Pokémon TCG - Standard Deck Tech: Charizard ex Fire Box

The new special set, Black Bolt & White Flare, will come out in July 2025 in the west and bring us both Unova cards and a few reprints.

One of these reprints is Emboar, whose ability, Inferno Fandango, is a sort of "Rain Dance" for the Fire archetype. With it, we'll be able to attach energies to one of the most underrated Pokémon in Standard nowadays, Charizard ex sv3pt5 6!

As Charizard ex sv3pt5 6's attack deals 330 damage, it's very destructive and can deal with many high-HP Pokémon in the format with a single blow. It will solve many of our issues in Standard.

So, let's go through our list and learn how it works!

Decklist

Structure

151 Charizard ex

Basically, the goal is to go through this evolution line (excluding the Terastal version) as fast as possible and then use its second attack, Explosive Vortex.

It deals 330 base damage, which Knocks Out nearly all Pokémon in the current format without much trouble. One of the few Pokémon in the meta that can survive this attack is Cynthia's Garchomp ex DRI 104 equipped with Cynthia's Power Weight DRI 162, which gives it 70 HP. So, instead of 330 HP, it will have 400, and our Charizard won't be able to Knock it Out.

However, this attack has an unfortunate drawback, as it forces you to discard 3 energy from this Pokémon.

That's when Emboar comes along. It is an essential energy Pokémon, and it is great with Earthen Vessel PRE 106, which filters energies from our deck. Furthermore, after you discard energies with Earthen Vessel PRE 106, you can recycle them from your discard pile with Superior Energy Retrieval sv2 189

Other Attackers

Obsidian Flames Charizard ex

This Pokémon is great in two situations:

1) Against Psychic Pokémon because it is a Darkness Pokémon. It is particularly efficient against Gardevoir ex sv4pt5 29 and similar attackers.

2) In the mid-game, late-game, and end-game because Burning Darkness deals 30 damage for each Prize card your opponent has taken. The best scenario is when your opponent only has one Prize card left, as then this Charizard ex will deal 330 damage!

Furthermore, its ability, Inferno Reign, lets you attach up to 3 Basic Fire Energy sv3 230 to your Pokémon when you evolve it from your hand on your turn.

Ho-Oh: An Alternative "Single Prize" Attacker

Shining Blaze, its second attack, is what you should focus on. It deals extra damage if you have a Terastal Pokémon on your bench - in total, you'll deal 200 damage with Ho-Oh.

This Pokémon is a way to attack fast and get ahead of your opponent in the Prize card race if Charizard ex sv3pt5 6 isn't available.

Recursive Pokémon

Emboar: The Heart of the Deck

We added Emboar BLW 20 to the list above, but you'll actually use the new version because it has more HP and deals more damage. The old version is no longer Standard-legal, in fact.

Its ability, Inferno Fandango, lets you attach Basic Fire Energy sv3 230 from your hand to your own Pokémon however you like. You'll do this to attackers like Charizard ex sv3pt5 6 and Ho-Oh SSP 19.

And that's not all! You can also use it to attach energies to support Pokémon, like Fezandipiti ex SFA 38 and Mew ex sv3pt5 151, and make them attackers.

Other Recursive Pokémon

►Victini SSP 21's ability makes evolution Fire Pokémon deal 10 extra damage, so it makes Charizard ex sv3pt5 6 deal 340 damage.

►Fezandipiti ex SFA 38 draws up to 3 cards for you if one of your Pokémon was Knocked Out by an enemy attack.

Furthermore, its main attack only costs 3 colorless energies, so you can use Emboar's ability to attach Basic Fire Energy sv3 230 to it. With it, you'll be able to deal 100 damage to one of your opponent's Pokémon.

►And, finally, we have Mew ex sv3pt5 151, whose ability, Restart, lets you draw up to 3 cards, which is useful if your deck can't give you enough resources and your hand starts getting smaller.

Just like Fezandipiti ex SFA 38, it can also be an emergency attacker because its attack doesn't cost a lot of energies (3 colorless energies). So, you can also use Emboar's ability to attach Basic Fire Energy sv3 230 to it.

Trainer Cards

Supporter to Filter Items and Tools

This card draws Ultra Ball sv1 196, Nest Ball sv1 181, and Buddy-Buddy Poffin PRE 101, which are critical to get Pokémon (particularly Charmander), but it also draws tools, like Technical Machine: Evolution sv4 178 and Air Balloon SSH 156. With Technical Machine, you'll be able to evolve your Charmander faster, and, with Air Balloon, you'll be able to retreat your Charizard ex a bit more easily.

Supporter to "Pull" Enemy Pokémon

Items to Get Pokémon

Item to Get Energies

This card is essential for Emboar because it lets you filter energies from your deck and add them to your hand. This is the Inferno Fandango combo.

Item to Recycle Energies from the Discard Pile

Once again, Emboar is critical. With it, you'll get energies from your discard pile and keep using Inferno Fandango to attach them to your Pokémon.

Items to Recycle Pokémon, Energies, and Supporters

Super Rod sv2 188 draws a combination of 3 cards, including basic energies or Pokémon (basic or evolution).

Pal Pad sv1 182 recycles two Supporters from your discard pile and shuffles them into your deck.

With it, you'll be able to use Arven or Boss's Orders again, or even both.

Tools

Air Balloon SSH 156 lets you retreat your Pokémon for two colorless energies less. To retreat both your Charizard ex, you need exactly two colorless energies, so, with this card, you'll be able to retreat them for free.

It is a very beloved "reprint" from the Black Bolt & White Flare special set.

Technical Machine Evolution sv4 178 lets you evolve two benched Pokémon.

Stadium

This Stadium lets you look for "single prize" Pokémon in your deck and draw them, so it makes this entire strategy more consistent. It is essential, as it prevents you from losing because you couldn't fill your bench with Pokémon.

ACE SPEC

This ACE SPEC lets you catch your opponent off-guard, as it lets you pull a benched enemy Pokémon into their active spot. With it, your Charizard ex sv3pt5 6 will be able to Knock Out tough enemy Pokémon unexpectedly.

Favorable

This deck is great against Archaludon ex SSP 130. Even though its attack "makes it immune against Fire weakness damage", Charizard ex sv3pt5 6 deals 330 damage, and that is more than enough to deal with this Pokémon's 300 HP.

It is also great against Dragapult ex TWM 130, as it has 320 HP. Charizard ex sv3pt5 6 can easily Knock it Out.

Unfavorable

Because you'll need to go through Charizard's entire evolution line, you'll need Rare Candy PGO 69 and Technical Machine: Evolution sv4 178 to evolve your Pokémon. Your biggest problem will be Budew PRE 4, which can be quite disruptive, as it prevents you from using "items".

Iron Hands ex PRE 31 is fast and aggressive, particularly with Magneton SSP 59, which attaches energies to it, and it can destroy your Charmanders. They'll also be ahead in the Prize cards race.

Feraligatr and Milotic ex can be quite a headache.

If Raging Bolt ex TEF 123 manages to set up faster, they can dominate the "Prize card race".

If Joltik Box manages to set up and attack first, it will be pretty difficult to deal with.

This deck is worth a try if you enjoy Charizard. Emboar will not only fix one of this Pokémon's biggest issues (its energy setup), but also bring back an archetype that had been a bit overshadowed in the meta, with no great cards to take advantage of it.

What do you think? Tell us your thoughts in our comment section below.

Thank you for reading, and see you next time!