Destined Rivals brings a combo of legendary trainers and dastardly villains into the fray in a way we haven’t seen in many, many years in the Pokemon TCG. Along with that epic theming are a collection of decks with truly unique mechanics. While some are better than others, all look interesting. Below, let’s rank each new Pokemon TCG: Destined Rivals deck from best to worst.

#1 Team Rocket’s Mewtwo ex

Team Roket’s Mewtwo ex gets high props for creativity. This deck is almost completely made up of cards that come out in Destined Rivals, making it a very exciting new deck to try out to say the least. Its strength is also partly its weakness – by leaning so heavily into Team Rocket’s Pokemon, it unlocks unparalleled strength while foregoing some of the staples other decks take for granted like Fezandipiti ex. However, you really don’t have much of a choice because you need your bench stacked with Rocket’s Pokemon to play this deck to the utmost effectiveness.

It’s something of an all-in strategy that has a high payoff if it works out. That being said, it’s one powerful deck in its own right, and will be massively popular when Destined Rivals drops.

#2 Ethan’s Typhlosion

It’s not like Team Rocket’s Mewtwo ex doesn’t have any competition. There are plenty of new decks coming out in this set to give it some challenge, and one of them is this single prize deck featuring the powerful and deadly Ethan’s Typhlosion. When fully powered up by having Ethan’s Adventure in the discard and amplified via Munkidori’s damage spread and Victini’s ability, Typhlosion is actually capable of a OHKO against even the toughest Stage 2 Pokemon.

Talk about an upset!

This deck could absolutely change the meta if it manages to gain enough traction. Also noteworthy is the new Shaymin card included in this deck – one that blocks damage done to the bench against non-rule box Pokemon.

#3 Marnie’s Grimmsnarl ex

Somewhat Surprisingly, Marnie’s Grimmsnarl ex has been doing well in City Leagues in Japan. And while that’s not always a direct translation to success state-side, it does bode well for this particular archetype. The strategy here is all about moving damage around via Grimmsnarl’s Shadow Bullet attack and Munkidori. Froslass also coms in clutch here as it does in many damage spread decks, adding additional damage counters each turn. Early on, you have Maractus to force your opponent into taking even more damage by attacking through it.

This is a deck that punishes ability-hungry Pokemon decks which tend to run rampant in the Pokemon TCG meta, and feels like it has plenty of potential competitively.

#4 Cynthia’s Garchomp ex

There’s a very serious trend towards pairing Stage 2 Pokemon ex with Froslass when the deck doesn’t really work on its own in any particular way. That being said, Cynthia’s Garchomp ex hits for 260 for just two fighting energy, making it a very reliable attacker. When you use Froslass with Munkidori, that damage output can easily be ramped up. Combine this with the fact that Garchomp ex has 330 HP and you have a heavyweight champ capable of taking a hit and dishing out KOs.

What really makes this deck shine, however, is Cynthia’s Power Weight tool, granting Garchomp ex an insane +70 HP. Suddenly this guy seems pretty darn scary to face down.

#5 Team Rocket’s Porygon z

Team Rocket’s Mewtwo isn’t the only heavy-hitting Rocket-themed deck to watch for. While less flashy than the Mewtwo ex deck, Porygon-Z feels like it could be really strong in the right hands. Think of Porygon-Z as the Rocket version of Ethan’s Typhlosion as it gains attack damage for each and every Team Rocket’s supporter in your discard.

Manage to get every single one of your Team Rocket’s Supporters into your discard and you are swinging for an unheard of 400 damage – all with a single-prize Pokemon. That’s a pretty scary proposition and many will look to take advantage of this exploit and positive prize trade to win.

#6 Crustle

Crustle has a very unique ability. Essentially it’s Mimikyu 2.0 only this time with a stronger attack/HP ratio. Use Crustle to get underneath your opponent’s Pokemon and slowly wear them away. You can boost it or Okidogi’s HP to be pretty insane vi your cloak items while also enabling a favorable prize trade. Ethan’s Sudowoodo is something of a tech in this deck, letting you take advantage of your opponent’s attacks and use them against them.

For people who like quirky decks, it doesn’t get much quirkier than this. Beware of single prize decks like Ethan’s Typhlosion, however, as they could pretty seriously wipe the floor with you.

#7 Team Rocket's Persian ex

This deck takes advantage of Persian’s one-of-a-kind attack that lets you look at the top 10 cards of your opponent’s deck and use an attack from a Pokemon card you find there as its own.

While you can certainly find some solid attacks this way, just in case you don’t you have your Rocket’s Zapdos to back you up with an attack that does 120 damage. Meanwhile, use Energy Switch to quickly power up your Lillie’s Clefairy ex in a pinch to take knockouts against Dragon Type or just when both benches are full for maximum impact.

This deck is totally a troll deck, but it’s an amazing one which earns it this spot on the list.

#8 Arven’s Mabosstiff

Arven’s Mabosstiff plays a pretty important role in the Scarlet & Violet video games. However, this particular attacker feels somewhat lackluster. Sure – you can power it up with a combo of Munkidori, Pecharunt/Binding Mochi to raise how much damage it is going to do. You can also use the upcoming Arven’s Sandwich to heal your Mabostiff for 100 damage as you go, making it harder to take out.

Still, it just feels like the same kind of damage this Pokemon does is possible to reach with other attackers already in the game. That being said, that Arven’s Sandwich card is pretty broken and could be a fun mechanic to try out in battle.

#9 Ethan’s Ho-Oh ex

Wouldn’t it be nice to get a really powerful Ho-Oh-themed deck? Unfortunately, this deck is unlikely to turn too many heads when you have the much stronger Typholsion to choose from. That being said, you can use Ethan’s Ho-Oh to power up your Magcargo and hit for some truly impressive damage: 350 total damage to be exact. T

Meanwhile, Ethan’s Ho-Oh ex can dish out some decent damage as well, while also healing your Pokemon in the process. To help you clean up what’s left of your opponent’s board after these attacks go through is the powerful Bloodmoon Ursaluna ex.

It’s not a top tier deck by any means but getting that Magcargo attack off for huge damage will definitely feel good when you manage to make it happen.

Eager to try your own spin on this deck? Well lucky for you Ethan’s Ho-Oh ex is one of the Destined Rivals Battle Pass decks available for free in Pokemon TCG Live!

#10 Misty’s Gyarados

Misty’s Gyarados is yet another deck that focus on the mill x amount of cards to deal x amount of damage. It’s not a particularly innovative mechanic or likely to be all that strong. But for players who enjoy the formula, it could be an enticing strategy to try out – especially given the fact it centers around the popular Misty character and her Pokemon.

#11 Steven’s Metagross ex

Players looking for a very tanky attacker will love Steven’s Metagross ex. While not the most pratical of strategies, this stage 2 deck has a lot of interesting tools and techs to help you out, including the always powerful Lillie’s Clefairy ex which you can use to OHKO dragon types. Meanwhile, the Steven’s Carbink card protects your Metagross ex with added HP, making it a crazy 370 HP Pokemon. Good luck trying to take that guy out!

While Steven’s Metagross ex is largely unproven competitively, you could be the next trainer to find a way to make this deck sing!

And that’s it! That’s all ten top decks in Destined Rivals to watch out for. Share your own experience piloting the new cards and strategies in Destined Rivals via the comments below!

Every Destined Rivals Pokemon Deck, Ranked