Mega Feraligatr ex

What Mega Feraligatr ex looks like when you open the box

Across the 32 lists we counted, this deck runs 14 to 24 Pokémon, 24 to 36 Trainers and 8 to 14 Energy. Its attacks are paid for in Water.

On results pages and on stream you will see it written « mega-feraligatr-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 14 out of 60, exactly the median of the 125 decks we track. It draws neither too much nor too little, so this is not where its games are won or lost.

It takes a while to set up. Mega Feraligatr 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: 24 to 36 cards out of 60, against a median of 31 across the 125 decks we track. Inside that, 9 to 16 Supporters, and the rule there is strict — one a turn, even if you are holding three. The 6 to 21 Items you can play all of in the same turn. It also brings up to 4 Stadiums, and 87 of the 125 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 Feraligatr ex actually wins

Mega Feraligatr ex attacks with Mortal Crunch. It needs 3 Energy, 2 Water and 1 Colorless attached, and it has 370 HP. The damage box reads "200+", and that little symbol hides the real decision on this card: 200 to start with, 400 the moment the Pokémon across the table is already damaged.

The cost of Mortal Crunch decides your first few turns. You only get to attach one Energy a turn, and that attack asks for 3. On your own attachments alone, your first real swing lands on turn 3. Except you are not on your own. Crispin, which the list runs 2 of, looks at the top of your deck and attaches the Energy it finds there. 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. Totodile has to climb two steps before it becomes Mega Feraligatr ex, and an evolution asleep at the bottom of your deck does you no good at all. The list has that covered. Hilda, which the list runs 2 of, goes into your deck for an evolution. Careful, though: only 23 of the 32 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 Feraligatr ex back to the Bench you have to discard 3 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 3 Energy you spent 3 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 Feraligatr 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 Feraligatr exStage 2	370	Mortal Crunch	200+		Lightning ×2	3

The core: the 5 cards every list runs

These 5 cards appear in all 32 lists, without a single exception. That is 16 of the 60 slots. The other 44 are decided player by player.

Look at how those 16 slots break down: 8 Trainers, 2 Pokémon, 6 Energy. Trainers outweigh everything else put together, which is the mark of a deck that goes and fetches its cards rather than waiting to draw them.

5 of those 5 cards do not sit at the same count from list to list: Mega Feraligatr ex (2 to 3), Lillie's Determination (2 to 4) and Boss's Orders (1 to 4), plus 2 more. Add those spreads up and you get 15 copies the 32 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
2–3	Close Mega Feraligatr ex	ASC 43	Pokémon
2–4	Close Lillie's Determination	MEG 119	Trainer
1–4	Close Boss's Orders	MEG 114	Trainer
1–4	Close Rare Candy	MEG 125	Trainer
4–10	Water Energy	MEE 3	Energy

The 97 cards that change from list to list

97 cards fight over the 44 slots that are left: 7 above three lists in four, 70 below one in four, and the percentage on each row says how many players took it.

The most agreed on first: Poké Pad at 97 %, Buddy-Buddy Poffin at 94 % and Totodile at 91 %, plus 4 more above 75 %. Add those to the core and you have the common build.

The dividing line runs through Froslass, at 50 %: 16 of 32 players took it, 16 put something else there. The ones who run it bring 2 copies. Right at the bottom of the table, Pokégear 3.0 (8 lists out of 32) and Misty's Vitality (7 lists out of 32).

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 %31/32	Close Poké Pad	1–4	POR 81	Trainer
94 %30/32	Close Buddy-Buddy Poffin	1–4	TEF 144	Trainer
91 %29/32	Close Totodile	2–4	TEF 39	Pokémon
88 %28/32	Close Night Stretcher	1–3	ASC 196	Trainer
78 %25/32	Close Munkidori	2–3	TWM 95	Pokémon
78 %25/32	Darkness Energy	2–4	MEE 7	Energy
75 %24/32	Close Crispin	1–3	SCR 133	Trainer
72 %23/32	Close Croconaw	1–3	TEF 40	Pokémon
72 %23/32	Close Feraligatr	1–2	TEF 41	Pokémon
72 %23/32	Close Hilda	1–3	WHT 84	Trainer
72 %23/32	Close Ultra Ball	1–4	MEG 131	Trainer
63 %20/32	Close Fezandipiti ex	1	ASC 142	Pokémon
59 %19/32	Close Neo Upper Energy	1	TEF 162	Energy
53 %17/32	Close Snorunt	1–4	ASC 46	Pokémon
50 %16/32	Close Froslass	1–3	TWM 53	Pokémon
50 %16/32	Close Dawn	1–3	PFL 87	Trainer
50 %16/32	Close Surfing Beach	1–3	MEG 129	Trainer
47 %15/32	Close Air Balloon	1–3	ASC 181	Trainer
47 %15/32	Close Special Red Card	1	CRI 82	Trainer
44 %14/32	Close Meowth ex	1	POR 62	Pokémon
44 %14/32	Close Shaymin	1	DRI 10	Pokémon
44 %14/32	Close Risky Ruins	1–4	MEG 127	Trainer
38 %12/32	Close Mega Froslass ex	1–2	ASC 47	Pokémon
34 %11/32	Close Budew	1–2	ASC 16	Pokémon
34 %11/32	Close Relicanth	1	TEF 84	Pokémon
31 %10/32	Close Croconaw	1–3	ASC 42	Pokémon
28 %9/32	Close Switch	1–2	MEG 130	Trainer
25 %8/32	Close Pokégear 3.0	1–3	SVI 186	Trainer
22 %7/32	Close Misty's Vitality	1–3	PBL 80	Trainer
22 %7/32	Close Team Rocket's Petrel	1–3	DRI 176	Trainer
22 %7/32	Close Bubbly Water Energy	1–3	CRI 84	Energy
19 %6/32	Close Latias ex	1	SSP 76	Pokémon
19 %6/32	Close Psyduck	1	ASC 39	Pokémon
19 %6/32	Close Mega Signal	1–2	MEG 121	Trainer
19 %6/32	Close Great Haul Net	1–2	CRI 78	Trainer
19 %6/32	Close Hero's Cape	1	TEF 152	Trainer
16 %5/32	Close Team Rocket's Crobat ex	2	DRI 122	Pokémon
16 %5/32	Close Team Rocket's Golbat	2–3	DRI 121	Pokémon
16 %5/32	Close Team Rocket's Zubat	2–3	DRI 120	Pokémon
16 %5/32	Close Bloodmoon Ursaluna ex	1	TWM 141	Pokémon
16 %5/32	Close Tatsugiri	1	TWM 131	Pokémon
16 %5/32	Close Wally's Compassion	1–2	MEG 132	Trainer
16 %5/32	Close Team Rocket's Energy	2	DRI 182	Energy
13 %4/32	Close Totodile	2–3	ASC 41	Pokémon
13 %4/32	Close Jumbo Ice Cream	1–3	PFL 91	Trainer
13 %4/32	Close Judge	1–2	POR 76	Trainer
9 %3/32	Close Mega Starmie ex	1–2	POR 21	Pokémon
9 %3/32	Close Staryu	2	POR 20	Pokémon
9 %3/32	Close Lana's Aid	1	TWM 155	Trainer
9 %3/32	Close Rosa's Encouragement	1	POR 84	Trainer
9 %3/32	Close Xerosic's Machinations	1	SFA 64	Trainer
6 %2/32	Close Cinderace	4	MEG 28	Pokémon
6 %2/32	Close Dudunsparce	2	TEF 129	Pokémon
6 %2/32	Close Wellspring Mask Ogerpon ex	1–2	TWM 64	Pokémon
6 %2/32	Close Flutter Mane	1	TEF 78	Pokémon
6 %2/32	Close Yveltal	1	MEG 88	Pokémon
6 %2/32	Close Brave Bangle	1–2	WHT 80	Trainer
6 %2/32	Close Team Rocket's Transceiver	1–2	DRI 178	Trainer
6 %2/32	Close Team Rocket's Venture Bomb	2	DRI 179	Trainer
6 %2/32	Close Battle Cage	1	PFL 85	Trainer
6 %2/32	Close Brock's Scouting	1	JTG 146	Trainer
6 %2/32	Close Kieran	1	TWM 154	Trainer
6 %2/32	Close Precious Trolley	1	SSP 185	Trainer
6 %2/32	Close Prism Energy	1	ASC 216	Energy
3 %1/32	Close Dunsparce	3	JTG 120	Pokémon
3 %1/32	Close Goldeen	3	TWM 44	Pokémon
3 %1/32	Close Grookey	3	TWM 14	Pokémon
3 %1/32	Close Thwackey	3	TWM 15	Pokémon
3 %1/32	Close Drakloak	2	TWM 129	Pokémon
3 %1/32	Close Dreepy	2	TWM 128	Pokémon
3 %1/32	Close Dunsparce	2	TEF 128	Pokémon
3 %1/32	Close Frosmoth	2	MEG 43	Pokémon
3 %1/32	Close Hoothoot	2	SCR 114	Pokémon
3 %1/32	Close Mega Kangaskhan ex	2	MEG 104	Pokémon
3 %1/32	Close Noctowl	2	SCR 115	Pokémon
3 %1/32	Close Snom	2	ASC 52	Pokémon
3 %1/32	Close Snorunt	2	TWM 51	Pokémon
3 %1/32	Close Genesect	1	SFA 40	Pokémon
3 %1/32	Close Pecharunt ex	1	SFA 39	Pokémon
3 %1/32	Close Seaking	1	PRE 21	Pokémon
3 %1/32	Close Drayton	2	SSP 174	Trainer
3 %1/32	Close Roto-Stick	2	PRE 127	Trainer
3 %1/32	Close Colress's Tenacity	1	SFA 57	Trainer
3 %1/32	Close Counter Gain	1	SSP 169	Trainer
3 %1/32	Close Crushing Hammer	1	POR 71	Trainer
3 %1/32	Close Deluxe Bomb	1	SCR 134	Trainer
3 %1/32	Close Energy Search	1	POR 72	Trainer
3 %1/32	Close Energy Switch	1	MEG 115	Trainer
3 %1/32	Close Grand Tree	1	SCR 136	Trainer
3 %1/32	Close Hassel	1	TWM 151	Trainer
3 %1/32	Close Prime Catcher	1	TEF 157	Trainer
3 %1/32	Close Redeemable Ticket	1	JTG 156	Trainer
3 %1/32	Close Tera Orb	1	SSP 189	Trainer
3 %1/32	Close Unfair Stamp	1	TWM 165	Trainer
3 %1/32	Close Ignition Energy	3	WHT 86	Energy
3 %1/32	Close Mist Energy	2	TEF 161	Energy
3 %1/32	Close Legacy Energy	1	TWM 167	Energy

The most common Mega Feraligatr ex list, all 60 cards

Here they are in full, ready to build. 16 slots come from the core, the cards all 32 lists run. The remaining 44 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 19 Pokémon, 31 Trainers and 10 Energy.

One thing to know before you build it: the 32 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.

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

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: 19
2 Mega Feraligatr ex ASC 43
4 Totodile TEF 39
3 Munkidori TWM 95
2 Croconaw TEF 40
1 Feraligatr TEF 41
1 Fezandipiti ex ASC 142
2 Snorunt ASC 46
2 Froslass TWM 53
1 Meowth ex POR 62
1 Shaymin DRI 10

Trainer: 31
4 Lillie's Determination MEG 119
2 Boss's Orders MEG 114
2 Rare Candy MEG 125
4 Poké Pad POR 81
4 Buddy-Buddy Poffin TEF 144
2 Night Stretcher ASC 196
2 Crispin SCR 133
2 Hilda WHT 84
2 Ultra Ball MEG 131
2 Dawn PFL 87
2 Surfing Beach MEG 129
2 Air Balloon ASC 181
1 Special Red Card CRI 82

Energy: 10
6 Water Energy MEE 3
3 Darkness Energy MEE 7
1 Neo Upper Energy TEF 162

Total Cards: 60

How many different cards Mega Feraligatr ex needs, and how long it will last

You need 102 different cards to cover every version of this deck, 5 of which nobody argues about. The rest is where lists differ from one another, and that is where you have room to choose.

All 32 lists bring an ACE SPEC, and that is where they part ways: 19 took Neo Upper Energy, 6 took Hero's Cape and 2 took Precious Trolley. The flex table shows you all 8. 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 Neo Upper Energy 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 5 core cards carries the letter H, the one that goes at the next rotation. This deck walks through the change whole.

What Mega Feraligatr ex struggles against

The attackers in this deck are Weak to Lightning, so they take DOUBLE damage from that type. 9 of the 125 decks we track attack in exactly that type.

Concretely, here is what is waiting for you: Mega Manectric ex / Eelektrik, Eelektrik and Iono's Bellibolt ex, plus 6 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 9 decks out of the 125 we track. The other 116 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 Water, and 13 of the decks we track have an attacker Weak to one of those: Dragapult ex / Blaziken ex, Ethan's Typhlosion and Ceruledge ex, among others. That is you doubling, for once. Second half of the table.