Starmie ex is one of the best decks in Pokémon TCG Pocket thanks to its easy setup and abundance of support cards, with multiple ways to play the deck depending on your playstyle.
While most players pick up the Articuno ex variant of the deck, there are also different alternative ones you can run with the same core, like Greninja, which is excellent in certain situations. Being one of the best decks taking over the game so far, it can be hard to know which variant to run or want to invest your hard-earned Pack Points into. Here’s some guidance.
The best Starmie ex and Articuno ex Pokémon TCG Pocket decklist
| Image | Card | Amount | Set | Set Number | Obtained by |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Staryu | x2 | Genetic Apex (Charizard) | 74/226 | 35 Pack Points |
 | Starmie ex | x2 | Genetic Apex (Charizard) | 76/226 | 500 Pack Points |
 | Articuno ex | x2 | Genetic Apex (Mewtwo) | 84/226 | 500 Pack Points |
 | Giovanni | x2 | Genetic Apex (Mewtwo) | 223/226 | 70 Pack Points |
 | Sabrina | x2 | Genetic Apex (Charizard) | 225/226 | 70 Pack Points |
 | Misty | x2 | Genetic Apex (Pikachu) | 220/226 | 70 Pack Points |
 | Red Card | x2 | Promo-A | 6/P-A | Shop |
 | Potion | x2 | Promo-A | 1/P-A | Shop |
 | Poké Ball | x2 | Promo-A | 5/P-A | Shop |
 | Professor’s Research | x2 | Promo-A | 7/P-A | Shop |
The Articuno ex variant is likely the strongest and most consistent version for the Starmie ex deck, combining Starmie ex easy damage output of two Water Energy for 90 base damage with the ability to use Starmie ex’s zero retreat cost to bring in the Articuno if it’s starting to take too much punishment.
It’s a pretty easy deck to get your head around. Just stock up and deal damage while using Misty to potentially get all the Water Energy you need from a few good coin tosses.
Alternative Starmie ex and Greninja Pokémon TCG Pocket decklist
| Image | Card | Amount | Set | Set Number | Obtained by |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Staryu | x2 | Genetic Apex (Charizard) | 74/226 | 35 Pack Points |
| Starmie ex | x2 | Genetic Apex (Charizard) | 76/226 | 500 Pack Points |
 | Froakie | x2 | Genetic Apex (Charizard) | 87/226 | 35 Pack Points |
 | Frogadier | x2 | Genetic Apex (Charizard) | 88/226 | 70 Pack Points |
 | Greninja | x2 | Genetic Apex (Charizard) | 89/226 | 150 Pack Points |
| Sabrina | x2 | Genetic Apex (Charizard) | 225/226 | 70 Pack Points |
| Misty | x2 | Genetic Apex (Pikachu) | 220/226 | 70 Pack Points |
| Red Card | x2 | Promo-A | 6/P-A | Shop |
| Poké Ball | x2 | Promo-A | 5/P-A | Shop |
| Professor’s Research | x2 | Promo-A | 7/P-A | Shop |
Alternatively, there is the Greninja build, which ditches Articuno ex for a froggy backline. Grenina’s unique ability lets it deal 20 damage to any opposing Pokémon, which means you can do away with the Giovanni cards you usually need to get that extra lick of damage against some Stage Two Pokémon.
Both decks are solid, but it’s up to you which variant you prefer. There are also arguments on the Item and Supporter Cards we picked, with Potions a good option to keep your Pokémon alive a bit longer.
Explaining the picks
Starmie ex works so well because it has a powerful 90 Damage move for two Water Energy. Still, its true strength comes from having no Retreat Cost, which lets you retreat out for a fresh Starmie you were building up on your bench if health gets too low or an Articuno ex to deal some damage to a backline.
Starmie ex can one-shot a lot of Pokémon, especially when paired with Giovanni for that extra ten damage boost. The deck is also super simple, so anyone can pick it up and play it as long as they have the cards.
Pairing that with Misty, a card that gives you a chance to get extra Water Energy on your Pokémon from successful coin flips, adds to the deck’s overall effectiveness to set up in the early and mid-game and is probably the most consistent deck in the format currently. Water-types are the only cards that can benefit from Misty, and another card like Misty exists for other types of Pokémon.
Both decks don’t offer any dead draws either, but base Starmie ex does take a few turns to defeat some of the strong ex-cards out there.
The major flaws and weaknesses
From what we have seen, there aren’t many weaknesses for Starmie ex, with only the Pikachu ex deck offering a viable matchup due to Starmie’s Electric-type weakness. Starmie ex and Articuno ex can survive one attack from Pikachu ex, though.
Like with most decks in the early format, most struggle to hit that 100 damage marker that most Stage One Pokémon have, but Giovanni and Articuno ex make up for that pretty well by adding that extra ten chip damage you need.
It comes down to your speed to get Starmie ex, with the only biggest weakness being how unlucky your draws are.
