Howdy! The Pokemon Pocket A2a Triumphant Light expansion kicked off, introducing 96 new cards! This is a mini-set to shake things up, but one Pokemon is looking a bit too worrying in this set. Arceus Ex has been a controversial topic since its reveal, fitting in multiple decks across different Elements.
Arceus Ex has a link between specific cards in this set, each link having a unique ability that empowers the Pokemon. On their own, those Pokemon might not seem too strong, but with Arceus Ex on the board, they activate their abilities making them much stronger in your deck.
We currently have 5 Links in Pokemon Pocket:
Power Link: Attacks used by this Pokémon do +30 damage to your opponent’s Active Pokémon.
Speed Link: Your Pokemon has no Retreat cost.
Vigor Link: Attacks used by this Pokemon cost 1 less Colorless Energy.
Resilience Link: This Pokemon takes -30 Damage from Attacks.
Cunning Link: You may do 30 damage to your opponent’s Active Pokémon.
Arceus Ex is a 140 HP Colorless Pokemon with a defensive ability, Fabled Luster, that reads “this Pokemon can’t be affected by any Special Condition”. This is a situation ability, but can protect Arceus Ex from Special Conditions like Asleep, Poisoned, and Burned. Read more on Special Conditions.
Arceus Ex attacks for 70 damage with Ultimate Force. For 3 Colorless Energy, 70 damage isn’t cutting it, luckily, for each Benched Pokemon on our side, our Ultimate Force gains 20 damage, so it can deal 130 damage.
The non-ex Arceus is at 120 HP, having a 4 Colorless Energy attack, Power Blast, that deals 100 damage, and then discards a random Energy from this Pokemon.
The main reason Arceus Ex and Arceus are played in the deck is to activate the Link ability of your other Pokemon, and since each Pokemon is of a different element, Arceus can be played in a variety of decks.
Dialga ex Arceus ex
The Dialga ex version doesn’t rely on Arceus ex’s Link, instead it wants to ramp up through Dialga ex’s Metallic Turbo and use Arceus ex as an attacker to win games.
Shaymin heals your Pokemon for 10 damage once per turn, making it harder for the opposing player to knock them out.
Arceus ex Crobat
Cunning Link is the most threatening of the five Links, dealing 30 damage to the opponent’s Active Pokemon. This deck synergizes Crobat‘s Cunning Link with Darkrai ex‘s Nightmare Aura, allowing you to deal 50 damage without ending your turn—30 from Crobat and 20 from Darkrai ex, applying consistent ability-based damage every turn.
Crobat‘s Darkness Fang requires just one Darkness Energy to attack, dealing 50 damage. Combined with the ability-based damage, this can secure quick knockouts. If you manage to evolve into two Crobat, the extra damage ramps up even further, getting knockouts easier.
To activate Nightmare Aura, you must attach a Darkness Energy to Darkrai ex, gradually building up to three Energy. This setup enables Dark Prism, which deals 80 damage to an opponent’s Active Pokemon.
Abomasnow Arceus ex
The Water Arceus ex activates Abomasnow‘s Vigor Link, reducing the Energy cost of Megapunch by one Colorless Energy. This means you only need to attach two Water Energy to start attacking for 80 damage.
We want Manaphy in the Active Spot at the beginning of the game to use its Oceanic Gift, which attaches a Water Energy to two of our Benched Pokemon. This setup allows both Abomasnow and Arceus ex to become viable attackers.
Irida is the new Supporter from the A2a expansion, healing 40 damage from all of our Pokemon with Water Energy attached. This adds even more value to running Manaphy in the deck.
Carnevine Magnezone Arceus ex
The Grass Energy deck utilizes Carnivine‘s Power Link to boost its Vine Whip attack to 50 damage. With just one Grass Energy, you can apply early-game pressure and potentially secure a Match Point. Once you have three Grass Energy attached, Arceus ex becomes a powerful attacker, dealing 130 damage per turn with a full Bench.
Meanwhile, you’re evolving into Magneton to activate Volt Charge, accelerating two Lightning Energy onto your Pokémon. With just one additional Grass Energy, Magnezone is ready to attack, delivering Thunder Bolt for 110 damage.
Since we can’t afford to give up two Match Points too easily, Leaf plays a key role in retreating Arceus ex to the Bench. This forces the opponent to use Cyrus if they want to secure those two Match Points.
Retreat Arceus ex
You have multiple Pokemon with no Retreat Cost, allowing you to switch in and out freely without losing resources. Crobat is one of them, capable of dealing 50 damage with Darkness Fang. Additionally, if Arceus ex is in play, it activates Cunning Link, dealing 30 damage per turn without passing your turn.
Heatran and Rotom benefit from Speed Link, which is activated through Arceus ex, reducing their Retreat Cost to 0. This is especially valuable for Heatran, which normally has a 3 Energy Retreat Cost. Heatran deals 40 damage, but if it has damage counters on it, its attack jumps to 80 damage against the opponent’s Active Pokemon. Rotom, on the other hand, only requires 1 Colorless Energy to use Dash Attack, allowing you to attach a Fire Energy and snipe a low-HP damaged Pokemon on your opponent’s Bench for 20 damage.
Since all your Pokemon have low-cost attacks, you can gradually attach Energy to Arceus ex, setting it up as a late-game attacker. With three Pokemon on your Bench, it can unleash 130 damage per turn, closing out games effectively.
Tyranitar Arceus
Tyranitar is another Power Link Pokemon, gaining 30 extra damage to its attacks if Arceus ex is in play. However, as a Stage 2 Pokemon with the costly Land Crush attack, its setup can be slow. To buy enough time, you’ll need strong early attackers.
Medicham relies on coin flips, but if you land heads, you’re dealing 80 damage—two successful hits can knock out nearly anything.
Once Tyranitar is on the field, you have a massive 160 HP Pokémon in the Active Spot—an imposing wall that can take hits and strike back hard.
