Mega Charizard Y ex lands in Pokémon TCG Pocket as the most brute-force Fire closer yet: a Stage 2 Mega that one-shots every Mega ex in the game. The catch is that it asks for four Fire Energy, damages itself for 50, and gives up three points when it finally goes down. That combination makes the deck powerful, but punishing if built carelessly.
Mega Charizard Y ex: what the card actually does
Mega Charizard Y ex is a Fire-type Mega evolution of Charizard ex. Its attack hits for enough damage to KO every Pokémon ex and Mega ex currently in Pocket, even bulky options like Mega Venusaur ex with Leaf Cape once Weakness is factored in. That makes it one of the very few cards that can cleanly trade with every Mega in a single hit.
The problems start as soon as it attacks. Mega Charizard Y ex:
- Needs four Fire Energy attached to attack.
- Deals 50 damage to itself when it attacks, effectively reducing its HP into the 170 range.
- Gives up three points when it is knocked out, like every Mega ex.
In a metagame where most attackers cap out at two or three Energy, a four-Energy Stage 2 that hurts itself is slow and fragile. Mega Charizard Y ex is not a mid-game workhorse; it is a closer that’s built to take exactly one decisive knockout, usually on a Mega.
Core Mega Charizard Y ex deck list (Crimson Blaze)
A minimal, focused shell for Mega Charizard Y ex in the Crimson Blaze era looks like this:
| Role | Card | Count |
|---|---|---|
| Main attacker | Mega Charizard Y EX | 2 |
| Basic | Charmander | 2 |
| Stage 1 ramp | Ability Charmeleon | 1 |
| Backup attacker / Oricorio answer | Non-EX Charizard | 1 |
| Energy accelerator / early attacker | Moltres EX | 2 |
| Search | Poké Ball | 2 |
| Evolution speed | Rare Candy | 2 |
| Closer support | Cyrus | 1 |
This core leaves several slots open for tech Pokémon, extra search, or more Supporters, but it captures the essential structure Mega Charizard Y ex wants in Pocket: Moltres EX to accelerate Fire Energy, Charmeleon to shore up ramp, a non-ex Charizard to avoid Oricorio’s immunity, and a single Cyrus to line up game-winning snipes on opposing Megas.
How the Mega Charizard Y ex game plan works
Mega Charizard Y ex decks win by setting up a single massive attack rather than trading hits every turn. The rhythm is usually:
- Open on Moltres EX, taking one or two KOs while building Energy on the bench.
- Develop Charmander into Charmeleon or Charizard ex, using the new Charmeleon’s Energy ability to ramp further.
- Evolve into Mega Charizard Y ex at the moment a Mega ex is exposed, often after a Cyrus turn.
- Attack once with Mega Charizard Y ex to KO that Mega and cross the finish line.
That means most of the deck is there to buy time and assemble exactly four Fire Energy, the Mega line, and a way to bring the right target Active on the deciding turn.
Key cards and why they matter
Moltres EX is the primary ramp piece. Its Inferno Dance attack attaches Fire Energy from the Energy Zone to your Pokémon. In a Charizard shell it does double duty: it pressures early with damage while setting up the Energy count needed for Charizard ex or Mega Charizard Y ex.
Ability Charmeleon in Crimson Blaze is the glue that makes a Stage 2 Fire plan more realistic. When it evolves, it adds Energy to your side of the board, reducing the number of turns you need to hard-attach from hand. Running one copy is enough to see it in many games, but some players are already considering two to lean harder into Ability-based ramp and even skip Rare Candy in some builds.
Non-EX Charizard fills two important gaps. First, it can attack into Pom-Pom Oricorio, which is immune to ex Pokémon and otherwise stonewalls many Charizard shells. Second, its damage output is already high enough to close games against non-Mega decks without committing four Energy and three points onto a Mega. That flexibility matters in single-prize matchups where Mega Charizard Y ex’s self-damage is a liability.
Cyrus turns Mega Charizard Y ex into a more reliable closer. By forcing up a damaged Mega ex or a support Pokémon that has been softened by bench damage, Cyrus lets you choose where Mega Charizard’s single huge attack lands. In practice, that often means setting up a Mega a few turns in advance with Heatmor or bench spread, then using Cyrus the moment Mega Charizard Y ex is fully powered to secure three points and end the game.
Rare Candy is what keeps the Stage 2 line from being unbearably slow. With two copies, Mega Charizard Y ex can reach play roughly in step with the fourth Energy attachment, which is the realistic earliest window to attack. Some players prefer to cut down on Candy and rely more on Charmeleon, trading speed for slightly more consistency against Energy denial.
Best partners and variants for Mega Charizard Y ex
Fire box with Moltres EX and regular Charizard ex
The cleanest shell for Mega Charizard Y ex is a Fire box that already wants to ramp heavy Fire attackers. Existing Genetic Apex Charizard ex + Moltres ex lists provide a clear template: Moltres EX opens, accelerates Energy, and softens targets, while Charizard ex takes big KOs for multiple points once set up.
Mega Charizard Y ex slots into that structure as a one- or two-of “delete button” against Megas. In those hybrid lists, you usually:
- Play a standard Genetic Apex Charizard ex + Moltres ex core.
- Add a thin Mega Charizard Y ex line (2 Mega, 1–2 Charizard ex, 2 Charmander, 1 Charmeleon).
- Use the existing Fire ramp (Moltres EX, Charmeleon) to charge whichever Charizard is best for the matchup.
In games that never go through a Mega ex, the deck plays like a regular Charizard build. When an opposing Mega Absol ex, Mega Altaria ex, or later Crimson Blaze Megas appear, the Mega Charizard Y ex line becomes a trap card that can end that game on the spot.
Stoke Charizard ex builds with a one-of Mega closer
Shining Revelry’s Charizard ex has a very different game plan. Its Stoke attack pulls three Fire Energy from the Energy Zone onto itself for a single Energy, then Steam Artillery swings for 150 without discarding. In Pocket, that creates a slower but more sustainable Fire tank that can attack turn after turn.
Some players are already looking at Stoke builds that treat Mega Charizard Y ex as a one-of finisher. In that approach:
- Charizard ex does the early Stoke work and carries most of the game with repeat 150-damage attacks, helped by Tools like Giant Cape and Supporters like Red.
- Once enough Energy is in play, one copy of Mega Charizard Y ex is evolved over a Charizard ex to delete a Mega ex or heavily damaged Pokémon on the bench for a clean win.
This keeps the deck’s early and mid-game consistent, since you aren’t required to reach four Energy and the Mega line on turn four just to do anything. Mega Charizard Y ex becomes a high-risk, high-reward option you only pursue when the game state clearly rewards it.
High-risk ramp packages: Magby, Heatmor, and bench snipers
More experimental builds push the ramp even harder by pairing Mega Charizard Y ex with single-prize Fire basics like Magby and Heatmor. The idea is to flood Energy quickly, use Heatmor to chip opposing Megas on the bench, then resolve Cyrus into Mega Charizard Y ex for a final blow.
The upside is a much faster “combo kill” on Megas; in theory, Mega Charizard Y ex can attack as early as turn three if everything lines up. The downside is fragility. Magby and Heatmor are easy targets for aggressive water and Lightning decks, and if they are removed before enough Energy is in play, Mega Charizard Y ex never gets off the ground. These lists also lean heavily on a single Cyrus turn; if that Supporter is not drawn at the right time, the deck looks far weaker than a more traditional Fire shell.
Strengths and weaknesses in the current Pocket meta
The current ranked environment in Pokémon TCG Pocket is defined by Mega-centric decks like Mega Altaria ex and Mega Absol ex, water shells like Greninja ex and Suicune ex, and single-prize engines such as Pom-Pom Oricorio + Magnezone. Mega Charizard Y ex sits in a strange place among them.
Where Mega Charizard Y ex is strong:
- It is the cleanest one-card answer to opposing Megas. If a Mega is in the Active or can be dragged there, Mega Charizard Y ex ends that fight in one swing and often swings the game along with it.
- It benefits from existing Fire support. Moltres EX, Flame Patch, Ability Charmeleon, and Charizard ex lines already justify heavy Fire Energy counts and ramp slots.
- It scales well with bench damage. Any deck that can place counters on a Mega over multiple turns makes it easier for Mega Charizard Y ex to secure a three-point knockout with less risk.
Where it struggles badly:
- Speed: four Energy on a Stage 2 Mega is slow by Pocket standards. Greninja ex plus Cyrus can punish Charmeleon or Charizard on the bench before they evolve, and Jolteon ex with Team Rocket Grunt can punish high Energy counts on the Active.
- Single-prize decks: every attack Mega Charizard Y ex makes moves it 50 HP closer to self-destruction. Against decks built entirely around one-pointers like Pom-Pom Oricorio or Hydreigon, trading a three-point Mega that self-damages for single-prize attackers is rarely correct.
- Rocky Helmet and similar tools: reactive damage tools can put Mega Charizard Y ex into revenge-kill range immediately after its first attack, especially once its self-damage is applied.
- Hard counters like Mew ex: once Mega Charizard Y ex’s attack exists in a game, Mew ex can copy it and turn that power back on the Charizard player. A fully charged Mew ex set up after Mega Charizard Y ex has attacked once can steal all three points in one turn.
Because of those weaknesses, many high-level players do not expect a pure Mega Charizard Y ex deck to sit at the very top of the meta. Instead, they see it as a specialized tool that slots into existing Fire shells that already function without it.
How many Mega Charizard Y ex copies to run
The right Mega count depends on which shell you’re in:
- In a Charizard ex + Moltres ex Fire box, one or two Mega Charizard Y ex copies with a single Charizard ex and a Charmeleon is usually enough. The deck doesn’t want to clog opening hands with multiple Megas, and it can win many games without touching the Mega line.
- In a more all-in Mega combo list with Magby and Heatmor, two Mega Charizard Y ex plus a thicker Charizard line makes sense. Those decks live or die on seeing the Mega and four Energy together; running only one copy increases the odds of prizing it or drawing it too late.
- In a Stoke Charizard ex shell, one Mega Charizard Y ex is sufficient as a one-time closer you evolve into only when a Mega ex KO wins the game immediately.
In every case, the deck should still function when Mega Charizard Y ex is prised or drawn late. If the 20-card list feels unplayable without resolving the Mega, it is too dependent on a slow, fragile win condition.
Practical tips for piloting Mega Charizard Y ex
Do not rush the Mega. Evolving into Mega Charizard Y ex the moment you can is often wrong. If it becomes Active without four Energy attached, it is a slow, heavy retreat liability with a three-point bounty on its head. It should come down on the same turn or one turn before it attacks.
Plan your Cyrus turns early. If your list runs Cyrus, count Energy and watch for when an opposing Mega ex or key ex can be brought Active and KO’d. Often the entire game is built around one Cyrus + Mega Charizard Y ex turn; spending Cyrus earlier to disrupt hands without a clear knockout plan usually backfires.
Respect Energy denial. Team Rocket Grunt, Jolteon ex, and other Energy discarding effects are a direct problem for a four-Energy attacker. If the opponent is clearly playing that angle, lean harder on Moltres EX and Ability Charmeleon to rebuild, and be willing to pivot into non-ex Charizard or Genetic Apex Charizard ex instead of forcing the Mega.
Accept that some matchups are bad. Into pure one-prize Oricorio or fast Greninja shells, Mega Charizard Y ex is more liability than asset. In those games, treat it as a card you are unlikely to use and lean entirely on your lower-cost attackers and disruption to chase a win.
Mega Charizard Y ex is not the Fire-type answer to everything in Pokémon TCG Pocket. It is a scalpel disguised as a sledgehammer: unbeatable at cleanly deleting opposing Megas when the rest of the deck does the patient setup work, and underwhelming when thrown into every matchup as a primary attacker. Built as a flexible closer in existing Fire shells, though, it gives Charizard players something they have wanted since launch—a way to look across the table at any Mega and know they can take it off the board in one shot.
