Pokémon TCG: Scarlet & Violet—Journey Together Battle Pass Deck Upgrade Guide
With Journey Together making its debut next week on March 28, 2025, we now know what the Pokemon TCG Live Battle Pass decks are going to be for the set. This time around, trainers will be able to access the prebuilt Hop’s Zacian ex and N’s Zoroark ex decks directly within the app. Below, let’s take a look at the builds you get, as well as the cards you earn from the Battle Pass to upgrade your deck with. After that, we’ll be looking at some alternate builds you can try out to get even more bang for buck with these two solid archetypes.
Hop’s Zacian ex – starting build
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Pokémon: 16
3 Hop’s Zacian ex JTG 111
3 Archaludon ex SSP 130
3 Duraludon SCR 106
2 Hop’s Dubwool JTG 136
2 Hop’s Wooloo JTG 135
1 Fezandipiti ex SFA 038
1 Hop’s Snorlax JTG 117
1 Hop’s Cramorant JTG 138
Trainers: 34
4 Professor’s Research (Professor Sada)
3 Arven
2 Iono
1 Boss’s Orders
1 Professor Turo’s Scenario
3 Postwick
4 Ultra Ball
3 Nest Ball
2 Earthen Vessel
2 Hop’s Bag
2 Night Stretcher
2 Switch
1 Redeemable Ticket
1 Scoop Up Cyclone
3 Hop’s Choice Band
Energy: 10
10 Basic Energy
Starting out, this deck list actually has a lot going for it, and a solid player could certainly play his or her way through many games and win via Pokemon TCG Live.
This strategy relies heavily on comboing Hop’s Zacian ex with Archaludon ex. Archaludo ex grants the energy acceleration that makes it possible to do serious damage with Zacian ex. While you can also attack with Archaludon ex in a pinch, Zacian ex can reach greater heights. Base attack, Brave Slash hits for 240. That can easily be enhanced via several cards including Hop’s Choice Band, Hop’s Snorlax, and Postwick.
If you get all of those damage modifiers onto the field at the same time, your Zacian ex is hitting for 330 for just three metal energy (Hop’s Choice Band eliminates the need for one colorless energy).
Hop’s Zacian ex advanced upgrade
You’ll get a few more cards as you move through the ranks that you can bling out your battle pass Hop’s Zacian ex deck with, including: 3 Hop’s Zacian ex JTG 186, 3 Archaludon ex SSP 241, 2 Hop’s Wooloo JTG 170, 4 Professor’s Research (Professor Sada) SVI 240, 1 Professor Turo’s Scenario PAR 257 and 2 Night Stretcher SSP 251.
These cards are aimed more at being extra bling for your deck rather than solid upgrade options, and the crown jewel is the Zacian ex SIR card.
That being said, a true upgrade could look very different, like the deck list below.
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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
If this build looks considerably different than the one above, don’t be too alarmed. Instead of pairing Zacian ex with Archaludon, you’re looking to lean heavily into Zacian ex’s Insta-Strike attack and pair that with Munkidori’s damage spreading capabilities to deal an incredible amount of damage to your opponent’s active Pokemon and their bench.
Both are viable strategies, however, and which one you choose to run with will largely depend on the type of decks you like to play.
Do you like to ramp up as much damage as possible and take OHKOs whenever possible with heavy hitters? Than the Archaludon build might be right for you. If you prefer more strategic precision, however, then you may want to go with the Hop’s Zacian ex and Munkidori.
N’s Zoroark ex deck
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Pokémon: 14
4 N’s Zoroark ex
4 N’s Zorua
2 N’s Reshiram
2 N’s Darmanitan
2 N’s Darumaka
Trainers: 36
4 Arven
4 Iono
2 Boss’s Orders
2 N’s Castle
4 Buddy-Buddy Poffin
4 N’s PP Up
4 Nest Ball
3 Ultra Ball
2 Earthen Vessel
1 Counter Catcher
1 Hyper Aroma
1 Pal Pad
1 Super Rod
2 Powerglass
1 Technical Machine: Evolution
Energy: 10
10 Darkness Energy
The N’z Zoroark deck you get from the Battle Pass looks even stronger than the base Hop’s Zacian ex, and it’s very easy to upgrade this deck to a stronger version of itself.
If you aren’t familiar with this deck yet, then all you really need to know about it is that it all revolves around this guy: N’s Zoroark ex.
And actually, N’s Zoroark ex is a fairly straightforward Pokemon to use. It’s got an excellent card draw ability called Trade and also a strong attack that lets you use any N’s Pokemon from your bench. Using these two together, you have access to insane card draw and a range of attacks. The only trade off here is that none of your attacks hit for all that much. However, given the fact you can attack the active Pokemon and the bench, and still swing for hard enough to fell a Basic Pokemon ex, Zoroark ex is undoubtedly the stronger of the two decks.
N’s Zoroark ex deck upgrade guide
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Pokémon: 18
4 N's Zorua SV9 60
4 N's Zoroark ex SV9 61
3 N's Darumaka SV9 15
2 N's Darmanitan SV9 16
1 N's Reshiram SV9 74
1 Pecharunt ex SFA 39
1 Hop's Cramorant SV9 87
1 Fezandipiti ex SFA 38
1 Budew PRE 4
Trainer: 34
4 Arven OBF 186
4 Iono PAL 185
2 Boss's Orders PAL 172
1 Professor Turo's Scenario PAR 171
3 Ultra Ball SVI 196
3 Nest Ball SVI 181
3 Buddy-Buddy Poffin TEF 144
3 N's PP Up SV9 89
2 Counter Catcher PAR 160
2 Night Stretcher SFA 61
1 Earthen Vessel PAR 163
1 Hyper Aroma TWM 152
2 Defiance Band SVI 169
1 Powerglass SFA 63
1 Technical Machine: Evolution PAR 178
1 N's Castle SV9 97
Energy: 8
6 Darkness Energy SVE 15
2 Reversal Energy PAL 192
While the Battle Pass deck has the nuts and bolts for the most part, there are a few powerful additions you can include to make the N’s Zoroark ex deck significantly stronger.
Pecharunt ex, for example is essentially a staple in any deck with dark type Pokemon, enabling you to make the switch to the active spot much more easily.
You also will most certainly want to include a Fezandipiti ex in your deck list to unlock additional draw support, and damage modifiers like Defiance Band can help boost your otherwise somewhat low damage threshold from Night Joker.
A few additional techs: Hop’s Cramorant is kind of just a solid pinch hitter for any deck since it can swing for 120 with just one energy (150 if you are behind and it has Defiance Band attached). Budew works highly effectively in this deck that otherwise doesn’t have a turn one attacker. And, lastly, Reversal Energy can be a great way to fire off your Darmanitan’s Flashbody Canon in a tight spot.
No matter how you choose to build these decks, it’s undoudtedly true that these are two very strong and fun archetypes to be getting for essentially free just by playing the game. Give them a try yourself and keep climbing the Pokemon TCG Live ladder to the very top!
