Garchomp ex – Triumphant Light
Date Reviewed: March 6, 2025
Ratings Summary:
Ratings are based on a 1 to 5 scale. 1 is horrible. 3 is average. 5 is great.
Reviews Below:
Otaku
The second best card of Triumphant Light is Garchomp ex (A2a 047, 084, 093)! It’s a Fighting Type, Stage 2 Pokémon ex that evolves from Gabite. Garchomp ex has 170 HP, (G) Weakness, (C) Retreat Cost, and two attacks. For (F), Garchomp ex can use “Linear Attack” to do 50 damage to the opposing Pokémon of your choice. It can also use “Dragon Claw”, for (F)(F)(C), to do 100 damage to the opponent’s Active. There is one ♦♦♦♦ rare and two ★★ rare versions of Garchomp ex.
As a Pokémon ex, Garchomp ex is worth an extra point when KO’d, and takes extra damage from the attacks of Tauros (A1a 060) and Sudowoodo (A2a 036, 079). To reach Garchomp ex, you’ll have to not only run a Gible and Gabite, you need field them in the correct order, and have them survive long enough to evolve into the next Stage. Aerodactyl ex (A1a 046, 078, 084) can prevent you from evolving an Active Gible or Gabite.
As a (F) Type, you can increase the damage of Garchomp ex’s attacks with Lucario (A2 092, 170). There are two cards1 with anti-(F) effects, but so far, they’re not particularly competitive. It’s a reasonably good Type at exploiting Weakness; Dragon Claw’s base 100 damage jumps to 120. Combine this with one Lucario to bring almost everything (F) Weak into OHKO range; two Lucario brings every (F) Weak Pokémon into OHKO range. At least, before other card effects. Sadly, there’s only a handful of worthwhile targets.
Garchomp ex has 170 HP, which is great! While the minimum for a Stage 2 Pokémon ex, it’s only 20 below the maximum for anything, and it’ll take an extra heavy attack to OHKO Garchomp ex. Even a 2HKO requires averaging 85 damage per attack. (G) Weakness doesn’t enable any OHKOs, but it does make some OHKOs/2HKOs more reliable, and some 2HKOs possible. The Retreat Cost of (C) is great! It’s relatively easy to pay, or to zero out with X Speed (P-A 002) or Leaf (A1a 068, 082).
Linear Attack is very good. Though it has a solid return for the Energy, it’s not about raw power. What matters is the price and that you can hit any one of your opponent’s Pokémon with it. Soften up larger targets while they’re still on the Bench. Finish off heavily damaged Pokémon whether they’re Active or hiding on the Bench. OHKO smaller evolving Basics, and 2HKO many Stage 1 Pokémon, again, even when they’re hiding on the Bench.
Garchomp ex’s big attack… isn’t that big. Not that Dragon Claw is bad; 100 for (F)(F)(C) is good. It just isn’t “great”, which is what we tend to think of with Pokémon ex, and especially Stage 2 Pokémon ex. Most hit harder than Dragon Claw, but they’re either that Pokémon’s only attack or it has a pretty potent drawback. Sometimes both! If you don’t have access to Dragon Claw the turn Garchomp ex hits the field, Linear Attack is still pretty good. If Dragon Claw is ready, it’ll 2HKO anything in the game. Well, before other effects.
There are two Gible and two Gabite to pick from, as well as a non-ex Garchomp. Both Gible are 60 HP Basic Pokémon with a Retreat Cost of (C) and one attack. Gible (A2 121) is a (N) Type, has no Weakness, and for (C) can use “Gnaw” to 20 damage. Gible (A2a 045; P-A 046) is a (F) Type, has (G) Weakness, and for (F) it can use “Tackle” to do… 20 damage. I’m inclined to go with Gible (A2 121), because I don’t want to be attacking with Gible, but would rather (G) Types didn’t score +20 if it’s stuck up front.
Both Gabite are Stage 1 Pokémon that evolve from Gible a Retreat Cost of (C), and one attack. Gabite (A2 122) is a (N) Type, has 90 HP, no Weakness, and can use the attack “Slash” for (F)(W), doing 60 damage. Gabite (A2a 046) is a (F) Type with 80 HP, (G) Weakness, and the attack “Sharp Scythe” for (F), doing 30 damage. I still don’t want to be attacking with Gabite, but there’s a better chance you won’t get a choice. If you have the time, why not try out both? +10 HP and no Weakness is tempting, even if it can’t attack. I mean, when the alternative is just doing 30 for a single Energy.
Garchomp (A2 123, 175) is an option when running Garchomp ex. “Baby” Garchomp is a (N) Type Stage 2 with 140 HP, no Weakness, (C) Retreat Cost, the Ability “Reckless Shearing”, and… another version of Dragon Claw. Reckless Shearing lets you discard a card from your hand, once per turn, to draw a card. This version of Dragon Claw still does 100 damage, but costs (W)(F). Though this Dragon Claw requires only two Energy, needing both (W) and (F) makes it actually more expensive, at least in my opinion.
Still, that Ability is nice. I haven’t seen it done yet, but you could run Garchomp alongside Garchomp ex. Probably just a single baby Garchomp; if you don’t need two Garchomp ex, or just need the draw power more, evolve into it. Otherwise, it’s fodder for Pokémon Communication (A2 146). Likewise, if your second Garchomp ex shows up, it becomes discard fodder for Reckless Shearing. For the sake of completeness, Cynthia (A2 152, 192) that lets the attacks of your Garchomp or Togekiss do +50 damage this turn. She does not work for Garchomp ex!
How is Garchomp ex being used? Good question, as Garchomp ex is not seeing a lot of competitive play right now. Nor is it seeing much success. Some are backing it with Lucario. This is the most played of the three variants I’m seeing over at LimitlessTCG, but also the least successful. While the extra damage will help out, I’m not sure if it helps out enough since you’ve got to run a Stage 1 line and a separate Stage 2 line.
Another deck partners Garchomp ex with Aerodatcyl ex. As we’re dealing with another Stage 1 line, room will still be pretty tight. None of the lists I saw had room for other Basics, so you will open with Gible, whether you want to or not. This deck is more successful than the first, on the happy side of 50%. I confess, I’m a bit surprised; I know Linear Attack lets you savage your opponent’s Bench, but your opponent can still evolve there.
The last version is just classified as “Garchomp ex”. The deck runs other Pokémon, but they’re usually Energy efficient attackers, including but not limited to the previously proven Basic Fighting Types. Sadly, there’s no article covering this on over at Pokémon Zone, but it does cover the other two. Not that I should complain; Garchomp & Friends2 has as better Win % than Garchomp ex/Lucario, but still far below Garchomp ex/Aerodactyl ex. None of them have even 100 examples over at Limitless.
Rating: 3.5/5
Garchomp ex secured third place less on its own merits, and more because I was hyper critical of many other cards that looked promising, but which I began to doubt. It’s still early in the metagame, but so far, it’s looking like you may as well run Gallade ex (A2) if you want a Stage 2 (F) Pokémon ex. It is possible Garchomp ex decks are just struggling to find the right list, or even struggling to be acquired… but take the above score with a grain of salt.
1Snover (A2 044) and Staraptor (P-A 047)
2This is not the decks actual name, but a reference to a popular cartoon from my childhood.
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