Mega Starmie ex / Froslass

What Mega Starmie ex / Froslass looks like when you open the box

Across the 89 lists we counted, this deck runs 16 to 23 Pokémon, 26 to 37 Trainers and 6 to 15 Energy. Its attacks are paid for in Water.

On results pages and on stream you will see it written « starmie-froslass ». 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 15 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 sets up fast. Froslass 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 37 cards out of 60, against a median of 31 across the 125 decks we track. Inside that, 11 to 20 Supporters, and the rule there is strict — one a turn, even if you are holding three. The 9 to 18 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 cards in this deck's name actually do

Mega Starmie ex and Froslass give this deck its name. Here is what is written on them.

Mega Starmie ex is in all 89 lists, 2 copies of it.

Froslass is in all 89 lists, 2 copies of it. Its Ability is called Freezing Shroud, and here is what is printed on it, word for word: « During Pokémon Checkup, put 1 damage counter on each Pokémon that has an Ability (both yours and your opponent's), except any Froslass. »

How Mega Starmie ex / Froslass 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. Except you are not on your own. Crispin, a single copy in the list, looks at the top of your deck and attaches the Energy it finds there. One copy in the whole list, so do not build your turn around it. When it shows up it buys you a turn, and that is already a lot.

Energy is not your only clock. Snorunt has to climb a step before it becomes Froslass, 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 86 of the 89 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 Froslass ex and Mega Starmie ex are Mega Evolution exes, and that is the most expensive rule in the game: your opponent takes 3 Prize cards instead of one the turn one of them goes down. They need 6 to win the game, so 2 well-placed knockouts on those cards 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		Lightning ×2	2
Close Mega Froslass exStage 1	310	Absolute Snow	150		Metal ×2	1
Close FroslassStage 1	90	Frost Smash	60		Metal ×2	1
Close StaryuBasic	70	Water Gun	20		Lightning ×2	1

The core: the 9 cards every list runs

These 9 cards appear in all 89 lists, without a single exception. That is 26 of the 60 slots. The other 34 are decided player by player.

Look at how those 26 slots break down: 10 Trainers, 12 Pokémon, 4 Energy. Pokémon dominate, which is unusual: this deck needs bodies on the board, and it depends on any single attacker less than it looks.

9 of those 9 cards do not sit at the same count from list to list: Snorunt (2 to 4), Staryu (2 to 4) and Froslass (2 to 3), plus 6 more. Add those spreads up and you get 20 copies the 89 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 Snorunt	ASC 46	Pokémon	stays
2–4	Close Staryu	POR 20	Pokémon	stays
2–3	Close Froslass	TWM 53	Pokémon	leaves
1–3	Close Mega Froslass ex	ASC 47	Pokémon	stays
2–4	Close Mega Starmie ex	POR 21	Pokémon	stays
2–4	Close Buddy-Buddy Poffin	TEF 144	Trainer	leaves
3–4	Close Lillie's Determination	MEG 119	Trainer	stays
2–3	Close Boss's Orders	MEG 114	Trainer	stays
2–9	Water Energy	MEE 3	Energy	stays

The 73 cards that change from list to list

73 cards fight over the 34 slots that are left: 13 above three lists in four, 52 below one in four, and the percentage on each row says how many players took it.

The most agreed on first: Munkidori at 99 %, Poké Pad at 99 % and Darkness Energy at 99 %, plus 10 more above 75 %. Add those to the core and you have the common build.

The dividing line runs through Special Red Card, at 46 %: 41 of 89 players took it, 48 put something else there. The ones who run it bring 1 copy. Right at the bottom of the table, Fezandipiti ex (20 lists out of 89) and Yveltal (20 lists out of 89).

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 %88/89	Close Munkidori	1–4	TWM 95	Pokémon
99 %88/89	Close Poké Pad	2–4	POR 81	Trainer
99 %88/89	Darkness Energy	2–5	MEE 7	Energy
97 %86/89	Close Hilda	2–4	WHT 84	Trainer
96 %85/89	Close Ultra Ball	1–4	MEG 131	Trainer
96 %85/89	Close Night Stretcher	1–3	ASC 196	Trainer
89 %79/89	Close Meowth ex	1–3	POR 62	Pokémon
87 %77/89	Close Budew	1–3	ASC 16	Pokémon
87 %77/89	Close Ignition Energy	1–2	WHT 86	Energy
84 %75/89	Close Risky Ruins	1–4	MEG 127	Trainer
81 %72/89	Close Wally's Compassion	1–3	MEG 132	Trainer
78 %69/89	Close Crispin	1–3	SCR 133	Trainer
78 %69/89	Close Legacy Energy	1	TWM 167	Energy
67 %60/89	Close Salvatore	1–4	TEF 160	Trainer
64 %57/89	Close Air Balloon	1–2	ASC 181	Trainer
46 %41/89	Close Special Red Card	1–2	CRI 82	Trainer
42 %37/89	Close Surfing Beach	1–2	MEG 129	Trainer
39 %35/89	Close Bubbly Water Energy	1–4	CRI 84	Energy
35 %31/89	Close Pokégear 3.0	1–3	SVI 186	Trainer
28 %25/89	Close Dudunsparce	1–2	TEF 129	Pokémon
27 %24/89	Close Shaymin	1	DRI 10	Pokémon
22 %20/89	Close Fezandipiti ex	1	ASC 142	Pokémon
22 %20/89	Close Yveltal	1	MEG 88	Pokémon
22 %20/89	Close Larry's Skill	1–3	PRE 115	Trainer
21 %19/89	Close Lucian	1–3	TWM 157	Trainer
20 %18/89	Close Judge	1–2	POR 76	Trainer
17 %15/89	Close Dunsparce	1–3	TEF 128	Pokémon
17 %15/89	Close Dunsparce	1–2	JTG 120	Pokémon
17 %15/89	Close Switch	1–2	MEG 130	Trainer
15 %13/89	Close Team Rocket's Petrel	1–3	DRI 176	Trainer
13 %12/89	Close Xerosic's Machinations	1–2	SFA 64	Trainer
10 %9/89	Close Dudunsparce ex	1	JTG 121	Pokémon
9 %8/89	Close Glalie	1	TWM 52	Pokémon
9 %8/89	Close Mega Signal	1–3	MEG 121	Trainer
8 %7/89	Close Energy Search	1–2	POR 72	Trainer
7 %6/89	Close Scoop Up Cyclone	1	TWM 162	Trainer
7 %6/89	Close Prism Energy	1–2	ASC 216	Energy
6 %5/89	Close Bronzong	2	TEF 69	Pokémon
6 %5/89	Close Bronzor	2	TEF 68	Pokémon
6 %5/89	Close Latias ex	1	SSP 76	Pokémon
6 %5/89	Close Lillie's Clefairy ex	1	JTG 56	Pokémon
6 %5/89	Close Mew ex	1–2	30C 66	Pokémon
6 %5/89	Close Lumiose City	2	POR 77	Trainer
6 %5/89	Close Hero's Cape	1	TEF 152	Trainer
6 %5/89	Close Secret Box	1	TWM 163	Trainer
6 %5/89	Psychic Energy	2	MEE 5	Energy
6 %5/89	Close Telepathic Psychic Energy	2	POR 88	Energy
4 %4/89	Close Bronzor	1	SSP 126	Pokémon
4 %4/89	Close Carmine	2–4	TWM 145	Trainer
4 %4/89	Close Tool Scrapper	1–2	ASC 212	Trainer
4 %4/89	Close Team Rocket's Watchtower	1–3	DRI 180	Trainer
2 %2/89	Close Psyduck	1	ASC 39	Pokémon
2 %2/89	Close Totodile	1	TEF 39	Pokémon
2 %2/89	Close Colress's Tenacity	1–2	SFA 57	Trainer
2 %2/89	Close Crushing Hammer	2	POR 71	Trainer
2 %2/89	Close Gwynn	2	PBL 78	Trainer
2 %2/89	Close Lana's Aid	1	TWM 155	Trainer
2 %2/89	Close Nighttime Mine	1	ASC 197	Trainer
2 %2/89	Close Enriching Energy	1	SSP 191	Energy
1 %1/89	Close Drakloak	2	TWM 129	Pokémon
1 %1/89	Close Dreepy	2	TWM 128	Pokémon
1 %1/89	Close Bloodmoon Ursaluna ex	1	TWM 141	Pokémon
1 %1/89	Close Bronzor	1	PRE 66	Pokémon
1 %1/89	Close Patrat	1	CRI 70	Pokémon
1 %1/89	Close Tatsugiri	1	TWM 131	Pokémon
1 %1/89	Close Wellspring Mask Ogerpon ex	1	TWM 64	Pokémon
1 %1/89	Close Babiri Berry	1	SSP 163	Trainer
1 %1/89	Close Cyrano	1	SSP 170	Trainer
1 %1/89	Close Great Haul Net	1	CRI 78	Trainer
1 %1/89	Close Jamming Tower	1	TWM 153	Trainer
1 %1/89	Close Sacred Ash	1	DRI 168	Trainer
1 %1/89	Close Surfer	1	SSP 187	Trainer
1 %1/89	Close Unfair Stamp	1	TWM 165	Trainer

The most common Mega Starmie ex / Froslass list, all 60 cards

Here they are in full, ready to build. 26 slots come from the core, the cards all 89 lists run. The remaining 34 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 16 Pokémon, 34 Trainers and 10 Energy.

One thing to know before you build it: the 89 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: 16
3 Snorunt ASC 46
3 Staryu POR 20
2 Froslass TWM 53
2 Mega Froslass ex ASC 47
2 Mega Starmie ex POR 21
2 Munkidori TWM 95
1 Meowth ex POR 62
1 Budew ASC 16

Trainer: 34
4 Buddy-Buddy Poffin TEF 144
4 Lillie's Determination MEG 119
2 Boss's Orders MEG 114
4 Poké Pad POR 81
3 Hilda WHT 84
3 Ultra Ball MEG 131
2 Night Stretcher ASC 196
2 Risky Ruins MEG 127
2 Wally's Compassion MEG 132
1 Crispin SCR 133
1 Salvatore TEF 160
1 Air Balloon ASC 181
1 Special Red Card CRI 82
2 Surfing Beach MEG 129
2 Pokégear 3.0 SVI 186

Energy: 10
4 Water Energy MEE 3
3 Darkness Energy MEE 7
1 Ignition Energy WHT 86
1 Legacy Energy TWM 167
1 Bubbly Water Energy CRI 84

Total Cards: 60

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

You need 82 different cards to cover every version of this deck, 9 of which nobody argues about. The rest is where lists differ from one another, and that is where you have room to choose.

88 of these 89 lists bring an ACE SPEC, and that is where they part ways: 69 took Legacy Energy, 6 took Scoop Up Cyclone and 5 took Hero's Cape. The flex table shows you all 6. 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 Legacy Energy and watch what the others do with theirs before you switch.

Then there is time. 2 of the 9 core cards carry the letter H, the one that goes at the next rotation: Froslass and Buddy-Buddy Poffin. The core table marks every one of them. In copies, that is 6 of the 26 slots the core fills. Which day it lands, we do not know yet.

What Mega Starmie ex / Froslass struggles against

The attackers in this deck are Weak to Lightning and Metal, so they take DOUBLE damage from those types. 19 of the 125 decks we track attack in exactly those types.

Concretely, here is what is waiting for you: Slowking (Metagross), Mega Excadrill ex and Steven's Metagross ex, plus 16 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 19 decks out of the 125 we track. The other 106 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.