Crushing the Competition With Iron Thorns ex

Hello everyone! Ever since it won the 2024 World Championships, [card name=”Iron Thorns ex” set=”Twilight Masquerade” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card] has done well at a few tournaments, but hasn’t gotten any victories. However, the metagame has changed significantly since that major tournament in Hawaii, and Iron Thorns’ deck lists have adapted to suit it. The Initialization Ability is still enough to shut down most of the decks in the Standard format and buy you enough time to KO your opponent’s key support Pokemon and win the game before your opponent is able to set up!

[cardimg name=”Iron Thorns ex” set=”Twilight Masquerade” no=”196″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

While Iron Thorns ex initially looks like it would be slow out of the gate, Fernando Cifuentes’s winning list made some big innovations by playing four copies of [card name=”Pokémon Catcher” set=”Emerging Powers” no=”95″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Prime Catcher ” set=”Temporal Forces” no=”157″ c=”name”][/card]as the ACE SPEC instead of [card name=”Legacy Energy” set=”Twilight Masquerade” no=”167″ c=”name”][/card]. While Legacy Energy initially seems strong, as it forces your opponent to go through all four Iron Thorns ex, having the option to chase down and KO your opponent’s setup Pokemon is very important while they are struggling under Initialization. While you can play a high count of [card name=”Boss’s Orders” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”189″ c=”name”][/card] to simulate this effect, your Supporter for the turn is often taken up by finding other cards, such as [card name=”Professor’s Research” set=”Celebrations” no=”23″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Arven” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”249″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Judge” set=”Paldean Fates” no=”228″ c=”name”][/card], or [card name=”Colress’s Tenacity” set=”Shrouded Fable” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card]. While Pokemon Catcher is on a coin flip, being able to combine it with other Supporter cards makes it worth it to play in this deck. Prime Catcher fills the same role as Pokemon Catcher, but gives you the guaranteed option at any point in the game.

One of the big things Iron Thorns ex has going for it is that it is the only deck that is currently able to use [card name=”Lost City” set=”Lost Origin” no=”161″ c=”name”][/card], letting you send your opponent’s important Pokemon into the Lost Zone. Lost City is also very important against the [card name=”Dusknoir” set=”Shrouded Fable” no=”20″ c=”name”][/card] decks, as they need to bump the Stadium, otherwise their Dusknoir line gets sent to the Lost Zone when its Cursed Blast Ability gets used. None of the other decks are able to fit Lost City, or have more pressing Stadium options they need to play such as [card name=”Area Zero Underdepths” set=”Stellar Crown” no=”131″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Temple of Sinnoh” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”155″ c=”name”][/card]. Lost City is also very important to play against any deck that includes [card name=”Mimikyu” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card]. You can only KO an opposing Mimikyu by using [card name=”Canceling Cologne” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”136″ c=”name”][/card]. I have wanted to cut Canceling Cologne from the deck for a long time since its only purpose is to break through Mimikyu’s Safeguard Ability, but as this deck immediately folds to a Mimikyu without it I think you have to play it.

My Iron Thorns deck list hasn’t changed too much with the new set releases, but I have put some thought into a bunch of the card counts and I think if I were to submit it for a tournament right now this is what I would go with!

[premium]

Iron Thorns ex Deck List

[decklist name=”Thorns” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Iron Thorns ex” set=”Twilight Masquerade” no=”77″][pokemon amt=”4″]4x [card name=”Iron Thorns ex” set=”Twilight Masquerade” no=”77″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”45″]4x [card name=”Arven” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”166″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Judge” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”143″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Professor’s Research” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”178″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Boss’s Orders” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”154″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Colress’s Tenacity” set=”Shrouded Fable” no=”57″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”2″][/card]4x [card name=”Pokégear 3.0″ set=”Unbroken Bonds” no=”182″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Crushing Hammer” set=”Crown Zenith” no=”125″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Pokémon Catcher” set=”Emerging Powers” no=”95″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Canceling Cologne” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”136″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Techno Radar” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”180″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Enhanced Hammer” set=”Twilight Masquerade” no=”148″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Earthen Vessel” set=”Shrouded Fable” no=”96″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Lost Vacuum” set=”Lost Origin” no=”162″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Energy Loto” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”122″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Prime Catcher ” set=”Temporal Forces” no=”157″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]2x [card name=”Lost City” set=”Lost Origin” no=”161″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Town Store” set=”Obsidian Flames” no=”196″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]3x [card name=”Future Booster Energy Capsule” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”164″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]1x [card name=”Technical Machine: Turbo Energize” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”179″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Technical Machine: Devolution” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”177″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”11″]7x [card name=”Lightning Energy” set=”EX Ruby and Sapphire” no=”109″ c=”deck2″ amt=”7″][/card]4x [card name=”Double Turbo Energy” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”151″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card][/energy][/decklist]

Card Choices

I’ve seen a few players try and incorporate other Pokemon into their [card name=”Iron Thorns ex” set=”Twilight Masquerade” no=”196″ c=”name”][/card] decklists such as [card name=”Cornerstone Mask Ogerpon ex” set=”Twilight Masquerade” no=”215″ c=”name”][/card] and Mimikyu, but I have found these to not be worth it, as they mess with your goal to open an Iron Thorns ex at the start of the game. Having Initialization active the whole game is very important, as it prevents your opponent from using cards like [card name=”Squawkabilly ex” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”264″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Mew ex” set=”Paldean Fates” no=”232″ c=”name”][/card]’s Restart to get themselves into the game, especially when they are going first, and if you happen to open a Cornerstone Mask Ogerpon ex or a Mimikyu then it throws a wrench into your game plan.

While Cornerstone Mask Ogerpon and Mimikyu can be nice, especially against [card name=”Regidrago VSTAR” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”136″ c=”name”][/card], the risk of starting them is just too high, especially when you only have four Basic Pokemon yourself. I tried to keep the Supporter count as simple as possible in this deck, just focusing on the most impactful ones.

I cut the copy of [card name=”Giovanni’s Charisma” set=”151″ no=”204″ c=”name”][/card] for a fourth copy of Judge, as I often found the Giovanni’s Charisma to just rot in my hand and not do anything. Even in the games where I was able to hit both conditions on it, it rarely impacted the outcome of the game in a meaningful way. While there obviously are scenarios where Giovanni’s Charisma is strong it is unlikely for you to have it in your hand at the right time, and so I didn’t think it was worth including in the deck.

I’ve still got the standard ways to search out Energy in two copies of [card name=”Colress’s Tenacity” set=”Shrouded Fable” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Earthen Vessel” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”163″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Energy Loto” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”140″ c=”name”][/card]. While Energy Loto looks like a weird inclusion when you have guaranteed ways to search both Lightning Energy and [card name=”Double Turbo Energy” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”216″ c=”name”][/card], sometimes when searching for it with [card name=”Arven” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”249″ c=”name”][/card] you don’t have a spare card to discard. This deck doesn’t have many ways to gain card advantage thanks to the lack of draw support Pokemon such as Squawkabilly ex or [card name=”Fezandipiti ex” set=”Shrouded Fable” no=”38″ c=”name”][/card], so it’s possible that your hand doesn’t contain anything you can afford to get rid of. Having the option to use Arven to find Energy Loto here is nice, as it can also get you Double Turbo Energy if you don’t have a way to find it otherwise.

[cardimg name=”Town Store” set=”Obsidian Flames” no=”196″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

This deck also includes a copy of [card name=”Town Store” set=”Obsidian Flames” no=”196″ c=”name”][/card], which is searchable using Colress’s Tenacity. Town Store searches for [card name=”Technical Machine: Turbo Energize” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”179″ c=”name”][/card], essentially turning Colress’s Tenacity into an Arven at the beginning of the game. Having six Supporters that can lead to a Turbo Energize on turn 1 significantly improves the consistency of this deck, as you sometimes struggle with Energy attachments due to the mandatory condition of moving an Energy using the Volt Cyclone attack. Town Store can also search out your [card name=”Future Booster Energy Capsule” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”164″ c=”name”][/card] on future turns, fixing the downside of Double Turbo Energy against opposing 280 HP Pokemon. Town Store has felt like a welcome addition to the Iron Thorns ex deck, as it increases the strength of Colress’s Tenacity, an otherwise weak card.

One Item card has felt like a low quality card in almost every deck I’ve played it is [card name=”Crushing Hammer” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”168″ c=”name”][/card], however it still makes the cut here. As long as you are able to attach an Energy every turn and get enough Future Booster Energy Capsule to move between your Iron Thorns’s every turn, this deck really doesn’t need much else to play the game. This allows you to include flip cards such as [card name=”Pokémon Catcher” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”187″ c=”name”][/card] and Crushing Hammer, which both have huge impact if you ever flip a heads. Initialization shuts off a lot of the Energy acceleration in the format, or prevents your opponent from finding their Energy acceleration card, significantly improving the impact of a single Crushing Hammer heads. Given how much one coin flip heads can push you further ahead and how low-maintenance the deck ultimately is, I still think Crushing Hammer is worth playing.

[card name=”Enhanced Hammer” set=”Guardians Rising” no=”162″ c=”name”][/card] isn’t a card I’ve seen too many people talk about in Iron Thorns ex, but I believe that it is worth including. [card name=”Terapagos ex” set=”Stellar Crown” no=”170″ c=”name”][/card] recently burst onto the scene with some strong performances at both Dortmund and Joinville Regionals, and the strongest version of that deck has been solidified to be the [card name=”Dusknoir” set=”Shrouded Fable” no=”20″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Pidgeot ex” set=”Obsidian Flames” no=”225″ c=”name”][/card] version with only four Double Turbo Energy. While the only Ability you shut off against them is Quick Search, this is really powerful as Quick Search is usually the only way they have of finding Double Turbo Energy. I’ve noticed Colress’s Tenacity has dropped off a bit in usage in the Terapagos ex decks in favor of [card name=”Professor’s Research” set=”Celebrations” no=”23″ c=”name”][/card] instead, as Professor’s Research is usually the stronger card. If you can combine your Enhanced Hammer with a [card name=”Judge” set=”Paldean Fates” no=”228″ c=”name”][/card], it is likely that your opponent will not have a way to find another copy of Double Turbo Energy and will be left stranded without an attacker while you slowly work your way through their Terapagos ex with Volt Cyclone. If you decide to include a second copy of Enhanced Hammer you can also go for a game plan in which you try to run the Terapagos player out of Energy, however this can be weak against their Dusknoir as if they get ahead in the Prize trade they can use Cursed Blast to take KOs without any Energy left. Without Enhanced Hammer, Terapagos ex would be a rough matchup, so I would strongly recommend including at least one copy in the current metagame.

I have also decided to include a [card name=”Technical Machine: Devolution” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”177″ c=”name”][/card] in this deck list. This is mainly to assist your [card name=”Origin Forme Palkia VSTAR” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”40″ c=”name”][/card] / Dusknoir matchup, as that deck has been becoming more popular recently. The Origin Forme Palkia VSTAR itself isn’t too threatening, but the [card name=”Greninja ex” set=”Twilight Masquerade” no=”214″ c=”name”][/card] has the potential to plow through your whole board with Shinobi Blade thanks to Weakness and it being Fighting-Type. The best you can do with Volt Cyclone is a two-hit KO on Greninja ex, however it will likely be a three-hit KO as you can only deal 160 damage with three Lightning Energy and a Future Booster Energy Capsule attached.

However, Technical Machine: Devolution gives you access to an easy two-hit KO, as you can attack the Greninja ex for 120 damage then use Technical Machine: Devolution. If you have Lost City in play then you likely win the game on the spot, as your opponent can’t power up any other attacker with just one attachment under Initialization. If you don’t have the time to set up for a KO, you can also disrupt their hand with Judge and put their Greninja ex back in hand. While your opponent might have the [card name=”Rare Candy” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”256″ c=”name”][/card] to evolve into Greninja ex again, if they don’t you can KO the [card name=”Froakie” set=”Obsidian Flames” no=”56″ c=”name”][/card] next turn to remove the threat of Shinobi Blade. If you aren’t too worried about Greninja ex from the Origin Forme Palkia VSTAR / Dusknoir deck, then you could remove the Technical Machine: Devolution but I have found it worth including as you otherwise fold to a Greninja ex.

Matchups

This deck’s matchups are the main reason to play [card name=”Iron Thorns ex” set=”Twilight Masquerade” no=”196″ c=”name”][/card]. It boasts one of the strongest matchup spreads on paper.

Lugia VSTAR – 95-5

I rarely feel confident saying a matchup is this polarized, but this suffices. Against the standard [card name=”Lugia VSTAR” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”211″ c=”name”][/card] deck list, they have no chance of winning as long as you can attack. Without Summoning Star to get out the [card name=”Archeops” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”147″ c=”name”][/card], your opponent has no way of accelerating Energy and thanks to the Lightning-type Weakness on [card name=”Lugia V” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”186″ c=”name”][/card] and VSTAR you can quickly take six Prizes with Volt Cyclone. Your opponent has a small chance of winning if they play [card name=”Flutter Mane ” set=”Temporal Forces” no=”78″ c=”name”][/card]or [card name=”Klefki” set=”Paldean Fates” no=”159″ c=”name”][/card], however it’s still difficult for them to get it to the Active Spot and use Summoning Star fast enough, again thanks to the Lightning-type Weakness on Lugia V and VSTAR. You can still out trade them even if they manage to Summoning Star at some point, and as Initialization also blocks [card name=”Lumineon V” set=”Crown Zenith GG” no=”GG39″ c=”name”][/card]’s Luminous Sign, their setup is significantly more difficult than normal. If you’re expecting a ton of Lugia VSTAR, Iron Thorns ex would be the perfect deck to play.

Raging Bolt ex 40-60

[cardimg name=”Raging Bolt ex ” set=”Temporal Forces” no=”208″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

While it isn’t natural to think of [card name=”Raging Bolt ex ” set=”Temporal Forces” no=”208″ c=”name”][/card] as a deck that relies on a ton of Abilities as the main card doesn’t have any, this deck still uses a ton of them. It relies heavily on [card name=”Squawkabilly ex” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”264″ c=”name”][/card]’s Squawk and Seize, [card name=”Teal Mask Ogerpon ex” set=”Twilight Masquerade” no=”190″ c=”name”][/card]’s Teal Dance, [card name=”Radiant Greninja” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”46″ c=”name”][/card]’s Concealed Cards, and [card name=”Fezandipiti ex” set=”Shrouded Fable” no=”38″ c=”name”][/card]’s Flip the Script to get through the game, discard its Energy for [card name=”Professor Sada’s Vitality” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”256″ c=”name”][/card] and get more Energy into play. Raging Bolt often relies heavily on Burst Roar against Iron Thorns ex, and on their single-Prize Pokemon in either Flutter Mane or [card name=”Sandy Shocks ” set=”Temporal Forces” no=”98″ c=”name”][/card]. Sandy Shocks takes a two-hit KO on an Iron Thorns ex with its Power Gem attack thanks to Weakness, and Flutter Mane’s Midnight Fluttering Ability allows your opponent to use Teal Dance. Weirdly, you often take the aggressive role in this matchup as you’re trying to end the game before your opponent is able to use their more powerful Bellowing Thunder attack. Getting extra attacks in at any point is very important, since you always have to two-hit KO their Pokemon ex. Being careful of the single-Prize Pokemon and attacking whenever you can is important against Raging Bolt, as they can overpower you in the late game!

Regidrago VSTAR 50-50 / 60-40

This matchup is 50-50 if they have [card name=”Canceling Cologne” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”136″ c=”name”][/card], and 60-40 if their deck does not include Canceling Cologne.

This is a very interesting matchup to play from both sides. They can’t use Teal Dance, preventing them from getting extra Energy into play, but they do have tons of strong attacks to copy with [card name=”Regidrago VSTAR” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”136″ c=”name”][/card], especially [card name=”Hisuian Goodra VSTAR” set=”Lost Origin” no=”136″ c=”name”][/card]’s Rolling Iron. If you’re dealing 140 damage, you will five-hit KO a Regidrago VSTAR using Rolling Iron due to the damage reduction, and they will likely take six Prize cards by that point. They can also use Squawkabilly ex’s Motivate to power up their Regidrago, however this matchup mainly hinges on Canceling Cologne. Canceling Cologne lets your opponent use Teal Dance and Legacy Star Abilities for a turn, but they can recover the Canceling Cologne with Legacy Star to get two uses out of it. This results in you usually being overpowered out of the game, as it is very difficult to deal with a Regidrago VSTAR using Rolling Iron. However, this matchup is winnable because of how difficult it is to set up a Regidrago VSTAR under Initialization. Due to the impact Canceling Cologne has on this matchup, I have given it two different percentages depending on its inclusion. One side note is that I would be very careful about playing [card name=”Colress’s Tenacity” set=”Shrouded Fable” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card], as your opponent can bench [card name=”Kyurem” set=”Shrouded Fable” no=”47″ c=”name”][/card] and use its Trifrost attack for one Energy through its Plasma Bane Ability, if you have a Colress’s Tenacity in your discard pile.

Dragapult ex 40-60

Against the [card name=”Dragapult ex” set=”Twilight Masquerade” no=”200″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Dusknoir” set=”Shrouded Fable” no=”20″ c=”name”][/card] deck, Initialization is good at slowing them down, but they will eventually set up an attacker. They can’t use [card name=”Rotom V” set=”Lost Origin” no=”176″ c=”name”][/card]’s Instant Charge Ability or Lumineon V’s Luminous Sign which usually gets them into the game, but they can use [card name=”Forest Seal Stone” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”156″ c=”name”][/card]’s Star Alchemy when the Tool is attached to either of them. [card name=”Technical Machine: Devolution” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”177″ c=”name”][/card] is also very important in this matchup, but the main use is to allow you to two-hit KO a Dragapult ex, getting rid of the Energy in play. [card name=”Lost Vacuum” set=”Lost Origin” no=”217″ c=”name”][/card] is also very important, as getting rid of their [card name=”Sparkling Crystal” set=”Stellar Crown” no=”142″ c=”name”][/card] is the equivalent of getting rid of an Energy attachment. If your opponent ever has a full HP Dragapult ex with two Energy on it, it’s very difficult for you to win as they can clean up your board very quickly with just a few Phantom Dive attacks. Additionally, they also have [card name=”Dusclops” set=”Shrouded Fable” no=”19″ c=”name”][/card], which can finish off an Iron Thorns ex that they just attacked with Phantom Dive. This matchup is all about managing your opponent’s Energy attachments, as like with many decks if they have set up an attacker, it will likely sweep your whole board.

Conclusion

While Iron Thorns ex can be a boring deck to play, it offers a solid matchup spread against any metagame expecting a bunch of Lugia VSTAR. The deck can also be altered depending on your local metagame and targeted for different matchups with more Enhanced Hammer, or even more copies of Technical Machine: Devolution. Good luck if you decide to play Iron Thorns, it’s a very strong deck for such a low play rate!

[/premium]