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In the Space-Time Smackdown meta, it’s easy to forget that Darkrai has a counterpart. Cresselia was released in the second majorPokemon TCG Pocketexpansion, but the more powerful Cresselia ex was only available through the fourth monthly Drop event.
While that event is over, Cresselia ex is still a psychic powerhouse that can heal faster than your opponent can deal damage. By leveraging support Pokemon like Gardevoir to distribute extra Energy, Cresselia ex can be the center of an extremely active deck that isn’t just strong, it’s also a lot of fun.
Cresselia ex / Gardevoir
Ralts (A2) x2
Kirlia (A1) x2
Gardevoir (A1) x2
Cresselia ex (P-A) x2
Mew ex (A1a) x1
Sabrina x2
Giant Cape x2
Pokemon Communication x1
The Space-Time Smackdown (A2) version of Ralts has Teleport, allowing it toretreat without losing an Energy, which is usually preferable to the ten damage the Genetic Apex version can do. Meanwhile, theGenetic Apex Kirlia can do 30 damage on two Energy, which is useful on the way to Gardevoir’s Psyshot.
The Trainer cards are pretty flexible: you’re able to drop a Sabrina for a Cyrus, and Pokemon Communication or Mythical Slab for Leaf, or run two Mythical Slabs.Some builds include Rocky Helmet and use Mew ex as a Druddigon substitute, using Budding Expeditioner to scoop it and deny their opponent Prize Points.
Cresselia ex / Gardevoir Deck Strategy
As previously mentioned, Cresselia is Darkrai’s counterpart, and Cresselia ex’s Lunar Plumage has the opposite effect of Darkrai ex’s Nightmare Aura:Whenever you attach a Psychic Energy to Cresselia ex from your Energy Zone, it heals 20 damage.
Lacking chip damage one one-shot bombs, Cresselia ex functions more like a tank,healing up to 60 HP each turnwhile whittling your opponent down with 80-damage Psychic Flashes. To reach this point, you need tofocus on evolving Ralts on your Bench.
Poke Ball, Mythical Slab, and Pokemon Communication all help in this endeavor, allowing you to dig for Ralts, Kirlia, and Gardevoir.Poke Balls should be used first, to minimize Basic Pokemon in the deck and improve your odds of finding the Stage 1 or Stage 2 Pokemon you need.
It’s generally best tostart with Cresselia ex as the Active Pokemon, since you can heal it a little every turn, allowing it to outpace the initial damage from most decks. Meanwhile, use the aforementioned cards to build up one or both Gardevoir lines
If Cresselia ex is at full HP, place your Energies on your Benched Pokemon in case you need to swap to heal your Cresselia ex or retreat following a Sabrina. Extra Energy on your Pokemon means thatyou can retreat Cresselia ex, heal it while using Gardevoir to attach Energy to your Active Pokemon, and come back in at full health.
Mew ex is a secondary attacker and utility Pokemon, able tocopy your opponent’s attacks to score surprise Knock Outs. Genome Hacking requires three Energy, which you may do in one turn with both Gardevoirs out.
Mew ex also gets support in the form of Budding Expeditioner, which allows you toscoop Mew ex from the Active position.
This allows you to use Mew ex to block your opponent’s attacks for a few turns while you set up, then put it into your hand to avoid losing Prize Points.
Cresselia ex / Gardevoir Matchups
Darkrai ex / Magnezone
Darkrai ex is supposed to be the dark counterpart to Cresselia ex. Both have the same HP, attacks that deal 80 damage, and an ability that heals or deals 20 damage. They should be evenly matched, buteverything in the Cresselia ex deck is weak to Darkness.
While Gardevoir allows you to attach Energy to Cresselia ex quickly, it takes a few turns to fully evolve Ralts, by which time Darkrai ex can also be ready to go. Worse, the most common Magnezone version canset up one or two backup attackers at the same time, while Gardevoir can only power up the Active Pokemon.
Gyarados ex / Greninja
Gyarados ex can OHKO Cresselia ex, unless it has a Giant Cape attached. But even that might not save it, since Greninja can toss out a 20-damage Water Shuriken each turn. Butthe Cresselia ex deck does well in this matchup because Cresselia is fasterand easier to set up than Greninja or Gyarados ex.
It’s important toget Cresselia ex running before Gyarados ex, and try to get a couple of attacks in before it can use Rampaging Whirlpool. Your opponent is more invested in a single Pokemon than you are, soa KO on their Gyarados ex is a major setback. Sabrina can run interference, forcing your opponent to use Energy to retreat instead of attaching it to Gyarados ex.
Magikarp is one of the best reasons to usethe Genetic Apex version of Kirlia, which can deal 30 damage, scoring a KO against the fish. This can be done quickly, sometimes before your opponent can get another Pokemon on the Bench.
Charizard ex / Moltres ex
Charizard exmight bethe worst possible matchup for Cresselia ex. While Gardevoir needs a minimum of three turns and three cards to start making extra Energy, Moltres ex can start immediately and can set up multiple Pokemon on the Bench.
Charizard ex’s Crimson Storm attack deals 200 damage, more than enough to OHKO Cresselia ex, which has nowhere near as much output.Your best shot is to try to score a KO with Mew ex’s Genome Hacking, preferably before your opponent can score a KO. This is especially effective if your opponent has invested all of their Energy into a single Charizard ex.
