PocketCards.net
Updated June 12, 2026Giratina ex and Darkrai ex Deck Guide in Pokémon TCG Pocket
Stack passive Nightmare Aura damage early, then let Giratina ex close games with 130 damage swings
Giratina ex and Darkrai ex is a two-attacker attrition deck built entirely around Basic Pokémon, so it wastes no turns on setup stages. Darkrai ex converts every Darkness Energy attachment into 20 free damage, while Giratina ex uses its own Ability to ramp toward a 130 damage attack. The plan is simple: chip early, heal through the middle turns, and take your three points with one or two big swings.
The decklist
How it works
Darkrai ex is the engine that runs from turn one. Its Nightmare Aura Ability
deals 20 damage to the opponent's Active Pokémon every time you attach a
Darkness Energy from the Energy Zone to it, so damage
starts before you ever attack. Once it holds two Darkness
and one 
Colorless Energy, Dark Prism adds 80 damage per
turn on top of the pings. With 140 HP it usually survives long enough to bank
60 or more passive damage across a game.
Giratina ex is the closer. Broken-Space Bellow attaches a
Psychic Energy from your Energy Zone to it once per turn,
but using the Ability ends your turn immediately, so always play your Items,
Supporter, and normal Energy attachment first. Chaotic Impact costs three
Psychic and one Colorless Energy and
hits for 130, enough to knock out many Basic attackers in one swing, though it
also deals 20 damage back to Giratina ex itself. Its 150 HP gives you room to
absorb a hit while you finish charging.
With only four Pokémon in the entire list, finding your attackers quickly is the whole battle. Poké Ball pulls a random Basic from the deck, and since every Pokémon here is a Basic, it always hits either a Darkrai ex or a Giratina ex. Pokémon Communication then lets you trade a spare copy in hand for the other attacker, which matters when you draw doubles of one name.
The defensive shell keeps your two-point Pokémon alive past their break-even turns. Leftovers heals 10 damage from the attached Pokémon at the end of your turn while it sits in the Active Spot, which quietly cancels out Chaotic Impact recoil over time. Potion heals 20 on demand, X Speed cuts your Active Pokémon's Retreat Cost by 1 so you can rotate a damaged attacker out, and Lucky Egg is a card-advantage Tool that smooths your draws.
Matchups
| Matchup | Favorability | How to play it |
|---|---|---|
| Bellibolt ex and Magnezone | Favored | Their Stage 2 line needs several turns to come online, and Nightmare Aura punishes every one of those turns. Chip their Basics with pings and Dark Prism, then let Chaotic Impact remove the finished threat for two points. |
| Flutter Mane ex and Mega Gardevoir ex | Even | Mega Gardevoir ex is weak to Darkness, so Dark Prism hits it for 100 and chips meaningfully into its 210 HP, though Nightmare Aura pings get no weakness bonus since they are not attack damage. Bank that chip early, let Chaotic Impact for 130 finish what Darkrai ex softened, and save Potion for return-knockout turns. |
| Chien-Pao ex and Baxcalibur | Even | Their damage output spikes late, so you must win the early tempo with Darkrai ex pings. Use X Speed to rotate a wounded Darkrai ex behind a fresh attacker, and do not commit Giratina ex until it can attack the following turn. |
Grass  Grass aggro decks | Unfavored | Grass attackers add 20 damage against Darkrai ex, so a 120 damage hit becomes exactly 140 and a clean knockout. Lean on Giratina ex as the primary attacker here, keep Darkrai ex benched as a ping engine, and use Potion to break their damage math. |
| Mega Absol ex and Greninja | Heavily unfavored | Darkness attacks gain 20 damage against Giratina ex, which strips away most of its 150 HP cushion. Try to trade with Darkrai ex instead, use Iono to disrupt their hand at a high count, and accept that you need them to stumble. |
Tech options and swaps
Sabrina forces your opponent to bench their Active Pokémon, which breaks up an attacker mid-charge and stacks neatly with the steady chip damage from Nightmare Aura. Guzma discards every Tool attached to your opponent's Pokémon, overlapping with Field Blower's job of clearing opposing Tools and Stadiums, so you can spare it against Tool-light fields too. Sensible swaps are a second Iono for extra hand resets or a second Guzma if Tools dominate your ladder.
How to pilot it
- Opening: the best hands have a Pokémon plus a draw or search card. Darkrai ex is the preferred starter, and Poké Ball on turn one always finds an attacker. Remember that the player going first gets no Energy from the Energy Zone on turn one.
- Turns 1 and 2: attach your one Energy per turn from the Energy Zone to Darkrai ex whenever it is Darkness, triggering Nightmare Aura for 20 each time. Place Giratina ex on the Bench as soon as you find it.
- Turns 3 and 4: attack with Dark Prism for 80 while Nightmare Aura keeps adding 20 per attachment. On turns where Darkrai ex cannot attack profitably, finish all other actions and then end the turn with Broken-Space Bellow to charge Giratina ex for free.
- Midgame: use Potion and Leftovers to keep your Active Pokémon above the opponent's two-hit range, and X Speed to retreat a damaged Darkrai ex into a charged Giratina ex without paying its full Retreat Cost of 2.
- Closing: Chaotic Impact for 130 should target the opponent's biggest point threat. Two swings deal 260 total, but each costs Giratina ex 20 recoil, so plan your healing one turn ahead.
- Misplays to avoid: using Broken-Space Bellow before your Supporter or attachment, since the Ability ends your turn; promoting Giratina ex before it can attack next turn; and forgetting that Iono also refills a low opponent hand.
Deck strengths
- All four Pokémon are Basics, so every Poké Ball pulls a real attacker
- Nightmare Aura generates damage without spending attacks, turning setup turns into progress
- Chaotic Impact's 130 damage knocks out most Basic attackers in a single swing
- Leftovers, Potion, and X Speed let you win damage races that look even on paper
- Iono doubles as draw power for you and disruption against an opponent holding a big hand
Deck weaknesses
- Only four Pokémon total, so opening without one in hand or losing both attackers can end the game on the spot
- Every knockout you concede gives up two points because both attackers are ex Pokémon
- Darkness opponents punish Giratina ex and
Grass opponents punish Darkrai ex with an extra 20 damage
- Broken-Space Bellow ends your turn, so charging Giratina ex always costs you an attack
Is it worth building?
This is a budget-friendly project for players who already own Darkrai ex or Giratina ex, since the trainer shell is full of staples like Professor's Research, Poké Ball, and Iono. It teaches genuinely transferable skills: sequencing around a turn-ending Ability, banking passive damage, and protecting two-point Pokémon. That said, the four-Pokémon core is fragile and its closing speed lags the strongest archetypes. Build it if you enjoy attrition math and already own the ex cards; skip it if you want raw pace over careful upkeep.
