Pokémon TCG Pocket continues to release multiple booster packs themed after beloved Pokémon, whether it’s Dialga and Palkia or the many Eeveelutions. The most recent one, Wisdom of Sea and Sky, gives the spotlight to Ho-Oh and Lugia, the two legendary Pokémon who were initially introduced in the Johto region. While the pack’s Ho-Oh ex is an excellent card in its own right, it’s crucial to construct the best deck around it to ensure its strengths shine.
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What is the Ho-Oh ex card in Pokémon TCG Pocket?
Ho-Oh ex hails from the Wisdom of Sea and Sky set in Pokémon TCG Pocket and stands as the cover Pokémon for one of two packs. The Legendary Pokémon is a basic Fire-type that only has one move called Phoenix Turbo. Requiring three energy cards of any type, the attack deals 80 base damage, which is a relatively low amount for an ex Pokémon. However, the attack’s description makes Ho-Oh ex stand out, since using it lets the player take a Fire, Water, and Electric-type energy from their Energy Zone to attach it to their benched Pokémon in any way they like.
Despite being a Fire-type card, Ho-Oh ex’s weaknesses are Electric-type attacks, which deal 20 additional damage. While the card’s ex nature makes it so that it gives the enemy two points when it’s knocked out, the relatively low retreat cost of two energies of any type is a good escape plan if things go south.
-What are Ho-Oh ex’s biggest weaknesses?
Ho-Oh ex has three primary weaknesses. The first is that the card’s health is relatively low, having only 150 base health. Pair that with its Electric-type weakness, and Ho-Oh can get knocked out easily.
Then, there’s the card’s attack. Phoenix Turbo has two weaknesses. Firstly, the card requires three energy cards. While the energy cards can be of any type, this means that the card requires a long setup. Additionally, it only deals 80 base damage, which isn’t enough to combat most strong cards. Fortunately, players can pair Ho-Oh ex with good support cards that help it switch out after it’s done with its job, and LootBar can help get those cards.
What are the best Ho-Oh ex decks in Pokémon TCG Pocket?
Naturally, Pokémon TCG Pocket encourages players to experiment with their decks to find the ideal middle point. However, using a good deck as a baseline is a good idea to build a strong deck that covers most weaknesses. Our picks for the best Ho-Oh ex decks in Pokémon TCG Pocket include the Lugia ex and Dragonite ex decks.
-Lugia ex switch deck
The first Ho-Oh ex deck that you want to use is the Lugia ex deck, which pairs the two legendary beasts with various support cards to ensure they can both shine. The only other Pokémon is Zeraora, who utilizes the Elemental Switch support card to rotate energy.
Below is every card that players should add to this deck to ensure it actually works as intended:
● Ho-Oh ex x2
● Lugia ex x2
● Zeraora x2
● Professor’s Research x2
● Red x2
● Lyra x2
● Cyrus x1
● Leaf x1
● Poké Ball x2
● Rocky Helmet x1
● Elemental Switch x2
● Pokémon Center Lady x1
Recommended by the official Pokémon website, this is one of the only decks that really brings out the strengths of both Ho-Oh ex and Lugia ex. The basic strategy is to send out Ho-Oh ex first to start setting it up. While the setup process may take a while, there are a handful of supporting cards that can help. For starters, having Zeraora on the bench lets you use its ability, which automatically attaches an Electric-type energy from the energy zone to it, even if it’s on the bench. Use the Elemental Switch to take that energy and attach it to Ho-Oh, speeding the setup process. The Rocky Helmet is there to punish any Stage 1 Pokémon that tries to damage Ho-Oh in the setup phase.
Have Lugia ex on the bench and use Ho-Oh’s Phoenix Turbo to ensure Lugia ex can use Elemental Blast as soon as possible. With that done, use Lyra or Leaf to switch Lugia into the active spot and deal devastating damage to the enemy. Red can potentially help increase the blow if the enemy has an ex card in the active spot. Rotate Lugia out again using another support card to set it up with Ho-Oh’s Phoenix Turbo and continue repeating the process until you achieve victory.
This deck’s biggest weakness is that it’s very setup-heavy. While the damage Lugia deals is extremely high, players will likely be skipping multiple turns because they won’t have enough energy to use an attack. Thanks to this, going against decks that excel in dealing high damage may be a problem.
-Dragonite ex deck
Up next is the Dragonite ex deck. This one is slightly different than the Lugia one, since it utilizes the stage 3 Pokémon Dragonite ex as the secondary attacker. However, the basic concept and strategy are fairly similar.
Below are the cards that make up the Ho-Oh ex and Dragonite ex deck in Pokémon TCG Pocket.
● Ho-Oh ex x2
● Dratini x2
● Dragonite ex x2
● Zeraora x2
● Professor’s Research x1
● Lyra x2
● Rare Candy x2
● Leaf x1
● Cyrus x1
● Poké Ball x2
● Elemental Switch x2
● Pokémon Center Lady x1
Like with the Lugia ex deck, the goal here is to first set up Ho-Oh ex. Send it to the active spot and pair Zeraora’s ability with the Elemental Switch card to quickly get Ho-Oh’s Phoenix Turbo ready. This isn’t all, as you also want to start setting up Dragonite ex on the bench. To do this, ensure you use a Rare Candy on Dratini to have it evolve into Dragonite ex without the use of a Dragonair. With that done, use Ho-Oh’s Phoenix Turbo to attach the three energy cards to Dragonite ex.
Now, all that’s left to do is to use Leaf or Lyra to switch out Ho-Oh ex for Dragonite ex and use Giga Impact. The attack’s whopping 180 base damage should be more than enough to make quick work of most enemy Pokémon cards. While Dragonite ex won’t be able to move after this, that shouldn’t be an issue, since you can just use a support card to switch Dragonite ex out for Ho-Oh ex to start setting up another Giga Impact.
Like with the Lugia deck, the Dragonite ex deck also heavily relies on setting up Ho-Oh ex so it can use Phoenix Turbo. The good news is that Rare Candy ensures that setting up Dragonite ex isn’t nearly as time-consuming. Of course, those who don’t have any of the cards mentioned in the list can always utilize LootBar’s services to change that.
Conclusion
While Ho-Oh ex is an excellent card, not every deck can give it the backup it needs to properly set up heavy damage-dealing Pokémon. The Lugia ex deck and Dragonite ex decks are both centered around Ho-Oh, but have the right support cards to bring every attacker’s power out. These decks don’t leave much room for experimentation, so those who don’t have any of the cards mentioned for the deck they like may have to buy a Pokémon TCG Pocket top up or two.
