Mewtwo ex and Gardevoir (TCG Pocket)

Mewtwo ex and Gardevoir
Mewtwo ex and Gardevoir Types used Major cards Mewtwo ex and Gardevoir Era 2024-present

Mewtwo ex and Gardevoir is a Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket deck archetype that has been played since the release of the Genetic Apex in 2024. The deck's strategy revolves around using Mewtwo ex's high-power moves and Gardevoir's Psy Shadow Ability to quickly distribute Energy.

Mewtwo ex and Gardevoir was a strong archetype through the Mythical Island expansion, though its popularity has waned since the release of Space-Time Smackdown, which introduced popular Darkness-type Pokémon ex in Darkrai ex and Weavile ex.

Strategy

Mewtwo ex and Gardevoir decks are straightforward; after a few turns of setup—as low as three if the user goes second—Mewtwo ex can start using Psydrive, a 150-damage attack requiring to use. Though the attack requires two Psychic Energy to be discarded in order to be used, Gardevoir's Psy Shadow Ability can effectively double the number of Psychic Energy available. Psydrive does enough damage to Knock Out most threats in the metagame in the single hit, including Articuno ex and Pikachu ex.

With the release of Mythical Island, this deck became even more consistent thanks to the addition of Mythical Slab, an Item card that accelerates the deck even further by drawing a card if the top card of the deck is a Psychic-type Pokémon. Leaf also helps by allowing Mewtwo ex to retreat for free, conserving Energy for later use. Mew ex also adds a reliable counter against other Mewtwo ex decks, being able to use Psydrive earlier with only 3 Energy attached.

Some other main support cards include Giovanni for extra damage against Basic Pokémon and Sabrina to bring the opponent's Benched Pokémon out into the Active Spot.

Weaknesses

Mewtwo ex's success depends on setting up Gardevoir as quickly as possible, as it is essential in order to power up Psydrive every turn. While it is possible to manage this without Gardevoir, the deck can turn surprisingly slow to get its strategy going. A starting hand with only Ralts can turn into a quick loss with its low HP and damage output.

Fast decks that use cheap attackers and little setup are particularly effective against Mewtwo ex and Gardevoir decks. These include Fire-type decks using Blaine, Water-type decks with Starmie ex, and Darkness-type decks using Koga, Weezing, or Scolipede that do enormous damage quickly, between extremely fast attackers, the effects of Poison, and a universal weakness to Darkness-type Pokémon found on most cards in Mewtwo ex deck variations.

Key cards

Genetic Apex

• Mewtwo ex - The deck's primary attacker, Mewtwo ex's Psychic Sphere deals a respectable 50 damage for only Energy, chipping away at the opponent in the early game, but its main attraction is its Psydrive attack, a 150-damage attack for Energy, enough to beat most cards in the game, and KO the remaining few with Psychic Sphere damage on top; it discards two Psychic Energy after every use, which can be mitigated with support from Gardevoir.
• Gardevoir - Its Psy Shadow Ability allows the player, to take a Energy from the Energy Zone and attach it to the Pokémon in the Active Spot. A fully set-up Mewtwo ex and Gardevoir on the Bench allows the former to use Psydrive every turn.
• Jynx - Psychic works as a fast counter against other high-Energy strategies like Celebi ex and opposing Mewtwo ex decks.
• Giovanni - Adding 10 extra damage aids Mewtwo ex's Psychic Sphere, turning it into a 60-damage attack that can take out the numerous 60 HP Basic Pokémon of the early game in a single hit.

Mythical Island

• Mew ex - A second basic Pokémon ex, with a low Retreat Cost of 1, works as an excellent tank in the early game. Its Genome Hacking attack is a unique tool, notably useful to one-shot powerful Pokémon ex that Mewtwo ex struggles with, like Charizard ex and opposing Mewtwo ex.
• Mythical Slab - Adds even more acceleration on top of the almost universal Poké Ball and Professor's Research by drawing a card if the top card of the deck is a Psychic-type Pokémon.

Typical decklist

The deck list below is meant to represent an average build of the archetype, not specifically constructed for any regional metagame. The number of support and Item cards is highly variable, depending on each play style. This decklist is partially inspired by the Mewtwo ex & Gardevoir Deck (Genetic Apex) from the Expert solo battles.

Genetic Apex (2024)

{{{title}}}
Quantity	Card	Type	Rarity
1×	Jynx
2×	Mewtwo ex
2×	Ralts
2×	Kirlia
2×	Gardevoir
2×	X Speed	Item	—
2×	Poké Ball	Item	—
1×	Red Card	Item	—
2×	Giovanni	Supp
2×	Sabrina	Supp
2×	Professor's Research [Professor Oak]	Supp	—
Energy used:

Mythical Island (2024)

{{{title}}}
Quantity	Card	Type	Rarity
2×	Mewtwo ex
2×	Ralts
2×	Kirlia
2×	Gardevoir
1×	Mew ex
2×	Mythical Slab	Item
1×	X Speed	Item	—
2×	Poké Ball	Item	—
1×	Giovanni	Supp
1×	Sabrina	Supp
1×	Blue	Supp
1×	Leaf	Supp
2×	Professor's Research [Professor Oak]	Supp	—
Energy used:

Possible tech cards

The following cards can be used in Mewtwo ex decks in place of certain cards included in the above list.

• Meowth and Sigilyph - Early game cards with great effects to draw an extra card for additional acceleration. Meowth benefits from a lack of Darkness-type weakness, but Sigilyph is preferred due to its higher HP.
• Budding Expeditioner - Some decks use an additional Mew ex; in those cases, this support card works as a great way to remove damage counters from an early Mew ex tank.
• Hypno - A second bench support card, able to gain some extra time to set up Gardevoir, though depending on a coin flip can make it quite unreliable.
• Mewtwo - Regular Mewtwo serves as an early tank that can take a lot of Basic Pokémon hits, and unlike Mew ex, it only gives one point per defeat. If it survives long enough to have a Gardevoir on the bench, it can dish a respectable 120 damage with its Power Blast attack.

This article is part of both Project Sidegames and Project TCG, Bulbapedia projects that, together, aim to write comprehensive articles on video games about the TCG.