PocketCards.net
Updated June 12, 2026Mega Lucario ex and Greninja Deck Guide in Pokémon TCG Pocket
Soften everything with Greninja's Water Shuriken, then let a single Mega Lucario ex erase Pokémon ex in one Fighting Pulse.
This deck runs exactly one heavy attacker and builds the whole game around landing its hits cleanly. Greninja's Water Shuriken sprays 20 damage somewhere on the opponent's board every single turn, so Mega Lucario ex's Fighting Fighting Pulse always connects with a target it can actually knock out. You win by banking points off Greninja's spread and well-timed Fighting Pulses while never exposing your lone Mega Lucario ex, because a knockout on it gives the opponent 3 points and the game.
The decklist
How it works
Mega Lucario ex is a 190 HP Stage 1 that evolves directly from Riolu, and it
is the only card in the deck that takes big knockouts. Fighting Pulse costs
Fighting for 90 damage, and if at least 1 extra
Fighting Energy is attached it does 50 more, hitting 140.
That number one-shots the 140 HP Pokémon ex that headline several top decks,
worth 2 points apiece. The flip side is brutal: it is your single copy, and
losing it hands over 3 points, so it stays on the Bench until it can attack
and win the exchange.
Greninja is the engine that makes every Fighting Pulse lethal. Its Water
Shuriken ability throws 20 damage at any of the opponent's Pokémon once per
turn, needing no Energy at all, which lets you pre-chip a 190 HP or 210 HP
threat into Fighting Pulse range or finish something Mega Lucario ex left
alive. With 120 HP it also soaks attacks as a 1 point target the opponent
often wastes whole turns removing. Its 
Water, Colorless
Mist Slash for 60 is a real backup attack when the board calls for it.
Chingling is the stall piece that buys setup turns. Jingly Noise costs
Any and does 10 damage, but its real effect is that the
opponent cannot play any Item cards from their hand on their next turn, which
chokes decks leaning on Items to accelerate. At 30 HP it dies to nearly
anything, yet it only gives up 1 point and retreats for free, so you can jam
it in front repeatedly while Froakie and Riolu develop safely behind it.
Arena of Antiquity is the Stadium that turns close trades into knockouts.
While it is in play, attacks used by each Fighting Pokémon
do 20 more damage to the opponent's Active Pokémon ex, pushing a full Fighting
Pulse to 160 against an Active ex. Against fighting weak Pokémon ex the math
gets even better, reaching exactly 180. Play it on the turn you attack so the
opponent has less time to answer it.
Matchups
| Matchup | Favorability | How to play it |
|---|---|---|
| Suicune ex Baxcalibur | Heavily favored | A full Fighting Pulse for 140 is an exact one-shot on both Suicune ex (140 HP, 2 points) and Baxcalibur (140 HP). Their Crystal Waltz caps at 120 even with both Benches full, so it can never one-shot Mega Lucario ex; keep your own Bench lean to shrink it further and shuriken Baxcalibur to cut off Ice Maker acceleration. |
| Miraidon ex Magnezone | Even | Both of their attackers are weak to Fighting, so 140 plus 20 from weakness knocks out Miraidon ex (140 HP) and Magnezone (150 HP) in one hit. The danger is speed and Mirror Shot's coin flip lock on your attack, so open with Chingling's Item lock to slow their setup and never promote Mega Lucario ex before it has all three Fighting Energy. |
| Mega Manectric ex Zeraora | Even | With Arena of Antiquity down, Fighting Pulse does 140 plus 20 from weakness plus 20 from the Stadium for exactly 180, a clean one-shot on Mega Manectric ex worth 3 points. Deny them early points so Lightning Accelerator stays at 80, and remember Greninja is weak to  Lightning, so keep it out of the Active Spot once they are charged. |
| Mega Altaria ex Espeon | Unfavored | Their entire deck attacks into your psychic weakness, and a full Bench Mega Harmony does 130 plus 20 to Mega Lucario ex for 150, a two-shot. Lean on Greninja, which is not psychic weak, to chip Mega Altaria ex at least 30 below 190 before committing Fighting Pulse with Arena of Antiquity, and snipe Espeon (90 HP) with two Water Shurikens plus Mist Slash before Hypnoblast sleep locks you. |
| Mega Altaria ex Gourgeist | Heavily unfavored | Gourgeist's Soul Shot does 70 for one Psychic Energy, which becomes 90 into your fighting line, knocking out either Riolu on sight and three-shotting Mega Lucario ex while only risking 1 point. Hide the Riolu line completely, win the chip war with Water Shuriken plus Mist Slash into Gourgeist's 110 HP, and use Cyrus to drag up a damaged Mega Altaria ex for a pre-chipped Fighting Pulse. |
Tech options and swaps
Cyrus and Lucky Egg are the flexible single copies. Cyrus drags a damaged Bench Pokémon into the Active Spot, and since Water Shuriken guarantees something on their Bench is always damaged, it routinely converts into free knockouts or strands a heavy retreater. Lucky Egg goes on Greninja or Chingling, the Pokémon your opponent is most likely to knock out, refilling your hand to 5 cards off their attack. In a meta full of Item driven engines, the second Chingling is the most valuable card in the deck and you can shift Lucky Egg to a second Cyrus instead; against spread free matchups you can do the reverse. The two Riolu prints also matter: the 70 HP Riolu with Fighting Punch for 40 survives more chip damage, while the 60 HP one jabs early for 20 with a single Fighting.
How to pilot it
In your opening hand you want Froakie plus a Riolu, and Poké Ball digs for whichever Basic is missing. Going first you get no Energy attachment on turn 1, so just bench your Basics, ideally with Chingling in front against Item decks. No Pokémon can evolve on turn 1 or on the turn it enters play, and Rare Candy is also barred on your first turn, so the earliest Greninja arrives is your second turn: Rare Candy jumps Froakie straight past the Stage 1 into Greninja, and from then on Water Shuriken fires every turn.
Energy sequencing is simple because Greninja attacks for free with its ability: send every attachment to the Riolu line. Riolu evolves into Mega Lucario ex as a normal Stage 1 evolution, no Rare Candy needed, and you want three Fighting on it before it ever sees the Active Spot so Fighting Pulse hits 140 immediately. Use Professor's Research early and hold Copycat for when the opponent banks a big hand. Drop Arena of Antiquity on the turn you swing into a Pokémon ex, not before.
The common misplays are all about the 3 point rule. Promoting Mega Lucario ex at 90 damage instead of 140, leaving it Active after it is chipped into knockout range, or pushing it forward into a psychic deck before the hit will win the exchange all lose games on the spot. Also never forget to use Water Shuriken before declaring your attack, and never Rare Candy a Froakie played that same turn, since the card forbids it.
Deck strengths
- Water Shuriken deals 20 damage every turn without spending any Energy
- Fighting Pulse at 140 one-shots the 140 HP Pokémon ex pillars of the format
- Greninja and Chingling are cheap 1 point roadblocks that waste enemy attacks
- Arena of Antiquity pushes a full Fighting Pulse to 160 on Active Pokémon ex, and to 180 with weakness
Deck weaknesses
- The entire fighting line shares psychic weakness, and psychic decks are common
- Only one Mega Lucario ex, and losing it gives up 3 points at once
- Greninja is a Stage 2 reliant on drawing Rare Candy on time
- No healing or switching tools to rescue a damaged Mega Lucario ex
Is it worth building?
The rare card cost is moderate: one Mega Lucario ex and two copies of Greninja are the only premium pulls, with the rest of the list built from common trainers and cheap Basics. It suits patient players who enjoy damage math, since every game is about counting chip damage so Fighting Pulse lands exact knockouts while the lone Mega Lucario ex stays out of danger. If you would rather slam attackers down and trade freely, the single copy restriction will frustrate you, but pilots who respect the 3 point rule get a deck that punishes the format's 140 HP Pokémon ex extremely hard.
