


Butterfree and Mega Sceptile ex Deck Guide in Pokémon TCG Pocket
Let Caterpie evolve itself for free, then grind out points with a self-healing Butterfree and a 130-damage closer
Butterfree and Mega Sceptile ex is a Grass evolution deck that cheats the Stage 2 timeline: Caterpie's Quick Growth ability evolves it into Metapod automatically at the end of your opponent's turn, and Quick-Grow Extract finishes the job so Butterfree can attack on turn two. From there you win a slow points war, trading a 1-point, self-healing Butterfree into the opponent's 2-point ex attackers, with Mega Sceptile ex as the closer.
The decklist
How it works
Caterpie is a 40 HP Basic that only Hooks for 10 with one
หญ้า, but its Quick Growth ability is the entire reason
this deck exists. At the end of your opponent's turn, if Caterpie sits in the
Active Spot, it pulls the evolution straight from your deck and evolves on the
spot, no card from hand required. Lead Caterpie on turn one and it is already
a Metapod before your second turn starts, a full turn ahead of the normal
clock. Your opening priority is simple: Caterpie goes in front, everything
else waits.
Butterfree is the workhorse, a 130 HP Stage 2 whose Sunny Wind deals 60 damage
for a single
หญ้า and heals 20 from itself every time it
attacks. An opponent chipping for 60 a turn effectively only gains 40 of
progress, so plenty of two-hit knockouts quietly become three. The points math
is where it shines: Butterfree gives up only 1 point when it falls while every
ex it knocks out hands you 2, so even losing both copies leaves the opponent
short of 3 points. With a Retreat Cost of 1 it also rotates out cheaply when a
knockout is unavoidable.
Mega Sceptile ex is the closer: 210 HP and Terminating Tail for
![]()
หญ้า, which deals 130, discards a
หญ้า Energy from itself, and Poisons the opponent's
Active Pokémon for 10 more at the checkup, 140 total before their next turn.
You reach it through the single Treecko, either by Rare Candy straight past
Grovyle or by chaining Quick-Grow Extract up the line, and since the attack
eats an Energy each use you must keep attaching every turn. The catch is
brutal: a Mega ex gives up 3 points when knocked out, the whole game at once,
so it stays on the Bench until it can end the game or sit safely out of reach.
Fragrant Forest is the consistency engine and the reason a deck with six
evolution cards still curves out. Once during each player's turn, this Stadium
lets that player put a random Basic
หญ้า Pokémon from
their deck into their hand, which for you means Caterpie or Treecko, exactly
the bodies you need early. Two copies mean you usually see one in the opening
turns, and the second replaces it if the opponent drops their own Stadium. The
effect is symmetrical, so opposing Grass decks fetch too, which is when your
own Field Blower earns its slot.
Matchups
| Matchup | Favorability | How to play it |
|---|---|---|
| Miraidon ex and Magnezone | Favored | Their fast Basic ex beatdown is exactly what Butterfree wants to see: every knockout you score is worth 2 points and every Butterfree they take back is worth 1. Keep Sunny Wind flowing so the 20 healing breaks their two-hit math, and leave Mega Sceptile ex in the deck unless you are closing. |
| Zoroark ex and Mega Absol ex | Even | Their chip damage erodes Butterfree faster than the healing repairs, but their board is full of multi-point targets. Trade patiently with Butterfree first, and remember their Mega ex is worth 3 points if you line up the 130 plus Poison finish. |
| Milotic ex and Darkrai | Even | Water Pulse putting Butterfree to sleep turns off both Sunny Wind and its healing, and Darkrai punishes every turn you stay down. Open with Chingling's Item lock to slow their setup, and use Cyrus to drag a damaged Bench piece forward on turns where sleep would stall you. |
| Mega Sceptile ex and Greninja | Unfavored | Their Terminating Tail deals 130, knocking out a 130 HP Butterfree in one hit and making your healing irrelevant. Greninja also snipes your 40 HP Caterpie before Quick Growth triggers, so bench both Caterpie early and hunt their ex for 2-point trades. |
| Mega Blaziken ex and Greninja | Heavily unfavored | Every attacker you own is |
Tech options and swaps
The one-of slots are the flexible part of the list. Chingling is a free-retreat opener whose Jingly Noise costs any single Energy, deals 10, and stops the opponent playing Items on their next turn, at its best against Rare Candy decks; a second copy is the first addition if your ladder is full of them. Cyrus converts leftover damage from Grovyle's Slicing Snipe, which puts 50 on a Benched Pokémon for ![]()
หญ้า, into finished knockouts, and aggressive pilots can justify doubling it or the Rare Candy. Field Blower answers opposing Tools and Stadiums, while Copycat is the cut if you want a second Cyrus, since Professor's Research already covers raw draw.
How to pilot it
- Deck setup: register only
หญ้า Energy in your Energy Zone. Every attack is paid in
หญ้า, and Chingling's Jingly Noise accepts any Energy anyway. - Turn one: put Caterpie in the Active Spot no matter what else you hold. Going first you get no Energy from the Energy Zone, so spend the turn on Fragrant Forest, Professor's Research, and benching a second Basic; at the end of your opponent's turn Quick Growth makes Metapod.
- Turn two: play Quick-Grow Extract on Metapod to pull Butterfree from the deck, attach
หญ้า, and Sunny Wind for 60. A Stage 2 attacking this early outpaces almost every fair curve. - Early turns: use Fragrant Forest every turn to pull Caterpie or Treecko into hand, and develop a second attacker on the Bench. If Butterfree is delayed, Metapod's Ram for 30 on one
หญ้า is a serviceable stall, but mind its Retreat Cost of 2. - Midgame: build the Treecko line behind the wall. Rare Candy jumps Treecko straight to Mega Sceptile ex, or Quick-Grow Extract climbs through Grovyle, whose Slicing Snipe drops 50 onto a Benched target for Cyrus to drag out later.
- Closing: count points constantly. Two ex knockouts with Butterfree wins outright at 3 points, and Terminating Tail's 130 plus 10 Poison finishes anything Sunny Wind has touched twice. Only promote Mega Sceptile ex when the game ends first, because it hands over 3 points.
- Misplays to avoid: evolving Caterpie from hand and wasting Quick Growth; using Quick-Grow Extract on a Pokémon played that same turn, which the card forbids; promoting Mega Sceptile ex early; and forgetting Terminating Tail discards a
หญ้า Energy, leaving you short next turn.
Deck strengths
- Quick Growth plus Quick-Grow Extract puts a Stage 2 attacker into play by turn two, far ahead of any normal schedule
- Sunny Wind's 20 self-heal every attack wrecks two-hit knockout math for a 130 HP body
- The points trade is lopsided: Butterfree costs the opponent 1 point while ex knockouts pay you 2
- Both main attacks run on cheap
หญ้า costs, so a missed attachment rarely stalls the deck - Fragrant Forest gives a free Basic search every turn without spending your Supporter
Deck weaknesses
- Every attacker is weak to
ไฟ, so those decks land 20 extra damage on the whole board - 60 damage per Sunny Wind is slow math into 150 HP and larger targets, needing three or more clean hits
- Caterpie must sit Active at 40 HP for Quick Growth, and a fast opponent simply knocks it out first
- Mega Sceptile ex is a 3-point liability the moment it is promoted, and the deck runs only one copy
Is it worth building?
Yes, if you enjoy tempo decks that win on points math rather than raw damage. The cost is moderate: the Caterpie line and Mega Sceptile ex come from the newest sets, but the Trainer shell is staples you likely own, and only one copy of the expensive Mega is needed. It suits patient pilots who track knockout counts, hold the closer until it is safe, and squeeze value from every heal. Players who want games over by turn four should pick a faster ex deck, because Butterfree wins long, grinding games, and it folds whenever
ไฟ is popular on the ladder.















