Space-Time Smackdown’s addition at the start of the year has significantly changed the competitive landscape of Pokémon TCG Pocket, and the new superstar on the block is Darkrai EX. We discussed this Pokémon in detail already, but in short, the new Trainer cards in Space-Time Smackdown have shifted the fundamentals of competitive battling so much that Darkrai’s bench-sitting playstyle is simultaneously one of the safest and most dangerous options you can find.
That said, a single Pokemon can’t carry a deck, and Darkrai ex really needs a companion that can hit for huge damage on the front lines. You might think this calls for a heavy hitter like Nidoqueen or Toxicroak, but it turns out the answer is…Magnezone? An Electric-type Pokémon who consumes Electric Energy every time it attacks? How does that work?
It’s a weird card choice on paper, but in practice, Magnezone isn’t just a great companion to Darkrai ex; it’s a powerful card that you can theoretically fit into any deck, regardless of element. Here’s how it works.
Disclaimer: No matter how much I may or may not hype up any cards in Pokémon TCG Pocket, I do not encourage you to spend money on the game, even if you have cash to spare. This is a gacha game at its core, and with that comes aggressive psychological manipulation to encourage you to spend more than you normally would. Gacha games should be considered gambling, even if they aren’t according to the law. For tips on how to enjoy this game without spending money, check out my free-to-play guide here.
2 / 4
Magnezone works specifically because of the mechanics of its pre-evolutionary forms. The new variant of Magnemite found in the Space-Time Smackdown expansion only inflicts 10 damage, but you can use any type of Energy to activate it. Truthfully, you’ll hardly ever use this attack, but it’s nice to have the option in case it’s all you have in the early game. The real hero here is the Magneton variant found in the base Genetic Apex set, all because of its ability Volt Charge. This attaches an Electric Energy to the magnet monster every turn (so long as you remember to use it). Magneton and Magnezone both only need one Electric Energy, so you can still use Dark-type Energy to build up their attacks.
In a perfect world, the Darkrai ex and Magneton strategy looks like this: lead with a wall like Druddigon or Kangaskhan, and keep Darkrai ex and Magnemite on your bench. Evolve Magnemite into Magneton, stall the game so Magneton can passively accrue Electric Energy, and keep attaching Dark Energy to Darkrai ex to chip away at your opponent’s health. Switch to Magnezone once you can (either after your wall is knocked out or by using the Leaf Trainer Card), and start laying the smack down with its 110 damage Thunder Blast attack. If Magnezone goes down, or it runs out of Electric Energy, bring in Darkrai ex to clean up the rest of the game. Because Darkrai ex is the only ex card in this deck, it’s best used after your opponent has already scored two other KOs, unless you know you can lock in a victory by bringing it in later.
What makes Magnezone so deadly is that, even if you can’t stall, it’s still very powerful. For example, let’s say you start the game with a Magnemite, Magneton, and Magnezone. Evolve Magnemite into Magneton as soon as you can, and activate Volt Charge upon evolution. Then on your following turn, make sure to use Volt Charge again before evolving Magneton into Magnezone, and just like that, you have two Electric Energy that are good for two uses of Thunder Blast. Slap Dark Energy on it to meet the three Energy minimum requirement, and you can immediately begin to pick up easy KOs. Alternatively, if your opponent has a relatively weak monster on the front lines, you can keep Magneton in play and use Spinning Attack to pick up a KO without consuming valuable Electric Energy. It’s surprisingly versatile!
Getting doubles of each Pokémon to use in a deck is undoubtedly a pain (I’ve been working with a single Darkrai ex myself, and I consider even that lucky). But once you’ve assembled those pieces, all you need are a handful of trainer cards to complete your deck. Professor’s Research, Poké Ball, and Leaf are common staples in Pokémon TCG Pocket, and you’ll want two of each of them. You only need one Cyrus, and a Giovanni can help you lock in KOs. From there you can slot in a Sabrina, Dawn, Giant Cape, or Rocky Helmet to round out your support. Just keep in mind that, as the competitive landscape evolves, other Trainer Cards may become more prevalent to counter new threats.
3 / 4
As strong as the above cards are, they are absolutely vulnerable to counterplay. Grass-type decks can shake off Darkrai ex’s perpetual chip damage thanks to cards like Erika and the passive healing of Shaymin’s Fragrant Flower Garden ability. Exeggutor ex is a standout, boosting a whopping 160 HP while also inflicting 40 or 80 damage per turn at the cost of just one Grass Energy. Since Darkrai ex and Weavile ex are both weak to grass, cards like Celebi ex can be especially threatening with average luck.
Fighting-type decks also offer some attractive counterplay options, despite being relatively niche in the current competitive landscape. In fact, player JeremiahTheGreat caused a stir in the recent Hooglandia & Spragels Open Tournament by building a deck around Aerodactyl ex and Lucario, which was the only non-Darkrai ex team to crack the top eight. Aside from those picks, Hitmonlee is practically tailor-made to counter stall strategies with Stretch Kick, which completely bypasses walls like Druddigon. Magnezone and Weezing are both weak to fighting attacks too.
Regardless of your deck’s type, Sabrina and Cyrus really help against Darkrai ex and Magnezone. Because these two Pokémon need to spend their first turns setting up, you can seriously put your opponent on the backfoot by causing disruptions in the early game. For instance, as long as you know you can get a hit on either of the two monsters by drawing them out with Sabrina, they’ll be vulnerable to your Cyrus card later to finish the job with a strong attack. Remember, while your opponent wants to start with a wall to hide their Darkrai ex behind, they won’t always start the game with the right cards. If you see an opening to hit Darkrai ex early, you can set up for a KO later that can seal the game for you. Your opponent is specifically counting on you to never claim those two points!
.
4 / 4