Mega Charizard X ex deck: the core, the flex slots, and what beats it

What Mega Charizard X ex looks like when you open the box

Across the 38 lists we counted, this deck runs 13 to 22 Pokémon, 27 to 37 Trainers and 8 to 15 Energy. Its attacks are paid for in Fire.

On results pages and on stream you will see it written « mega-charizard-x-ex ». Every card named in that label turns up in the tables below, which is what makes it a fair name for the deck.

Look at the Energy: 8 to 15 out of 60, when half the 97 decks we track run 10 or fewer. This one carries more than most, and you feel it at the table — it wants to load up a big Pokémon and swing hard, even if that means drawing a spare Energy now and then.

It takes a while to set up. Mega Charizard X ex is a Stage 2 Pokémon: you put down the baby, you evolve it, and then you evolve it again. Three cards stacked before anything attacks. That is what the hardest-hitting decks cost you, and it is also where they crack — a fast opponent can bury you before the line is standing.

Look at the Trainers: 27 to 37 cards out of 60, against a median of 31 across the 97 decks we track. Inside that, 8 to 20 Supporters, and the rule there is strict — one a turn, even if you are holding three. The 10 to 20 Items you can play all of in the same turn. It also brings up to 3 Stadiums, and 91 of the 97 decks we track bring that many or more. Only one Stadium sits on the table at a time: the one you play sends the one already there to the discard pile.

What Tools and Stadiums do — the two Trainer families we skipped here — and why the Energy count says so much: how to read a deck list.

How Mega Charizard X ex actually wins

Mega Charizard X ex attacks with Inferno X. It needs 2 Fire Energy attached, and it has 360 HP. Watch the damage box. "90×" does not mean 90 damage: it means 90 per card you discard yourself to fire the attack. The total moves every turn.

The cost of Inferno X decides your first few turns. You only get to attach one Energy a turn, and that attack asks for 2. On your own attachments alone, your first real swing lands on turn 2. Except you are not on your own. Oricorio ex, which the list runs 2 of, has an Ability called Excited Turbo: it attaches Energy from your hand on top of the one you already play. An Ability costs you nothing: not your attack, not your card for the turn. That is where this deck buys its turns, and it is the first thing to look for in your opening hand.

Energy is not your only clock. Charmander has to climb two steps before it becomes Mega Charizard X ex, and an evolution asleep at the bottom of your deck does you no good at all. The list has that covered. Dawn, which the list runs 2 of, goes into your deck for an evolution. Careful, though: only 29 of the 38 lists bring it, so it is a choice, and players are still arguing about it.

Here is the detail that quietly loses games. To pull Mega Charizard X ex back to the Bench you have to discard 2 Energy attached to it. Retreating does not cost you your turn, you can step back and still swing right after. What it costs you is the 2 Energy you spent 2 turns attaching, and you start that climb again from nothing. Pack a card that moves it for free, or send it up knowing it stays up.

Mega Charizard X ex is a Mega Evolution ex, and that is the most expensive rule in the game: your opponent takes 3 Prize cards instead of one the turn it goes down. They need 6 to win the game, so 2 well-placed knockouts on that card beat you, where it would take 6 knockouts anywhere else on your Bench.

The attackers in the deck's core, with their best attack, its cost and their Weakness

Pokémon	HP	Attack	Damage	Cost	Weakness	Retreat
Close Mega Charizard X exStage 2	360	Inferno X	90×	Fire + Fire	Water ×2	2
Close CharmeleonStage 1	110	Steady Firebreathing	40	Fire	Water ×2	2
Close CharmanderBasic	80	Live Coal	20	Fire	Water ×2	2

The core: the 6 cards every list runs

These 6 cards appear in all 38 lists, without a single exception. That is 22 of the 60 slots. The other 38 are decided player by player.

Look at how those 22 slots break down: 6 Trainers, 8 Pokémon, 8 Energy. Pokémon dominate, which is unusual: this deck needs bodies on the board, and it depends on any single attacker less than it looks.

6 of those 6 cards do not sit at the same count from list to list: Charmander (2 to 4), Charmeleon (1 to 3) and Mega Charizard X ex (2 to 4), plus 3 more. Add those spreads up and you get 19 copies the 38 lists do not agree on, inside the core itself.

What "3 to 4" means in the copies column, what the "TWM 130" code under each name is for, and why we count dozens of lists instead of one: how to read a deck list.

The cards present in every list counted, with the number of copies

Copies	Card	Printing	Kind
2–4	Close Charmander	PFL 11	Pokémon
1–3	Close Charmeleon	PFL 12	Pokémon
2–4	Close Mega Charizard X ex	PFL 13	Pokémon
2–4	Close Rare Candy	MEG 125	Trainer
1–4	Close Energy Retrieval	SVI 171	Trainer
5–13	Fire Energy	MEE 2	Energy

The 116 cards that change from list to list

116 cards fight over the 38 slots that are left: 11 above three lists in four, 89 below one in four, and the percentage on each row says how many players took it.

The most agreed on first: Boss's Orders at 97 %, Oricorio ex at 95 % and Lillie's Determination at 95 %, plus 8 more above 75 %. Add those to the core and you have the common build.

The dividing line runs through Meowth ex, at 53 %: 20 of 38 players took it, 18 put something else there. The ones who run it bring 1 copy. Right at the bottom of the table, Braixen (8 lists out of 38) and Tatsugiri (8 lists out of 38).

Why a card at 45 % is not a bad card, and what order to buy all this in: how to read a deck list.

The cards some lists run and others don't, most common first

Lists running it	Card	Copies	Printing	Kind
97 %37/38	Close Boss's Orders	1–3	MEG 114	Trainer
95 %36/38	Close Oricorio ex	1–2	PFL 18	Pokémon
95 %36/38	Close Lillie's Determination	2–4	MEG 119	Trainer
95 %36/38	Close Ultra Ball	1–4	MEG 131	Trainer
84 %32/38	Close Poké Pad	1–4	POR 81	Trainer
82 %31/38	Close Fezandipiti ex	1	ASC 142	Pokémon
82 %31/38	Close Air Balloon	1–3	ASC 181	Trainer
82 %31/38	Close Night Stretcher	1–2	ASC 196	Trainer
79 %30/38	Close Firebreather	1–3	PFL 89	Trainer
76 %29/38	Close Battle Cage	1–3	PFL 85	Trainer
76 %29/38	Close Dawn	1–3	PFL 87	Trainer
71 %27/38	Close Team Rocket's Petrel	1–4	DRI 176	Trainer
53 %20/38	Close Meowth ex	1–2	POR 62	Pokémon
53 %20/38	Close Nitro Fire Energy	1–4	CRI 86	Energy
47 %18/38	Close Mega Charizard Y ex	1–2	ASC 22	Pokémon
42 %16/38	Close Energy Recycler	1–2	DRI 164	Trainer
39 %15/38	Close Special Red Card	1–2	CRI 82	Trainer
34 %13/38	Close Buddy-Buddy Poffin	1–2	TEF 144	Trainer
32 %12/38	Close Heatmor	1–2	WHT 19	Pokémon
32 %12/38	Close Lana's Aid	1–2	TWM 155	Trainer
32 %12/38	Close Mega Signal	1–3	MEG 121	Trainer
32 %12/38	Close Precious Trolley	1	SSP 185	Trainer
32 %12/38	Close Wally's Compassion	1–2	MEG 132	Trainer
29 %11/38	Close Fennekin	1–4	CRI 11	Pokémon
29 %11/38	Close Judge	1–2	POR 76	Trainer
29 %11/38	Close Switch	1–2	MEG 130	Trainer
26 %10/38	Close Delphox	1–3	CRI 13	Pokémon
21 %8/38	Close Braixen	1–2	CRI 12	Pokémon
21 %8/38	Close Tatsugiri	1	TWM 131	Pokémon
21 %8/38	Close Unfair Stamp	1	TWM 165	Trainer
18 %7/38	Close Torchic	2–3	DRI 40	Pokémon
18 %7/38	Close Blaziken ex	2	JTG 24	Pokémon
18 %7/38	Close Blaziken	1	DRI 42	Pokémon
18 %7/38	Close Pokégear 3.0	1–2	SVI 186	Trainer
18 %7/38	Close Max Rod	1	PRE 116	Trainer
18 %7/38	Close Powerglass	1–2	SFA 63	Trainer
16 %6/38	Close Combusken	2	DRI 41	Pokémon
16 %6/38	Close Moltres	1–2	PFL 14	Pokémon
16 %6/38	Close Team Rocket's Watchtower	1	DRI 180	Trainer
13 %5/38	Close Hilda	1–3	WHT 84	Trainer
11 %4/38	Close Psyduck	1	ASC 39	Pokémon
11 %4/38	Close Reshiram	1	PFL 17	Pokémon
11 %4/38	Close Team Rocket's Transceiver	2	DRI 178	Trainer
11 %4/38	Close Brock's Scouting	1–2	JTG 146	Trainer
11 %4/38	Close Energy Switch	1–2	MEG 115	Trainer
11 %4/38	Close Gwynn	1	PBL 78	Trainer
11 %4/38	Close Sacred Ash	1–3	DRI 168	Trainer
8 %3/38	Close Drakloak	2–3	TWM 129	Pokémon
8 %3/38	Close Dreepy	2–3	TWM 128	Pokémon
8 %3/38	Close Dudunsparce	2–3	TEF 129	Pokémon
8 %3/38	Close Ethan's Ho-Oh ex	2	DRI 39	Pokémon
8 %3/38	Close Chi-Yu	1	TWM 39	Pokémon
8 %3/38	Close Hand Trimmer	2	TEF 150	Trainer
8 %3/38	Close Blowtorch	1–2	PFL 86	Trainer
8 %3/38	Close Xerosic's Machinations	1	SFA 64	Trainer
8 %3/38	Close Ignition Energy	1	WHT 86	Energy
5 %2/38	Close Cinderace	1–4	MEG 28	Pokémon
5 %2/38	Close Dunsparce	3	JTG 120	Pokémon
5 %2/38	Close Fan Rotom	1–2	SCR 118	Pokémon
5 %2/38	Close Budew	1	ASC 16	Pokémon
5 %2/38	Close Ho-Oh	1	SSP 19	Pokémon
5 %2/38	Close Ho-Oh	1	CRI 10	Pokémon
5 %2/38	Close Paldean Tauros	1	SSP 18	Pokémon
5 %2/38	Close Shaymin	1	DRI 10	Pokémon
5 %2/38	Close Cyrano	2	SSP 170	Trainer
5 %2/38	Close Prism Tower	1–2	CRI 80	Trainer
5 %2/38	Close Transformation Tome	2	CRI 83	Trainer
5 %2/38	Close Carmine	1	TWM 145	Trainer
5 %2/38	Close Ciphermaniac's Codebreaking	1	TEF 145	Trainer
5 %2/38	Close Redeemable Ticket	1	JTG 156	Trainer
5 %2/38	Close Scoop Up Cyclone	1	TWM 162	Trainer
5 %2/38	Close Enriching Energy	1	SSP 191	Energy
3 %1/38	Close Mega Starmie ex	3	POR 21	Pokémon
3 %1/38	Close N's Zoroark ex	3	JTG 98	Pokémon
3 %1/38	Close N's Zorua	3	JTG 97	Pokémon
3 %1/38	Close Staryu	3	POR 20	Pokémon
3 %1/38	Close Vulpix	3	SSP 16	Pokémon
3 %1/38	Close Ceruledge	2	PFL 20	Pokémon
3 %1/38	Close Charcadet	2	PFL 19	Pokémon
3 %1/38	Close Dunsparce	2	TEF 128	Pokémon
3 %1/38	Close Ninetales	2	CRI 9	Pokémon
3 %1/38	Close Pikipek	2	PBL 66	Pokémon
3 %1/38	Close Team Rocket's Spidops	2	DRI 20	Pokémon
3 %1/38	Close Team Rocket's Tarountula	2	DRI 19	Pokémon
3 %1/38	Close Toucannon	2	PBL 68	Pokémon
3 %1/38	Close Combusken	1	JTG 23	Pokémon
3 %1/38	Close Froakie	1	CRI 20	Pokémon
3 %1/38	Close Frogadier	1	CRI 21	Pokémon
3 %1/38	Close Latias ex	1	SSP 76	Pokémon
3 %1/38	Close Magearna	1	JTG 107	Pokémon
3 %1/38	Close Mega Greninja ex	1	CRI 22	Pokémon
3 %1/38	Close Mega Kangaskhan ex	1	MEG 104	Pokémon
3 %1/38	Close Trumbeak	1	PBL 67	Pokémon
3 %1/38	Close Volbeat	1	TWM 9	Pokémon
3 %1/38	Close Boxed Order	4	TEF 143	Trainer
3 %1/38	Close AZ's Tranquility	2	CRI 76	Trainer
3 %1/38	Close Crispin	2	SCR 133	Trainer
3 %1/38	Close Ethan's Adventure	2	DRI 165	Trainer
3 %1/38	Close Friends in Paldea	2	PRE 109	Trainer
3 %1/38	Close Iris's Fighting Spirit	2	JTG 149	Trainer
3 %1/38	Close Surfing Beach	2	MEG 129	Trainer
3 %1/38	Close Cassiopeia	1	SFA 56	Trainer
3 %1/38	Close Dangerous Laser	1	SFA 58	Trainer
3 %1/38	Close Energy Search	1	POR 72	Trainer
3 %1/38	Close Explorer's Guidance	1	TEF 147	Trainer
3 %1/38	Close Jamming Tower	1	TWM 153	Trainer
3 %1/38	Close Jumbo Ice Cream	1	PFL 91	Trainer
3 %1/38	Close Miracle Headset	1	SSP 183	Trainer
3 %1/38	Close N's Plan	1	BLK 83	Trainer
3 %1/38	Close Rosa's Encouragement	1	POR 84	Trainer
3 %1/38	Close Salvatore	1	TEF 160	Trainer
3 %1/38	Close Secret Box	1	TWM 163	Trainer
3 %1/38	Close Surfer	1	SSP 187	Trainer
3 %1/38	Water Energy	5	MEE 3	Energy
3 %1/38	Close Legacy Energy	1	TWM 167	Energy
3 %1/38	Close Neo Upper Energy	1	TEF 162	Energy

The most common Mega Charizard X ex list, all 60 cards

Here they are in full, ready to build. 22 slots come from the core, the cards all 38 lists run. The remaining 38 come from the table just above, working down it: the cards the most players chose, each at its most common copy count, until the total lands on 60.

This list is nobody's list in particular. It takes, slot by slot, what the most people played, under the guardrails a judge would hold you to: never more than four copies of a card, and one ACE SPEC. Behind the core it took 21 more cards to reach 60. The whole thing comes to 15 Pokémon, 36 Trainers and 9 Energy.

One thing to know before you build it: the 38 lists we counted are all from players who came in the top twenty of their tournament. Nobody publishes the lists of the players who lost. So what you have in front of you is what the players finishing near the top bring most often.

One thing to fix before you play: there is no ACE SPEC card in these 60. Players split that slot so many ways that none of their cards climbed high enough to get in, and 36 of the 38 lists carry one. Take Precious Trolley, the most chosen, and drop a card from the bottom of the table to make room.

The text under the table is the one the game expects: copy it, paste it into the deck manager, and the list builds itself.

There is no price total on this page. The readings we have are Cardmarket's, in euros, and the shop link further down sends you to TCGplayer, which quotes in dollars. Putting a euro figure next to a dollar shop would be one currency too many. The French and German pages carry the total.

Why we only read lists from players who came in the top twenty of their tournament, and what that changes about every percentage on this page: how to read a deck list.

Pokémon: 15
4 Charmander PFL 11
2 Charmeleon PFL 12
2 Mega Charizard X ex PFL 13
2 Oricorio ex PFL 18
1 Fezandipiti ex ASC 142
1 Meowth ex POR 62
1 Mega Charizard Y ex ASC 22
2 Heatmor WHT 19

Trainer: 36
4 Rare Candy MEG 125
2 Energy Retrieval SVI 171
2 Boss's Orders MEG 114
4 Lillie's Determination MEG 119
2 Ultra Ball MEG 131
4 Poké Pad POR 81
2 Air Balloon ASC 181
2 Night Stretcher ASC 196
2 Firebreather PFL 89
2 Battle Cage PFL 85
2 Dawn PFL 87
2 Team Rocket's Petrel DRI 176
1 Energy Recycler DRI 164
1 Special Red Card CRI 82
2 Buddy-Buddy Poffin TEF 144
1 Lana's Aid TWM 155
1 Mega Signal MEG 121

Energy: 9
8 Fire Energy MEE 2
1 Nitro Fire Energy CRI 86

Total Cards: 60

What Mega Charizard X ex costs to build, and how long it will last

You need 122 different cards to cover every version of this deck, 6 of which nobody argues about. We do not have card prices, so we are not going to put a number on it.

36 of these 38 lists bring an ACE SPEC, and that is where they part ways: 12 took Precious Trolley, 8 took Unfair Stamp and 7 took Max Rod. The flex table shows you all 10. You are allowed ONE ACE SPEC card in your whole deck, so a single copy covers it whatever it costs. New to this deck? Take Precious Trolley and watch what the others do with theirs before you switch.

Then there is time, and the answer is a good one: not one of the 6 core cards carries the letter H, the one that goes at the next rotation. This deck walks through the change whole.

What Mega Charizard X ex struggles against

The attackers in this deck are Weak to Water, so they take DOUBLE damage from that type. 24 of the 97 decks we track attack in exactly that type.

Concretely, here is what is waiting for you: Festival Lead (Seaking), Marnie's Grimmsnarl ex / Froslass and Raging Bolt ex (Wellspring Mask Ogerpon ex), plus 21 more decks. The table below takes them one at a time, and those are the lists you practise against first before an event.

This table counts one thing, Weakness, and that comes to 24 decks out of the 97 we track. The other 73 do not attack into yours, and this table says nothing about them. You will still run into them.

Going the other way, your attackers are Fire, and 29 of the decks we track have an attacker Weak to one of those: Mega Excadrill ex, Festival Lead and Slowking, among others. That is you doubling, for once. Second half of the table.

Questions people ask

What is the Mega Charizard X ex deck list?

There isn't one, so we built one for you: all 60 cards are written out further up this page. Across 38 tournament lists harvested between 11 August 2026 and 4 September 2026, 6 cards turn up in every single one, 22 slots out of 60. The remaining 38 change from player to player, with 116 different cards competing for them. Both tables are above.

How many lists is this counted on, and where do they come from?

38 lists, played across 33 different tournaments, harvested between 11 August 2026 and 4 September 2026 from play.limitlesstcg.com. All 38 were read card by card, and every card recognised.

Where do I start if I want to build Mega Charizard X ex?

With the whole core: 6 cards, 22 slots. Inside it, buy the 6 Trainer slots and the 8 Energy first: they carry over into your next deck. Leave the 8 Pokémon slots for last. Only then work down the flex table and add the cards the most lists agree on, starting with Boss's Orders at 97 % and Oricorio ex at 95 %.

What beats Mega Charizard X ex?

Its attackers are Weak to Water, so they take double damage from an attacker of that type. 24 of the 97 decks we track play an attacker of that type: Festival Lead, Marnie's Grimmsnarl ex / Froslass, Raging Bolt ex and Latias ex / Mega Kangaskhan ex, among others.

Will Mega Charizard X ex survive the next rotation?

Yes, whole: not one of the 6 core cards carries the letter H. At equal price, that is the argument that should settle where your money goes.

Are a lot of people playing Mega Charizard X ex?

We have read 38 lists of it, which puts it 12th of the 97 decks we track by lists read. The platform those tournaments run on counts 91 entries for it, 0.22 % of the field, across all its players. That figure is theirs.

These pages are about the same corner of the game. If you came away from this one still wondering about something, start with one of them.