Mega Froslass ex

What Mega Froslass ex looks like when you open the box

Across the 66 lists we counted, this deck runs 3 to 22 Pokémon, 28 to 43 Trainers and 7 to 19 Energy. Its attacks are paid for in Water.

On results pages and on stream you will see it written « mega-froslass-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: 7 to 19 out of 60, when half the 132 decks we track run 11 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 sets up fast. Mega Froslass ex is a Stage 1 Pokémon: a Basic, one evolution on top, and you are attacking. Two cards instead of three. You lose fewer turns building, and you rebuild much more easily when an early knockout lands on you.

Look at the Trainers: 28 to 43 cards out of 60, against a median of 31 across the 132 decks we track. Inside that, 10 to 25 Supporters, and the rule there is strict — one a turn, even if you are holding three. The 7 to 21 Items you can play all of in the same turn. It also brings up to 5 Stadiums, and 26 of the 132 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 Froslass ex actually wins

Mega Froslass ex attacks with Absolute Snow for 150. It needs 3 Energy, 1 Water and 2 Colorless attached, and it has 310 HP. And the number is not everything the card says. There is one more line printed under the attack, and it is the one everybody skips: "Your opponent's Active Pokémon is now Asleep."

The cost of Absolute Snow 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. We have not found anything in this list that attaches Energy faster than that, so plan on holding out for 2 turns before you swing. Those turns still get played: you fill your Bench, you build your lines, and you keep something back to rebuild with when your attacker falls.

Energy is not your only clock. Snorunt has to climb a step before it becomes Mega Froslass ex, and an evolution asleep at the bottom of your deck does you no good at all. The list has that covered. Salvatore, which the list runs 4 of, goes into your deck for an evolution. Careful, though: only 40 of the 66 lists bring it, so it is a choice, and players are still arguing about it.

Good news on mobility: pulling Mega Froslass ex back to the Bench costs you 1 Energy attached to it, and that is all. Retreating does not cost you your turn, so you step back and swing anyway. That matters enormously the day your opponent lands something nasty on it.

Mega Froslass 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 Froslass exStage 1	310	Absolute Snow	150		Metal ×2	1
Close SnoruntBasic	70	Chilly	10		Metal ×2	1

The core: the 4 cards every list runs

These 4 cards appear in all 66 lists, without a single exception. That is 12 of the 60 slots. The other 48 are decided player by player.

Look at how those 12 slots break down: 3 Trainers, 6 Pokémon, 3 Energy. Pokémon dominate, which is unusual: this deck needs bodies on the board, and it depends on any single attacker less than it looks.

4 of those 4 cards do not sit at the same count from list to list: Snorunt (1 to 4), Mega Froslass ex (2 to 4) and Boss's Orders (1 to 4), plus 1 more. Add those spreads up and you get 23 copies the 66 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
1–4	Close Snorunt	ASC 46	Pokémon
2–4	Close Mega Froslass ex	ASC 47	Pokémon
1–4	Close Boss's Orders	MEG 114	Trainer
2–17	Water Energy	MEE 3	Energy

The 147 cards that change from list to list

147 cards fight over the 48 slots that are left: 2 above three lists in four, 124 below one in four, and the percentage on each row says how many players took it.

The most agreed on first: Buddy-Buddy Poffin at 86 % and Lillie's Determination at 83 %. Add those to the core and you have the common build.

The dividing line runs through Ultra Ball, at 50 %: 33 of 66 players took it, 33 put something else there. The ones who run it bring 2 copies. Right at the bottom of the table, Xerosic's Machinations (15 lists out of 66) and Darkness Energy (15 lists out of 66).

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
86 %57/66	Close Buddy-Buddy Poffin	1–4	TEF 144	Trainer
83 %55/66	Close Lillie's Determination	2–4	MEG 119	Trainer
71 %47/66	Close Wally's Compassion	1–4	MEG 132	Trainer
61 %40/66	Close Poké Pad	1–4	POR 81	Trainer
61 %40/66	Close Salvatore	1–4	TEF 160	Trainer
58 %38/66	Close Pokégear 3.0	1–4	SVI 186	Trainer
50 %33/66	Close Ultra Ball	1–4	MEG 131	Trainer
50 %33/66	Close Hero's Cape	1	TEF 152	Trainer
47 %31/66	Close Mega Signal	2–4	MEG 121	Trainer
44 %29/66	Close Night Stretcher	1–4	ASC 196	Trainer
42 %28/66	Close Hilda	1–4	WHT 84	Trainer
39 %26/66	Close Hand Trimmer	1–3	TEF 150	Trainer
38 %25/66	Close Team Rocket's Petrel	1–4	DRI 176	Trainer
35 %23/66	Close Air Balloon	1–3	ASC 181	Trainer
35 %23/66	Close Special Red Card	1–2	CRI 82	Trainer
32 %21/66	Close Budew	1–2	ASC 16	Pokémon
32 %21/66	Close Lucian	1–4	TWM 157	Trainer
29 %19/66	Close Battle Cage	1–3	PFL 85	Trainer
29 %19/66	Close Judge	1–4	POR 76	Trainer
27 %18/66	Close Meowth ex	1	POR 62	Pokémon
27 %18/66	Close Lisia's Appeal	2–4	SSP 179	Trainer
27 %18/66	Close Bubbly Water Energy	1–4	CRI 84	Energy
26 %17/66	Close Deduction Kit	2–4	SSP 171	Trainer
23 %15/66	Close Xerosic's Machinations	1–3	SFA 64	Trainer
23 %15/66	Darkness Energy	2–5	MEE 7	Energy
23 %15/66	Close Legacy Energy	1	TWM 167	Energy
21 %14/66	Close Munkidori	2–4	TWM 95	Pokémon
21 %14/66	Close Switch	1–2	MEG 130	Trainer
20 %13/66	Close Froslass	1–2	TWM 53	Pokémon
20 %13/66	Close Rare Candy	1–4	MEG 125	Trainer
18 %12/66	Close Chandelure	3–4	TWM 38	Pokémon
18 %12/66	Close Gravity Mountain	1–4	SSP 177	Trainer
18 %12/66	Fire Energy	2–5	MEE 10	Energy
17 %11/66	Close Shaymin	1	DRI 10	Pokémon
17 %11/66	Psychic Energy	1–4	MEE 13	Energy
17 %11/66	Close Mist Energy	1–4	TEF 161	Energy
15 %10/66	Close Colress's Tenacity	1–4	SFA 57	Trainer
15 %10/66	Close Roto-Stick	1–4	PRE 127	Trainer
14 %9/66	Close Lampent	2–4	PBL 37	Pokémon
14 %9/66	Close Litwick	3–4	PBL 36	Pokémon
14 %9/66	Close Fezandipiti ex	1	ASC 142	Pokémon
14 %9/66	Close Psyduck	1	ASC 39	Pokémon
14 %9/66	Close Crispin	1–4	SCR 133	Trainer
14 %9/66	Close Tool Scrapper	1	ASC 212	Trainer
12 %8/66	Close Bastiodon	1–3	PBL 62	Pokémon
12 %8/66	Close Shieldon	1–3	PBL 61	Pokémon
12 %8/66	Close Fossil Quarry	3–4	PBL 76	Trainer
12 %8/66	Close Antique Armor Fossil	1–3	PBL 72	Trainer
12 %8/66	Close Energy Search	1–3	POR 72	Trainer
12 %8/66	Close Prism Tower	1	CRI 80	Trainer
11 %7/66	Close Wellspring Mask Ogerpon ex	1–2	TWM 64	Pokémon
11 %7/66	Close Team Rocket's Watchtower	1–3	DRI 180	Trainer
11 %7/66	Close Explorer's Guidance	2–4	TEF 147	Trainer
11 %7/66	Close Enhanced Hammer	1–3	TWM 148	Trainer
11 %7/66	Close Magnetic Metal Energy	1–4	CRI 85	Energy
9 %6/66	Close Genesect ex	1	BLK 67	Pokémon
9 %6/66	Close Dawn	1–4	PFL 87	Trainer
9 %6/66	Close Cheren	1–3	WHT 81	Trainer
9 %6/66	Close Grand Tree	1	SCR 136	Trainer
8 %5/66	Close Mew ex	1–4	30C 66	Pokémon
8 %5/66	Close N's Zoroark ex	2	JTG 98	Pokémon
8 %5/66	Close N's Zorua	2	JTG 97	Pokémon
8 %5/66	Close Yveltal	1–4	MEG 88	Pokémon
8 %5/66	Close Lana's Aid	1	TWM 155	Trainer
8 %5/66	Close Surfer	1	SSP 187	Trainer
8 %5/66	Close Telepathic Psychic Energy	1–4	POR 88	Energy
6 %4/66	Close Bronzong	2	TEF 69	Pokémon
6 %4/66	Close Latias ex	2–3	SSP 76	Pokémon
6 %4/66	Close Glalie	1–2	TWM 52	Pokémon
6 %4/66	Close Scoop Up Cyclone	1	TWM 162	Trainer
5 %3/66	Close Litwick	4	TWM 36	Pokémon
5 %3/66	Close Bronzor	2	TEF 68	Pokémon
5 %3/66	Close Dunsparce	1–2	JTG 120	Pokémon
5 %3/66	Close Dudunsparce	1	TEF 129	Pokémon
5 %3/66	Close Lillie's Clefairy ex	1–2	JTG 56	Pokémon
5 %3/66	Close Tatsugiri	1	TWM 131	Pokémon
5 %3/66	Close Brock's Scouting	2–4	JTG 146	Trainer
5 %3/66	Close Gwynn	2	PBL 78	Trainer
5 %3/66	Close Handheld Fan	2	TWM 150	Trainer
5 %3/66	Close Team Rocket's Transceiver	2	DRI 178	Trainer
5 %3/66	Close Prime Catcher	1	TEF 157	Trainer
5 %3/66	Close Surfing Beach	1–3	MEG 129	Trainer
3 %2/66	Close Lampent	2–3	TWM 37	Pokémon
3 %2/66	Close Tirtouga	2–3	BLK 22	Pokémon
3 %2/66	Close Bloodmoon Ursaluna ex	1	TWM 141	Pokémon
3 %2/66	Close Crushing Hammer	2–4	POR 71	Trainer
3 %2/66	Close Harlequin	3–4	WHT 83	Trainer
3 %2/66	Close Pokémon Catcher	3–4	POR 82	Trainer
3 %2/66	Close Antique Cover Fossil	2–3	SCR 129	Trainer
3 %2/66	Close Cyrano	2–3	SSP 170	Trainer
3 %2/66	Close Call Bell	1–2	SSP 165	Trainer
3 %2/66	Close Great Haul Net	1–2	CRI 78	Trainer
3 %2/66	Close Risky Ruins	2	MEG 127	Trainer
3 %2/66	Close Black Belt's Training	1	JTG 143	Trainer
3 %2/66	Close Eri	1	TEF 146	Trainer
3 %2/66	Close Kieran	1	TWM 154	Trainer
3 %2/66	Close Nighttime Mine	1	ASC 197	Trainer
3 %2/66	Close Secret Box	1	TWM 163	Trainer
3 %2/66	Lightning Energy	3–6	MEE 12	Energy
3 %2/66	Close Prism Energy	1–4	ASC 216	Energy
3 %2/66	Close Ignition Energy	1–2	WHT 86	Energy
2 %1/66	Close Frosmoth	4	ASC 53	Pokémon
2 %1/66	Close Mega Zeraora ex	4	PBL 27	Pokémon
2 %1/66	Close Snom	4	ASC 52	Pokémon
2 %1/66	Close Frosmoth	3	MEG 43	Pokémon
2 %1/66	Close Snom	3	TEF 45	Pokémon
2 %1/66	Close Bronzor	2	PRE 66	Pokémon
2 %1/66	Close Drakloak	2	TWM 129	Pokémon
2 %1/66	Close Dreepy	2	TWM 128	Pokémon
2 %1/66	Close Eevee	2	SSP 143	Pokémon
2 %1/66	Close Glaceon ex	2	PRE 26	Pokémon
2 %1/66	Close Lampent	2	WHT 17	Pokémon
2 %1/66	Close Mega Dragalge ex	2	CRI 65	Pokémon
2 %1/66	Close Rotom	2	SSP 61	Pokémon
2 %1/66	Close Skrelp	2	CRI 58	Pokémon
2 %1/66	Close Yveltal	2	30C 100	Pokémon
2 %1/66	Close Amaura	1	POR 23	Pokémon
2 %1/66	Close Aurorus	1	POR 24	Pokémon
2 %1/66	Close Maractus	1	JTG 8	Pokémon
2 %1/66	Close Patrat	1	CRI 70	Pokémon
2 %1/66	Close Relicanth	1	TEF 84	Pokémon
2 %1/66	Close Team Rocket's Articuno	1	DRI 51	Pokémon
2 %1/66	Close Unown	1	30C 72	Pokémon
2 %1/66	Close Accompanying Flute	4	TWM 142	Trainer
2 %1/66	Close Naveen	4	POR 79	Trainer
2 %1/66	Close Lucky Helmet	3	TWM 158	Trainer
2 %1/66	Close Antique Sail Fossil	2	POR 69	Trainer
2 %1/66	Close Ciphermaniac's Codebreaking	2	TEF 145	Trainer
2 %1/66	Close Dark Bell	2	PBL 75	Trainer
2 %1/66	Close Drayton	2	SSP 174	Trainer
2 %1/66	Close Levincia	2	JTG 150	Trainer
2 %1/66	Close Misty's Vitality	2	PBL 80	Trainer
2 %1/66	Close Team Rocket's Factory	2	DRI 173	Trainer
2 %1/66	Close Team Rocket's Venture Bomb	2	DRI 179	Trainer
2 %1/66	Close Acerola's Mischief	1	MEG 113	Trainer
2 %1/66	Close Carmine	1	TWM 145	Trainer
2 %1/66	Close Hassel	1	TWM 151	Trainer
2 %1/66	Close Jamming Tower	1	TWM 153	Trainer
2 %1/66	Close Lillie's Pearl	1	JTG 151	Trainer
2 %1/66	Close Pokémon Center Lady	1	MEG 123	Trainer
2 %1/66	Close Repel	1	MEG 126	Trainer
2 %1/66	Close Rust Syndicate Grunt	1	PBL 81	Trainer
2 %1/66	Close Sacred Ash	1	DRI 168	Trainer
2 %1/66	Close Super Potion	1	JTG 158	Trainer
2 %1/66	Close Unfair Stamp	1	TWM 165	Trainer
2 %1/66	Close Wondrous Patch	1	PFL 94	Trainer
2 %1/66	Close Voltaic Lightning Energy	4	PBL 84	Energy

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

You need 151 different cards to cover every version of this deck, 4 of which nobody argues about. The rest is where lists differ from one another, and that is where you have room to choose.

64 of these 66 lists bring an ACE SPEC, and that is where they part ways: 33 took Hero's Cape, 15 took Legacy Energy and 6 took Grand Tree. The flex table shows you all 7. 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 Hero's Cape 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 4 core cards carries the letter H, the one that goes at the next rotation. This deck walks through the change whole.

What Mega Froslass ex struggles against

The attackers in this deck are Weak to Metal, so they take DOUBLE damage from that type. 10 of the 132 decks we track attack in exactly that type.

Concretely, here is what is waiting for you: Slowking (Metagross), Mega Excadrill ex and Steven's Metagross ex, plus 7 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 10 decks out of the 132 we track. The other 122 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.