Pokemon TCG Pocket: Best Dragonite Deck build

Pokemon TCG Pocket’s Dragonite deck can be a tonne of fun to play if you can build up to the powerful Draco Meteor attack. Take a look at our favorite build for the deck.

The Pokemon TCG Pocket meta is beginning to take shape now that the 30 million users playing it have amassed enough cards. There are a number of incredibly powerful decks but many of them rely on gathering up some of the rarest cards in the game.

There are top-tier options for each of Pokemon TCG Pocket’s eight elemental types but one has flown relatively under the radar. The Dragon-type only has a single evolutionary line made up of just three cards.

This guide will go over how to build a powerful Dragonite deck in Pokemon TCG Pocket that can contend with meta staples like Mewtwo ex. Of course, part of the fun is that this deck relies on a little luck.

What makes Dragonite so effective in Pokemon TCG Pocket

The Pokemon Company

The real draw for Dragonite is its powerful Draco Meteor attack which doles out a whopping 200 damage. However, this damage is dealt at random to each of your opponent’s Pokemon in lots of 50.

This could result in a single Pokemon taking 200 damage, four Pokemon taking 50 damage, or any number of other possible combinations. The random nature of the move may sound offputting but in practice, it can score multiple points in a single turn and depending on your opponent’s board, even win the game in one turn.

On top of that, Dragonite has a respectable 160 HP meaning it can survive many of the game’s strongest attacks. Couple that with the Dragon-type’s complete lack of elemental weaknesses and you can be hard to put down.

Of course, in order to get the Draco Meteor attack off, you must have both Water and Lightning-type Energy attached to Dragonite. The random nature of multicolored energy has been a point of frustration for players but there are ways to mitigate it.

Best Dragonite deck build in Pokemon TCG Pocket

You won’t just need the Dragonite line in your Dragonite deck. One of the most important elements of the deck is having a decent staller to soak up damage while you attach the four Energy you’ll need to start using Dragonite’s Draco Meteor attack.

These are the cards we recommend:

• X2 Dratini
• X2 Dragonair
• X2 Dragonite
• X2 Articuno ex
• X2 Pokeball
• X2 Potion
• X2 Red Card
• X2 Misty
• X2 Professor Oak
• X2 Sabrina

How to play the Dragonite deck in Pokemon TCG Pocket

Your ideal opening hand will include an Articuno ex and at least one Dratini. While the Dragonite line is the star of the deck, you’ll want to place your Articuno ex in the active slot. Its 140 HP makes it a decent enough damage sponge while you prepare your Dragonite.

At every opportunity, you should be attaching Energy from your pool to the Dratini and evolving it when possible. Once you have a Dragonite with four Energy attached to it, either wait until your Articuno ex is knocked out or switch it out by retreating. At this point, just unleash Draco Meteor attacks until you win.

Now, as far as your Trainer cards go; Pokeball can be used to search for Dratini if you fail to pull one in your opening hand. Professor Oak serves a similar function with the added utility of drawing Dragonair or Dragonite to evolve an existing Dratini.

Misty will help you get more value out of Articuno ex if you’re lucky. Getting enough Energy to use Blizzard will help soften up your opponent’s benched Pokemon for Draco Meteor and give you the option to switch out. All this without slowing down the build of your Dragonite.

Serena will disrupt your opponent’s board and keep your Dragonite safe while Potion can be used to keep it in the fight. Use these Trainer cards as necessary to deal with a variety of possible situations.

Dragonite deck weaknesses in Pokemon TCG Pocket

The primary weakness of this particular Dragonite deck is actually luck. We’re only half serious of course. Things can go wrong quickly if you get bricked by your energy pool or your Draco Meteor doesn’t work out effectively but that’s a big if with such a powerful attack.

As far as opponents go, Dragonite doesn’t have any elemental weaknesses but an Electric-type deck can chew through your Articuno ex stall faster than usual which may put you on the back foot. Swapping it out with a Snorlax can help in solo battles but you’ll never know what a human opponent has in store.

Other than Electric-type decks, most other elemental types shouldn’t give you much trouble. The Dragonite Deck in Pokemon TCG Pocket may not be at the top of the meta just yet, but it’s incredibly fun to play and requires some really active piloting.

If you’re looking for other off-meta decks for Pokemon TCG Pocket, check out our guide on how to build a Primeape deck.