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Updated June 9, 2026Mega Lucario ex and Hitmontop Deck Guide in Pokémon TCG Pocket
A lean Fighting build that powers Fighting Pulse up to 160 damage with Lucario's Fighting Coach while Hitmontop trades cheap points early
The Mega Lucario ex and Hitmontop deck is a mono Fighting Fighting list that turns one Riolu directly into Mega Lucario ex and parks a regular Lucario on the Bench so its Fighting Coach ability pushes every hit 20 damage higher. Hitmontop carries the opening turns while the evolutions come online, giving up only 1 point if it falls. The result is a fast, consistent attacker package that can two-shot almost anything in the format.
The decklist
How it works
Mega Lucario ex is a Stage 1 that evolves directly from Riolu, not from
Lucario, so it hits the board one turn after its Basic does. Fighting Pulse
costs Fighting Fighting and does 90
damage, and if at least one extra Fighting Energy is
attached it does 50 more for 140. With Fighting Coach active that becomes 160,
enough to knock out most attackers in two swings. Its 190 HP and a retreat
cost of just 1 make it remarkably easy to keep in the fight, but remember that
losing it hands your opponent 3 points and the game.
Hitmontop is your opening attacker and your favorite Pokémon to lose. For
Fighting Fighting its Spinning Attack
does a flat 50 damage, which climbs to 70 once Fighting Coach is in play.
Because it is a regular Basic worth only 1 point, it soaks attacks that would
otherwise threaten your evolution line, and its retreat cost of 1 lets it step
aside cheaply when Mega Lucario ex is ready.
Lucario is a parallel Stage 1 branch from its own Riolu, meaning a single
Riolu can become either Lucario or Mega Lucario ex, never both. Its Fighting
Coach ability adds 20 damage to attacks used by your
Fighting Pokémon against the opponent's Active Pokémon,
which is the glue holding the deck's math together. It can also swing
Submarine Blow for 40 if forced to fight, but with 100 HP and a retreat cost
of 2 it belongs on the Bench, coaching from safety.
Riolu is the hinge of the whole deck, and both copies usually hit the Bench on
turn one. Jab for a single Fighting Energy does 20 damage,
fine in a pinch but not the plan. At 60 HP it is fragile, so Poké Ball and
Pokémon Communication exist largely to find both copies fast. One Riolu is
earmarked for Mega Lucario ex and the other for Lucario, so losing one
collapses half the strategy.
Matchups
| Matchup | Favorability | How to play it |
|---|---|---|
Darkrai ex and  Darkness Darkness partners | Heavily favored | Darkrai ex is weak to  Grass Grass, not Fighting Fighting, but a coached Fighting Pulse still hits 160, enough to knock out a 140 HP Darkrai ex in one swing. Lead Hitmontop, take the early exchange, and let Mega Lucario ex clean up. |
| Mega Manectric ex aggro | Favored | Nothing in your deck is weak to  Lightning Lightning, so their speed has to beat your HP totals fairly. Put Giant Cape on Mega Lucario ex for 210 HP and force two attacks per knockout. |
| Mirror match | Even | Whoever lands Fighting Coach plus a three Energy Mega Lucario ex first usually dictates the game. Use Field Blower to strip their Giant Cape, and never promote a damaged Mega Lucario ex into a knockout. |
| Mega Gardevoir ex control | Unfavored | Every Pokémon you play is weak to  Psychic Psychic, so all of their hits gain 20 damage. Chip early with Hitmontop, save Potion to break their knockout math, and only commit Mega Lucario ex when it can attack twice. |
| Mewtwo ex Psychic Psychic rush | Heavily unfavored | A fast Psychic Psychic deck punishes your weakness before Fighting Coach is even online. Sacrifice Hitmontop for tempo, keep Lucario out of harm's way, and accept that you must race rather than trade. |
Tech options and swaps
The single copy slots are where this list flexes. Giant Cape adds 20 HP and almost always belongs on Mega Lucario ex, stretching it to 210 so opposing 100 damage attackers need three turns instead of two. Field Blower answers opposing Tools and Stadiums, and against Tool-light fields it is the easiest slot to swap for a second Potion. Lucky Egg is a card-advantage Tool that smooths your draws, and Korrina is a Fighting Fighting-support Supporter next to Professor's Research, which simply draws 2 cards.
How to pilot it
- Dig toward Riolu and Hitmontop. Use Poké Ball immediately to pull a random Basic from the deck, and remember your Bench caps at 3.
- Turn 1: get Hitmontop into the Active spot and bench at least one Riolu. No Pokémon can evolve on turn 1, and if you went first you also receive no Energy from the Energy Zone this turn.
- Turn 2 onward: attach your one Fighting Energy per turn from the Energy Zone to Hitmontop first. Two attachments turn on Spinning Attack for 50 while the back row develops.
- Evolve on schedule. A Riolu that entered play last turn can evolve now, and you should usually make Lucario first so Fighting Coach boosts Hitmontop to 70 immediately, then evolve the second Riolu into Mega Lucario ex the following turn.
- Stack Mega Lucario ex to three Fighting Energy before promoting it. Two attachments give you 90 damage Fighting Pulse, but the third unlocks 140, or 160 with Lucario coaching, and that number defines the deck.
- Spend Trainers with purpose: Professor's Research draws 2 cards, Pokémon Communication swaps a spare Pokémon in hand for a random one from the deck, and Potion's 20 healing is best held until it breaks a knockout.
The classic misplays are all timing errors. Promoting Mega Lucario ex while it can be knocked out concedes 3 points on the spot, attacking for 90 when one more turn of charging wins the exchange wastes your best attack, and evolving both Riolu into the same branch leaves you without either your coach or your finisher.
Deck strengths
- A coached, fully charged Fighting Pulse hits 160, two-shotting nearly every Pokémon in the format
- Mega Lucario ex's 190 HP, or 210 with Giant Cape, demands multiple attacks to remove
- Every attacker shares one Energy type, so attachments from the Energy Zone are never wasted
- Hitmontop is a real attacker that costs only 1 point when it goes down
- Retreat cost of 1 on both Hitmontop and Mega Lucario ex keeps pivots cheap
Deck weaknesses
- Every single Pokémon is weak to Psychic Psychic, gifting those decks 20 extra damage on each hit
- One knockout on Mega Lucario ex awards 3 points and ends the game immediately
- Fighting Pulse needs a third Energy for full damage, so the deck rewards patient ramping
- The damage math leans on Lucario, a 100 HP Pokémon, surviving all game
- Healing is thin, with a single Potion as the only recovery
Is it worth building?
Yes, and it is one of the friendlier Mega decks to learn. The plan is linear, the Energy demands are simple, and the payoff of a 160 damage attacker with 190 HP is obvious every game. You will lose some games to Psychic Psychic decks no matter how well you play, but if you enjoy clean, aggressive lines with one big decision per turn, this deck delivers exactly that.
