Okay, so I’ve been messing around with Pokemon TCG Live lately, and I decided to give Politoed ex a shot. I’d heard some chatter about it, and figured, why not?
Getting Started
First thing I did was just, you know, get the cards. I opened a few packs, traded a bit, the usual. Got my Politoed ex, some Poliwhirls, Poliwags… the whole family. I also grabbed some other Water-type basics, just in case. Didn’t have a clear strategy yet, just wanted to see what felt right.
Building the Deck(Messy First Attempt)
My first deck was a total mess. I threw in a bunch of random Trainer cards, some energy retrieval, and a couple of those “draw three cards” supporters. I figured, more cards equals more options, right? Wrong. It was clunky, slow, and I got absolutely crushed in my first few practice matches. I kept getting stuck with no way to evolve my Poliwags, or I’d have Politoed ex out but no energy to actually attack.
Tweaking and Learning
So, back to the drawing board. I looked up some sample Politoed ex decks online – not to copy them exactly, but just to get some ideas. I started to see a pattern: lots of ways to quickly get those Water energies onto Politoed ex, and a focus on getting Poliwhirls out fast so you could evolve them quickly.
- I added more Rare Candy cards. These are crucial for skipping Poliwhirl and going straight from Poliwag to Politoed.
- I put in more energy retrieval, like Superior Energy Retrieval. These became super important for getting those Water energies back from the discard pile.
- I started using Irida. A great way to fish for a water pokemon, and an item.
- I even put a couple of Bibarel in there, just for the extra draw power. Anything to keep the cards flowing!
I also realized I needed some way to deal with those pesky Pokemon that have abilities that shut down my attacks, I added a single copy of Path to the Peak.
The Turning Point
The big change came when I started to understand Politoed ex’s “King’s Call” ability. It lets you search your deck for up to 3 Basic Water Pokemon and put them onto your bench. Once I got the hang of using that, everything clicked.
I could quickly fill my bench, get those Poliwhirls out, and then use Rare Candy to evolve them into Politoed ex. That got things accelerating.
The Final(ish) Product
My deck still isn’t perfect, I’m constantly tweaking it, adding a card here, taking one out there. It’s a work in progress, but it’s way better than that first mess I started with. I’m actually winning some matches now! It’s still tough against some decks, but it can be a blast to play.
I’m no expert, but Politoed ex is a fun one. I keep playing it, and keep learning!
