Pokémon Deck Tech: Quad Thorns

For most decks, finding the right balance between Pokémon and Trainer cards is as much art as it is science. That’s not the case with this deck: it’s 4 copies of Iron Thorns ex. There are obvious disadvantages, such as giving your opponent significant card advantage before the game begins. Fortunately, in this case, the risks are worth the reward.

What makes Iron Thorns ex so special? It’s the ability. Initialization negates Abilities found on non-Future Pokémon with a rulebox when Iron Thorns ex is in the active spot. This makes most decks less effective. Pidgeot ex loses the ability to search for the perfect card. Charizard ex has to attach energy manually. Teal Mask Ogerpon ex and Sandy Shocks ex can’t power Raging Bolt as easily. Radiant Greninja doesn’t draw cards. Note that it only effects Pokemon with a rule box, so Klefki and Flutter Mane will negate the ability.

The best way to deal with them is to move them out of the active spot, either by using Boss’s Orders or simply knocking them out. As you are using ex Pokémon only, Mimikyu can shut you down. The deck runs 1 copy of Cancelling Cologne to deal with this, but if another enters play, all you can do is Boss’s Orders around it. The deck runs 4 copies of Lost City, so you’re not likely to see defeated Pokémon again. One last trick the deck uses is Legacy Energy as the Ace Spec. When the Pokémon it’s attached to is knocked out by damage from an attack, your opponent takes 1 less prize card for it. With the proper setup, this means your opponent has to knock out all 4 Iron Thorns to win. Note that it’s specifically damage, so Sableye or Roaring Moon ex using Frenzied Gouging will still get both prizes.

You move Energy each time you attack, so Future Booster Energy Capsule lets you freely retreat to pass 1 Energy between your Pokémon while also mitigating the damage penalty from Double Turbo Energy. Beyond that, everything else in the deck is basic draw support and consistency. The deck does run 4 Crushing Hammer, 3 Iono, and 3 Judge as a disruption package.

With a straight-forward plan and a low cost, this can made a good starting point for people wanting to try competitive play. While it is by no means able to automatically win, it gives many decks a lot of trouble. As long as ex Pokémon with abilities continue to be released in the Scarlet/Violet era, the deck will still have potential use.