How To Build A Blastoise ex Deck In The Pokemon TCG

The Pokemon TCG‘s Scarlet & Violet 151 explores all the Pokemon you can find in Kanto, as if you were playing Pokemon Red & Blue again for the first time. This expansion is filled with surprises, but the most welcoming and nostalgic one is Venusaur, Charizard and Blastoise getting ex Cards.

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But paradoxically, the one who shines the most is the most forgotten one: Blastoise. Thanks to its Water-type, it works well with a staple of the game, Palkia VSTAR. Together, alongside potent cards like Radiant Greninja or Bibarel, they can demolish any deck if played properly.

Blastoise ex Deck List

These are the cards that will battle hand-on-hand alongside Blastoise:

Blastoise ex Deck Key Cards

These are the most important cards of this deck:

Blastoise ex

Blastoise ex is the main card of this deck. This one is a tanky card, as it has 330 HP, which is as much HP as the HP of several VSTAR cards like Palkia or Lugia. But that’s not all, as this Blastoise gets an extra layer of tankiness thanks to its ability, Solid Shell, which makes it receive 30 less damage from attacks of your opponent’s Pokemon.

Most of the time, the VSTARs of the current meta can be ready to attack and sweep your active Pokemon in their first attacking turn, but thanks to Solid Shell, Blastoise will have at least two turns in the field. It’s more than enough to deal with almost every threat out there.

Blastoise is also a great attacker. Its main attack is Twin Cannons, which basically deals 280 damage but forces you to discard two Water-type Energy Cards on your hand. Don’t worry, though, as this deck is ready to retrieve those Energy Cards lost in the Discard Pile.

You can increase Blastoise’s damage output via Choice Belt, making it deal a total of 310 damage. It’s more than enough to defeat Mew VMAX and other chunky threats (except for itself). You can switch any card you feel you won’t use playing with this deck for Choice Belt, as it’s all about how you feel playing with the cards of the deck.

Palkia VSTAR

Without Palkia VSTAR, Blastoise wouldn’t be as relevant as it is. This is because these two cards are a match made in heaven. Palkia isn’t only a Water-type card, but it also offers a handy VSTAR Power ability, named Star Portal, which lets you attach up to three Water-type Energy Cards from the discard pile to any of your Pokemon in any way you desire.

Palkia will not only work as a secondary attacker; it’ll also be your first recycling tool so Blastoise can chain two consecutive turns attacking and dealing a lot of damage. Hence, the Switch card in the deck.

While it’s not a common case, Palkia VSTAR can also attack with its main move, Subspace Swell, which deals 60 damage plus 20 per each Pokemon in play (in the Active Spot and on the bench). In the best-case scenario, Palkia can deal 280 damage, which is more than enough to sweep almost any ex card, and leave any VMAX or VSTAR about to faint.

Bibarel

Bibarel is almost on any deck nowadays thanks to its excellent ability, Industrious Incisors, which lets you draw cards from your deck to your hand until you have five. You can do this once per turn and per Bibarel on the bench, and it’s a great way to keep the cards flowing.

Radiant Greninja

Radiant Greninja works perfectly alongside Palkia VSTAR; both cards have a great synergy thanks to Radiant Greninja’s ability, Concealed Cards, and its attack, Moonlight Shuriken.

Concealed Cards lets you draw two cards from your deck but only if you discard two cards from your deck. On the other hand, Moonlight Shuriken deals 90 damage to two of your opponent’s benched Pokemon, but in exchange, you must discard two Energy Cards from your hand.

This Energy Card-discarding is extremely helpful for Palkia VSTAR; you only need to use Moonlight Shuriken, and then you have two cards in the Discard Pile waiting to be attached to Blastoise.

You’ll usually find decks using Manaphy, a card with an ability named Wave Veil, which protects all your opponent’s Benched Pokemon from damage. This isn’t an issue, as you won’t be attacking with Radiant Greninja; all you need to do with it is discarding cards.

Energy Retrieval And Superior Energy Retrieval

After using Palkia’s Star Portal, it’s hard to retrieve those Energy Cards you sent to the discard pile. In those cases, you must use the Energy Retrieval or the Superior Energy Retrieval. Most of the time, you’ll have more than enough Energy Cards in the deck to end the match, but there will be moments when you need Energy Cards, and the best way to get them will be by digging them out of the Discard Pile.

The Energy Retrieval lets you pick two Energy Cards from the discard pile, while the Superior Energy Retrieval lets you draw four, but in exchange, you must send two cards to the discard pile. Use that last one wisely.

Raihan is in this deck because it also lets you look for a discarded Energy Card. The only thing to be aware of is that it’ll only work in the turn after getting a Pokemon knocked out.

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Irida

Irida is perfect for setting a Water-type deck up. If you play Irida, you can draw a Water-type Pokemon Card and an item.

You’ll use Irida to set Blastoise up in turn one or turn two. The idea is to use it to draw a Wartortle or a Blastoise and a Rare Candy to evolve Squirtle.

You can also use Irida whenever you are in a hurry and want a specific item, like a Switch, a Choice Belt (in case you add it to the deck), or an Energy Retrieval.

Iono

Iono helps you cut distances with your opponent as it lets you disrupt your opponent’s hand while switching yours up in case you have a useless one.

If you play Iono, both players have to shuffle and send their hands to the bottom of their decks. Then, both will draw a card for each remaining Prize Card. This means you want to play this card whenever you are losing a match.

Lost City

Lost City is in this deck as it’s a great way to neutralize almost any deck, including those that depend on reviving knocked-out Pokemon.

This is because if the Lost City is in play, whenever a Pokemon gets knocked out, it’ll get sent straight into the Lost Zone, thus making it unplayable.

You can switch this card for any other stadium you want. The most recommended ones are Temple of Sinnoh and Collapsed Stadium. Both mess with the Energy Cards and the bench slots available to both players, but Collapsed Stadium can potentially weaken Palkia VSTAR’s damage output, so if you’ll want to attack with it, avoid using Collapsed Stadium.

Blastoise ex Deck Strategy

The strategy is pretty straightforward; you need to set, ideally, three Pokemon up: Blastoise, Bibarel, and Palkia VSTAR. You’ll only need those three to win. If you have a hard time finding a Bidoof to evolve it into Bibarel, go for Radiant Greninja. It’s a slower engine, but at least it works.

You’ll set a Blastoise by using items like the Nest Ball, the Hisuian Heavy Ball (in case a Pokemon is trapped in the Prize Cards), and the Ultra Ball. Try to get a Squirtle in your first turn, and prioritize building a Bibarel. The aim with Bibarel is to draw Irida, so you can set as many Blastoise cards as you can.

As soon you have set Blastoise up, it’s time to send it to the Active Spot, so it starts tanking and damaging your opponent’s Pokemon.

Blastoise Ex Deck Common Threats

Blastoise’s main counter is Electric-type based decks, like Miraidon ex. It’s hard to win against those decks as they build up quickly and deal double the damage against both Palkia and Blastoise. The only thing you can do is building Blastoise quickly, without prioritizing anything else, and deal damage to their main offensive Pokemon as soon as possible. You can drag them down to the field with Boss Orders.

Aside from Electric-type decks, this is a good deck, with a lot of consistency. The bad luck can kick in, as always, but overall, you won’t have bad times playing it.

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