Charizard ex (Shining Revelry) deck

Charizard ex from Shining Revelry (also called Shiny Charizard ex in its version) is the second Charizard ex card printed on Pokémon TCG Pocket. It shares the same bulk, typing, and weakness as the original, and also has two attacks:

• Stoke costs and attaches 3 Energy to Charizard ex. This self-charging move enables it to come online quickly with minimal Energy investment. A turn after using Stoke, you can attach any type of Energy to immediately use the second attack:
• Steam Artillery costs 5 Energy and deals 150 damage. That’s enough to one-shot all Big Basic Pokémon ex, including a Dialga ex with a Giant Cape: only a subset of Stage 1 and Stage 2 Pokémon ex can survive. Since this attack has no drawback like discarding Energy, it can be used repeatedly once set up.

This makes Charizard ex a scary menace: if you start with Charmander and evolve on curve (i.e. evolving each turn), you can use Stoke by turn 5 and then hit for 150 with Steam Artillery every turn afterward—all while developing your bench and other options. With the release of Celestial Guardians and Rare Candy, this becomes even possible by turn 3, which means that Charizard ex can then attack on curve for 150 every turn, which is more or less a checkmate against most decks and makes the deck one of the uncommon deck that wants to go first. Thanks to Charizard ex's massive 180 HP, it can set up safely and is extremely hard for opponents to remove.

Unlike the previous Charizard ex, which was the centerpiece of its archetype and relied on some coinflip luck from Moltres ex to attack consistently, this version is much more self-sufficient and opens up room for extra strategy within the deck it's played.

Charizard ex Sylveon variant

Sylveon ex is the shiny tool from Eevee Grove. Its Happy Ribbons ability draws 2 cards when it evolves, which translates into more chance to get into Rare Candy + Charizard ex by turn 3 after a Charmander opener. Eevee from Eevee Grove also boosts the consistency with its Collect attack, drawing a card before it evolves. Then, you can easily retreat with either Eevee or Sylveon ex and their retreat cost into a Charizard ex.

The spiciest addition to this list is a regular Flareon from Genetic Apex. Not only it's a better late-game card than Sylveon ex once you got a Charizard ex on the field and don't need to draw into more card and get another attacker, it provides a clean answer to Pom Pom Oricorio thanks to its powerful Flamethrower attack. It even deals enough to one-shot the ubiquitous Silvally, often played in the same deck, while resisting its attack even when powered up with Giovanni.

Charizard ex Silvally variant

Charizard ex is paired with Silvally, possibly the best stage 1 Pokémon in the game. This gives the deck a much stronger early game as it doesn't need to rely on getting a stage 2 to put power on the table, with Silvally being able to attack for 100 from turn 4. Although the ex + non-ex point trade map isn't the best in Pokémon TCG Pocket, the fact that both Pokémon are bulky and fully capable of one-shotting threats on their own makes this drawback basically non-existent. It also offers a solution to Oricorio , which otherwise entirely annihilates the deck.

Charizard ex Incineroar variant

Playing an extra stage 2 line increases the opportunity earlier thanks to Rare Candy. As a partner for Charizard ex, Incineroar ex is a good suitor: it can also attack on curve with Fire Fang even on turn 3, and has a strong attack in Scar-Charged Smash that can be used later in the game for a potential 140 damage. As this version often runs Pokémon Communication to increase the odds of getting a stage 2 on curve, it often strips Torracat entirely from the deck while leaving a single Charmeleon, as Charizard ex remains the prime focus of the deck

Charizard ex Turtonator variant

Turtonator is the new partner for stage 2 Pokémon. It's a high HP Basic that benefits from Kiawe's effect to attach 2 Energy to it at the cost of skipping your attack for turn, which makes it ready to use Fire Spin on the following turn, hitting for a good 90 damage. The obvious downside of Fire Spin to discard an Energy isn't that big of a problem as Charizard ex itself only needs a single Energy to get going when it's in the Active spot.

Charizard ex Moltres variant

The classic partner for Charizard ex also works for the new one! The plan remains identical: play only Moltres ex and Charmander to maximise your chances to open with the Legendary Bird, attack with Inferno Dance to power up your benched Charmander so that it already has enough Energy whent it becomes a Charizard ex to be able to attack immediately. Although Fire Artillery is a weaker and more expensive attack, you don't need to "overcharge" it like for the Charizard ex from Genetic Apex to be able to use it twice in a row.

Weaknesses

• While it’s designed to get going fast, Charizard ex still needs two evolutions and a setup turn, making its requirements similar to the previous Charizard ex. But unlike the original, it doesn’t consistently one-shot everything in the format.
• This Charizard ex is also inherently predictable: Stoke is required to power it up as it’s nearly impossible to charge it naturally from the bench. That means it has to spend a turn doing no damage, leaving it exposed to up to 2 rounds of attacks before delivering.
• still hasn't offered a natural partner for Pokémon such as Charizard ex (Shining Revelry) in the same way Moltres ex supports Charizard ex (Genetic Apex). For now, the classic pair remains the more consistent and effective option.