Marowak ex stands out as one of the most powerful Pokémon ex, thanks to its Bonemerang attack, which deals 80 damage for each heads among two coin flips. This means it can deal 0, 80, or peak at 160 damage, all for just 2 F Energy —a potential turn two blowout on a sturdy 140 HP body.
Marowak ex is auto-included in the Mewtwo starter pack when you begin the game, making it a beginner- and budget-friendly option to build around.
Marowak ex - Sandslash variant
Rarity requirements
◊◊◊◊ – Marowak ex
◊◊ – Sandslash, Giovanni, Sabrina
Booster pack requirements
Cubone line
Giovanni
Sabrina
The standard approach for the deck, it’s as simple as advertised: two top end monsters able to come from turn 2, dealing good damage for FF. Not only it’s very efficient especially against decks weak to F such as Pikachu ex, it’s also a super budget approach since the Sandshrew line can be opened in all Genetic Apex booster packs and the base for this deck is given to you if you start the game by opening the Mewtwo pack.
Marowak ex - Primeape variant
Rarity requirements
◊◊◊◊ – Marowak ex
◊◊ – Primeape, Giovanni, Sabrina
Booster pack requirements
Cubone line
Hitmonlee
Giovanni
Primeape
Sabrina
Primeape is one of the few non-ex Pokémon with an attack capable of dealing 100 damage without a coin flip. However, there’s a twist: Primeape must have damage on it; else, its Fight Back attack only deals 40. Opponents can usually play around this by charging up a Pokémon to knock out Primeape in one hit, which is rather easy with Primeape’s low 90HP. That was until the Lapras event brought us a new Mankey with Reckless Charge, an attack that inflicts 10 recoil damage. The perfect set up for a fully powered Fight Back from Primeape, as early as turn 2.
This unmatched power on a stage 1 Pokémon is especially dangerous for Pikachu ex, one of the top decks in the Genetic Apex format, as Fight Back is an exact one-shot against Pikachu ex. Mankey’s Reckless charge into Primeape’s Fight Back is also a perfect KO on Zapdos ex. Giovanni is maxed out to reach critical damage thresholds, especially against 60 HP Basics that are weak to F.
Marowak is a very good partner to Primeape as their weaknesses don’t overlap and both hit different thresholds: Primeape’s Fight Back against Pikachu ex, Marowak ex’s Bonemerang against Mewtwo ex.
More aggressive than the Sandslash variant, this build is also more vulnerable. Both Mankey and Primeape have low HP, and their durability gets worse when they’re damaged—a requirement for Primeape to reach full power. You will also need to carefully consider retaliation, as after a Reckless Charge, Mankey stands with only 40 HP remaining, putting it within range of common attacks.
4 Marowak variant
Rarity requirements
◊◊◊◊ – Marowak ex
◊◊◊ – Kabutops
◊◊ – Marowak, Kabuto, Giovanni, Sabrina
Booster pack requirements
Cubone line
Giovanni
Dome Fossil line
Sabrina
First played by loic15, this list ensures you always start with Cubone, as it’s your only Basic Pokémon. With 4 Marowak and Professor’s Research, there’s more than an 80% chance you can evolve Cubone by turn 2—an impressive level of consistency that ensures you can start piling on damage as early as possible. If you have both types of Marowak in hand by turn 2, you can even choose which to evolve into: if you went first, prioritize regular Marowak since it can attack immediately; if you went second, opt for Marowak ex for the same benefit, with a bigger damage output.
The deck also plays more than just the Cubone line—Dome Fossil, Kabuto, and Kabutops complement your strategy. They don’t interfere with starting Cubone or with Poké Ball, and they’re respectable hitters. Kabutops, in particular, becomes a beast in the late game. You can also run this variant with just Fossils without their evolution as a way to “protect” your benched Cubone from Sabrina.
This variant is particularly good in a field of Pikachu ex decks as regular Marowak resists a full-power Circle Circuit, while its Bone Beatdown attack is a two shot on Pikachu ex.
Marowak ex - Dugtrio "coin flip" variant
Rarity requirements
◊◊◊◊ – Marowak ex
◊◊ – Dugtrio, Giovanni, Sabrina
Booster pack requirements
Cubone line
Giovanni
Diglett line
Sabrina
A deck that is both strong and fun, it leverages the power of two stage 1 F Pokémon capable of attacking early with incredibly high rolls. Dugtrio’s Dig can be active as soon as turn 2, and if the coin lands heads, Dugtrio becomes untouchable for the next turn. The only way to counter this is by forcing it back to the Bench with Sabrina. Against bigger targets, you can either retreat it or promote Marowak ex to take down the chunkier threats.
Weaknesses
Marowak ex is inherently a gamble. While its peak damage is extraordinary, capable of KOing almost anything but some Stage 2 Pokémon ex, its lows are devastating.
The average roll of 80 damage has a major downside: it leaves Pikachu ex standing, even when boosted with Giovanni, which is disappointing for a F Pokémon that you’d expect to dominate a L type.
Finally, Cubone, its pre-evolution, cannot deal damage on its own, which can easily set you back until it evolves—at which point, even the damage output is not guaranteed.
