The Pokémon TCG Pocket meta is in a state of flux right now, but certain decks are consistently ranking near the top of tournaments, and this latest contestant has stepped up to the plate to combat them. Exeggutor decks are proving the ultimate answer to Darkrai ex, one of the coolest Pokémon cards in Space-Time Smackdown who, you’re probably well aware, is all over the public game queue right now.
Exeggutor Ex has a few things going for it. Firstly, of course, it’s a grass type, able to attack into Darkrai for an extra 20 damage a turn. Secondly, it’s a great tank. With 160 HP it can easily soak up three Nightmare Auras and a Dark Prism. And finally, its single attack costs only one energy.
Efficient Pokémon that can attack quickly for little bits of damage benefit more from advantageous type matchups than those that ‘power up’ for one hail mary move. They’re designed to take out opposing Pokémon across multiple attacks, each one of which gets the benefit of the 20 damage boost.
There are (at least) two successful Exeggutor decks in the meta right now, and impressively they took first and second place in the latest big tournament: Ursiiday’s Pocket Weekly 15, which took place on February 8, 2025 and had almost 1,900 contestants.
The first of these Darkrai-damning decks runs Yanmega Ex, whereas the second relies on Celebi Ex. The justification for either inclusion is obvious – each is a good Pokémon to stack energy on while Exeggutor sits up front attacking. I’m immediately reminded of an older Pokémon Pocket deck starring Wigglytuff, which also used an Exeggutor to tank while its owner set up.
There’s not a huge amount to differentiate the two – while Yanmega Ex came top of the Pocket Weekly tournament, Celebi Ex seems to be doing better (or at least showing up in the top 5 more often) in smaller contests. Celebi has the advantage of fewer preevolutions, leaving lots more room for trainer cards. However, it does rely heavily on RNG. When all your attacks are dependent on coin flips, there are bound to be some upsets, which is perhaps why Yanmega proved the more consistent deck overall.
One of the best Space-Time Smackdown cards, released in late January, Darkrai is popping up in several top meta decks, such as this chip damage deck with Greninja, or this pairing with the very popular Magnezone. If it stays popular, it’s probably going to help Celebi stay top of the meta too.
For more Pokémon TCG stories, check out our guide to the newest Pokémon set or our list of the most expensive and rare Pokémon cards in the game.
Source: Wargamer
