With the release of the Celestial Guardians expansion in Pokemon TCG Pocket, we got a new terrifying player in the meta. Meet Solgaleo Ex, the cool ass lion that has a negligible downside, and all the upside. Here are the best Solgaleo Ex decks to build in Pokemon TCG Pocket.
Pokemon TCG Pocket Solgaleo Ex Stats and Abilities
Before we get into the decks proper, let’s actually talk about what Solgaleo Ex brings to the table in Pokemon TCG Pocket. Here’s an overview of its stats, attacks, and abilities.
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Type | Metal |
| HP | 180 |
| Stage | Stage 2, evolves from Cosmog and Cosmeum |
| Weakness | Fire, +20 |
| Retreat Cost | 2 |
| Ability | Rising Road: Once during your turn, if this Pokemon is on your Bench, you may switch it with your Active Pokemon. |
| Attacks | Sol Breaker: 120 damage. This Pokemon also does 10 damage to itself. |
What’s really busted about Solgaleo Ex is its Rising Road ability. With this, you can afford to play high Retreat Cost Pokemon like Snorlax or even Kangaskhan, and just swap in Solgaleo Ex whenever it’s ready, without having to expend Energy to retreat or wait for them to get knocked out.
Cosmog, which is the Basic Pokemon required for evolution, also has the Teleport attack that allows it to instantly swap places with a Benched Pokemon. This lets you get around a bad starting hand, and also circumvents the Retreat Cost problem.
Pokemon TCG Pocket Best Solgaleo Ex Decks
Solgaleo Ex/Barry
| Card | Quantity | Pack |
|---|---|---|
| Cosmog | 2 | Celestial Guardians |
| Cosmoem | 1 | Celestial Guardians |
| Solgaleo Ex | 2 | Celestial Guardians (Solgaleo) |
| Snorlax | 2 | Triumphant Light |
| Kangaskhan | 2 | Genetic Apex (Charizard) |
| Barry | 2 | Triumphant Light |
| Rare Candy | 2 | Celestial Guardians |
| Professor’s Research | 2 | Promo-A Shop |
| Poke Ball | 2 | Promo-A Shop |
| Iono | 2 | Shining Revelry |
| Rocky Helmet | 2 | Space-Time Smackdown (Palkia) |
With Oricorio making all sorts of anti-Ex waves with the release of Celestial Guardians, it’s important to have a backup plan in your Solgaleo Ex deck. To that end, I’ve included Snorlax and Kangaskhan in this lineup.
Snorlax paired with Barry can be pretty devastating. You’re dumping 100 damage onto your opponent with just two Energy, and Snorlax also serves as a pretty beefy wall just in case you need more time to get your hands on Solgaleo Ex. Similarly, Kangaskhan also functions as a good wall, though its attacks are more RNG-based.
For the best stalling methods, you’ll want to put Rocky Helmets on Snorlax or Kangaskhan to help deal chip damage before Solgaleo Ex comes in to clean house.
Solgaleo Ex/Skarmory
| Card | Quantity | Pack |
|---|---|---|
| Cosmog | 2 | Celestial Guardians |
| Cosmoem | 1 | Celestial Guardians |
| Solgaleo Ex | 2 | Celestial Guardians (Solgaleo) |
| Skarmory | 2 | Space-Time Smackdown |
| Professor’s Research | 2 | Promo-A Shop |
| Poke Ball | 2 | Promo-A Shop |
| Rare Candy | 2 | Celestial Guardians |
| Giant Cape | 2 | Space-Time Smackdown (Dialga) |
| Iono | 1 | Shining Revelry |
| Poison Barb | 1 | Celestial Guardians (Lunala) |
| Rocky Helmet | 1 | Space-Time Smackdown (Palkia) |
| Cyrus | 1 | Space-Time Smackdown (Palkia) |
| Sabrina | 1 | Genetic Apex (Charizard) |
Ideally, you’ll want to open with Skarmory while waiting to build up Solgaleo Ex. Skarmory gets to attack quick with 50 damage right off the bat — assuming you can get a Tool on it — and you can finish off your opponent with Sol Breaker after that.
The strength of this deck lies in its speed. While 120 damage won’t necessarily one-shot everything in the current meta game, being able to do it fast makes a huge difference. Rare Candy is an absolute game-changer here, as it allows you to potentially get Solgaleo Ex charged up by turn 3 and just start blasting. The 10 damage downside is negligible if you’re able to attack quick and early.
You may want to consider swapping in cards like Lillie or Red/Giovanni, depending on how the meta shakes out. Lillie will help Solgaleo Ex last longer in drawn out matches, while Red and Giovanni could help you hit important damage breakpoints.
And those are my picks for the best Solgaleo Ex decks to build in Pokemon TCG Pocket for now.
