ll be able to attack with Cramorant as soon as possible, so you can start pressuring your opponent and taking Prizes. In this deck, you sort of set up Charizard as you go; when you have an open Bench spot, feel free to get some Charmander in play, but it isn’t a priority to find until after you have your Comfey in play and are doing your Lost Box stuff. It’s fairly easy to find the Rare Candy and Charizard ex in the course of things, so you don’t need to overwhelmingly emphasize that aspect of the deck; just make sure to keep track of your resources. [card name=”Raihan” set=”Evolving Skies” no=”152″ c=”name”][/card] also makes finding your Charizard ex and Rare Candy easy, so you can also simply keep one of those in hand until you’re ready to bring it into play. Again, this deck is a strong option; unlike Palkia, it seems to be growing in popularity, so even if you don’t plan to play it, it may be worth getting familiar with in case you happen to run into one.

In addition to these two decks, Charizard ex / [card name=”Mew VMAX” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”114″ c=”name”][/card], Charizard ex / [card name=”Rapid Strike Urshifu VMAX” set=”Battle Styles” no=”88″ c=”name”][/card], and Charizard ex / [card name=”Regidrago VSTAR” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”136″ c=”name”][/card] are all decks that have been played at some point and all follow the idea of the Palkia VSTAR deck, in that you can use the strength of the alternate attacker in the early and mid-game, and then you can use Charizard ex in the late game. Realistically, there are a lot of combos you can make with Charizard ex. The key to picking a good one is to find something that complements Charizard ex’s late-game damage. That is, you’ll want to use something that is strongest in the early game, something that’s fairly aggressive, but also has a bit of a need for some late-game oomph. If you have an idea and feel like playing around with Charizard ex, I recommend trying it out! If not, the three decks above are all solid options.

Overall, Charizard ex is a strong Pokemon that has already made an impact on the format, and I expect it to make even more of an impact as people continue to explore the card’s possibilities. Whether you’re planning on playing in the upcoming Pittsburgh Regional Championships, Champions League Yokohama, or anywhere at all in between, I hope that you try it out! With that, we’ve come to the end of this article, but as always, if you do have any questions, be sure to ask, either here or in our PTCG Subscriber’s Hideout! As always, best of luck, and stay safe!

Thanks for reading!

[/premium]