PSN Short: Best Darkrai EX Deck
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Source: https://www.pokemon-zone.com/decks/da...
By Pokémon Zone
Feb 13, 2025
Basic Pokémon ex have defined the metagame in previous formats. Dark-type decks not only needed a Pokémon ex to stay competitive, but ideally a Basic one as well. Darkrai ex has now arrived, potentially becoming the new pivot for decks. It doesn't need to evolve to be a threat, thanks to its bulky 140 HP, its decently strong Dark Prism attack... and most importantly, its Nightmare Aura ability.
The power of Nightmare Aura can't be overstated. Think about how Greninja is played in most Water decks that can afford it, even becoming the centerpiece of toolbox decks, all thanks to Water Shuriken. Darkrai ex offers a similar effect—dealing 20 damage from a distance—but does so from turn 1, without needing to evolve.
Darkrai ex Double Rare - Space-Time Smackdown (A2) #110
This opens up a wide array of possibilities:
Standard play: Darkrai ex snipes from the Bench while charging its own Energy to attack in the Active spot later. This means the Defending Pokémon takes chip damage alongside your Active Pokémon’s attacks, softening it up before Darkrai ex comes in for a bigger blow.
In Aggro decks: Darkrai ex can execute a "donk"—a turn 2 win— by knocking out the opponent's only Pokémon in play. Pair it with Farfetch’d and Dawn: first, attach a Energy to Darkrai ex to trigger Nightmare Aura, then move it to Farfetch’d with Dawn to hit for a total of 60 damage in one turn. This is enough to KO many low-HP Basics, like Manaphy, Froakie, and Ralts.
In more Control decks: hide Darkrai ex behind a tank like Druddigon while still dealing 20 damage per turn even if the opponent doesn’t move, then retreat Druddigon for Darkrai ex when you want to accelerate the damage output. Unlike Greninja, Darkrai ex can apply this chip damage immediately and much more consistently
The versatility of Darkrai ex confirms that a good basic Pokémon ex is exactly what most types need to be ahead of the curve.
Variants:
Darkrai ex Magnezone "Dark Zone"
Darkrai ex has two major problems: it monopolizes Energy attachments to maximize Nightmare Aura, and it deals relatively low damage while still giving up two points. Magnezone helps address both issues.
First, Magneton (Genetic Apex) provides an alternate Energy source with Volt Charge, accelerating Energy so you don’t have to use manual attachments from the Energy Zone for a Pokémon that isn't Darkrai ex. This also means that you only have to play Energy! Once Magnezone comes into play, it’s ready to attack with Power Blast, a solid 110-damage attack at the cost of discarding a Energy.
These decks often include Druddigon as a tank, allowing Darkrai ex to chip away from the Bench while safely evolving the Magnemite line into its strongest form.
Darkrai ex Koga
Associating a strong Basic Pokémon ex with a solid Stage 1 of the same type is a classic winning strategy, and Weezing is the perfect partner for Darkrai ex. It tanks hits while attacking for just a single Energy, and together, they pile on chip damage with Gas Leak's Poison and Nightmare Aura. Add in Koga and Trainers like Leaf or Giant Cape, and knocking them out becomes a real headache.
On top of that, Darkrai ex and Weezing have different weaknesses, which helps against bad matchups and keeps the deck from getting steamrolled by a single counter.
Darkrai ex Greninja
What happens when you pair two Pokémon with abilities that deal 20 damage before even attacking? You get Greninja splashed into a Darkrai ex core!
Greninja never attacks in this build—you need Energy throughout the game to keep stacking damage with Darkrai ex from turn 1. With Druddigon as a tank and a steady 40 damage per turn from Water Shuriken and Nightmare Aura, plus Darkrai ex attacking when it moves to the Active spot, this deck dominates the attrition war.
Cyrus is incredibly powerful here, allowing you to fetch any Benched Pokémon with Greninja, enabling a potential 120 total damage in one turn (Water Shuriken + Nightmare Aura + Dark Prism) on any Pokémon on the field.
Weavile ex Darkrai
This is the stock version of the deck, built primarily around the two Pokémon ex. To round out the lineup, popular options include :
Farfetch’d, the most efficient 1-Energy attacker. Using Darkrai ex's ability followed up by a Dawn into Leek Slap is 60 damage on turn 1 without needing to evolve, which shuts down a LOT of Basic Pokémon
Spiritomb, whose Swirling Disaster attack ensures that, unless the opponent heals, Weavile ex will always hit for maximum damage.
The deck also runs multiple gusting effects, such as Cyrus and Sabrina, not only to disrupt setup-heavy decks and spread damage but also to finish off weakened Pokémon that retreated in an attempt to avoid a knockout
Darkrai ex Arbok