Starmie ex in Pokémon TCG Pocket is all about low-cost pressure, free retreats, fast Hydro Splash swings and Misty-fueled energy spikes, letting Water decks snowball tempo and punish slower ex strategies.
Ranked games in Pokémon TCG Pocket feel very different once you start running into Starmie ex over and over, and if you buy game currency or items in EZNPC you will bump into players who have this list fully tuned for ladder play with their own
EZNPC Pokemon TCG Pocket builds. On paper it looks simple: a Stage 1 that evolves from Staryu, swings for 90 damage with Hydro Splash for just two Water Energy, and can hit that number as early as turn two. In practice that damage comes online so quickly that a lot of basic ex Pokémon never get to evolve, and the game can feel like it is over the moment you miss one key setup turn.
Free Retreat And Tempo Control
The damage is scary, but the thing that really changes how games play out is the retreat cost being zero. Free retreat on your main attacker means you are never stuck in the active spot paying Energy just to move out of danger. You take a hit, pull Starmie ex back, deny the knockout, and throw up something like Articuno ex to push Blizzard Rush pressure instead. Opponents keep lining up what looks like a clean prize trade and then watch it slip away, because you just pivot out of every awkward position and keep your tempo intact.
Lean Core List And Key Supporters
When people talk about keeping the deck "tight" they really mean it. The core shell is tiny, around twenty cards, with two Staryu and two Starmie ex locked in. You do not want to brick on hands full of tech pieces and no basics, so every slot has to matter. Misty is the main engine card; it is coin-flip heavy, yeah, but when it goes your way you get extra Energy down so fast that early knockouts on things like Pikachu ex or Bulbasaur are pretty standard. Giovanni steps in to push damage into range against slightly bulkier targets, while Sabrina forces switches that can drag an underprepared attacker into the active and ruin your opponent's turn.
Trainer Package, Matchups, And Weak Spots
The Supporter lineup ends up doing a lot of heavy lifting in this archetype. Professor's Research keeps your hand from stalling out because this deck burns through cards, plays them, and then wants a new grip right away. Red Card is one of those plays that feels toxic when you are on the receiving end; just when your opponent finally pieces together a stable hand, you shuffle it away and make them start again. Starmie ex sitting on 130 HP can survive a reasonable hit, but the Electric weakness is brutal. Against Lightning lists, especially ones that can chain big attacks, the plan is simple: you race them. If they ever get a fully powered main attacker on board you are usually in trouble, so you lean even harder on fast Hydro Splash pressure and clean pivots.
Why Players Keep Coming Back To Starmie ex
Part of the reason so many people are picking this up is that it is both strong and pretty accessible. You are not forced into some giant pile of rare cards or weird tech one-ofs that only matter in fringe matchups. Instead you get a straightforward game plan: establish Staryu, evolve quickly, use your trainers to dig and disrupt, then chain Hydro Splash while using free retreat to dodge bad trades. It rewards basic sequencing and good reads rather than fancy combo lines, and that makes it perfect for climbing the ladder and testing fundamentals. If you are still figuring out what you want to play long term, you can even look at ready-made Pokemon TCG Pocket Accounts lists that lean on Starmie ex as a backbone and tweak them to match your own style.
