Best Donphan ex Deck Guide for Pokemon TCG Pocket

This guide will cover the best Donphan ex deck in Pokemon TCG Pocket. Read more to know about its strategy, weaknesses, and combos.

The best Donphan ex deck can be quite lethal in Pokemon TCG Pocket (Image via The Pokemon Company)

One of the new ex cards from Wisdom of Sea and Sky in Pokemon TCG Pocket is Donphan ex. This Fighting card is great during both the early and late stages of a match.

You can use this deck to counter lots of Pokemon running rampant in Ranked Battles. Here is everything to know about this deck.

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Pokemon TCG Pocket Wisdom of Sea and Sky Best Donphan ex Deck Guide Overview

Two key pieces of the deck (Image via The Pokemon Company)

The deck runs two copies of Donphan ex as your primary damage dealer. Additionally, you run two copies of Lucario to boost Donphan’s maximum damage from 110 to 150. Hitmonlee is being used to counter the influx of baby Pokemon, which all have 30 HP.

One copy of Sudowoodo is slotted in to go against any ex Pokemon you will face early on. Given the current meta shit in favor of ex Pokemon, this is a good choice. Moreover, Sudowoodo’s damage is also increased by Lucario’s ability.

All Cards in Best Pokemon TCG Pocket Wisdom of Sea and Sky Donphan ex Deck

Donphan ex decklist (Image via The Pokemon Company)

1x Hitmonlee
2x Riolu
2x Lucario
2x Phanpy
2x Donphan ex
1x Sudowoodo
2x Professor’s Research
2x Poke Ball
1x Giant Cape
1x X Speed
1x Sabrina
1x Cyrus
1x Red
1x Lyra

You can change some of the Supporter cards depending on your preference. Red can be replaced by healing trainers and items, or Giovanni for more universal coverage.

How To Play This Best Donphan ex Deck in Pokemon TCG Pocket Wisdom of Sea and Sky

Get ready to deal heavy damage (Image via The Pokemon Company)

Ideal Starting Hand for Best Donphan ex Deck

You want to start off with Donphan in your Active Zone, with Riolu and Lucario at the back. Ideally, you will also want Donphan ex to evolve on your second turn. Another good option to start off with is Sudowoodo.

Sudowoodo will be able to deal 50 damage against ex Pokemon for just one energy.. This will further be boosted to 70 if Lucario is present on the bench.

Best Donphan ex Deck in Pokemon TCG Pocket: Strategy

You will want to focus on putting three energy on Donphan as soon as possible. In doing so, follow the tactics below:

Use Sudowoodo to deal heavy damage to ex Pokemon while Donphan builds up energy on the bench.
Getting Lucario on the bench as soon as possible will increase your damage by 20 every turn. Donphan will be reaching 130 damage, while Sudowoodo will be able to do 70 against ex Pokemon.
If you are close to winning, or just want a free point, save your Hitmonlee. Hitmonlee is present to get free points against baby Pokemon, which all have a maximum of 30 HP. If they go to the bench to escape, you can use this Fighting Pokemon to get an easy point.

Best Matchups for This Donphan ex Deck in Pokemon TCG Pocket

Snipe Baby Pokemon (Image via The Pokemon Company)

There are many decks that can easily succumb to this one. A good example would be any Eevee-themed deck. Eevee is vulnerable to Fighting-type Pokemon, which makes the ex and normal versions of Eevee very susceptible to this deck. Moreover, any deck that sends out ex Pokemon early will also be in trouble from Sudowoodo.

Examples of this include Skarmory ex, Darkrai ex, Giratina ex, and some others. Oricorio is also not a huge issue for this deck, as you have options like Hitmonlee and Lucario to counter it.

Counters To This Donphan ex Deck in Pokemon TCG Pocket

Watch out for Grass (Image via The Pokemon Company)

No deck is perfect, and this Donphan ex deck is no exception. You can counter this deck by using specific cards that counter this Pokemon. Grass and Psychic-type attacks will be more effective on this deck. Donphan and Sudowoodo are weak to Grass, meanwhile Lucario and Hitmonlee are susceptible to Psychic.

Donphan also only has 160 HP. One Incineroar ex boosted by Hau, or Charizard ex boosted by Giovanni, could spell an end for it. Umbreon ex and Greninja could also disrupt your strategy and make it harder to keep attacking.

Best Donphan ex Deck in Pokemon TCG Pocket Wisdom of Sea and Sky: Tips and Tricks

Here are some tips to use this deck efficiently:

Get both Lucarios on the bench as soon as possible; this will increase your overall damage by 40 per turn.
Save Hitmonlee to get a game-winning knockout on an unprotected Baby Pokemon on the bench.
You can use X Speed to retreat Riolu to the back in case it is in the Active Zone at the start of the match.
Red, along with two Lucarios on the bench, can increase Donphan’s maximum damage to 170.

FAQs About Donphan ex Deck in Pokemon TCG Pocket

What Is Donphan ex’s weakness?

Donphan itself is weak to Grass-type Pokemon. You will need to be careful against those.

Is Sudowood Good For Donphan ex Decks?

In the present meta, Sudowoodo is a great partner for a sub-attacker. This is because there are many ex Pokemon that are being set out early in matches.

Why Is Lyra Being Used Instead of Leaf?

Donphan has a retreat cost of three. So, if you try to use Leaf, you will still need to spend one energy, which could mess up your strategy. Instead, Lyra can remove the cost altogether, but it is limited to when Donphan ex is damaged.

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