Pokemon TCG Pocket: Best Zapdos ex deck guide

Pokemon TCG Pocket greatly differs from the franchise's physical card game as the developers have changed a few details to adapt it for mobile audiences. One of these alterations cuts down deck sizes from a maximum of 60 to only 20. This greatly impacts how players build their decks.

With so many ex cards in the first expansion, some players may want to build a team around one or two. Among the more popular choices is Zapdos. The Electric typing is incredibly popular in the game at the moment, but not necessarily because of Zapdos.

Note: Some aspects of this article are subjective and reflect the writer's opinions

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Is Zapdos ex worth using in Pokemon TCG Pocket?

Zapdos lacks consistency, and is weak to other Electric-type attacks (Image via The Pokemon Company)

While Zapdos can appear captivating, it lacks consistency in Pokemon TCG Pocket due to its Thundering Hurricane's damage being determined by coin flips. This attack can deal a maximum of 200 damage. However, it can also deal no damage, wasting a turn. The creature's other attack, Peck, only deals 20 damage.

Even among the other members of its trio, Zapdos is the weakest option. Articuno can damage Pocket Monsters on the opponent's bench, and Moltres can generate free Fire energy for its team, but Zapdos can only deal serious damage occasionally.

As such, building a deck with Zapdos ex as the focus in Pokemon TCG Pocket is not recommended. If users really want an ex Electric-type monster to build their deck around, Pikachu ex is the much better option as it can actually deal consistent damage with a little bit of set-up.

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What cards should players use for a Zapdos ex deck in Pokemon TCG Pocket?

CARD	QUANTITY
Red Card	x2
Poke Ball	x2
Professor's Research	x2
X-Speed	x2
Potion	x2
Sabrina	x2
Eelektross	x2
Zapdos ex	x2
Tynamo	x2
Eelektrik	x2

This deck is great with Zapdos ex as the main focus. To make the most use out of it, players must rely on lucky pulls and decent energy placement in order to keep both Eelektross and Zapdos in fighting order.

Eelektross can only hit for 80 damage, being capable of two-shotting most cards in the game. Zapdos can get lucky and deal enough damage to one-shot with Thundering Hurricane, but perfectly succeeding the coin flip with four heads is required. For players wanting to use an ex card capable of dishing out uncomparable damage, there are better options available.

Charizard ex and a Fire-themed deck will serve players much better. Charizard can deal 200 damage with its strongest attack at the cost of an additional energy.

Zapdos' cheaper energy cost can be seen as a slight advantage, but only if players are feeling lucky. Additionally, players will have to pass an additional coin flip for the chance of Eelektross paralyzing its target, making this strategy incredibly inconsistent.

Zapdos is also weak to attacks from Electric-type Pokemon. This means that there are better Electric-type decks that players can build, and they all effectively counter Zapdos ex.

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