Pokémon TCG Pocket Deck Guide - Venusaur ex
Pokémon TCG Pocket
Pokémon TCG Pocket is a mobile adaptation of the popular Pokémon Trading Card Game, designed to offer a simplified and accessible version of the classic card game for players on the go. Released in 2024, the game lets players collect and battle with Pokémon cards in a streamlined format, featuring daily booster packs, easy-to-understand mechanics, and vibrant digital visuals.
In this article, we’ll dive into a deck guide for Venusaur ex, offering tips and strategies to help you build and master a winning deck in Pokémon TCG Pocket.
Other Deck Guides:
Venusaur ex
This deck focuses on leveraging Venusaur ex's substantial 190 HP and healing abilities to establish a resilient presence on the battlefield. Its Giant Bloom attack not only delivers 100 damage but also heals 30 damage from Venusaur ex, enhancing its durability. Supporting this strategy are Trainer cards like Potion, which heals 20 damage, and the specialized supporter Erika, who heals 50 damage from a Grass-type Pokémon. Additionally, the deck includes Pokémon like Lilligant to accelerate Energy attachment, ensuring Venusaur ex can maintain consistent offensive pressure. While the deck's reliance on healing and vulnerability to Fire-type Pokémon are challenges, its focus on endurance and strategic healing makes it a solid choice for players who prefer a defensive playstyle.
Example Decklist:
- x2 Bulbasaur
- x2 Ivysaur
- x2 Venusaur ex
- x2 Petilil
- x2 Liligant
- x2 Poké Ball
- x1 Potion
- x1 X Speed
- x2 Professor's Research
- x2 Erika
- x2 Sabrina
image from pokemon-zone.com
Booster Packs
There are currently three different booster packs in Pokémon Pocket: Genetic Apex Charizard, Genetic Apex Pikachu, and Genetic Apex Mewtwo. There are some shared cards across all three booster packs - i.e. Psyduck - but there are some cards that are unique to a specific pack - like Blastoise is exclusive to the Genetic Apex Pikachu booster packs. The following booster packs are what you need to focus on in order to pull the cards necessary to build the above deck.
(◊ - Common, ◊◊ - Uncommon, ◊◊◊ - Rare, ◊◊◊◊ - Ultra Rare)
Genetic Apex Charizard
- Erika - ◊◊
- Sabrina - ◊◊
Genetic Apex Mewtwo
- Bulbasaur - ◊
- Ivysaur - ◊◊
- Venusaur ex - ◊◊◊◊
All Booster Packs
- Petilil - ◊
- Lilligant - ◊◊
The following cards are available in the Shop for two Shop Tickets per copy.
- Poké Ball
- Potion
- X Speed
- Professor's Research
The three different booster pack options
The Pokémon
- Bulbasaur
- Ivysaur
- Venusaur ex
- Petilil
- Lililgant
Bulbasaur & Ivysaur
There's not too much to say about these two cards as they are simply requirements in order to evolve up into Venusaur ex. That being said, one thing to note is that they both require a good chunk of Energy to be able to attack. You probably won't ever attack with Bulbasaur as it requires two Energy and by then you will most likely have evolved it into Ivysaur. You probably won't attack much with Ivysaur either for the same reason as it requires three Energy to attack and by then you should have already evolved it into Venusaur ex if you are evolving every turn you are able to do so.
Venusaur ex
The star of the whole deck. It has a massive 190 HP and its Giant Bloom attack deals an okay 100 damage, while also healing Venusaur ex for 30 HP. Combined with Potion and Erika you can heal a whopping 100 HP in a single turn! This can make it an absolute nightmare for decks like Starmie ex who won't be able to take it down once you get it established. Venusaur ex does require four Energy before it can start using Giant Bloom, but with the aforementioned Potions and Erika you can keep it alive long enough to get those Energy on it. You can also accelerate Energy with Lilligant which we'll get to in a moment.
Petilil
This Pokémon is simply here so we can evolve into Lilligant. One thing to note is that it can heal itself for 10 HP with its attack. This can be useful at the start of the game as you want to be starting with this little guy. The 10 HP might seem negligible, but can potentially buy you a turn or two if your opponent is having a weak opening as well.
Lilligant
If it wasn't for Lilligant this deck might not even be remotely viable. Its attack requires two Grass Energy to use and deals 50 damage. It also has an effect where you can take one Grass Energy from your Energy Zone and attach it to one of your benched Grass Pokémon - i.e, Bulbasaur. This means that if you are going second by the end of your third turn you can have a Lilligant in the Active Spot with two Energy attached and applying pressure to your opponent, while also having a Venusaur ex on your Bench with three Energy ready to switch in next turn and start stalling your opponent.
The beauty of this is that while, yes, you could just manually attach three Energy over the course of three turns instead of using Lilligant and still have a Venusaur ex on the field with three Energy attached, but Lilligant will have done at least 100 damage to your opponent's Pokémon. The ability to put pressure on your opponent while you set up your stall tactic is makes their board weaker for Venusaur ex to come in and start sweeping.
The Item Cards
- Poké Ball
- Potion
- X Speed
Poké Ball
You really need to have both Bulbasaur and Petilil on the field on your first turn so you can evolve both of them during your next turn. Poké Ball helps with this. You can only have two copies of a card in your deck, so even though Poké Ball randomly selects a Basic Pokémon from your deck it still gives you a higher chance of having that ideal first turn.
Potion
Potion is a very strong card in this version of the Pokémon TCG. Healing 20 damage off of one of your Pokémon very often turns a 2HKO into a 3HKO. It also pairs extremely well with Venusaur ex's built-in healing making it even more bulky than it already is allowing you to heal for 50 total damage in a turn. If you pair these two with Erika you can heal for up to 100 damage in a single turn! There will be times where healing off 20 damage won't be useful immediately, so pay attention to what deck your opponent is playing and what options they have available to them on their next turn.
X Speed
X Speed is what you would call a momentum card as it can help prevent you from wasting Energy. It reduces the Retreat Cost of your Active Pokémon by one Energy. This synergizes perfectly with Lilligant as you can retreat it out for free since it only has a Retreat Cost of one Energy normally. This also works perfectly for those situations where you were forced to start Bulbasaur in the Active Spot at the start of the game but drew into Petilil. By using X Speed you can keep the Energy momentum by retreating Bulbasaur for free and manually attaching your Energy for turn to Petilil.
The Supporters
- Sabrina
- Professor's Research
- Erika
Sabrina
Sabrina is another disruption card that forces your opponent to swap out their Active Pokémon with one on their bench (they decide which one). This perfect for getting an annoying Pokémon out of the Active, but can also potentially help you snipe a weak Pokémon they may have retreated during their previous turn. This is also a card to look out for if your opponent has one in their deck. This card being used against you is also one reason why X Speed is used in this deck. If you ever got into a situation where you were forced to put up your Ivysaur you could use an X Speed to help pivot back into Lilligant or even Venusaur ex if you are late into the game. Manage your resources wisely and keep in mind what tricks your opponent might have for you.
Professor's Research
Professor's Research, much like in the main TCG, is here for consistency. It allows you to draw two cards from your deck. We only play with 20 cards, so being able to draw 10% of your deck in one go is absolutely massive.
Erika
This Supporter was built specifically with this deck in mind. Or well, maybe not, but it is hard to argue otherwise! This Support will heal one of your Grass Pokémon for 50 damage. As previously mentioned this pairs amazingly with Potion and Venusaur ex's healing attack.
Keep in mind that you can only play one Supporter a turn, so you won't be able to heal with Erika while also using Sabrina to disrupt your opponent. Knowing when to heal and play defensively, and when to be aggressive with this deck will take a while playing it and learning your matchups.
The Meta
This is where the top decks currently sit in the meta.
S Tier
- Mewtwo ex
- Pikachu ex
A Tier
- Starmie ex
- Charizard ex
B Tier
- Marowak ex
C Tier
- Venusaur ex
Matchups
Venusaur ex has... poor matchups into all the decks in the current meta. If your opponent has a really bad start then Venusaur ex can quickly capitalize on that, but it is mostly going to be uphill battles for this deck all the way around.
vs. Mewtwo ex
Mewtwo ex is a very slow deck as it relies on evolving all the way up to Gardevoir in order to consistently deal massive damage each turn. If you can disrupt them by putting a Ralts in the Active early on with Sabrina then you can potentially buy yourself a turn or two. That's all you need to come out slightly ahead if your deck is being optimal, i.e Venusaur by turn four with three Energy attached already.
However, once Mewtwo ex has its four Energy and there is a Gardevoir on their Bench it is game over for you.
vs. Pikachu ex
Pikachu ex is not capable of OHKO'ing your Venusaur ex or Lilligant even if they have a full Bench as their damage caps at 90 or 100 with Giovanni. Zapdos ex can OHKO your whole deck if they get lucky with coin flips, but they have to invest three Energy into it which can be difficult for them to do, and you will be able to see their plan and be able to plan around that.
The real threat to your deck is their Raichu which can hit for 140, and they can very easily get it loaded up thanks to Lt. Surge. This means that in order for your Venusaur ex to survive being 2HKO'd, you will have to use both Erika and a Potion. These two cards, plus the 30 healing from Venusaur's attack will heal you just enough to where even if they use a Giovanni they still won't be able to 2HKO you. Make sure you hold on to your healing items in this matchup!
vs. Charizard ex
Much like the Mewtwo ex, this deck is reliant on evolving a Stage 2 Pokémon, i.e. Charizard ex. This deck can quickly get a lot of Energy out on the field each turn so the faster you can get their Moltres ex off the field the better your odds are.
Be mindful of their Bench though as Charizard ex can OHKO your Venusaur ex. Sabrina can be a very clutch card if they are unfortunate enough to only have a single Charmander on their Bench and nothing else. Remember, they have to attack with Moltres ex (the attack does no damage) in order to accelerate Energy to their Bench. Lilligant can 2HKO a Charmeleon and this is your best shot at victory.
vs. Starmie ex
The thing that Venusaur ex has going for it is the bulk that the Pokemon in the deck have, as well as Venusaur ex's ability to 2HKO the entire Starmie ex deck.
Ivysaur requires an Articuno ex to use Giovanni to OHKO it, and Lilligant is just strong enough to where a Giovanni isn't going to help Articuno ex. Starmie ex can OHKO Ivysaur and can do the same to Lilligant with a Giovanni boosting it, so your best shot at success against this deck is to keep Articuno ex in the active.
If you manage to get a Venusaur ex online in this matchup you can take the lead as Starmie ex is unable to 2HKO thanks to Venussaur's built-in healing. Keep in mind though that Starmie ex has free Retreat cost so can pivot quite easily. You may have a difficult time getting KO's against this deck, but as long as you play your healing cards optimally you can win the match.
vs. Marowak ex
The biggest threat to your deck is Mankey/Primeape. They can freely use Mankey's attack to damage itself as all of the Pokémon in your deck that could OHKO it require at least two Energy to do so. This means they can evolve into Primeape the following turn and start swinging for a massive 100 damage. If they manage to get a Primeape set up like this you need to try to stall, or ideally prevent this from happening by using Sabrina and hope they don't have an X Speed. They need two Energy to use Primeape's attack, so if you can force them to use an Energy on a different Pokémon then you can potentially swing the match in your favor.
If they don't start with Mankey they can still wreck havoc with Marowak ex so. The bright side to this is that even if they flip two heads with Marowak ex's attack they won't be able to OHKO your Venusaur ex. The odds are in your favor, you just have to get a Venusaur ex established.
vs. Venusaur ex
This mirror match is probably the slowest and most boring matchup in the entire game currently. It really truly is a battle of resource management. The most damage this deck can do is 100, so this means that even if you don't use any other healing cards (Potion or Erika) and are just healing from Venusaur's attack then the best outcome you can hope for is a 3HKO.
Your best bet is to switch out your opponent's Venusaur ex to bring up a Lilligant or Ivysaur so you can OHKO them. Remember, save your healing items the best you can so you can out-stall your opponent.
Good Luck!
The Venusaur ex deck thrives on longevity, healing, and bulk. With Venusaur ex at the helm, it can sustain damage while dishing out consistent attacks. The synergy with Erika and energy acceleration from Lilligant makes this deck resilient, with its defensive strategy supported by strong healing abilities. While its reliance on healing and vulnerability to Fire-type Pokémon are challenges, this deck excels at outlasting opponents, making it a solid choice for players who favor endurance over raw speed.
