Pikachu ex Deck Guide: The Official List Explained

The Pokémon.com deck strategy article (published December 16, 2024) describes Pikachu ex as “a Basic Pokémon ex, so it doesn’t rely on Evolution to reach its maximum potential.” Its attack, Circle Circuit, can do “up to 90 damage with a full Bench” of Pokémon for just two Energy.

That combination is the whole appeal. A Basic Pokémon can be played straight onto the field, so there is no waiting for an Evolution to show up. Two Energy is cheap in a game where the Energy Zone gives you one Energy a turn. And Circle Circuit scales with your Bench, so the deck’s job is simple: get Pikachu ex active, fill the Bench, attack early and often.

Pikachu ex is also one of the three headline Pokémon ex of Genetic Apex, the first set; each of the set’s three booster packs was named after one of them. See our Genetic Apex set guide for the full pack breakdown.

Three rules from the official deck-building guide shape every decision in this deck:

For a Bench-hungry attacker like Pikachu ex, those rules point the same way: play lots of Basic Pokémon. They protect you from the instant loss, and every one of them on the Bench adds to Circle Circuit’s damage.

This is the 20-card list from the Pokémon.com deck strategy article:

That is eight Pokémon, six Items and six Supporters. Six of the eight Pokémon are Basic (Pikachu ex, Zapdos ex and Pikachu), which matches the official advice on Basic counts, and the only Evolution line is Pikachu into Raichu.

Pikachu ex is the engine. The article notes that its damage “is capped at 90 without any additional modifiers,” which is plenty against most Basic Pokémon but not enough for high-HP targets.

That is what the two back-up attackers are for. Raichu’s Thunderbolt “deals a shocking 140 damage for three” Energy. Zapdos ex’s Thundering Hurricane “can do up to 200 damage depending on the results of your coin flips”, although, as the article admits, “hitting three or four heads sometimes feels less likely than a lightning strike.” Zapdos ex is also a Basic, so while it waits it is still filling a Bench slot for Circle Circuit.

The two regular Pikachu are there to evolve into Raichu, and they count towards your Bench in the meantime.

According to the article, Professor’s Research and Sabrina are “strong Supporter cards to include in just about any deck.” Lt. Surge is described as ideal alongside Raichu “since it grants extra flexibility to Energy attachment”, and Giovanni “can increase damage numbers in a pinch”, which is useful when Pikachu ex is just short of a Knock Out.

Poké Ball, which puts a random Basic Pokémon into your hand, is called “a must-have in every deck.” In this list it does double duty: it finds Pikachu ex and it finds Bench fodder. X Speed “can preserve Energy attachments and help you pivot into Raichu”, while Potion and Red Card are there to disrupt your opponent’s game plan.

The official game plan is one line: “Attach Energy to Pikachu ex, fill your bench with Pokémon, and swing hard. Set up Raichu for when your opponent has high-HP Pokémon or play around Lt. Surge.” In practice that breaks down into a few habits:

You may not own every card on the list. The article says players have used “Zebstrika, Electrode, and even Pincurchin” successfully in place of Raichu, which also reduces reliance on Lt. Surge. The deck-building guide likewise names Raichu, Electrode and Zebstrika as alternate attackers that still help Circle Circuit.

If you are short on Supporters, Professor’s Research is the one to keep in any version, because the article recommends it for almost every deck. Missing a copy of a Pokémon ex is harder to cover: the deck needs Basics, so replace it with another Basic Pokémon rather than an Evolution.

If you are building this deck from scratch, the order matters. Getting two Pikachu ex is the priority, because nothing else in the list works without them. After that, the regular Pikachu and Raichu line and the Supporters make more difference than a second Zapdos ex, which is strong but coin-flip dependent.

Most of the Pokémon on the list come from the Pikachu pack of Genetic Apex, so opening that pack is the natural start. For individual cards you are missing, Wonder Pick gives you extra random chances at cards from other players’ packs, and trading lets you target one specific card; see how trading works for the rules. Duplicate cards you do not need for this deck are your trade material.

For the general principles behind lists like this one, read our deck-building basics.

Circle Circuit costs two Energy and can do up to 90 damage with a full Bench of Pokémon, according to Pokémon.com. Its damage is capped at 90 without other modifiers.

The official list runs six (two Pikachu ex, two Zapdos ex and two Pikachu). The official deck-building guide recommends at least five or six Basic Pokémon in most decks.

Pokémon.com says players have successfully used Zebstrika, Electrode and even Pincurchin instead of Raichu.

No. TCG Pocket decks do not use Energy cards; the Energy Zone provides one Energy each turn.