Pokémon Pocket: Deck Guide - Raikou ex, the Setup King!

Today, we'll discuss one of the few decks that plays Raikou ex, the second strongest legendary beast.

Because Raikou ex doesn't deal a lot of damage, it struggled to adapt to the meta and even now can't beat most decks in the format. However, this list makes up for some of Raikou ex's weaknesses and focuses on other win conditions. It still makes the most out of it, though.

Let's see how it works.

What makes this deck so strong is that you can set up your Pokémon quite easily with it, even if your opponent controls the board with Sabrina or Cyrus. At any moment, you can move energies with Elemental Switch, and this could catch your opponent off-guard at critical moments.

Furthermore, this deck deals more damage to Suicune ex because of the type advantage, and these lists are the most popular in the game right now.

You can draw many cards with Raikou ex's ability and control the board by dealing damage to the enemy bench with its main attack. This attack might not deal that much damage, but it is essential for late-game plays with Cyrus.

Half of the Pokémon in this deck will give you Electric energies, like Zeraora, which gives them to you passively on turn 1.Tapu Koko also gives you energies, but it needs to attack, so it is a slower version of this type of setup. These two Pokémon will help you move energies with Elemental Switch to your Pikachu ex A2b or Raikou ex down the line.

Lastly, Pikachu ex A2b is your main finisher against enemy Pokémon with a lot of HP. With a single strike, it can Knock Out most Pokémon in the meta.

As we mentioned, this list's main weakness is that all its Pokémon don't deal a lot of damage. You'll have to rely on cards like Cyrus and Pikachu ex A2b to end the game, depending on the matchup.

You're also forced to put more than one Pokémon in play early on to get 100% out of the list, so you will be a bit vulnerable against Cyrus and Sabrina. Nonetheless, we've already mentioned this deck can play around this issue with Elemental Switch. If you don't have Elemental Switch in these situations, I'm sorry.

Finally, this list plays Pokémon that have less than 140 HP, which is something you need to be careful with. Every Pokémon that has more than 140 HP can take two strikes or more. Yours can't. So, you need to know exactly when to swap your active Pokémon.

Be careful with how many cards you draw with Raikou ex's ability. Your opponent can use that against you if they play a Red Card or Mars. This way, they can return most of your cards back to your deck.

Only attach Electrical Cord if you're certain your active Pokémon will die. This will disrupt your opponent, as they'll have to think twice before attacking you on their next turn.

Zeraora might be the most important Pokémon for you early on, but don't put two in play on turn 1. You should always leave a spot on your bench open for Pikachu ex A2b or Tapu Koko ex.

Always play your Pokéball before Professor's Research.

Use your energies wisely. Always attach some to a benched Pokémon that can act as an alternative win condition so you don't run out of options.

Still regarding energies, you need to know when to stop investing in a certain Pokémon. Don't attach energies to Pokémon that already took damage or are about to be Knocked Out. If you think your opponent can Knock Out a Pokémon on your board, invest in another Pokémon with more HP.

Use Repel early on to disrupt your opponent and force them to swap their active Pokémon. This is a "tempo" list, and being ahead in "tempo" makes all the difference in the world.

If you read this far, thank you! I hope you had fun and enjoyed reading this article.

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See you next time!