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

What Mega Starmie ex looks like when you open the box

Across the 35 lists we counted, this deck runs 13 to 21 Pokémon, 26 to 38 Trainers and 6 to 14 Energy. Its attacks are paid for in Water.

On results pages and on stream you will see it written « mega-starmie-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: 6 to 14 out of 60, exactly the median of the 97 decks we track. It draws neither too much nor too little, so this is not where its games are won or lost.

It sets up fast. Mega Starmie 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: 26 to 38 cards out of 60, against a median of 31 across the 97 decks we track. Inside that, 7 to 17 Supporters, and the rule there is strict — one a turn, even if you are holding three. The 13 to 19 Items you can play all of in the same turn. It also brings up to 4 Stadiums, and 57 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 Starmie ex actually wins

Mega Starmie ex attacks with Nebula Beam for 210. It needs 3 Colorless Energy attached, and it has 330 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: "This attack's damage isn't affected by Weakness or Resistance, or by any effects on your opponent's Active Pokémon."

The cost of Nebula Beam 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. Staryu has to climb a step before it becomes Mega Starmie 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 33 of the 35 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 Starmie 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 Starmie 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 Starmie exStage 1	330	Nebula Beam	210	Colorless + Colorless + Colorless	Lightning ×2	2
Close StaryuBasic	70	Water Gun	20	Water	Lightning ×2	1

The core: the 6 cards every list runs

These 6 cards appear in all 35 lists, without a single exception. That is 20 of the 60 slots. The other 40 are decided player by player.

Look at how those 20 slots break down: 13 Trainers, 7 Pokémon, 0 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.

6 of those 6 cards do not sit at the same count from list to list: Staryu (2 to 4), Mega Starmie ex (2 to 3) and Poké Pad (2 to 4), plus 3 more. Add those spreads up and you get 10 copies the 35 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	Rotation
2–4	Close Staryu	POR 20	Pokémon	stays
2–3	Close Mega Starmie ex	POR 21	Pokémon	stays
2–4	Close Poké Pad	POR 81	Trainer	stays
1–3	Close Boss's Orders	MEG 114	Trainer	stays
3–4	Close Buddy-Buddy Poffin	TEF 144	Trainer	leaves
2–4	Close Lillie's Determination	MEG 119	Trainer	stays

The 73 cards that change from list to list

73 cards fight over the 40 slots that are left: 9 above three lists in four, 43 below one in four, and the percentage on each row says how many players took it.

The most agreed on first: Ultra Ball at 97 %, Water Energy at 97 % and Hilda at 94 %, plus 6 more above 75 %. Add those to the core and you have the common build.

The dividing line runs through Drakloak, at 54 %: 19 of 35 players took it, 16 put something else there. The ones who run it bring 2 copies. Right at the bottom of the table, Dunsparce (8 lists out of 35) and Air Balloon (7 lists out of 35).

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 %34/35	Close Ultra Ball	1–4	MEG 131	Trainer
97 %34/35	Water Energy	1–8	MEE 3	Energy
94 %33/35	Close Hilda	1–4	WHT 84	Trainer
91 %32/35	Close Ignition Energy	1–4	WHT 86	Energy
89 %31/35	Close Wally's Compassion	1–4	MEG 132	Trainer
83 %29/35	Close Night Stretcher	1–3	ASC 196	Trainer
80 %28/35	Close Meowth ex	1	POR 62	Pokémon
77 %27/35	Close Mega Froslass ex	1–2	ASC 47	Pokémon
77 %27/35	Close Snorunt	2–4	ASC 46	Pokémon
74 %26/35	Close Shaymin	1	DRI 10	Pokémon
74 %26/35	Close Bubbly Water Energy	1–4	CRI 84	Energy
71 %25/35	Close Salvatore	1–4	TEF 160	Trainer
60 %21/35	Close Fezandipiti ex	1–2	ASC 142	Pokémon
60 %21/35	Close Battle Cage	1–3	PFL 85	Trainer
60 %21/35	Close Team Rocket's Petrel	1–2	DRI 176	Trainer
60 %21/35	Close Xerosic's Machinations	1	SFA 64	Trainer
57 %20/35	Close Switch	1–3	MEG 130	Trainer
57 %20/35	Close Hero's Cape	1	TEF 152	Trainer
54 %19/35	Close Drakloak	1–3	TWM 129	Pokémon
54 %19/35	Close Dreepy	1–3	TWM 128	Pokémon
54 %19/35	Close Mega Signal	1–3	MEG 121	Trainer
31 %11/35	Close Dudunsparce	2–3	TEF 129	Pokémon
31 %11/35	Close Budew	1–2	ASC 16	Pokémon
31 %11/35	Darkness Energy	2–3	MEE 7	Energy
31 %11/35	Close Legacy Energy	1	TWM 167	Energy
29 %10/35	Close Pokégear 3.0	2–4	SVI 186	Trainer
29 %10/35	Close Risky Ruins	2–3	MEG 127	Trainer
29 %10/35	Close Special Red Card	1	CRI 82	Trainer
26 %9/35	Close Munkidori	2–3	TWM 95	Pokémon
26 %9/35	Close Crispin	1–3	SCR 133	Trainer
23 %8/35	Close Dunsparce	1–4	JTG 120	Pokémon
20 %7/35	Close Air Balloon	1–2	ASC 181	Trainer
17 %6/35	Close Judge	1–2	POR 76	Trainer
14 %5/35	Close Dunsparce	1–3	TEF 128	Pokémon
14 %5/35	Close Froslass	1	TWM 53	Pokémon
14 %5/35	Close Surfing Beach	1–2	MEG 129	Trainer
11 %4/35	Close Dudunsparce ex	1	JTG 121	Pokémon
9 %3/35	Close Fan Rotom	1	SCR 118	Pokémon
9 %3/35	Close Patrat	1	CRI 70	Pokémon
9 %3/35	Close Psyduck	1	ASC 39	Pokémon
9 %3/35	Close Handheld Fan	1–2	TWM 150	Trainer
6 %2/35	Close Team Rocket's Crobat ex	3	DRI 122	Pokémon
6 %2/35	Close Team Rocket's Golbat	3	DRI 121	Pokémon
6 %2/35	Close Team Rocket's Zubat	3	DRI 120	Pokémon
6 %2/35	Close Dragonair	1	ASC 151	Pokémon
6 %2/35	Close Dratini	1	ASC 150	Pokémon
6 %2/35	Close Moltres	1	PFL 14	Pokémon
6 %2/35	Close Crushing Hammer	2–4	POR 71	Trainer
6 %2/35	Close Jamming Tower	1–2	TWM 153	Trainer
6 %2/35	Close Tool Scrapper	1–2	ASC 212	Trainer
6 %2/35	Close Hyper Aroma	1	TWM 152	Trainer
6 %2/35	Close Lucian	1	TWM 157	Trainer
6 %2/35	Close Scoop Up Cyclone	1	TWM 162	Trainer
6 %2/35	Close Team Rocket's Watchtower	1	DRI 180	Trainer
6 %2/35	Fire Energy	1	MEE 2	Energy
3 %1/35	Close Buneary	2	PFL 83	Pokémon
3 %1/35	Close Mega Lopunny ex	2	PFL 84	Pokémon
3 %1/35	Close Chien-Pao	1	SSP 56	Pokémon
3 %1/35	Close Glalie	1	TWM 52	Pokémon
3 %1/35	Close Rabsca	1	TEF 24	Pokémon
3 %1/35	Close Rellor	1	DRI 24	Pokémon
3 %1/35	Close Yveltal	1	MEG 88	Pokémon
3 %1/35	Close Dark Bell	3	PBL 75	Trainer
3 %1/35	Close Pokémon Catcher	3	POR 82	Trainer
3 %1/35	Close Gravity Mountain	2	SSP 177	Trainer
3 %1/35	Close Cyrano	1	SSP 170	Trainer
3 %1/35	Close Energy Search	1	POR 72	Trainer
3 %1/35	Close Enhanced Hammer	1	TWM 148	Trainer
3 %1/35	Close Hand Trimmer	1	TEF 150	Trainer
3 %1/35	Close Kieran	1	TWM 154	Trainer
3 %1/35	Close Larry's Skill	1	PRE 115	Trainer
3 %1/35	Close Surfer	1	SSP 187	Trainer
3 %1/35	Psychic Energy	1	MEE 5	Energy

The most common Mega Starmie ex list, all 60 cards

Here they are in full, ready to build. 20 slots come from the core, the cards all 35 lists run. The remaining 40 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 18 Pokémon, 34 Trainers and 8 Energy.

One thing to know before you build it: the 35 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.

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: 18
4 Staryu POR 20
3 Mega Starmie ex POR 21
1 Meowth ex POR 62
2 Mega Froslass ex ASC 47
2 Snorunt ASC 46
1 Shaymin DRI 10
1 Fezandipiti ex ASC 142
2 Drakloak TWM 129
2 Dreepy TWM 128

Trainer: 34
4 Poké Pad POR 81
3 Boss's Orders MEG 114
3 Buddy-Buddy Poffin TEF 144
3 Lillie's Determination MEG 119
3 Ultra Ball MEG 131
2 Hilda WHT 84
4 Wally's Compassion MEG 132
2 Night Stretcher ASC 196
1 Salvatore TEF 160
3 Battle Cage PFL 85
1 Team Rocket's Petrel DRI 176
1 Xerosic's Machinations SFA 64
2 Switch MEG 130
1 Hero's Cape TEF 152
1 Mega Signal MEG 121

Energy: 8
4 Water Energy MEE 3
3 Ignition Energy WHT 86
1 Bubbly Water Energy CRI 84

Total Cards: 60

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

You need 79 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.

All 35 lists bring an ACE SPEC, and that is where they part ways: 20 took Hero's Cape, 11 took Legacy Energy and 2 took Hyper Aroma. The flex table shows you all 4. 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. 1 of the 6 core cards carries the letter H, the one that goes at the next rotation: Buddy-Buddy Poffin. The core table marks it. In copies, that is 3 of the 20 slots the core fills. Which day it lands, we do not know yet.

What Mega Starmie ex struggles against

The attackers in this deck are Weak to Lightning, so they take DOUBLE damage from that type. 5 of the 97 decks we track attack in exactly that type.

Concretely, here is what is waiting for you: Mega Manectric ex / Eelektrik, Iono's Bellibolt ex and Joltik, plus 2 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 5 decks out of the 97 we track. The other 92 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 10 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.

Questions people ask

What is the Mega Starmie ex deck list?

There isn't one, so we built one for you: all 60 cards are written out further up this page. Across 35 tournament lists harvested between 11 August 2026 and 3 September 2026, 6 cards turn up in every single one, 20 slots out of 60. The remaining 40 change from player to player, with 73 different cards competing for them. Both tables are above.

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

35 lists, played across 31 different tournaments, harvested between 11 August 2026 and 3 September 2026 from play.limitlesstcg.com. All 35 were read card by card, and every card recognised.

Where do I start if I want to build Mega Starmie ex?

With the whole core: 6 cards, 20 slots. Inside it, buy the 13 Trainer slots and the 0 Energy first: they carry over into your next deck. Leave the 7 Pokémon slots for last. Only then work down the flex table and add the cards the most lists agree on, starting with Ultra Ball at 97 % and Water Energy at 97 %.

What beats Mega Starmie ex?

Its attackers are Weak to Lightning, so they take double damage from an attacker of that type. 5 of the 97 decks we track play an attacker of that type: Mega Manectric ex / Eelektrik, Iono's Bellibolt ex, Joltik and Raging Bolt ex / Iono's Bellibolt ex, among others.

Will Mega Starmie ex survive the next rotation?

Not intact: 1 core cards out of 6 carry the letter H, starting with Buddy-Buddy Poffin.

Are a lot of people playing Mega Starmie ex?

We have read 35 lists of it, which puts it 22nd of the 97 decks we track by lists read. The platform those tournaments run on counts 186 entries for it, 0.46 % 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.