Mega Greninja ex

What Mega Greninja ex looks like when you open the box

Across the 92 lists we counted, this deck runs 16 to 28 Pokémon, 25 to 36 Trainers and 7 to 11 Energy. Its attacks are paid for in Water.

On results pages and on stream you will see it written « mega-greninja-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 11 out of 60, when half the 125 decks we track run 11 or more. This one is lean. It lives on cheap attacks and leans on Trainers to find the right Energy at the right moment rather than stockpiling it.

It takes a while to set up. Mega Greninja 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: 25 to 36 cards out of 60, against a median of 31 across the 125 decks we track. Inside that, 8 to 16 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 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.

What the card in this deck's name actually does

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

Mega Greninja ex is in all 92 lists, 2 copies of it. Its Ability is called Mortal Shuriken, and here is what is printed on it, word for word: « Once during your turn, if this Pokémon is in the Active Spot, you may discard a Basic {W} Energy card from your hand in order to use this Ability. Place 6 damage counters on 1 of your opponent's Pokémon. »

How Mega Greninja ex actually wins

Mega Greninja ex attacks with Ninja Spinner. It needs 2 Water Energy attached, and it has 350 HP. Watch the damage box: "120+" is not a total. Here is what the card prints, word for word: "You may put a {W} Energy attached to this Pokémon into your hand and have this attack do 80 more damage."

The cost of Ninja Spinner 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.

Energy is not your only clock. Froakie has to climb two steps before it becomes Mega Greninja 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 3 of, goes into your deck for an evolution. Careful, though: only 83 of the 92 lists bring it, so it is a choice, and players are still arguing about it.

Good news on mobility: pulling Mega Greninja 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 Greninja 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 Greninja exStage 2	350	Ninja Spinner	120+		Lightning ×2	1
Close FrogadierStage 1	100	Aqua Edge	50		Lightning ×2	1
Close FroakieBasic	70	Water Gun	10		Lightning ×2	1

The core: the 4 cards every list runs

These 4 cards appear in all 92 lists, without a single exception. That is 15 of the 60 slots. The other 45 are decided player by player.

Look at how those 15 slots break down: 0 Trainers, 8 Pokémon, 7 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: Froakie (1 to 4), Frogadier (1 to 4) and Mega Greninja ex (2 to 3), plus 1 more. Add those spreads up and you get 13 copies the 92 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 Froakie	CRI 20	Pokémon
1–4	Close Frogadier	CRI 21	Pokémon
2–3	Close Mega Greninja ex	CRI 22	Pokémon
3–9	Water Energy	MEE 3	Energy

The 122 cards that change from list to list

122 cards fight over the 45 slots that are left: 15 above three lists in four, 93 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 99 %, Lillie's Determination at 99 % and Boss's Orders at 98 %, plus 12 more above 75 %. Add those to the core and you have the common build.

The dividing line runs through Wally's Compassion, at 53 %: 49 of 92 players took it, 43 put something else there. The ones who run it bring 1 copy. Right at the bottom of the table, Patrat (22 lists out of 92) and Greninja ex (20 lists out of 92).

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
99 %91/92	Close Buddy-Buddy Poffin	1–4	TEF 144	Trainer
99 %91/92	Close Lillie's Determination	2–4	MEG 119	Trainer
98 %90/92	Close Boss's Orders	1–3	MEG 114	Trainer
96 %88/92	Close Poké Pad	2–4	POR 81	Trainer
96 %88/92	Close Rare Candy	2–4	MEG 125	Trainer
96 %88/92	Close Ultra Ball	1–4	MEG 131	Trainer
95 %87/92	Close Special Red Card	1–2	CRI 82	Trainer
92 %85/92	Close Night Stretcher	1–3	ASC 196	Trainer
91 %84/92	Close Surfing Beach	1–4	MEG 129	Trainer
90 %83/92	Close Hilda	1–4	WHT 84	Trainer
87 %80/92	Close Fezandipiti ex	1	ASC 142	Pokémon
87 %80/92	Close Air Balloon	1–3	ASC 181	Trainer
86 %79/92	Close Greninja ex	1–2	TWM 106	Pokémon
86 %79/92	Close Meowth ex	1–2	POR 62	Pokémon
83 %76/92	Close Neo Upper Energy	1	TEF 162	Energy
73 %67/92	Close Budew	1–2	ASC 16	Pokémon
61 %56/92	Close Ignition Energy	1–3	WHT 86	Energy
58 %53/92	Close Energy Retrieval	1–3	SVI 171	Trainer
53 %49/92	Close Wally's Compassion	1–3	MEG 132	Trainer
39 %36/92	Close Dudunsparce	1–3	TEF 129	Pokémon
38 %35/92	Close Dunsparce	1–3	JTG 120	Pokémon
36 %33/92	Close Dawn	1–3	PFL 87	Trainer
34 %31/92	Close Switch	1–2	MEG 130	Trainer
32 %29/92	Close Froakie	1–3	TWM 56	Pokémon
32 %29/92	Close Shaymin	1	DRI 10	Pokémon
29 %27/92	Close Drakloak	2–4	TWM 129	Pokémon
29 %27/92	Close Dreepy	2–4	TWM 128	Pokémon
29 %27/92	Close Dragapult ex	1	TWM 130	Pokémon
26 %24/92	Close Frogadier	1	TWM 57	Pokémon
24 %22/92	Close Patrat	1	CRI 70	Pokémon
22 %20/92	Close Greninja ex	1–3	30C 21	Pokémon
17 %16/92	Close Colress's Tenacity	1–3	SFA 57	Trainer
17 %16/92	Close AZ's Tranquility	1	CRI 76	Trainer
17 %16/92	Close Great Haul Net	1	CRI 78	Trainer
17 %16/92	Close Judge	1	POR 76	Trainer
16 %15/92	Close N's Zoroark ex	2–4	JTG 98	Pokémon
16 %15/92	Close N's Zorua	2–4	JTG 97	Pokémon
15 %14/92	Close Dudunsparce ex	1	JTG 121	Pokémon
14 %13/92	Close Grand Tree	1	SCR 136	Trainer
14 %13/92	Close Rosa's Encouragement	1	POR 84	Trainer
13 %12/92	Close Mega Froslass ex	1–2	ASC 47	Pokémon
12 %11/92	Close Snorunt	1–4	ASC 46	Pokémon
12 %11/92	Close Totodile	1	TEF 39	Pokémon
10 %9/92	Close Team Rocket's Petrel	1–4	DRI 176	Trainer
9 %8/92	Close Mega Starmie ex	1–3	POR 21	Pokémon
9 %8/92	Close Staryu	1–3	POR 20	Pokémon
9 %8/92	Close Psyduck	1	ASC 39	Pokémon
8 %7/92	Close Tatsugiri	1	TWM 131	Pokémon
8 %7/92	Close Wellspring Mask Ogerpon ex	1–2	TWM 64	Pokémon
7 %6/92	Close Crispin	1–3	SCR 133	Trainer
7 %6/92	Close Pokégear 3.0	1–4	SVI 186	Trainer
5 %5/92	Close Dusclops	1–2	PRE 36	Pokémon
5 %5/92	Close Duskull	2	PRE 35	Pokémon
5 %5/92	Close Dunsparce	1–3	TEF 128	Pokémon
5 %5/92	Close Dusknoir	1–2	PRE 37	Pokémon
5 %5/92	Darkness Energy	2–4	MEE 7	Energy
4 %4/92	Close Munkidori	1–2	TWM 95	Pokémon
4 %4/92	Close Latias ex	1–2	SSP 76	Pokémon
4 %4/92	Close Energy Search	1–2	POR 72	Trainer
4 %4/92	Close Lumiose City	1–2	POR 77	Trainer
4 %4/92	Close Team Rocket's Watchtower	1	DRI 180	Trainer
3 %3/92	Close Fan Rotom	1	SCR 118	Pokémon
3 %3/92	Close Salvatore	1–2	TEF 160	Trainer
3 %3/92	Close Area Zero Underdepths	1	SCR 131	Trainer
3 %3/92	Close Ciphermaniac's Codebreaking	1	TEF 145	Trainer
3 %3/92	Close Tool Scrapper	1	ASC 212	Trainer
2 %2/92	Close Froslass	2	TWM 53	Pokémon
2 %2/92	Close Hoothoot	2	TEF 126	Pokémon
2 %2/92	Close Mega Absol ex	1–2	MEG 86	Pokémon
2 %2/92	Close Noctowl	2	SCR 115	Pokémon
2 %2/92	Close Golduck	1	ASC 40	Pokémon
2 %2/92	Close Cyrano	1–3	SSP 170	Trainer
2 %2/92	Close Gwynn	1–2	PBL 78	Trainer
2 %2/92	Close Tera Orb	1–2	SSP 189	Trainer
2 %2/92	Close Accompanying Flute	1	TWM 142	Trainer
2 %2/92	Close Surfer	1	SSP 187	Trainer
2 %2/92	Fire Energy	1–2	MEE 10	Energy
2 %2/92	Psychic Energy	1–2	MEE 13	Energy
1 %1/92	Close Solrock	3	MEG 75	Pokémon
1 %1/92	Close Torchic	3	DRI 40	Pokémon
1 %1/92	Close Blaziken ex	2	JTG 24	Pokémon
1 %1/92	Close Bloodmoon Ursaluna	2	PRE 54	Pokémon
1 %1/92	Close Combusken	2	DRI 41	Pokémon
1 %1/92	Close Dragonair	2	ASC 151	Pokémon
1 %1/92	Close Dratini	2	ASC 150	Pokémon
1 %1/92	Close Glalie	2	TWM 52	Pokémon
1 %1/92	Close Lunatone	2	MEG 74	Pokémon
1 %1/92	Close Mega Dragonite ex	2	ASC 152	Pokémon
1 %1/92	Close Mega Kangaskhan ex	2	MEG 104	Pokémon
1 %1/92	Close Pecharunt ex	2	SFA 39	Pokémon
1 %1/92	Close Rabsca	2	TEF 24	Pokémon
1 %1/92	Close Rellor	2	TEF 23	Pokémon
1 %1/92	Close Yamask	2	WHT 39	Pokémon
1 %1/92	Close Chien-Pao	1	SSP 56	Pokémon
1 %1/92	Close Cofagrigus	1	WHT 40	Pokémon
1 %1/92	Close Lapras ex	1	POR 22	Pokémon
1 %1/92	Close Oshawott	1	WHT 21	Pokémon
1 %1/92	Close Samurott	1	WHT 23	Pokémon
1 %1/92	Close Snorunt	1	TWM 51	Pokémon
1 %1/92	Close Team Rocket's Mimikyu	1	DRI 87	Pokémon
1 %1/92	Close Zoroark	1	30C 96	Pokémon
1 %1/92	Close Zorua	1	WHT 61	Pokémon
1 %1/92	Close Fighting Gong	4	MEG 116	Trainer
1 %1/92	Close Team Rocket's Transceiver	4	DRI 178	Trainer
1 %1/92	Close Morty's Conviction	3	TEF 155	Trainer
1 %1/92	Close Mega Signal	2	MEG 121	Trainer
1 %1/92	Close Enhanced Hammer	1	TWM 148	Trainer
1 %1/92	Close Forest of Vitality	1	MEG 117	Trainer
1 %1/92	Close Hero's Cape	1	TEF 152	Trainer
1 %1/92	Close Jamming Tower	1	TWM 153	Trainer
1 %1/92	Close Jumbo Ice Cream	1	PFL 91	Trainer
1 %1/92	Close Kieran	1	TWM 154	Trainer
1 %1/92	Close Lana's Aid	1	TWM 155	Trainer
1 %1/92	Close Powerglass	1	SFA 63	Trainer
1 %1/92	Close Precious Trolley	1	SSP 185	Trainer
1 %1/92	Close Prime Catcher	1	TEF 157	Trainer
1 %1/92	Close Tarragon	1	POR 85	Trainer
1 %1/92	Close Team Rocket's Factory	1	DRI 173	Trainer
1 %1/92	Close Xerosic's Machinations	1	SFA 64	Trainer
1 %1/92	Fighting Energy	6	MEE 6	Energy
1 %1/92	Close Bubbly Water Energy	4	CRI 84	Energy
1 %1/92	Close Prism Energy	1	ASC 216	Energy

The most common Mega Greninja ex list, all 60 cards

Here they are in full, ready to build. 15 slots come from the core, the cards all 92 lists run. The remaining 45 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 23 more cards to reach 60. The whole thing comes to 17 Pokémon, 33 Trainers and 10 Energy.

One thing to know before you build it: the 92 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: 17
4 Froakie CRI 20
2 Frogadier CRI 21
2 Mega Greninja ex CRI 22
1 Fezandipiti ex ASC 142
1 Greninja ex TWM 106
1 Meowth ex POR 62
1 Budew ASC 16
3 Dudunsparce TEF 129
2 Dunsparce JTG 120

Trainer: 33
4 Buddy-Buddy Poffin TEF 144
4 Lillie's Determination MEG 119
2 Boss's Orders MEG 114
4 Poké Pad POR 81
3 Rare Candy MEG 125
3 Ultra Ball MEG 131
1 Special Red Card CRI 82
1 Night Stretcher ASC 196
2 Surfing Beach MEG 129
3 Hilda WHT 84
2 Air Balloon ASC 181
1 Energy Retrieval SVI 171
1 Wally's Compassion MEG 132
1 Dawn PFL 87
1 Switch MEG 130

Energy: 10
7 Water Energy MEE 3
1 Neo Upper Energy TEF 162
2 Ignition Energy WHT 86

Total Cards: 60

Which decks beat Mega Greninja ex at tournaments

Here is how Mega Greninja ex did against every other deck at tournaments. Real games, real players sitting across the table from each other, and the platform those tournaments run on counts them one by one. All of them were played after 30th Celebration became legal for tournaments, and we read the table on 21 October 2026.

The format matters more than people think. When the next set lands, decks get rebuilt around the new cards, and a matchup that leaned one way can swing the other. What you are reading holds for today's format.

We start with the opponent that gives you the most trouble, because that is where the work is before your next tournament. The further down the list you go, the better it goes for you.

Always look at the number of games next to the score. Six wins out of ten happens on its own, even with a middling deck: it is the same as flipping six heads in ten tries. Six hundred out of a thousand, and luck has nothing to do with it. Below 100 games we show nothing at all, because at that count half the matchups look like they lean one way when they lean nowhere.

Against Dragapult ex: over 175 games, 65 won and 108 lost. 2 ended with no winner.

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

You need 126 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.

All 92 lists bring an ACE SPEC, and that is where they part ways: 76 took Neo Upper Energy, 13 took Grand Tree and 1 took Hero's Cape. The flex table shows you all 5. 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 4 core cards carries the letter H, the one that goes at the next rotation. This deck walks through the change whole.

What Mega Greninja 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.