Arcanine ex Deck

Long living in the shadow of Charizard ex, Arcanine ex has finally emerged as a strong Pokémon in its own right. Paired with Moltres ex for Energy acceleration, Arcanine ex's Inferno Onrush delivers a solid 120 damage: enough, in fact, to one-shot the ubiquitous Pikachu ex without risking a revenge knock out thanks to its chonky 150HP. Throw Giovanni into the mix, and Zapdos ex, the tankiest Pokémon in Pikachu ex decklists, is also gone in a single hit. With Mythical Island, Arcanine ex is still alive and well to counter Celebi ex as Inferno Onrush also one-shots the mythical Pokémon.

Charizard players are certainly familiar with the frustration of waiting for either Charmeleon or Charizard to show up. In contrast, Arcanine ex, needing only a single evolution, gains a big advantage in consistency. With some lucky flips on Moltres ex’s Inferno Dance and an X Speed, it can even attack as early as turn 2, which closes out most games.

In a fast-paced metagame where the best ranked decks are represented by Pokémon ex with low HP, Arcanine ex quickly gains popularity as a strong counter.