Onix Kabutops is an off-meta deck in Pokemon Pocket which we don’t see much of, but can be fun to pick up! The list I’ll share was created by Mega Mogwai, who managed to sneak in wins against popular meta decks like Mewtwo ex.
The fighting deck uses Onix for the early game, capable of dishing out damage before you get Kabutops ready to join in and carry the game. The biggest perk in this deck is that it doesn’t run any ex Pokemon, so opponents will have to get a knockout on three of your Pokemon for them to win the game.
Onix Kabutops Decklist
How to Play
Early Onix
Since the list only has Onix as a Basic Pokemon, you’ll always have him in your starting hand per the rules of the game. Onix is a 110 HP Pokemon, so he doesn’t get knocked out easily in the early game.
The main goal is to get 3 Fighting Energy on Onix to attack with Land Crush, dealing 70 damage with each attack. 70 damage can be enough to knock out a Basic Pokemon, especially when boosted with a Giovanni. Onix will need two attacks to knock out a Pokemon with up to 140 HP, backed up with a Giovanni, you’ll knock out a 150 HP Pokemon with two attacks.
The biggest downside for Onix is his retreat cost, 4 Energy to retreat him to the Bench can be tough, but you might find yourself forced to do it at times to prevent your opponent from getting a Match point.
Onix‘s Land Crush requires 3 Fighting Energy to activate, so it’s a pretty slow strategy when we need that 70 damage as early as possible. This is where Brock comes to use, allowing you to attach a Fighting Energy to your Onix, letting you start attacking a turn earlier.
Kabutops Carry
Dome Fossil is a Trainer card, so you won’t necessarily have it at the start of your turn. You do though need it to evolve into a Kabuto. Kabuto is a tiny cute Pokemon, having 90 HP and dealing 40 damage with Shell Attack. Shell Attack needing only 1 Fighting Energy means we are attacking immediately with Kabuto.
Kabutops can be a slow strategy but once it’s in play, you want to start leeching on the opponent’s Life. Kabutops is a 140 HP Pokemon, dealing 50 damage with Leech Life. 50 damage can’t knock out a high-health Pokemon on the spot, but the drain ability of Leech Life gives Kabutops the durability it needs to remain in the Active spot for longer.
With every attack, you’re healing 50 damage from Kabutops, and combined with Giovanni, you’ll heal 60 damage, making sure you don’t easily get knocked out unless opponents have a 140+ damage attack.
Battle Cards
Giovanni gives an extra 10 damage to your attack, perfect if you’re missing 10 damage to knock out a Pokemon.
Sabrina forces the opponent to switch one of their Benched Pokemon to the Active spot. This can be annoying when played at the right time, especially if the opponent can’t easily switch back the Pokemon they want to the Active spot or have a valuable Pokemon on the Bench.
Both Giovanni and Sabrina are Supporter cards so you can play only one of them a turn.
Potion heals one of your Pokemon for 20 damage. You’ll usually use this to put your damaged Pokemon out of range of the opponent’s upcoming attack, preventing them from getting the match point.
Draw Value
Play Professor’s Research, a Supporter card that allows you to draw two cards, early in the game when you don’t need to play other Supporter cards like Sabrina or Giovanni.
Pokeball draws you a Basic Pokemon, so you’ll always draw the second Onix.
The Hand Scope + Red Card combo can be devastating for the opponent’s hand resources. The plan here is to use Hand Scope to gain information on what cards the opponent has in their hand, if there’s a specific card you don’t want them to hold onto, you can play Red Card to potentially get rid of it. If their hand is already awful, you can hold off playing Red Card so you don’t end up giving them the cards they’re missing.
Weaknesses
- This Onix Kabutops deck doesn’t have high-damage attacks that can knock out a Pokemon on the spot. You’ll usually need multiple attacks to get the match points.
- Onix‘s retreat cost can be tough. If you end up retreating him, he’ll become useless on the Bench, offering 0 offensive power since you won’t have the time to get 3 Fighting Energy on him.
