Mega Audino ex Brambleghast Deck Guide

Strategy Overview

Mega Audino ex Brambleghast is one of the most unusual bulky decks in Pokémon TCG Pocket because it does not try to win by racing the opponent with the fastest knockout possible. Instead, it tries to create a board state that is extremely difficult to remove. The deck’s core plan is simple: build Mega Audino ex, keep it Active for as long as possible, move damage away from it with Brambleghast, heal the whole board through Heartfelt Shine, and use Shaymin to add passive recovery every turn. Once this engine is assembled, the opponent can be forced to spend multiple attacks trying to remove a Pokémon that should have been knocked out much earlier. Mega Audino ex is the main attacker and the center of the deck. Heartfelt Shine requires three Energy and deals 90 damage. On its own, 90 damage is not an especially high number for a three-Energy attacker. The reason Mega Audino ex is powerful in this deck is its additional effect: after attacking, it heals 30 damage from each of your Pokémon. That effect changes the entire board. Mega Audino ex does not only heal itself. It heals Brambleghast, Shaymin, Magby, and every other Pokémon you have in play. This gives the deck an advantage in long games because the opponent’s chip damage does not remain on the board for long. Brambleghast is the most important partner for Mega Audino ex. Its Accept Pain Ability can be used once per turn while Brambleghast is on the Bench. It moves 30 damage from your Active Pokémon onto Brambleghast. With one Brambleghast on the Bench, you can move 30 damage away from Mega Audino ex before attacking. With two Brambleghast in play, you can move a total of 60 damage away from your Active Pokémon in one turn. This creates the deck’s signature healing loop. Imagine Mega Audino ex has taken heavy damage. First, use Accept Pain from one Brambleghast and move 30 damage from Mega Audino ex onto that Brambleghast. Then use the second Brambleghast and move another 30 damage. Mega Audino ex has now removed 60 damage before it even attacks. After that, Mega Audino ex uses Heartfelt Shine. It deals 90 damage and heals 30 damage from every Pokémon on your board. This heals Mega Audino ex for another 30 damage and also heals both Brambleghast, removing the damage that was transferred to them. Finally, Shaymin’s Fragrant Flower Garden Ability heals 10 damage from each of your Pokémon once per turn. In the ideal full setup, Mega Audino ex can remove up to 100 damage from itself across that turn cycle: 60 damage moved through Brambleghast, 30 healed through Heartfelt Shine, and 10 healed through Shaymin. This does not mean that every Pokémon is healed by 100 damage. The important part is that Mega Audino ex can become extremely difficult to finish off once the full board is established. Shaymin is therefore not simply a small support Pokémon. It is a core part of the deck’s long-game plan. Fragrant Flower Garden heals 10 damage from every Pokémon on your board once per turn. That may sound small, but it becomes much stronger when combined with Mega Audino ex. Shaymin helps clean up leftover damage from Brambleghast, makes Heartfelt Shine more efficient, and can force the opponent to deal extra damage every turn just to keep your board within knockout range. In longer games, this passive 10 healing from every Pokémon can become more valuable than another direct attacker. Magby gives the deck an important early-game acceleration option. Toasty Toss has no Energy requirement and can attach a Fire Energy from the Energy Zone to one of your Benched Basic Pokémon. Mega Audino ex requires three Colorless Energy, so Fire Energy can still be attached to it. This makes Magby useful as an opening Pokémon. You can place Magby Active, use Toasty Toss, attach Fire Energy to a Benched Mega Audino ex, and begin building your main attacker without spending your normal Energy attachment for the turn. Magby is especially useful because Mega Audino ex does not want to start Active in every game. If Mega Audino ex begins Active too early, it can take damage before your Brambleghast and Shaymin engine is ready. Magby buys time, accelerates an Energy, and can be sacrificed if the opponent chooses to take an early prize. Bramblin is the necessary setup card for Brambleghast. You want at least one Brambleghast in play as quickly as possible, but the strongest version of the deck uses two. A second Brambleghast makes Mega Audino ex significantly harder to knock out because it doubles the amount of damage you can move away from your Active Pokémon. Mega Audino ex should normally become Active only after you have at least one meaningful support piece established. The ideal board contains Mega Audino ex, one or two Brambleghast, Shaymin, and enough remaining Bench space for another Basic or a future replacement attacker. Giant Cape gives Mega Audino ex additional durability. Since the deck is built around surviving attacks and healing afterward, extra HP is especially valuable. Giant Cape can turn what would have been a knockout into a survivable hit, giving you one more turn to use Accept Pain, Heartfelt Shine, Shaymin, or Ilima. Starting Plains adds another layer of bulk. It gives every Basic Pokémon in play, including both yours and your opponent’s, +20 HP. Mega Audino ex benefits from this if it is a Basic Pokémon in play, but you must remember that the opponent’s Basic Pokémon also become harder to knock out. Starting Plains is strongest when the opponent relies on high-damage attacks that narrowly miss your boosted HP threshold. It is weaker when the opponent has a board full of Basic attackers that also benefit heavily from the Stadium. Area Zero is the deck’s hand-filtering Stadium. Once during each player’s turn, that player may shuffle a Basic Pokémon from their hand into their deck and draw a card. This is useful when you have extra copies of Magby, Shaymin, Bramblin, or Mega Audino ex in hand that you do not want to bench. Area Zero helps reduce awkward hands and makes the deck slightly more consistent. However, the effect is symmetrical. The opponent can also use Area Zero to improve their hand, so it is best played when you benefit immediately or when your hand contains an unwanted Basic Pokémon. Ilima is the deck’s emergency reset button. When Mega Audino ex is heavily damaged and the opponent is about to knock it out, Ilima can return it to your hand instead of allowing the opponent to take the knockout. This is extremely valuable because Mega Audino ex is an ex Pokémon and losing it can give the opponent a major prize swing. Returning it to your hand resets the damage and prevents the opponent from claiming that knockout. However, Ilima should not be used casually. It costs your Supporter for the turn, removes your fully developed attacker from the board, and means you need to establish Mega Audino ex again later. It is best saved for situations where preventing the knockout changes the entire game. Pokémon Center Lady gives the deck another healing layer. It heals 30 damage from one Pokémon and removes Special Conditions. This is important because Sleep, Poison, Burn, and similar status effects can interrupt your healing sequence or prevent Mega Audino ex from attacking. Professor’s Research and Copycat provide consistency. Professor’s Research is the best option when you need multiple pieces quickly, such as Mega Audino ex, Brambleghast, Shaymin, Giant Cape, or a Stadium. Copycat can be strong against opponents with large hands and gives you a chance to find the exact part of your engine that is missing. Cyrus provides the deck’s main offensive control tool. Since Mega Audino ex usually deals only 90 damage, you will often need to choose the easiest prize rather than always attacking the opponent’s largest Active Pokémon. Cyrus can pull a damaged Bench Pokémon Active and allow Mega Audino ex to finish it. Overall, Mega Audino ex Brambleghast is a deck that rewards patience. It does not need to win fast. It needs to survive long enough for its healing engine to make the opponent run out of efficient ways to take prizes.

Gameplay Video

Early Game

The early game is about avoiding a weak Mega Audino ex start while building your healing engine. Magby is often the best opening Pokémon. Toasty Toss can attach Fire Energy from the Energy Zone to a Benched Mega Audino ex, which means you can begin powering your main attacker without exposing it immediately. Bench Mega Audino ex when possible, but do not rush it into the Active Spot unless you already have enough Energy and at least one support piece available. Your first setup priorities should usually be: Mega Audino ex on the Bench. Bramblin on the Bench. Shaymin on the Bench. A second Bramblin when the matchup is slower or more damage-focused. Use Poké Ball to find the setup Pokémon you are missing. In most hands, finding Bramblin is more important than finding a second Mega Audino ex because Brambleghast is what makes your healing engine function.

Mid Game

The mid game begins once Mega Audino ex is Active and Brambleghast is online. At this point, your goal is to make every opposing attack inefficient. Use Accept Pain before attacking whenever Mega Audino ex has damage on it. Move 30 damage to each available Brambleghast, then use Heartfelt Shine to heal Mega Audino ex and your Bench. Try to maintain at least one Brambleghast at all times. One Brambleghast gives you a meaningful defensive option. Two Brambleghast create the full damage-transfer loop and make Mega Audino ex much harder to remove. Shaymin should remain on the Bench whenever possible. Do not expose it unless absolutely necessary. Its passive healing is too valuable in long games. Use Giant Cape when it changes the opponent’s knockout math. It is usually best attached to Mega Audino ex, but there are situations where protecting Shaymin or a Brambleghast can be correct if the opponent is trying to break your engine.

Late Game

The late game is where Ilima and Cyrus become most important. If Mega Audino ex is heavily damaged and the opponent can take a knockout next turn, calculate whether your healing loop can save it. Two Brambleghast plus Heartfelt Shine plus Shaymin can remove a huge amount of damage, but only if Mega Audino ex survives long enough to attack. If it cannot survive, Ilima can deny the knockout by returning Mega Audino ex to your hand. This is often better than allowing the opponent to take multiple prize points, even though rebuilding Mega Audino ex afterward may take time. Cyrus should be used to target the opponent’s easiest damaged Pokémon. Mega Audino ex does not always need to knock out the largest target. Pulling up a damaged Bench Pokémon can be the cleaner prize route. Area Zero can also matter late. If your hand contains an unnecessary Basic Pokémon, shuffle it away for a fresh draw. That extra card may find Pokémon Center Lady, Giant Cape, Cyrus, or the final piece needed to stabilize.