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In this article, learn which Pokemon TCG decks are able to do well in tournaments while also being on a budget.
Collecting cards for the Pokemon TCG can be expensive. Even if some older cards can be used over and over as new versions of them are printed each rotation, the Pokemon cards themselves can end up costing a lot. So, in this article, we will look at some decks that can be used in tournaments while not pinching your pocket too much.
5 of the Best Budget Pokemon TCG Decks
These decks can be piloted well in tournaments despite their relatively low cost:
- United Wings
- Festival Lead
- Lycanroc
- Gholdengo ex
- Gardevoir ex
1) United Wings
Price: ~$15
United Wings decks are built around Pokemon that have the move United Wings. This move becomes more powerful depending on the number of United Wings users in the discard pile. Since all the Pokemon cards with the move (Murkrow, Flamigo, Wattrel, and Dartrix) are low-cost cards that can be found at or below $0.1, United Wings decks are fairly easy to construct cheaply.
2) Festival Lead
Price: ~ $15
Festival Lead decks rely mainly on three cards. These are Dipplin ($0.05 from Prismatic Evolutions), Thwackey ($0.13 from Twilight Masquerade), and Festival Grounds ($0.06 from Prismatic Evolutions). Since these cards (along with Applin and Grookey as Basic Pokemon) are relatively cheap, it’s easy to build a budget deck around them.
3) Lycanroc
Price: ~$15
Lycanroc decks focus on dealing a lot of damage late game after the opponent’s Pokemon have taken a lot of damage. Besides Lycanroc ($0.15), the most important card in this deck is Spiky Energy ($0.1) for chip damage. As the rest of the deck is more flexible, it is possible to make a functional Lycanroc deck without breaking the bank.
4) Crustle (Destined Rivals)
Price: ~$25
Crustle from Destined Rivals has shown surprising versatility at higher levels of tournament play. This deck aims to stop your opponent from attacking while slowly chipping away at their HP. Besides Crustle ($0.12), this deck likes the support of Toedscruel ($0.09 from Paradox Rift) and Iron Thorns ex ($0.69 from Twilight Masquerade), which are relatively cheap. Even cards like Cornerstone Mask Ogerpon ex (as low as $0.82) and Munkidori (as low as $0.92) cost a bit less than $1.
5) Gardevoir Ex
Price: ~$30
Gardevoir ex may seem like an unexpected pick as it is one of the best decks in the meta. It’s even the 2025 World Champion. However, Gardevoir ex is a relatively cheap card compared to its peers in the meta, with prices as low as $0.74. Most of the common cards used alongside it, like Jellicent ex ($0.54), Scream Tail ($0.04), Drifloon ($0.09), and Flutter Mane ($0.11), can be found under a dollar. So building a budget Gardevoir ex deck for tournaments is fairly simple.
Thank you for reading this guide. We provide the latest news and create guides for Pokemon TCG Pocket. Also, watch Deltia play games on Twitch or visit the YouTube channel!
