Aerodactyl ex (A3a) is a smart Fighting control pick in Pokemon TCG Pocket, shutting down Active evolutions with Primeval Law while swinging steady 80s for clean, fast wins.
Ladder games in Pokemon TCG Pocket can feel like you're just watching your opponent assemble a movie montage: Basic, evolve, evolve, big swing, you're done. Aerodactyl ex changes that vibe fast, and it's why I've been jamming it nonstop. If you like playing a bit mean (in a good way), this is your kind of list. And if you're the sort of player who also likes sorting out builds quickly, checking prices, or grabbing extras without the hassle, U4GM is worth a look while you're tweaking your collection and testing different lines.
What Primeval Law Actually Does
Primeval Law is the whole point. As long as Aerodactyl is on your field, your opponent can't evolve their Active Pokemon from hand. Not "sometimes." Not "if it's in the Active." Just flat-out locked. You'll see people panic-retreat just to get an evolvable Basic out of the Active spot. If they can't retreat, they're stuck swinging with a Basic that wasn't meant to be there. That's the tempo win: you're not just hitting them, you're taking away their plan.
Fossils, Bench Space, and a 20-Card Reality Check
Fossils can absolutely brick you if you get greedy. In a tight 20-card list, I've had the best results sticking to 2 or 3 Old Amber. Any more and your opening hand starts looking like a geology lesson. The goal is simple: get Amber down early, then evolve into Aerodactyl the moment you can. But you've gotta respect bench space. It's easy to clog your board with Basics and then realise you can't even place the fossil when you finally draw it. Play a little slower with your bench, even if it feels wrong.
Primeape as the Front Line Brawler
The Promo Mankey into Primeape line fits like a glove. Primeape doesn't mind getting hit; it kind of wants it. You toss it up front, let it soak damage, then swing back harder with Fight Back. Meanwhile Aerodactyl is getting set up behind it, ready to take over once Primeape drops or retreats. When Aerodactyl steps in, Land Crush for 80 is clean and reliable, and the cost is forgiving: one Fighting and one Colorless. You're not praying for perfect energy every game, which matters a ton in Pocket.
Trainers and Matchups That Feel Real
Speed trainers make this deck nasty. X Speed helps you pivot and keeps your tempo when the board gets awkward. Professor's Research is non-negotiable because you need to see pieces early, not "eventually." Sabrina is the rude little bonus: if they try to hide a Basic on the bench to evolve later, you pull it Active and Primeval Law clamps down again. Marshadow also earns its slot more than people think, because it cleans up low-HP stuff that limps to the bench after a hit. You'll still run into decks that don't care about evolving, like Pikachu ex or Mewtwo ex, and those games are more about clean trades and not wasting turns. But into evolution piles, you'll feel the pressure flip immediately, especially once you've learned when to commit the fossil and when to hold it, and that's also when browsing Pokemon TCG Pocket Cards starts to make sense for planning your next upgrades.
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