pokoacademy
Meta deck20 lists · 19 events · 11 August 2026

Mega Greninja ex deck: the core, the flex slots, and what beats it

We took 20 lists of this deck and counted every card in every one of them. They come from 19 different tournaments, built by 20 people who never talked to each other. What all of them run is the core of the deck: 11 cards, 34 slots out of 60. The rest — 61 cards fighting over what is left — is where players disagree, and that is usually where a game is won.

Published Data updated
THE SHORT VERSION
  • 11 cards show up in all 20 lists we counted. No exceptions. That is 34 of your 60 slots. If you are building this deck, start there — nobody argues about those.
  • Your big card is Mega Greninja ex, 350 HP. Ninja Spinner hits for 120+, and it costs you 2 Energy (Water and Water).
  • 61 cards change from list to list. That is exactly where a good player tunes the deck for what they expect to face, and the table below tells you how many lists run each one.
  • This deck has a Weakness printed right on its cards: Lightning. 1 of the decks we track attack in exactly that type. They are listed at the bottom, with the card that does the damage.

What this deck looks like when you open the box

Across the 20 lists we counted, this deck runs 16 to 28 Pokémon, 25 to 36 Trainers and 7 to 10 Energy. Its attacks are paid for in Water.

Limitless files it under « mega-greninja-ex », and that is the label you will see on results pages and on stream. Every card named in it turns up in the core below, which is what makes it a fair name for the deck.

Look at the Energy count first: 7 to 10 out of 60. No single number tells you more about how a deck breathes. A lot of Energy means it wants to load up one big Pokémon and swing hard. Very little means it lives on cheap attacks and on Trainers to dig out whatever it is missing.

It takes a while to set up. Mega Greninja ex is a Stage 2 Pokémon: you put down the baby, you evolve it, and then you evolve it again. Three cards stacked before anything attacks. That is what the hardest-hitting decks cost you, and it is also where they crack — a fast opponent can bury you before the line is standing.

On the Trainer side: 9 to 13 Supporters, 10 to 20 Items, 0 to 3 Tools and 1 to 3 Stadiums. Worth saying out loud, because everyone forgets it once a tournament: you only get ONE Supporter a turn, while you can chain as many Items as you like. So a deck full of Items takes longer, louder turns than a deck full of Supporters.

What fills the 60 slots

Pokémon
16–28
Trainers
25–36
Energy
7–10
Supporters
9–13
Items
10–20
Tools
0–3
Stadiums
1–3

A range means the lists disagree with each other.

How it actually wins

Mega Greninja ex attacks with Ninja Spinner for 120+, and it costs 2 Energy (Water and Water). It has 350 HP to absorb the answer. Everything else in the list is built around getting that card online.

Do the arithmetic with us, because it decides your first few turns. You attach one Energy a turn by hand. Mega Greninja ex wants 2. With no help, that means you swing on turn 2 at the earliest. Every card in this deck that accelerates Energy or fetches a Pokémon buys back a turn on that count, and at this level a turn is a game.

Good news on mobility: Mega Greninja ex retreats for 1 Energy. You can pull it out of the Active spot without throwing away your turn, and that matters enormously when your opponent lands something nasty on it.

1 of the core Pokémon carry the « ex » suffix. Those are the big ones: high HP, attacks that hurt, and the price tag to match. They also cost you more when they fall — an opponent takes extra Prize cards for knocking out an ex, so every trade you lose there walks you towards the loss faster than you think.

The attackers in the deck's core, with their best attack, its cost and their Weakness
PokémonHPAttackDamageCostWeaknessRetreat
Mega Greninja exStage 2350Ninja Spinner120+Water + WaterLightning ×21
FrogadierStage 1100Aqua Edge50Water + WaterLightning ×21
FroakieBasic70Water Gun10WaterLightning ×21

The core: the 11 cards every list runs

These 11 cards appear in all 20 lists, without a single exception. That is 34 of the 60 slots. The other 26 are decided player by player.

This is the most useful table on the page, and nobody publishes it. Everywhere else you get one list, from one player, who won one tournament. Fine — but you have no way of telling which parts of it were the deck and which parts were that person's idea on the day. Counting 20 lists settles the question by itself: what 20 people put in their deck without talking to each other IS the deck.

A word on the count column. We give you the number that comes up most often, and where the lists disagree we give you the range instead. A card sitting at "3 to 4" is one everybody plays but whose fourth copy is up for debate. That is exactly the kind of slot you reclaim when you want to fit an idea of your own.

The code next to the name — "TWM 130" and the like — is the set and the collector number, printed at the bottom of the card. We show you the printing the lists use most often, because two cards can share a name and have completely different attacks. Check that number before you buy anything.

The cards present in every list counted, with the number of copies
CopiesCardPrintingKindRotation
2–4FroakieCRI 20Pokémonstays
1–3FrogadierCRI 21Pokémonstays
2–3Mega Greninja exCRI 22Pokémonstays
3–4Buddy-Buddy PoffinTEF 144Trainerleaves
3–4Lillie's DeterminationMEG 119Trainerstays
2–4Poké PadPOR 81Trainerstays
2–3Boss's OrdersMEG 114Trainerstays
1–4HildaWHT 84Trainerstays
1–3Surfing BeachMEG 129Trainerstays
1–2Special Red CardCRI 82Trainerstays
5–7Water EnergyMEE 3Energystays

What changes from one list to the next

61 cards show up in some lists and not in others. The percentage tells you how many lists run each one: at 50%, half the players want it and the other half deliberately chose something else.

Do not read this table as a ranking from best to worst. A card sitting at 80% is one four players in five find useful and the fifth cut on purpose, usually because they were expecting a different field. That disagreement is worth something on its own.

Here is how to use it when you build. Take the whole core first, no arguing. Then walk down this list and stop on every card you do not understand: read its text, work out what it is answering. A card you cannot explain is a card you will misplay, even if the champion had it in their list.

And if this is your first time with the deck, build the boring version — the full core plus the most common cards from here. Understand the deck before you start tinkering with it. That order is the only one that works.

The cards some lists run and others don't, most common first
Lists running itCardCopiesPrintingKind
95 %19/20Greninja ex1–2TWM 106Pokémon
95 %19/20Fezandipiti ex1ASC 142Pokémon
95 %19/20Rare Candy2–4MEG 125Trainer
95 %19/20Ultra Ball1–4MEG 131Trainer
95 %19/20Night Stretcher1–2ASC 196Trainer
90 %18/20Air Balloon1–3ASC 181Trainer
85 %17/20Budew1ASC 16Pokémon
85 %17/20Meowth ex1–2POR 62Pokémon
85 %17/20Neo Upper Energy1TEF 162Energy
75 %15/20Wally's Compassion1–2MEG 132Trainer
70 %14/20Energy Retrieval1–2SVI 171Trainer
70 %14/20Ignition Energy1–3WHT 86Energy
60 %12/20Dawn1–2PFL 87Trainer
45 %9/20Dudunsparce3TEF 129Pokémon
45 %9/20Shaymin1DRI 10Pokémon
40 %8/20Dunsparce2–3JTG 120Pokémon
40 %8/20Froakie1–2TWM 56Pokémon
35 %7/20Frogadier1TWM 57Pokémon
25 %5/20Mega Froslass ex1ASC 47Pokémon
25 %5/20Snorunt1–3ASC 46Pokémon
25 %5/20AZ's Tranquility1CRI 76Trainer
20 %4/20N's Zoroark ex2–3JTG 98Pokémon
20 %4/20N's Zorua2–3JTG 97Pokémon
20 %4/20Patrat1CRI 70Pokémon
15 %3/20Colress's Tenacity2SFA 57Trainer
15 %3/20Ciphermaniac's Codebreaking1TEF 145Trainer
15 %3/20Grand Tree1SCR 136Trainer
15 %3/20Pokégear 3.01–3SVI 186Trainer
15 %3/20Switch1MEG 130Trainer
15 %3/20Team Rocket's Petrel1–3DRI 176Trainer
10 %2/20Drakloak3TWM 129Pokémon
10 %2/20Dreepy3TWM 128Pokémon
10 %2/20Dunsparce1–3TEF 128Pokémon
10 %2/20Staryu2–3POR 20Pokémon
10 %2/20Duskull2PRE 35Pokémon
10 %2/20Mega Starmie ex2POR 21Pokémon
10 %2/20Dragapult ex1TWM 130Pokémon
10 %2/20Dudunsparce ex1JTG 121Pokémon
10 %2/20Dusclops1PRE 36Pokémon
10 %2/20Dusknoir1PRE 37Pokémon
10 %2/20Fan Rotom1SCR 118Pokémon
10 %2/20Totodile1TEF 39Pokémon
10 %2/20Great Haul Net1CRI 78Trainer
10 %2/20Judge1POR 76Trainer
10 %2/20Rosa's Encouragement1POR 84Trainer
5 %1/20Froslass2TWM 53Pokémon
5 %1/20Hoothoot2TEF 126Pokémon
5 %1/20Munkidori2TWM 95Pokémon
5 %1/20Noctowl2SCR 115Pokémon
5 %1/20Wellspring Mask Ogerpon ex2TWM 64Pokémon
5 %1/20Chien-Pao1SSP 56Pokémon
5 %1/20Latias ex1SSP 76Pokémon
5 %1/20Tatsugiri1TWM 131Pokémon
5 %1/20Crispin2SCR 133Trainer
5 %1/20Energy Search2POR 72Trainer
5 %1/20Tera Orb2SSP 189Trainer
5 %1/20Area Zero Underdepths1SCR 131Trainer
5 %1/20Kieran1TWM 154Trainer
5 %1/20Salvatore1TEF 160Trainer
5 %1/20Darkness Energy2MEE 7Energy
5 %1/20Prism Energy1ASC 216Energy

What it costs to build, and how long it will last

You need 72 different cards to cover every version of this deck, 11 of which nobody argues about. We do not have card prices, so we are not going to put a number on it.

What we can tell you is where the money goes. 1 ex Pokémon in the core, and they are almost the whole bill. The Trainers and basic Energy are near enough free, or already in your box. This deck runs no ACE SPEC card at all.

Now the question nobody asks you before you pay: how long will this deck stay legal? Of the 11 core cards, 1 carry the letter H in the bottom-left corner. That is the oldest letter still allowed in tournaments, which makes it the one that goes at the next rotation. Those 1 cards have an expiry date. We do not know what that date is — the publisher announces it and it appears in no card data — but we do know exactly which cards leave.

One last piece of old-player advice. Never build a deck card by card starting with the prettiest one. Start with the core Trainers: they are cheap, they carry over into other decks, and they are what makes the machine run. Buy the expensive Pokémon last, once you know you actually enjoy the deck.

What this deck struggles against

The attackers in this deck are Weak to Lightning. A card with a Weakness takes DOUBLE damage from an attacker of that type. Of the decks we track, 1 attack in exactly that type.

Here is how the table below is built. The Weakness is printed on your cards, the type of the attacker across the table is printed on theirs, and the fact that this particular deck really does play that attacker is counted off its own lists. You can check every line of it with the cards in your hand.

One limit, while we are here. Weakness alone does not decide a match. A deck can double your damage and still lose because it sets up too slowly, or crush you without ever touching your Weakness. This table tells you where to look first. What settles the game sits further along.

Going the other way, your attackers are Water — and 7 of the decks we track have an attacker Weak to one of those. That is you doubling, for once. Second half of the table.

They double the damage they put on you

Harvested decks that attack into this deck's Weakness, and those whose Weakness this deck hits
DeckTheir cardType
Mega Manectric ex / EelektrikMega Manectric exLightning

You double the damage you put on them

Harvested decks that attack into this deck's Weakness, and those whose Weakness this deck hits
DeckTheir cardType
Blaziken / N's Zoroark exBlaziken exWater
Ceruledge exCeruledge exWater
Dragapult ex / Blaziken exBlaziken exWater
Flareon ex / NoctowlFlareon exWater
Mega Chandelure exChandelureWater
Mega Charizard X exMega Charizard X exWater
Ethan's TyphlosionEthan's TyphlosionWater

Questions people ask

What is the Mega Greninja ex deck list?
There isn't one, and that is the whole point. Across 20 tournament lists harvested on 11 August 2026, 11 cards turn up in every single one — 34 slots out of 60. The remaining 26 change from player to player, with 61 different cards competing for them. Both tables are above.
How many lists is this counted on, and where do they come from?
20 lists, played across 19 different tournaments, harvested on 11 August 2026 from play.limitlesstcg.com. Every one of them was read card by card, and every card was recognised.
Where do I start if I want to build this deck?
With the whole core: 11 cards, 34 slots. Inside that core, buy the Trainers and Energy first — they are cheap and they carry over into other decks — and leave the 1 ex Pokémon for last, because they are the bill. Only then work down the flex table and add the cards the most lists agree on.
What beats this deck?
Its attackers are Weak to Lightning, so they take double damage from an attacker of that type. Of the decks we track, 1 play an attacker of that type: Mega Manectric ex / Eelektrik. One caveat. Weakness tells you where to look first. What settles the game sits further along.
Will this deck survive the next rotation?
Not intact. 1 of the 11 core cards carry the letter H in the bottom-left corner — the oldest letter still legal, and therefore the one that goes. We do not know the date of that rotation: the publisher announces it and it appears in no card data. We do know which cards leave, and they are marked in the core table.
Are these numbers current?
The lists were harvested on 11 August 2026, and the harvest runs every night. Every new list joins the count, so the percentages on this page move on their own as the format moves. When a card crosses over from the flex table into the core, that is the players moving first and the count following them.

Where all of this comes from

The 20 lists come from play.limitlesstcg.com, which publishes the decks played at official tournaments. They were harvested on 11 August 2026 across 19 different events, then read card by card against poko's own card catalogue (built from the public TCGdex API) to recover what each card actually does. Card prices appear nowhere on this page: we do not have them, and nothing here links to a shop.

NOW YOUR OWN GAME

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READ THIS NEXT

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