As the Lapras ex drop event comes to an end this weekend, let’s evaluate the impact of its new additions to the metagame: Lapras ex and Mankey.
Lapras ex: sink or swim
Lapras ex enters the metagame amid an already crowded pool of Pokémon ex like Blastoise ex, Starmie ex, and Articuno ex. It’s also the second Basic Pokémon ex after Articuno ex, with which it shares common traits: 140 HP and a 3-Energy attack dealing 80 damage.
Does it compare favorably to Articuno ex? Can they work together?
Unfortunately, the answer leans negative on both fronts:
- Lapras ex lacks a second attack, so it can only attack starting from turn 3 when it can use Bubble Drain for 80. In contrast, Articuno ex ramps up damage with Ice Wing into Blizzard, dealing 120 total in the same amount of turn.
- Unlike Zapdos ex with Pikachu ex, Lapras ex doesn't work well with Articuno ex.
Both are energy-intensive, and their ace attack are essentielly identical. Bubble Drain's healing effect is nothing impressive; generally, decks benefit more from weakening the opponent’s Pokémon than healing their own, unless backed by a cohesive strategy like Venusaur ex paired with Erika for healing.
That said, Lapras ex can fit into a budget version of a Water deck similar to 18 Trainers, replacing Articuno ex entirely for players who haven’t pulled it.
Return to Mankey
Mankey makes a much stronger impression, thanks to its Reckless Charge attack, which self-inflicts 10 damage. This sets up a perfect 100-damage Fight Back from Primeape on the following turn.
At this power level, Fight Back one-shots Pikachu ex, and the sequence of Reckless Charge into Fight Back also KOs Zapdos ex. This makes the Mankey line a perfect counter to Pikachu ex, the top deck in the format. Mankey is often paired with Marowak ex, another low-cost attacker capable of hitting high damage thresholds with a bit of luck on its Bonemerang attack.
Is it enough to make the deck top tier?
Mankey and Primeape's durability constantly hangs by a thread due to their low HP. Their weakness to Psychic certainly doesn't help, as Mewtwo ex, one of the best decks of the format, is naturally very represented. As a result, the deck certainly need favorable pairings to reach the top. But so far, the deck has shown promising results.