Lapras ex in Pokemon TCG Pocket: Water Deck Builds, Matchups and Strategy

Lapras ex is the calm anchor of Water decks in Pokemon TCG Pocket. With a huge HP pool and a scaling attack that punishes slow setups, it plays a very different game from the fast, aggressive Water lists built around Starmie ex. This guide covers the best Lapras ex builds, energy curves, and how to beat the decks that give it trouble.

Why Lapras ex Works

Lapras ex is a Basic ex Pokemon, which matters more than anything else in TCG Pocket. Basic ex cards can be played straight from hand with no evolution line, so your plan never bricks waiting for a middle stage. That consistency is the whole appeal: you can open a game, attach energy to Lapras, and start swinging by turn two or three without needing to draw a specific two-card combo.

The trade-off is the ex knock-out penalty. When Lapras ex goes down, your opponent takes two prize cards. Everything in the deck is built around protecting that investment while still applying pressure.

Attribute	Value
Type	Water
Stage	Basic (ex)
Role	Bulky attacker / tank
Strength	High HP, single energy attack access
Weakness	Lightning and Grass pressure
Best partners	Misty, healing support, Articuno ex

Core Card Package

• 2x Lapras ex – your main attacker and the deck’s win condition
• 2x Articuno ex – a second Water threat that punishes benched Pokemon and spreads damage
• 2x Misty – the energy accelerator that lets you attack a turn early
• 2x Professor’s Research – draw power to find your ex cards
• 2x Pokeball – searches Basic Pokemon, so it can fetch Lapras ex directly
• 2x Potion / healing support – keeps Lapras ex above knockout range
• 1x Sabrina – drags a benched threat forward and disrupts their setup

Energy Curve and Sequencing

The biggest mistake new Lapras players make is spreading energy across too many Pokemon. Lapras ex wants to be your single energy sink until it is fully loaded and attacking. Treat Articuno ex as a back-up attacker that only receives energy when Lapras is already online or when you need a second threat to close the game.

Misty changes this math. If Misty flips well on turn one, you can have a fully charged Lapras ex attacking far earlier than normal. Do not open with Misty blindly, though – hold it until you have a Pokemon in the active spot that can actually use the energy that turn.

Matchups

Opponent	Difficulty	How to Play It
Fire / Charizard ex	Favourable	Water hits Fire for weakness; race them before their setup completes
Lightning / Pikachu ex	Unfavourable	Keep Lapras on the bench early; use Sabrina to disrupt
Grass decks	Even	Healing and Potion timing decide the race
Fighting decks	Favourable	Lapras resists the damage race; lean on healing

Tips for Climbing With Lapras ex

Play patiently. Lapras ex decks win long games, so your goal is to trade efficiently and keep your ex alive past the point where your opponent runs out of answers. Concede the first knockout if it means keeping Lapras healthy, and always count your opponent’s remaining energy before committing to a big attack – if they can one-shot your Lapras next turn, retreat instead of attacking.

For more Water options, see our best Water-type decks in Pokemon TCG Pocket and the Articuno ex build guide. If you are still filling out your collection, the free packs and hourglasses guide will speed things up.