Mega Lopunny EX & Lucario Deck Guide

Strategy Overview

Mega Lopunny ex Lucario is a high-risk, high-reward Fighting deck built around one of the most explosive damage attacks available to a Stage 1 Pokémon. The deck’s central attacker is Mega Lopunny ex. Its Rapid Smashers attack costs two Fighting Energy and asks you to flip two coins. The attack deals 90 damage for each heads. That means Mega Lopunny ex can deal zero, 90, or 180 damage before any other effects are applied. The attack also leaves the opposing Active Pokémon Confused after damage is dealt. Confusion is important because it creates an additional problem for the opponent. Even when Mega Lopunny ex does not score a knockout, the opponent may need to retreat, switch, evolve, or take a risk when trying to attack back. Mega Lopunny ex is therefore not only a damage card. It is also a tempo card. A 90-damage attack for two Energy is already respectable. An 180-damage attack can remove nearly any Pokémon in the format. The challenge is that coin flips are naturally inconsistent. This deck solves part of that problem through Will. Will is the most important Supporter in the list. After using Will, the first coin flip you make later that turn for an attack, Ability, or Trainer effect is guaranteed to be heads. In the Mega Lopunny ex matchup, that means the first Rapid Smashers flip is always heads. This changes the attack from a complete gamble into a much more reliable pressure tool. Without Will, Mega Lopunny ex can occasionally deal no damage at all. With Will, Mega Lopunny ex always deals at least 90 damage. The second coin flip remains random, so there is still a chance to deal the full 180 damage. That creates two key damage ranges: One guaranteed heads: 90 damage before modifiers. Two heads: 180 damage before modifiers. Lucario turns those numbers into something much more dangerous. Lucario has the Ability Fighting Coach. While Lucario is in play, attacks from your Fighting Pokémon deal 20 additional damage to the opponent’s Active Pokémon. Mega Lopunny ex is a Fighting Pokémon, so it benefits immediately. With Lucario on the Bench, Mega Lopunny ex deals: 110 damage when only the guaranteed Will heads lands. 200 damage when both Rapid Smashers flips are heads. That 200-damage ceiling is the main reason this deck can threaten even the largest Pokémon ex in Pokémon TCG Pocket. It is important to understand that Lucario only increases damage to the opposing Active Pokémon. Fighting Coach does not improve Bench damage. This matters because Hitmontop is included in the list as a secondary attacker and setup card. Hitmontop uses Piercing Spin for one Fighting Energy. It deals 20 damage to the opponent’s Active Pokémon and 20 damage to one Benched Pokémon. Hitmontop is not designed to replace Mega Lopunny ex as a main attacker. Its job is to create pressure before the main damage turn arrives. The 20 Bench damage can be surprisingly useful. It can soften a small setup Pokémon, put a future Cyrus target into range, pressure a Baby Pokémon, or make it harder for the opponent to preserve a damaged attacker on the Bench. This is especially valuable in a deck where Mega Lopunny ex may sometimes deal only 110 damage instead of the full 200. For example, if Hitmontop has already placed 20 damage on a Benched Pokémon, Cyrus can later bring that Pokémon Active. Mega Lopunny ex may then only need the guaranteed 110 damage from Will plus Lucario to finish the knockout. That means the deck does not always have to depend on the second coin flip. A well-played Mega Lopunny ex Lucario deck uses early Hitmontop damage, board positioning, Cyrus, and Lucario boosts to make the reliable 110-damage line matter as much as possible. Buneary is the starting point of the Mega Lopunny ex line. You usually want to bench Buneary early, but you should not evolve automatically. Mega Lopunny ex is a three-point Pokémon when Knocked Out. That means you need to avoid putting it Active before it can either attack immediately or force a difficult response from the opponent. The deck can lose quickly if Mega Lopunny ex enters the Active Spot with insufficient Energy, no Lucario support, and no way to threaten a meaningful knockout. The ideal development sequence is usually: Bench Buneary early. Bench Riolu early. Establish Lucario as quickly as possible. Attach Fighting Energy to Mega Lopunny ex. Use Hitmontop or another temporary attacker if needed. Play Will when Mega Lopunny ex is ready to attack. Use Rapid Smashers for guaranteed pressure. Riolu matters because it gives the deck access to Lucario. Riolu itself can deal bonus damage against opposing Pokémon ex through Fighting Fist. That makes it more than a passive evolution piece. In certain early games, Riolu can pressure a vulnerable ex Pokémon while you continue setting up Buneary and Lucario. However, Riolu is still fragile and should usually be treated as an important setup Pokémon first. The deck’s Trainer package helps make the combo more consistent. Professor’s Research gives direct draw and is best used when you are missing several pieces at once. Use it when you need Buneary, Riolu, Mega Lopunny ex, Lucario, Energy, Will, or a key positioning Trainer. Copycat is another consistency option. It becomes especially useful when the opponent has a large hand and you need to refresh into your evolution pieces or damage tools. Poké Ball helps establish the Basic Pokémon that make the deck function. Your most common early targets are Buneary and Riolu. In some matchups, Hitmontop may also be worth finding early if the opponent relies on low-HP Bench Pokémon or fragile setup lines. X Speed gives the deck mobility. Mega Lopunny ex has a Retreat Cost, and there will be games where your opening attacker is not the Pokémon you want Active. X Speed helps reduce the cost of moving a Pokémon out of the Active Spot and can prevent the deck from losing tempo to a poor opening position. Cyrus is one of the deck’s strongest closing tools. The opponent may retreat a damaged Pokémon after Hitmontop attacks or after surviving a Mega Lopunny ex attack. Cyrus can bring that Pokémon back into the Active Spot and allow Mega Lopunny ex to finish the job. This is especially important because Rapid Smashers has variance. You do not always need a full 200-damage turn. If you have already damaged a target with Hitmontop, Riolu, or an earlier attack, the guaranteed 110-damage line may become enough. The deck’s biggest strength is its threat range. Few opponents can comfortably ignore a Mega Lopunny ex with Lucario on the Bench and Will available. They know that a full 200-damage Rapid Smashers turn is possible. That can force them to play more cautiously, avoid benching vulnerable ex Pokémon, or spend resources protecting their most important attacker. But the deck also has obvious weaknesses. It relies on coin flips. Will improves reliability but does not guarantee the second heads. It has multiple evolution lines. It needs Buneary, Mega Lopunny ex, Riolu, Lucario, Energy, and often Will in the same game. It also gives up three points if Mega Lopunny ex is Knocked Out. That makes sequencing extremely important. Mega Lopunny ex Lucario is strongest when you do not play it like an all-in coin-flip deck. Use Lucario to create a reliable 110-damage baseline. Use Hitmontop to create Bench damage. Use Cyrus to control targets. Use Will only when the guaranteed heads matters. Then, treat the 200-damage turn as the deck’s explosive payoff rather than its only win condition.

Gameplay Video

Early Game

Bench Buneary and Riolu as early as possible. Your main early priority is establishing both evolution lines. Mega Lopunny ex needs Buneary, while Fighting Coach requires Lucario to evolve from Riolu. Use Poké Ball to find whichever Basic Pokémon is missing. If both are already available, consider finding Hitmontop when the opponent has fragile Bench Pokémon or a setup-heavy board. Do not rush Mega Lopunny ex Active unless it can attack quickly. A three-point Pokémon that cannot threaten damage is a major liability. Use Hitmontop as an early attacker when possible. Piercing Spin can soften the Active Pokémon and create a future damaged Bench target.

Mid Game

The mid game begins when Lucario is established and Mega Lopunny ex is close to attacking. Once Lucario is on the Bench, your guaranteed damage range becomes much stronger. Will plus Rapid Smashers means Mega Lopunny ex will deal at least 110 damage to the opponent’s Active Pokémon. Use Will only when you can immediately attack with Mega Lopunny ex. Do not play it early unless the guaranteed first coin flip has a clear purpose. If the opponent has a dangerous ex Pokémon Active, a 200-damage turn can remove it immediately. If the opponent has already taken damage from Hitmontop or a previous attack, the reliable 110-damage line may be enough. Use Copycat or Professor’s Research to find missing evolution pieces and avoid committing Mega Lopunny ex before Lucario is ready.

Late Game

The late game is about target selection and prize efficiency. Use Cyrus to bring damaged Bench Pokémon Active. Hitmontop’s Bench damage is especially valuable here because it can turn a previously safe attacker into a clean Mega Lopunny ex knockout. Track how many points remain on both sides. Mega Lopunny ex gives up three points, so avoid sending it Active when the opponent can immediately remove it without losing a more valuable Pokémon. Use X Speed to avoid leaving the wrong Pokémon trapped Active. A poorly timed retreat can cost the Energy needed for Rapid Smashers. If the opponent has a damaged Active Pokémon within 110 damage, use Will for the reliable knockout. If the opponent needs 180 or 200 damage to be removed, decide whether the risk of the second coin flip is worth taking.