If you’re wondering how exciting Journey Together is going to be – you don’t need to look much farther than the new deck archetypes coming out in this set. Everywhere you look there are exciting new mechanics and decks that you can try. One of those intriguing mechanics is the new Hop’s deck: this one featuring Zacian ex.

Below, we’ll be taking a look at the Hop’s Zacian ex deck that’s already doing pretty well at City Leagues. We’ll dive into how this deck works, and a few strengths and weaknesses as well to keep in mind as you pilot this deck for yourself.

Pokémon: 12
2 Hop's Zacian ex SV9 69
2 Hop's Cramorant SV9 87
2 Hop's Snorlax SV9 75
2 Munkidori TWM 95
1 Fezandipiti ex SFA 38
1 Bloodmoon Ursaluna ex TWM 141
1 Latias ex SSP 76
1 Iron Bundle PAR 56
Trainer: 42
4 Professor's Research SVI 189
4 Arven OBF 186
3 Boss's Orders PAL 172
2 Iono PAL 185
1 Morty's Conviction TEF 155
1 Kieran TWM 154
4 Nest Ball SVI 181
3 Night Stretcher SFA 61
2 Hop's Bag SV9 91
2 Pokégear 3.0 SVI 186
2 Earthen Vessel PAR 163
2 Counter Catcher PAR 160
1 Energy Switch SVI 173
1 Prime Catcher TEF 157
4 Hop's Choice Band SV9 92
1 Technical Machine: Devolution PAR 177
3 Postwick SV9 99
2 Calamitous Snowy Mountain PAL 174
Energy: 6
5 Darkness Energy SVE 15
1 Jet Energy PAL 190

Powerful damage buffs and attackers make the Hop strategy deadly

For starters, this deck’s title is a smidge missleading in that the main attcker isn’t always necessarily Zacian. Instead, your hardest hitter is actually going to be Hop’s Snorlax.

This guy is so tough it’s almost hard to believe it’s going to be a prerelease Promo. First of all, Snorlax boosts Hop’s Pokemon across the board, granting 30 extra damage to these Pokemon. As if that weren’t enough, it’s a single-prize attacker dishing for 170 damage (as Extra Helpings also applies to it).

However, Extra Helpings isn’t the only Hop’s Pokemon specific damage buff available to you. You have two more damage modificators that when applied add a total of 90 damage to attacks. This means that Snorlax is hitting for over 200 damage – an insane reach for a single prize Pokemon.

The first is Hop’s Choice Belt. A Pokemon Tool, this card adds 30 damage to attacks used by your active Pokemon so long as its a Hop’s Pokemon. It also reduces your attack costs by one colorless energy, making attacks like Snorlax’s Dynamic Press much more feasible. The second is a Stadium called Postwick that essentially does the same thing, without needing to be equipped.

If you really need to stretch for a bit more damage, this deck also runs a copy of Kieran to add yet another 30 damage to your attacks (one turn only). Kieran also can provide switching if you find yourself in a jam and absolutely need to switch a Pokemon out.

Keep in mind that unlike the other buffing effects in this deck, Kieran only applies the added 30 damage when your active Pokemon is attacking into an opposing Pokemon V or ex. That should be handy in most situations as Pokemon ex are popular while Pokemon V are about to rotate out.

Hop’s deck fields a variety of attackers

One of the most interesting things about this deck is that it really feels like a toolbox deck with several different attackers you can use depending on the situation. While we’ve already talked a bit about Snorlax (who is arguably your strongest), we should talk about several other attackers that will be helpful in dealing with the post 2025 rotation meta.

First, let’s talk about the Pokemon whose name is mentioned in the title of this deck.

Hop’s Zacian ex

While this deck may mention Zacian ex, realistically Zacian ex is something of a situational attacker in this deck. You can use it to gain a pretty hefty advantage over your opponent however, as Zacian is hitting for 120 damage with the right buffs in place, while doing an additional 30 damage to the bench.

While 30 damage to the bench may not sound like a ton, combine this with the right amount of damage movement from Munkidori and you’d be surprised how far that can go.

You might notice that this deck doesn’t actually run any steel energy. You won’t be using Zacian’s bigger attack – instead it’s just here as a pinch hitter to take multiple knockouts in a turn.

Hop’s Cramorant

The second attacker worth highlighting is Hop’s Cramorant. You might remember the iconic Cramorant of the Sword and Shield era of Pokemon TCG history. That Cramorant spat innocently throught the format to achieve great renown across the span of several years. While it’s dropped out of the format as of late and will rotate out, Cramorant fills a similar void. Its Whimsical Spit affords a strategic advantage under the right circumstances, and can easily be buffed to hit over 200 damage thanks to how many damage modifiers are available to this deck.

Additionally, this attack can be used without the need for any energy attached as long as you have it equipped with Hop’s Choice Band.

Of course, this deck also fields the Bloodmoon Ursaluna ex, but I won’t go into that card in too much detail as it is something of a staple in the Pokemon TCG, capable of swinging for an insane amount of damage late game with virtually no energy requirement.

The Munkidori play

While we’ve gone over the damage buffing effects this deck benefits from, you can’t really get how this deck works without also understanding Munkidori. Since it came out in Twilight Masquerade, Munkidori has been used in many and often quite distinct decks ranging from Gardevoir ex to Gouging Fire ex. It’s a card that is especially useful in decks with Pokemon that damage themselves through abilities or – in the case of Hop’s Snorlax – through attacks.

You’ll be using Adrena-Brain primarily in combination with Snorlax’s Dynamic Press. Snorlax does 80 damage to itself, you move thirty of that damage to another Pokemon. Now, suddenly your Zacian ex is hitting for 60 damage effectively in a turn, making it much easier to clear out low level HP Pokemon before they evolve.

Because all of your Pokemon attack with only colorless energy, you might as well run darkness energy as your main energy type since you’ll need it to power up Munkidori’s ability. Needing to attach an energy in this way shouldn’t hurt you much as oftentimes you’ll be attacking for no energy cost at all thanks to Hop’s Choice Band.

Hop’s Zacian ex matchups

Realistically, Hop’s Zacian ex should fair well against most of the decks in the meta. It hits hard enough while enabling a favorable prize trade via single prize attackers to contend with basic Pokemon ex attackers, while also doing enough spread damage to shut down Stage 2 decks.

It won’t fair overly well against decks like Gardevoir ex who can move the damage you place on Pokemon back onto you via their own Munkidori. Meanwhile, it should do alright against stage 2 decks like Dragapult ex without having any super low HP Pokemon to pick off while trading favorably into those attackers. Otherwise, this deck should fair well in the soon-to-be meta.

I’m really excited about this deck overall. It’s going to be a fun toolbox deck like Lost Zone Box was before it, and shows just how exciting the meta is going to be once Journey Together hits the shelves on March 28, 2025.

Hop’s Zacian ex Deck List and Guide