How to Upgrade the Charizard ex League Battle Deck
The biggest baddest new Pokemon TCG Battle Deck is none other than the powerful Charizard ex League Battle Deck. This deck comes with the bulk of what you need in order to build your own competitive deck. But it is anything but complete directly out of the box. To standout in your next competition, you are going to need to upgrade your Charizard ex League Battle Deck.
This guide shows you how to do it.
Charizard ex League Battle Deck Contents
In addition to the cards themselves, this Battle Deck also comes with most of what you are going to need to play competitively including condition markers and dice. That being said, two notable things are excluded that you will need, including card sleeves and a functioning deck box. The deck boxes that come out of the box with these sort of products aren’t actually going to work with a fully sleeved 60 card deck. So keep that in mind when buying.
Check out these sleeves to make sure your deck stays protected and makes it through more than a couple league nights.
Here’s what the Charizard ex League Battle Deck looks like directly out of the box:
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Pokémon: 7
3 Charizard ex OBF 125
3 Charmeleon PAF 8
2 Pidgeotto MEW 17
3 Pidgey MEW 16
3 Moltres MEW 146
4 Charmander MEW 4
2 Pidgeot ex OBF 164
Trainer: 13
4 Iono PAF 80
2 Arven OBF 186
2 Boss's Orders PAL 172
2 Artazon PAF 76
4 Buddy-Buddy Poffin TEF 144
4 Rare Candy SVI 191
4 Ultra Ball SVI 196
1 Prime Catcher TEF 157
1 Super Rod PAL 188
1 Switch SVI 194
2 Technical Machine: Evolution PAR 178
1 Defiance Band SVI 169
2 Professor's Research PAF 87
Energy: 1
10 Basic {R} Energy Energy 10
Total Cards: 60
The good thing about this deck is that you can certainly play it directly out of the box at league night at your local game store. You can even use the included code card to upgrade it and play online. To be really competitive, however, you are going to have to make some changes.
In this guide, we’re going to be looking at two main ways to upgrade this deck. The first way is the easy method: the idea here being that you really want to mostly play this deck out of the box with a few minor changes to be competitive but without stretching yourself too far.
The second is the advanced method: here you want to know what cards you will need in order to build the most competitive version of Charizard ex.
Upgrading Charizard ex League Battle Deck – The Easy Method
Despite what many people say that Charizard ex is a skill-less deck, the truth couldn’t be any farther from that statement. In fact, Charizard ex is a tough deck to pilot especially in a meta like the one we are in today. However, you can certainly play Charizard ex in an easier fashion than what you will see topping tournaments today.
Indeed, Charizard ex was much mroe straightforward when it first came out and this deck list harkins back to those simpler times in the Pokemon TCG metagame.
So to kick things off, let’s talk about the cards you are immediately going to want to cut, and what to replace them with instead.
Cut these cards from your Charizard ex League Battle Deck
While most of your core cards are included in the League Battle Deck, some cards they include need to be replaced. These range from the suboptimal choices like running 10 Fire energy (a bit overkill in Charizard ex) to totally outlandish cards being included like three copies of Moltres.
Other cards that are okay on their own but can be replaced with cards that better support this strategy are cards like:
Professor’s Research: You don’t want to discard much in Charizard ex and also there are better ways to find what you need than simply digging for them.
Artazon: Not really necessary given all the other Pokemon search tools at your disposal.
Pidgeotto: Just stick with Rare Candy for this particular evolution
Add these cards to make Charizard ex noticeably better
There are several key cards that Charizard ex runs these days that simply are omitted from the League Battle Deck. These cards are not terribly expensive and they will make your deck a lot stronger.
These cards include:
Lumineon V: Use Lumineon V to pull Arven from your deck.
Rotom V: Use Instant Charge on turns you have no attack to get off.
Cleffa: Use Cleffa to recharge your hand on that vital first attacking turn.
Counter Catcher: this card is Charizard ex’s best friend. You often are playing from behind with Charizard ex so use Counter Catcher to take easy knockouts.
Forest Seal Stone: Pair this with your Pokemon V for additional card search
Radiant Charizard for late game knockouts.
Briar to secure victory from behind.
Tera Orb to take the place of one of your Ultra balls. Tera Ball just makes it easy to find Charizard ex wthout having to sacrifice discarding cards.
Fezandipiti ex to get easy additional draw support.
By the time you’ve made these changes, your deck should look something like this:
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Pokémon: 9
1 Radiant Charizard CRZ 20
1 Lumineon V BRS 40
1 Rotom V LOR 58
1 Fezandipiti ex SFA 38
2 Pidgeot ex OBF 164
2 Charmeleon PAF 8
3 Pidgey MEW 16
3 Charizard ex OBF 125
4 Charmander MEW 4
1 Cleffa OBF
Trainer: 17
3 Ultra Ball SVI 196
1 Switch SVI 194
4 Rare Candy SVI 191
3 Arven OBF 186
1 Defiance Band SVI 169
4 Buddy-Buddy Poffin TEF 144
2 Super Rod PAL 188
1 Technical Machine: Evolution PAR 178
4 Iono PAF 80
1 Briar SCR 132
2 Boss's Orders PAL 172
1 Collapsed Stadium BRS 137
1 Tera Orb SSP 189
1 Unfair Stamp TWM 165
2 Counter Catcher PAR 160
1 Forest Seal Stone SIT 156
3 Nest Ball SVI 181
Energy: 1
6 Basic {R} Energy Energy 10
Total Cards: 60
If you are brand new to Charizard ex (which you probably are if you are buying this League Battle Deck) then I would recommend to start with this build as your first upgrade before moving onto the most competitive version of this build. Here you have all the basic paramaters for what has made Charizard ex a dominant meta deck for years without some of the really complex plays that it will likely take some more practice to master.
No Prime Catcher?
Apart from getting a Charizard ex League Battle Deck, one of the most hyped aspects about this box is the fact that it comes with a Prime Catcher in tow. Prime Catcher is one of the most powerful cards in the game right now and also one of the most expensive. The funny thing is: It doesn’t work so great when paired with Charizard ex.
The reason is Charizard ex already has access to plenty of Gust effects that switch out Pokemon from the opposing bench thanks to Counter Catcher. Prime Catcher indeed is better suited for highly aggressive decks that need to come out swinging first in order to win.
For that reason, most competitive decks run Unfair Stamp in their ACE SPEC slot. This ACE SPEC does as the name suggests and seriously messes with your opponent’s hand while allowing you to draw an additional six cards.
Prime Catcher is still a great card, but put that in your binder for more aggro decks you build down the line.
Charizard ex League Battle Deck – Advanced Upgrade Method
If instead you are ready to jump into the deep end and want to start playing Charizard ex as competitively as possible, then the folllowing deck list is the one you are going to want to build towards instead:
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Pokémon: 18
2 Charmander MEW 4
1 Charmander PR-SV 47
1 Charmeleon PAF 8
2 Charizard ex OBF 125
2 Pidgey OBF 162
2 Pidgeot ex OBF 164
2 Duskull BRS 60
1 Dusclops SFA 19
1 Dusknoir SFA 20
1 Fezandipiti ex SFA 38
1 Lumineon V BRS 40
1 Rotom V LOR 58
1 Radiant Charizard CRZ 20
Trainer: 36
3 Arven OBF 186
2 Iono PAL 185
2 Boss's Orders PAL 172
1 Thorton LOR 167
1 Professor Turo's Scenario PAR 171
1 Briar SCR 132
4 Rare Candy SVI 191
3 Buddy-Buddy Poffin TEF 144
3 Nest Ball SVI 181
3 Ultra Ball SVI 196
2 Counter Catcher PAR 160
2 Super Rod PAL 188
1 Tera Orb SSP 189
1 Unfair Stamp TWM 165
1 Canceling Cologne ASR 136
1 Lost Vacuum LOR 162
1 Night Stretcher SFA 61
1 Forest Seal Stone SIT 156
1 Defiance Band SVI 169
1 Collapsed Stadium BRS 137
1 Gravity Mountain SSP 177
Energy: 6
5 Fire Energy SVE 10
1 Mist Energy TEF 161
This deck list is tricked out with all the bells and whistles that currently makes Charizard ex best in class for competitive Pokemon TCG play. You have the works here, with everything from the powerful Dusknoir line that makes it possible to unlock multiple prizes in a turn, and the latest cards from Surging Sparks making an apperance with the likes of Gravity Moutain – a stadium which extends the reach of both Cursed Blast and Burning Darkness.
If you’ve already put in the work to do the easy upgrade method and found you’ve mastered it, it shouldn’t be too much of a stretch to build and pilot this complex version of one of the top meta decks.
For more info on how to pilot it, read my Charizard ex deck guide.
It’s an exciting time to be a Pokemon TCG player. With new ways to play the game popping up, and exciting League Battle Decks like these available with just about everything you need out of the box, the game is accessible while also complex – offering a variety of ways for players and fans to engage and set out on their next Pokemon TCG adventure!
