Pokémon TCG Pocket: Palkia EX Deck Guide

While much of the hype surrounding the Space-Time Smackdown set of Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket is centered around Dialga EX, you’re going to have a bad time if you ignore the power Palkia EX brings to the table — especially when you consider cards like Misty and newcomer Manaphy.

It may not look like a Water type Pokémon but Palkia EX functions as the perfect frontline for Water-based decks, getting an attack off for just one Water energy while saving up for big splash damage against your opponent’s entire board.

This guide delves deep into what you need to know to make the most of Palkia EX — one of the more skill-heavy cards yet — and what options you have to play alongside it.

Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket - Best Palkia EX Deck (Space-Time Smackdown)

Palkia enters the meta at a very respectable A Tier ranking, and it has two great attacks: Slash, which does 30 damage for one Water energy, and Dimensional Storm, which does 150 damage to your opponent’s active Pokémon and 20 to each benched Pokémon. There’s a catch, however, as Dimensional Storm discards 3 Water energy from Palkia EX.

Believe it or not, Palkia EX’s 150 HP and Slash attack make it a great card, not Dimensional Storm. 30 Damage for cheap on a big body that allows you to set up shouldn’t be underestimated. As a result, Palkia EX looks great in a few different shells. Here’s the one we think is best:

Core Palkia EX Cards

• 2x Palkia EX
• 2x Starmie EX
• 2x Staryu
• 2x Manaphy
• 2x Poké Ball
• 2x Giant Cape
• 2x Dawn
• 2x Misty
• 2x Professor’s Research
• 2x Leaf

Flex Palkia EX Cards

While the Core 20 cards are certain to net some wins, Palkia EX also pairs well with several other Water types, including Gyarados EX, Greninja, and the new Mamoswine line. However, we believe the straightforward attack power of Starmie EX is by far the best partner for Palkia, as you can save all that other water energy for a big Dimensional Storm finisher.

2x Manaphy might not be the right call, however. It’s not a bad idea to switch one out for Sabrina or a Pokémon tool like Rocky Helmet for more chip damage.

How To Play Palkia EX

With this deck, you’ll want to get Manaphy out early and start using Oceanic Gift to spread Water-type energy to your Staryu and Palkia EX on your bench. However, if you’re going first against a deck that can attack on the first turn, you might want to lead with Palkia EX as you build up the back line. Leaf is great for swapping Palkia EX out into Starmie EX for big hits or into Manaphy to spread energy.

Giant Cape helps keep Manaphy alive and can even give you more time to build up to Dimensional Storm. For the most part, you’re going to want to chip opponents with Palkia’s slash before hitting them with Starmie EX’s 90 damage Hydro Splash.

You can also steal some wins with good Misty flips, allowing you to Dimensional Storm early and clean up with Starmie EX.

Finally, Dawn is a great inclusion in this deck as Starmie EX can retreat for no cost and you can shift energy from it onto Palkia EX, building up for a surprise Dimensional Storm.

Palkia EX Best and Worst Matchups

As Fire-type decks don’t look so potent in Space-Time Smackdown, Palkia EX doesn’t have a clear matchup winner, but given the high ceiling of damage output of this deck and the speed of Starmie EX, it should do well against most other lists. Starmie EX, for example, does well enough against Celebi EX.

While still an uphill battle, Palkia EX can survive a hit from Pikachu EX, chip damage a little bit, and have Starmie EX come in and sweep up the match. It also struggles against Gyarados EX as the Magikarp evolution can knock energy off Palkia EX and Starmie EX dies in one shot; that said, if you get lucky with Misty before your opponent does you have a shot at victory.

Need more advice on building the best Space-Time Smackdown decks? We've got an up-to-date Tier List on all of the most competitive decks in the TCG Pocket meta right now.