Mega Gengar ex

What Mega Gengar ex looks like when you open the box

Across the 16 lists we counted, this deck runs 13 to 23 Pokémon, 23 to 37 Trainers and 8 to 15 Energy. Its attacks are paid for in Darkness.

On results pages and on stream you will see it written « mega-gengar-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 119 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 takes a while to set up. Mega Gengar 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: 23 to 37 cards out of 60, against a median of 31 across the 119 decks we track. Inside that, 11 to 19 Supporters, and the rule there is strict — one a turn, even if you are holding three. The 9 to 20 Items you can play all of in the same turn. It also brings up to 4 Stadiums, and 74 of the 119 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.

What the card in this deck's name actually does

Mega Gengar ex gives this deck its name. Here is what is written on it.

Mega Gengar ex is in all 16 lists, 2 copies of it. Its Ability is called Shadowy Concealment, and here is what is printed on it, word for word: « If 1 of your {D} Pokémon is Knocked Out by damage from an attack from your opponent's Pokémon ex, that player takes 1 fewer Prize card. The effect of Shadowy Concealment doesn't stack. »

How Mega Gengar ex actually wins

Mega Gengar ex attacks with Void Gale for 230. It needs 2 Darkness Energy attached, and it has 350 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: "Move an Energy from this Pokémon to 1 of your Benched Pokémon."

The cost of Void Gale 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. We have not found anything in this list that attaches Energy faster than that, so plan on holding out for a turn 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.

Here is the detail that quietly loses games. To pull Mega Gengar 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 Gengar 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 Gengar exStage 2	350	Void Gale	230		Fighting ×2	2

The core: the 4 cards every list runs

These 4 cards appear in all 16 lists, without a single exception. That is 17 of the 60 slots. The other 43 are decided player by player.

Look at how those 17 slots break down: 6 Trainers, 2 Pokémon, 9 Energy. Nothing stands out in that split. What sets this deck apart is how thick its core is: 17 of the 60 slots are the same for everybody, when half the 119 decks we track fix 30 or more. This one leaves more room than most, and two players can build it very differently.

4 of those 4 cards do not sit at the same count from list to list: Mega Gengar ex (2 to 3), Lillie's Determination (2 to 4) and Rare Candy (1 to 4), plus 1 more. Add those spreads up and you get 15 copies the 16 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 Gengar ex	PFL 56	Pokémon
2–4	Close Lillie's Determination	MEG 119	Trainer
1–4	Close Rare Candy	MEG 125	Trainer
6–15	Darkness Energy	MEE 7	Energy

The 105 cards that change from list to list

105 cards fight over the 43 slots that are left: 2 above three lists in four, 82 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 94 % and Ultra Ball at 75 %. Add those to the core and you have the common build.

The dividing line runs through Pecharunt ex, at 50 %: 8 of 16 players took it, 8 put something else there. The ones who run it bring 2 copies. Right at the bottom of the table, Gastly (4 lists out of 16) and Gastly (4 lists out of 16).

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
94 %15/16	Close Boss's Orders	1–3	MEG 114	Trainer
75 %12/16	Close Ultra Ball	1–4	MEG 131	Trainer
63 %10/16	Close Haunter	1–3	PFL 55	Pokémon
63 %10/16	Close Buddy-Buddy Poffin	2–4	TEF 144	Trainer
56 %9/16	Close Gastly	2–4	TEF 102	Pokémon
56 %9/16	Close Fezandipiti ex	1	ASC 142	Pokémon
56 %9/16	Close Janine's Secret Art	1–3	PRE 112	Trainer
50 %8/16	Close Pecharunt ex	1–2	SFA 39	Pokémon
50 %8/16	Close Poké Pad	2–4	POR 81	Trainer
50 %8/16	Close Risky Ruins	1–2	MEG 127	Trainer
44 %7/16	Close Grimsley's Move	2–4	PFL 90	Trainer
44 %7/16	Close Night Stretcher	2–3	ASC 196	Trainer
38 %6/16	Close Toxel	1–3	PFL 67	Pokémon
38 %6/16	Close Toxtricity	1–2	PFL 68	Pokémon
38 %6/16	Close Cyrano	2–4	SSP 170	Trainer
38 %6/16	Close Dark Bell	2–4	PBL 75	Trainer
38 %6/16	Close Team Rocket's Petrel	1–4	DRI 176	Trainer
38 %6/16	Close Mega Signal	1–2	MEG 121	Trainer
31 %5/16	Close Mega Darkrai ex	1	PBL 48	Pokémon
31 %5/16	Close Energy Recycler	1–2	DRI 164	Trainer
31 %5/16	Close Energy Retrieval	2	SVI 171	Trainer
31 %5/16	Close Punk Helmet	2–3	PFL 92	Trainer
31 %5/16	Close Hero's Cape	1	TEF 152	Trainer
25 %4/16	Close Gastly	2–3	PFL 54	Pokémon
25 %4/16	Close Gastly	1–3	POR 48	Pokémon
25 %4/16	Close Scraggy	2	WHT 57	Pokémon
25 %4/16	Close Morpeko ex	1	PBL 55	Pokémon
25 %4/16	Close Switch	2–3	MEG 130	Trainer
19 %3/16	Close Pecharunt	2–4	SVP 149	Pokémon
19 %3/16	Close Chi-Yu	1–3	PBL 59	Pokémon
19 %3/16	Close Munkidori	1–3	TWM 95	Pokémon
19 %3/16	Close Dudunsparce	2	TEF 129	Pokémon
19 %3/16	Close Dunsparce	2–3	JTG 120	Pokémon
19 %3/16	Close Okidogi ex	2	SFA 36	Pokémon
19 %3/16	Close Scrafty	2	WHT 58	Pokémon
19 %3/16	Close Absol	1	SFA 30	Pokémon
19 %3/16	Close Crobat	1–2	CRI 51	Pokémon
19 %3/16	Close Gengar ex	1	TEF 104	Pokémon
19 %3/16	Close Haunter	1	TEF 103	Pokémon
19 %3/16	Close Zubat	1–2	SFA 27	Pokémon
19 %3/16	Close Energy Switch	2–4	MEG 115	Trainer
19 %3/16	Close Friends in Paldea	4	PRE 109	Trainer
19 %3/16	Close Crispin	3	SCR 133	Trainer
19 %3/16	Close Air Balloon	2	ASC 181	Trainer
19 %3/16	Close Dawn	1–2	PFL 87	Trainer
19 %3/16	Close Dizzying Valley	1	PFL 88	Trainer
19 %3/16	Close Fennel	1	BLK 82	Trainer
19 %3/16	Close Gravity Mountain	1	SSP 177	Trainer
19 %3/16	Close Hilda	1–2	WHT 84	Trainer
19 %3/16	Close Judge	1	POR 76	Trainer
19 %3/16	Close Max Rod	1	PRE 116	Trainer
19 %3/16	Close Precious Trolley	1	SSP 185	Trainer
13 %2/16	Close Spiritomb	2–4	MEG 87	Pokémon
13 %2/16	Close Salandit	3	POR 15	Pokémon
13 %2/16	Close Salazzle ex	3	POR 16	Pokémon
13 %2/16	Close Seviper	2	PFL 62	Pokémon
13 %2/16	Close Roxie's Performance	3	CRI 81	Trainer
13 %2/16	Close Surfer	3	SSP 187	Trainer
13 %2/16	Close Binding Mochi	2	PRE 95	Trainer
13 %2/16	Close Perilous Jungle	2	TEF 156	Trainer
13 %2/16	Close Powerglass	2	SFA 63	Trainer
13 %2/16	Close Maximum Belt	1	TEF 154	Trainer
13 %2/16	Close Sacred Ash	1	DRI 168	Trainer
13 %2/16	Close Special Red Card	1	CRI 82	Trainer
13 %2/16	Fire Energy	6	MEE 2	Energy
6 %1/16	Close Mega Absol ex	3	MEG 86	Pokémon
6 %1/16	Close Scolipede	3	TWM 117	Pokémon
6 %1/16	Close Venipede	3	TWM 115	Pokémon
6 %1/16	Close Budew	2	ASC 16	Pokémon
6 %1/16	Close Carvanha	2	PFL 60	Pokémon
6 %1/16	Close Fan Rotom	2	SCR 118	Pokémon
6 %1/16	Close Gengar	2	POR 50	Pokémon
6 %1/16	Close Haunter	2	POR 49	Pokémon
6 %1/16	Close Hoothoot	2	SCR 114	Pokémon
6 %1/16	Close Mega Scrafty ex	2	ASC 135	Pokémon
6 %1/16	Close N's Zoroark ex	2	JTG 98	Pokémon
6 %1/16	Close N's Zorua	2	JTG 97	Pokémon
6 %1/16	Close Whirlipede	2	TWM 116	Pokémon
6 %1/16	Close Cinccino ex	1	CRI 73	Pokémon
6 %1/16	Close Galarian Linoone	1	ASC 131	Pokémon
6 %1/16	Close Galarian Zigzagoon	1	ASC 130	Pokémon
6 %1/16	Close Honchkrow	1	PFL 58	Pokémon
6 %1/16	Close Mega Sharpedo ex	1	PFL 61	Pokémon
6 %1/16	Close Murkrow	1	PFL 57	Pokémon
6 %1/16	Close N's Reshiram	1	JTG 116	Pokémon
6 %1/16	Close Noctowl	1	SCR 115	Pokémon
6 %1/16	Close Academy at Night	4	SFA 54	Trainer
6 %1/16	Close Carmine	4	TWM 145	Trainer
6 %1/16	Close N's PP Up	3	JTG 153	Trainer
6 %1/16	Close Pokégear 3.0	3	SVI 186	Trainer
6 %1/16	Close Wally's Compassion	3	MEG 132	Trainer
6 %1/16	Close Battle Cage	2	PFL 85	Trainer
6 %1/16	Close Brock's Scouting	2	JTG 146	Trainer
6 %1/16	Close Hassel	2	TWM 151	Trainer
6 %1/16	Close Pokémon Center Lady	2	MEG 123	Trainer
6 %1/16	Close Team Rocket's Factory	2	DRI 173	Trainer
6 %1/16	Close Bianca's Devotion	1	TEF 142	Trainer
6 %1/16	Close Black Belt's Training	1	JTG 143	Trainer
6 %1/16	Close Canari	1	ASC 185	Trainer
6 %1/16	Close Lana's Aid	1	TWM 155	Trainer
6 %1/16	Close Lucky Helmet	1	TWM 158	Trainer
6 %1/16	Close Secret Box	1	TWM 163	Trainer
6 %1/16	Close Unfair Stamp	1	TWM 165	Trainer
6 %1/16	Close Shadowy Darkness Energy	2	PBL 83	Energy
6 %1/16	Close Legacy Energy	1	TWM 167	Energy

The most common Mega Gengar ex list, all 60 cards

Here they are in full, ready to build. 17 slots come from the core, the cards all 16 lists run. The remaining 43 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 19 more cards to reach 60. The whole thing comes to 14 Pokémon, 37 Trainers and 9 Energy.

One thing to know before you build it: the 16 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 16 of the 16 lists carry one. Take Hero's Cape, 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. Our readings are in euros, taken on the European market, and that is not the currency you pay in. A figure you would have to convert in your head is worse than no figure at all. 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: 14
2 Mega Gengar ex PFL 56
2 Haunter PFL 55
2 Gastly TEF 102
1 Fezandipiti ex ASC 142
2 Pecharunt ex SFA 39
2 Toxel PFL 67
2 Toxtricity PFL 68
1 Mega Darkrai ex PBL 48

Trainer: 37
4 Lillie's Determination MEG 119
2 Rare Candy MEG 125
2 Boss's Orders MEG 114
2 Ultra Ball MEG 131
2 Buddy-Buddy Poffin TEF 144
3 Janine's Secret Art PRE 112
3 Poké Pad POR 81
1 Risky Ruins MEG 127
2 Grimsley's Move PFL 90
2 Night Stretcher ASC 196
4 Cyrano SSP 170
4 Dark Bell PBL 75
4 Team Rocket's Petrel DRI 176
2 Mega Signal MEG 121

Energy: 9
9 Darkness Energy MEE 7

Total Cards: 60

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

You need 109 different cards to cover every version of this deck, 4 of which nobody argues about. We do not have card prices, so we are not going to put a number on it.

All 16 lists bring an ACE SPEC, and that is where they part ways: 5 took Hero's Cape, 3 took Max Rod and 3 took Precious Trolley. 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 Gengar ex struggles against

The attackers in this deck are Weak to Fighting, so they take DOUBLE damage from that type. 14 of the 119 decks we track attack in exactly that type.

Concretely, here is what is waiting for you: Mega Lucario ex, Mega Lucario ex / Hariyama and Cynthia's Garchomp ex, plus 11 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 14 decks out of the 119 we track. The other 105 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 Darkness, and 29 of the decks we track have an attacker Weak to one of those: Alakazam / Dudunsparce, Dragapult ex / Dusknoir and Slowking, among others. That is you doubling, for once. Second half of the table.