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Darkrai ex appears to be a top-tier meta deck inPokemon TCG Pocketonce again. This sturdy Darkness-type Pokemon dropped from the PvP ladder after June’s miniset, Eevee Grove, launched. However, recent data shows it is climbing back toward the top of the metagame, though how long it will stay there remains unclear.
Many fans argue that Darkrai ex is the most broken card inPokemon TCG Pocket. It has survived multiple expansions, some seemingly designed to push the Darkness beast out of the meta. Others believe this recent resurgence might be its last time dominating the PvP arena, arguing the card is just one strike away from falling into mid-tier status and that the upcoming set will likely end its reign.
If you’re looking to run a Darkrai ex setup inPokemon TCG Pocket’s current “economy,” you’re in the right place. We’ve selected the top three decks for this Darkness-type card, ranked from the best for the meta to the most budget-friendly and the most fun to play. Here’s everything you need to know aboutDarkrai ex and its top-performing decks.
Darkrai ex and Nihilego decks areenhanced versions of DarkTina setups. The concept is similar: stall, deal chip damage, charge up two damage dealers, and finish off your opponent. However, Nihilego adds a new twist by increasing the usual 20-point chip damage to 50.
Nihilego has the ability “More Poison,” which, as the title suggests, increases thePoison Special Condition’s damageby 10 points. In other words, if you have two Nihilego cards on the board and the opponent’s Active Pokemon is poisoned, it will take 30 damage per turn instead of the usual 10.
Teaming up Nihilego with Darkrai ex and Giratina ex adds more power to an already strong lineup. The deck still uses Giratina ex as the primary damage dealer, but now boosts its damage by 50 points, raising it to a total of 180. The downside is that you must poison the opponent for this strategy to work. If the opponent prevents your poisoning effect, the two Nihilego cards become essentially useless.
The original DarkTina setups remain meta-relevant. Since most players already have the necessary cards, these decks are now considered budget-friendly meta options.
DarkTina’s strategy hasn’t changed much since it first appeared. You sacrifice a Pokemon as a staller while building up Darkrai ex and Giratina ex on the Bench.
There are now better Trainer Cards to support the Darkness-Psychic duo. you’re able to empower the deck’s staller with a Poison Barb instead of the old Rocky Helmet. Guzma can also be included to counter enemy Pokemon Tools.
Pokemon TCG Pocket’sEevee Grove expansion introduced several fun Darkness decks, thanks to the addition of Umbreon. This Darkness-type Pokemon pairs perfectly with Darkrai ex and Nihilego, which have become the defining names of the archetype.
Ideally, your board should include one Umbreon in the Active spot, one Darkrai ex on the Bench, and two Nihilego cards in the remaining free spots. Umbreon deals 40 damage with just one Energy, allowing you to start chipping away at the opponent’s HP early. Equip Umbreon with a Poison Barb to activate Nihilego’s ability, adding up to 30 extra damage. With Darkrai ex contributing 20 damage per turn from the Bench, your total damage output can reach 90 per turn.
The only drawback of this deck is its relatively low average damage output. While it can dish out 90 damage early, it struggles against staller decks that bring out high-damage, high-HP Pokemon in the late game. Still, the new Darkrai ex and Umbreon setups remain some of the most enjoyable Darkness-type decks to play, thanks to their satisfying synergies when everything clicks.
Darkrai ex Umbreon Play Strategy
Most Effective Darkrai ex Counters
Based onrecent PvP data, the most effective Darkrai ex counters appear to beBuzzwole ex decks. This Ultra Beast’s alliance with Celesteela and Pheromosa has achieved an average win rate of 64%—an impressive feat.
Other strong counters to Darkrai ex include the new Charizard ex–Sylveon ex setups, along with the anti-meta Greninja-Oricorio and Silvally-Oricorio decks from previous expansions.
In terms of PvP win rate, the Greninja-Oricorio duo may seem to be the strongest Darkrai ex counter, winning around 80% of its matchups against the Darkness-type beast. However, it ranks below Buzzwole ex on the list of top counters due to lower usage. In other words, Buzzwole ex has delivered more consistent results across a higher volume of matches, making it the preferred counter.
Darkrai ex Performance Report (Eevee Grove Era)
Darkrai ex decks appear to be back at the top of the meta after a brief decline following therelease of the Eevee Grove set. This resurgence is largely thanks to a fresh partner: Nihilego from the Extradimensional Crisis set. The Ultra Beast has enabled Darkrai ex to go head-to-head with the new top decks, making it the second most-utilized setup in the metagame.
Thecurrent top deck inPokemon TCG Pocket’s metaappears to be the Greninja-Sylveon ex duo, holding about 12% of the metagame. Darkrai ex is close behind the Water-Psychic pair, though it remains to be seen if its presence will stay strong in the coming weeks.
Darkrai ex’s performance stats are based on recent tournaments and may differ slightly by the time you read this.
The Future of Darkrai ex Decks in Pokemon TCG Pocket
Nihilego has seemingly given the infamous DarkTina setup a new surge in popularity. However, the Ultra Beast’s synergy may not be enough to keep Darkrai ex and Giratina ex as relevant as before. They’re currently near the top of the meta alongside some strong decks, but that might be because most players aren’t actively targeting Darkrai ex and its deck shells.
If the Darkness-Psychic duo becomes a problem again, the meta now has a wider range of counters ready to respond. A new Charizard ex lineup appears to destroy Darkrai ex decks. The Greninja-Sylveon ex duo is also strong against Darkness decks featuring Darkrai ex. Additionally,Oricorio anti-meta deckscan quickly pull DarkTina down from the top of the metagame ladder.
That said, there’s a chance thatPokemon TCG Pocket’s next major expansioncould revive or evolve Darkrai ex decks. We’ve already seen this happen with the addition of Nihilego, and it could happen again. In the coming months, it will be interesting to see whether Darkrai ex retires to theTCG PocketHall of Fame or continues to dominate rising decks as it has in recent seasons.
