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Updated June 12, 2026Iron Valiant and Iron Boulder Deck Guide in Pokémon TCG Pocket
An all-Basic Future Pokémon box that never gives up more than one point per knockout while trading cleanly into ex and Mega attackers.
This is a pure Future Pokémon box of non-ex Basics, so every knockout your opponent scores is worth exactly one point. While they grind through three exchanges, you aim discounted, Tool-boosted attacks at their ex and Mega Pokémon, where a single Iron Boulder knockout can be worth two points and a single Mega knockout ends the game on the spot. The win condition is point math: trade one for two or one for three until you reach three first.
The decklist
How it works
Iron Valiant is the engine of the deck thanks to its Future System ability:
attacks used by your Future Pokémon cost 1 less 
Colorless
Energy. Benching it on turn one accelerates every attacker for the rest of the
game. It fights too, since Slicing Blade deals 50 damage for
Psychic, exactly the finishing blow on a 190 HP
Mega Altaria ex after one capsule-boosted Modular Axe. At 100 HP it trades its
life for only one point, and its metal weakness is rarely punished.
Iron Boulder is your heavyweight at 120 HP. Modular Axe deals 80 damage for
Psychic, Colorless and does 40 more if
this Pokémon has a Pokémon Tool attached, so a Future Booster Energy Capsule
turns it into a 140 damage attack that knocks out Suicune ex and Miraidon ex
in one hit for two points each. With one Iron Valiant in play the attack costs
Psychic, Colorless, and with both copies benched
it falls to just Psychic. Peculiar Plaza also
trims its clunky Retreat Cost of 3 down to 1.
Iron Crown is the early attacker that punishes opponents for developing.
Enumerating Blade costs Colorless and deals 10
damage plus 20 more for each of your opponent's Benched Pokémon, so against a
full bench of three it hits for 70, or 90 with a capsule attached. With Iron
Valiant's discount it costs a single Colorless Energy,
letting you attack off your first attachment while Iron Boulder builds behind
it. That 90 is also an exact knockout on a 90 HP Espeon.
Future Booster Energy Capsule is the glue that makes the damage math work. Attacks used by the Future Pokémon it is attached to do 20 more damage to your opponent's Active Pokémon, and because it is a Pokémon Tool it simultaneously switches on Modular Axe's 40 damage bonus. One Tool is therefore worth 60 extra damage on Iron Boulder, the difference between an 80 damage hit and a 140 damage knockout on a two point ex target. Attach it as soon as Iron Boulder hits the bench.
Matchups
| Matchup | Favorability | How to play it |
|---|---|---|
| Magnezone Miraidon ex | Favored | A capsule-equipped Modular Axe deals exactly 140, knocking out Miraidon ex in one hit for two points, so charge Iron Boulder on the bench and swing when Miraidon ex commits with Legendary Drive. Mirror Shot's 90 cannot knock out Iron Boulder, and Enumerating Blade chip puts the 150 HP Magnezone into range of a 140 finish. |
| Mega Altaria ex Gourgeist | Favored | They need three separate knockouts at one point each, while one Mega Altaria ex knockout hands you all three points. Sequence a 140 capsule Modular Axe into a 50 Slicing Blade for exactly 190, and remember a Giant Cape Iron Boulder at 140 HP survives even a maxed 130 damage Mega Harmony. Modular Axe with any Tool deletes the 110 HP Gourgeist in one shot. |
| Mega Altaria ex Espeon | Even | Hypnoblast only deals 40, but the Sleep lock stalls attackers; Pokémon Center Lady earns her slot here by healing 30 and curing the condition. Knock out Espeon early, ideally with a 90 damage capsule-boosted Enumerating Blade against a full bench, then run the same two-hit 190 plan on Mega Altaria ex. |
| Suicune ex Baxcalibur | Unfavored | Crystal Waltz counts Benched Pokémon on both sides, so keep your bench to one or two: at a combined four Pokémon it deals only 80 and your 100 HP attackers survive. Ice Maker accelerates them faster than you, so race straight at Suicune ex with the exact 140 from a capsule Modular Axe for two points, and Giant Cape lets a 140 HP Iron Boulder shrug off a 90 damage Buster Tail plus chip. |
| Zoroark ex Mega Absol ex | Heavily unfavored | Iron Crown and Iron Boulder are weak to darkness: Darkness Claw hits Iron Crown for exactly 100, a full-bench Brutal Bash hits it for 110, and every Darkness Claw also strips a Supporter from your hand. Play your singleton Supporters as you draw them, lead with Iron Valiant, which takes only 80 from Darkness Claw thanks to its metal weakness, and race for two hits totaling 190 into the 170 HP Mega Absol ex for an instant three points. |
Tech options and swaps
The one-of slots are where this list flexes. Giant Cape pushes Iron Boulder to 140 HP, the exact number that survives a maximum Crystal Waltz or Mega Harmony, and it still counts as the Tool that unlocks Modular Axe's 40 damage bonus when you cannot find a capsule. Pokémon Center Lady answers Sleep and Burn decks and undoes two turns of chip damage. Sabrina breaks a wall you cannot efficiently kill, while Cyrus drags a wounded ex back into range of a 140 damage finish. In a status-heavy meta a second Pokémon Center Lady over Sabrina makes sense, while slower fields justify a second Giant Cape in that slot instead.
How to pilot it
The card you want in your opening hand is Iron Valiant, with Poké Ball as the backup to dig it out. Lead with Iron Crown or Iron Valiant and bench Iron Boulder as early as possible, because the deck's tempo comes from attacking cheaply while Iron Boulder charges. If you go first you get no Energy attachment on turn one, so spend it benching Pokémon and attaching a Future Booster Energy Capsule; going second, one Psychic attachment plus Future System lets Iron Crown swing Enumerating Blade immediately.
Energy sequencing is simple since every attacker is psychic: the first attachments go to whoever is Active, then everything else feeds Iron Boulder. With one Iron Valiant benched, Iron Boulder attacks on three Energy, and with both benched it attacks on two, a full turn of tempo. Drop Peculiar Plaza once your board is set so Iron Crown and Iron Valiant retreat for free and Iron Boulder retreats for one, letting you rotate damaged attackers out and deny knockouts.
The common misplays are positional. Do not overfill your bench against Suicune ex, since Crystal Waltz counts your Benched Pokémon too. Do not put the capsule on a Pokémon that will be knocked out before it attacks; the Tool is worth 60 damage on Iron Boulder and only 20 on the others. Peculiar Plaza discounts every Psychic Pokémon's retreat, including the opponent's Mega Altaria ex, so consider holding it against psychic decks. Finally, use Professor's Research and Copycat aggressively; with only Basics in the deck there is no evolution piece you are afraid to shuffle away.
Deck strengths
- Every Pokémon concedes only one point, forcing opponents to win three full exchanges
- All-Basic lineup means no evolution turns and total immunity to setup disruption
- Future System discounts make 140 damage swings cost as little as two Energy
- Sabrina and Cyrus convert Tool-boosted damage into exact knockouts on ex targets
Deck weaknesses
- Low HP attackers at 100 to 120 die to most established meta attacks
- Darkness weakness on Iron Crown and Iron Boulder is badly exposed to Zoroark ex and Mega Absol ex
- No energy acceleration, so losing a charged Iron Boulder costs several turns
- Singleton Supporters make the deck fragile against hand disruption
Is it worth building?
Yes, and cheaply: it contains no ex or Mega cards at all, and the priciest pulls are the six Future Pokémon and two capsules from the same set, and the rest are staple Trainers most collections own. It suits players who enjoy point math and positioning over raw power, winning by making every exchange unprofitable for the opponent. If your ladder is full of darkness decks it will frustrate you, but against the ex-heavy and Mega-heavy fields it was designed for, it punishes expensive boards better than almost anything else.
