Although less popular than Venusaur and Charizard, Blastoise ex still holds a solid place in the meta due to its scalable attacks. It ramps up through three damage tiers: Surf for 2 Energy, dealing 40; Hydro Bazooka for 3 Energy, dealing 100; and Hydro Bazooka for 5 Energy, dealing 160, which is enough to one-shot most of the Genetic Apex cast.
The Squirtle line is one of the few evolution lines that can consistently attack on curve—Squirtle’s Water Gun on turn 1, Wartortle’s Wave Splash on turn 2, and Blastoise ex’s Hydro Bazooka on turn 3—making it a strong contender in early game races. It also benefits greatly from Misty, which can significantly speed up Blastoise ex’s clock to full power.
Once set up, Blastoise ex can dominate the game with its formidable 180 HP, to which only Charizard ex and lucky Dragonites and Zapdos can answer.
Blastoise ex - Tank variant
Rarity requirements
◊◊◊◊ – Blastoise ex
◊◊◊ – Articuno, Mewtwo, Kangaskhan
◊◊ – Wartortle, Misty, Sabrina
Booster pack requirements
Squirtle line
Misty
Articuno
Mewtwo
Kangaskhan
Sabrina
This version of Blastoise ex functions like a stall deck, using high-HP Pokémon in the front to buy time while charging up the Squirtle line in the back. Once Blastoise ex is ready, it comes in for guaranteed one-shots.
Several strong options can serve as stalling engines:
- Articuno is a premium pick, as it doubles as an attacker with Misty’s help, only trading for a point. Because of its weakness to L, Pikachu ex one-shots it, so it’s usually a one-of at best.
- Mewtwo is a top choice, boasting high HP and a manageable retreat cost of two, though it never attacks in this W only deck.
- Kangaskhan offers immediate offense, despite its retreat cost of 3.
- Snorlax, with a massive 150 HP, tanks hits for a long time, but its inability to attack or retreat creates a real risk of self-locking. It leaves the deck vulnerable to cards like Hitmonless or Zebstrika, and more critically, it allows your opponent to freely charge their own Pokémon while you cannot apply pressure in the Active Spot.
Blastoise ex - Meowth variant
Rarity requirements
◊◊◊◊ – Blastoise ex
◊◊ – Wartortle, Misty, Sabrina
Booster pack requirements
Squirtle line
Misty
Meowth
Sabrina
Meowth helps accelerate the deck, allowing you to gather all the pieces needed for a turn 3 Blastoise ex, ideally with Misty added into the mix. While the deck generally benefits from going second thanks to Meowth and Wartortle (Squirtle deals 20 damage on the first turn, followed by Wartortle adding 40 more, enough to knock out most Basic Pokémon), going first offers the potential Blastoise ex on curve. Misty also helps offset the first-turn disadvantage, provided you can flip at least one heads.
Weaknesses
- The entire Squirtle line is plagued by a L weakness, leaving them highly vulnerable to top-tier threats like Pikachu ex and any deck running Zapdos ex.
- Hydro Bazooka requires up to 5 turns to reach its full potential, which is slow. In the meantime, Blastoise ex cannot one shot Pokémon ex, putting it at a disadvantage against many of these decks.
