Greninja & Mega Absol EX Deck Guide

Strategy Overview

Greninja Mega Absol ex is one of the more disruptive hybrid decks in Pokémon TCG Pocket. It does not rely on one large attack or one simple evolution line. Instead, it creates pressure from several different angles at the same time. Greninja damages any target on the opponent’s side through Water Shuriken. Darkrai ex creates passive damage when Darkness Energy is attached. Mega Absol ex can attack while removing key Supporter cards from the opponent’s hand. Chingling can stop Item cards before the opponent has completed their setup. Rocky Helmet punishes the opponent for attacking back. This makes the deck difficult to play against because the opponent cannot focus on solving only one threat. Even if they manage to protect their Active Pokémon, Greninja can target the Bench. Even if they try to hide a damaged Pokémon, Cyrus can bring it Active. Even if they stabilize their board, Mega Absol ex can remove the Supporter card they were planning to use next turn. Greninja is the long-term damage engine of the list. Its Water Shuriken Ability allows you to place 20 damage on any Pokémon on the opponent’s field. It can target the Active Pokémon, a damaged Bench Pokémon, a low-HP Basic, an evolving Pokémon, or an important support card. The most important rule when using Water Shuriken is to think ahead. Do not automatically place the 20 damage onto the opponent’s Active Pokémon. Sometimes that is correct, especially when it creates immediate knockout math for Mega Absol ex. In many games, however, the better target is a Bench Pokémon that may later become vulnerable to Cyrus. A single Water Shuriken may seem small. Two or three turns of Water Shuriken can completely reshape a game. A Pokémon that was safely on the Bench may become a knockout target. A support Pokémon can be removed before it evolves. A damaged ex Pokémon can no longer hide behind a bulky Active attacker. Mega Absol ex is the deck’s primary direct attacker and hand-disruption tool. For two Darkness Energy, Mega Absol ex deals 80 damage. That is already useful, but its real strength comes from the effect attached to its attack. When Mega Absol ex attacks, you can look at the opponent’s hand and discard one Supporter card you find there. This is extremely powerful in Pokémon TCG Pocket because Supporters often determine whether the opponent can recover, search for cards, force a switch, heal damage, or take their final prize. The best Supporter to discard depends on the matchup and game state. Cyrus is often a priority because it can steal damaged Bench Pokémon. Sabrina is dangerous because it can force one of your weaker Pokémon Active. Professor’s Research and Copycat are often worth removing when the opponent has a weak hand. Pokémon Center Lady can be important to discard when you have already created a key damage threshold. Mega Absol ex is strongest when the opponent has already used many resources and needs one specific Supporter to stabilize. Removing that card can effectively deny their entire next turn. Darkrai ex creates the deck’s passive damage pressure. Whenever you attach Darkness Energy from the Energy Zone to Darkrai ex, its Ability deals 20 damage to the opponent’s Active Pokémon. That means your Energy attachments can become additional damage sources rather than only fueling attacks. Darkrai ex should often remain on the Bench. Its job is not always to become the main attacker. In many games, the best Darkrai ex is the one that simply turns your Darkness Energy attachments into 20 additional damage while Greninja and Mega Absol ex do the rest of the work. The combination of Darkrai ex and Greninja is especially strong. Darkrai ex pressures the Active Spot, while Greninja can target anywhere else. This means you can damage two different Pokémon in the same turn. That makes it much harder for the opponent to predict which Pokémon will become the next knockout target. Chingling gives the deck a powerful opening option. It can attack without needing Energy and deals 10 damage. Its real value is that the opponent cannot use Item cards during their next turn after Chingling attacks. This can be devastating against decks that depend on Poké Ball, Rare Candy, search Items, healing Items, switching Items, or other setup cards. A single Chingling turn can stop an opponent from finding a needed Basic Pokémon, evolving into a Stage 2 Pokémon, or completing a combo. Chingling is especially strong when used before the opponent has established their full board. If they have already evolved, searched, and played their Items, the lock may not matter much. If they still need one Poké Ball or one Rare Candy to function, Chingling can completely change the tempo of the game. Mars adds another disruptive option. It forces the opponent to shuffle their hand into the deck and draw only the limited number of cards specified by the effect. Mars is strongest after Mega Absol ex has already removed a key Supporter or when the opponent is clearly holding a large hand. The ideal disruption sequence is often to pressure the opponent with Mega Absol ex, remove a key Supporter, then use Mars on a later turn to reduce their options even further. This can leave the opponent with a board full of cards but no way to access the resources they actually need. Rocky Helmet adds one more source of passive damage. When the opponent attacks a Pokémon holding Rocky Helmet, their attacking Pokémon takes 20 damage. In this deck, that can be enough to set up a Mega Absol ex knockout, a Greninja snipe, or a Cyrus finish. Rocky Helmet is usually strongest on Mega Absol ex when it is your Active attacker. Mega Absol ex has enough HP to survive many attacks, and the opponent often has no choice but to attack it. When they do, Rocky Helmet punishes them and helps your next damage calculation. X Speed is an important mobility card. Greninja should usually stay on the Bench once it is evolved, but there are games where a damaged Mega Absol ex needs to move out of the Active Spot or where Chingling needs to retreat after its disruption turn. X Speed helps prevent a bad Active position from costing you a full turn. Professor’s Research, Copycat, and Poké Ball are the consistency core. Professor’s Research draws cards directly. Copycat can create a strong refresh when the opponent has a large hand. Poké Ball is essential for finding Froakie, Chingling, Darkrai ex, or Mega Absol ex early. Rare Candy is important because Greninja is a Stage 2 Pokémon. The deck becomes much stronger once Greninja is established, so Rare Candy lets you skip the middle stage and begin using Water Shuriken faster. Cyrus is one of the best finishing cards in the list. Once Greninja, Darkrai ex, Rocky Helmet, or Mega Absol ex has put damage on the opponent’s board, Cyrus can bring the correct damaged Bench Pokémon Active. This lets you take prizes that the opponent thought were protected. Overall, Greninja Mega Absol ex is a pressure deck that rewards careful sequencing. You want to slow the opponent early with Chingling, develop Greninja safely, attach Darkness Energy to Darkrai ex at the right moments, attack with Mega Absol ex when a Supporter discard matters, and use Cyrus to convert chip damage into prizes.

Gameplay Video

Early Game

The ideal early game starts with Chingling or Froakie. Chingling is usually the best opener against Item-heavy decks. Use it to delay Poké Ball, Rare Candy, switching cards, and other setup Items. It does not need Energy, so it can immediately create disruption while you build your Bench. Froakie should be benched as early as possible. Greninja is the deck’s long-term engine, and you want at least one Froakie protected before the opponent can target it. When possible, establish a second Froakie in slower matchups so you are not forced to rely on one evolution line. Darkrai ex should also be benched early if you have room. This gives you the option to begin using Darkness Energy attachments for passive damage once the opponent’s Active Pokémon reaches an important threshold. Use Poké Ball to find the missing setup Pokémon. If you already have Froakie, prioritize Darkrai ex or Chingling based on the matchup. If you already have Darkrai ex and Chingling, find Froakie.

Mid Game

The mid game begins once Greninja is online or Mega Absol ex is ready to attack. Your ideal board includes Greninja on the Bench, Darkrai ex on the Bench, Mega Absol ex in the Active Spot or prepared to attack, and enough resources in hand to use Cyrus, Mars, or Pokémon Center Lady at the right time. Water Shuriken should be used every turn, but target selection matters. Hit the Active Pokémon when it creates immediate Mega Absol ex knockout math. Hit the Bench when you want to prepare a future Cyrus target or remove a fragile support Pokémon. Mega Absol ex should attack when its Supporter discard effect matters. Do not treat it as only an 80-damage attacker. Look at the opponent’s hand and identify the card that stops your plan. Often, removing their draw card, healing card, Cyrus, or Sabrina is worth more than the attack damage itself. Attach Darkness Energy to Darkrai ex when the 20 damage creates a meaningful threshold. This may turn a two-hit knockout into a one-hit knockout, make Rocky Helmet damage matter, or prepare a Cyrus turn.

Late Game

The late game is about exact prize mapping and preventing the opponent’s comeback. At this point, Greninja should have created multiple damaged targets. Look for the easiest prize route instead of always attacking the opponent’s biggest Active Pokémon. Cyrus is often the winning card. A Pokémon that has taken 20 from Water Shuriken, 20 from Darkrai ex pressure, or 20 from Rocky Helmet may be vulnerable even if it has been sitting on the Bench for several turns. Mega Absol ex becomes especially important late because it can remove the Supporter card the opponent needs to survive. If they need Pokémon Center Lady, discard it. If they need Cyrus to win, discard it. If they need Professor’s Research to find an answer, remove it before they can use it. Mars can also be powerful late when the opponent has a large hand but limited board resources. Use it after you have disrupted their Supporter options or when you know they are holding a key recovery turn.