By Ellis Longhurst, contributing writer
Rule the battlefield with cards from the Pokémon Trading Card Game: Mega Evolution—Perfect Order expansion. This set introduces new Mega Evolution Pokémon ex that will shape the future of the Pokémon TCG. But Trainers beware! Taking control is no easy feat. Chaos threatens as the rotation of cards with the “G” regulation mark out of the Standard format presents an assortment of challenges. Organize your favorite Pokémon and develop an immaculate strategy, because the battle for top competitive deck is about to begin. Read on to find out which cards in Mega Evolution—Perfect Order will help you to take command of the new Standard format.
Mega Zygarde ex has the perfect DNA for the new Standard format. It is a high-HP Basic Pokémon designed to do loads of damage and take multiple Prize cards in one or two turns through Gaia Wave and Nullifying Zero. When the new Core Memory Pokémon Tool card is attached, it can even use the Geobuster attack, which is powerful enough to Knock Out any Mega Evolution Pokémon ex in one hit…if a Premium Power Pro is played on the same turn.
However, if Mega Zygarde ex wants to shake the foundations of the metagame with any of these attacks, it needs to have loads of Basic 
Energy attached. Fortunately, Mega Lucario ex can help this Pokémon get ready to rock as quickly as possible. Its Aura Jab attack accelerates up to 3 Basic Energy cards from the discard pile to your Benched Pokémon. As an alternative attacker in a Mega Lucario ex deck that includes Hariyama, Mega Zygarde ex offers a way to one-hit KO any Mega Evolution Pokémon ex, and its Weakness to Grass-type Pokémon reduces the deck’s vulnerability to attacks from Psychic-type Pokémon.
Another solid choice is to build a deck that pairs Mega Zygarde ex with the new Barbaracle. This Pokémon’s Stone Arms Ability accelerates one additional Basic Energy card from the hand to one Fighting-type Pokémon every turn. The rotation of Earthen Vessel is no problem for this kind of deck because Trainer cards like Fighting Gong, Energy Retrieval, and the new Tarragon can get those Energy cards into the hand from the deck or the discard pile.
It might not be a Basic Energy card, but don’t overlook Rocky Energy. This new Special Energy card protects Fighting-type Pokémon from the effects of opposing Pokémon’s attacks. With this Energy card attached, Mega Zygarde ex cannot be Knocked Out by Mega Absol ex’s Terminal Period attack, and it can’t have damage counters placed on it by Alakazam’s Powerful Hand or Dragapult ex’s Phantom Dive.
Mega Starmie ex is the hidden gem of this expansion. On the surface, its attacks seem lackluster for a Pokémon that gives up three Prize cards when Knocked Out. However, these attacks enable Trainers to seize control of the game in a way that is equally as valuable as being able to take flashy Knock Outs on Mega Evolution Pokémon ex.
For the low investment of a single 
Energy, Jetting Blow will Knock Out many of the commonly played single-Prize Pokémon, and the splash damage onto a Benched Pokémon places enormous pressure on Basic Pokémon waiting to evolve. By first putting damage counters on the opponent’s Pokémon through a combination of Risky Ruins and Munkidori’s Adrena-Brain Ability, Trainers could even use Jetting Blow to take a Knock Out on Benched Basic Pokémon like Dreepy, Duskull, Riolu, and Torchic as early as the second turn of the game.
An early, aggressive strategy like this could lead to great success at upcoming tournaments because the rotation of Iono and Counter Catcher means there are fewer Trainer cards that punish Trainers who take a lead in the Prize card race.
Nebula Beam also has utility in the Standard format. It can be powered up in a single turn by Ignition Energy and provides Trainers with a way to do damage to Crustle and Cornerstone Mask Ogerpon ex when they otherwise might not have one.
Mega Starmie ex is already making waves at City League tournaments in Japan. It has appeared in a variety of decks alongside versatile attackers like Greninja ex, high-damage attackers like Mega Froslass ex, and Pokémon that can pile more damage counters on the opponent’s Pokémon like Dusknoir or Froslass.
To cut a long story short, Mega Clefable ex is a Pokémon to write home about. It can do loads of damage with its Shooting Moons attack, and this is facilitated by a robust package of Trainer cards and Psychic-type Pokémon. The new Aromatisse can search the deck every turn for two Basic 
Energy, which may then be used to help Shooting Moons reach 280 damage, or to draw cards through the effect of the Mystery Garden Stadium card. Discarded Basic Energy can then be accelerated onto Mega Clefable ex via Wondrous Patch, or shuffled back into the deck through Energy Recycler.
The new Special Energy card, Telepathic Energy, also supports Mega Clefable ex by bringing Pokémon like Clefairy and Spritzee onto the Bench. These cards have great synergy, but only when Trainers perfect the sequencing will they bring order to the KOs.
The writing is on the wall for most Mega Evolution Pokémon ex who oppose Mega Clefable ex. This includes Mega Lucario ex, which has a Weakness to Psychic-type Pokémon and is likely to rise in popularity following the rotation of Gardevoir ex. Mega Clefable ex only needs to discard two Energy cards from the hand to Knock Out Mega Lucario ex in one hit with Shooting Moons.
When Lillie’s Clefairy ex’s Fairy Zone Ability adds a Psychic-type Weakness to Dragon-type Pokémon, Mega Clefable ex can even Knock Out Dragapult ex or Mega Dragonite ex in one hit, too. With its Luminous Wing providing protection from the effects of Abilities, and Supporter cards like Wally’s Compassion and the new Jacinthe providing healing, Mega Clefable ex could be taking these Knock Outs turn after turn.
Plotting out a victory may not be as simple as repeatedly using Shooting Moons. Trainers might need to rely on Frillish’s Oceanic Gloom to slow down the opponent while setting up their own Pokémon. Alternatively, they might require single-Prize attackers like Clefable to take Knock Outs on Pokémon ex and trade Prize cards favorably. The moral of the story is to always have a backup plan.
The prize for the most exciting Ability in this expansion goes to—that’s right—Meowth ex! Longtime fans of the Pokémon TCG will be familiar with the effect of Last-Ditch Catch and the big impact it could have on deckbuilding and the metagame. Lumineon V and Tapu Lele-GX had Abilities with the same effect, and both were played to great success, often to search for the Boss’s Orders (or equivalent) required to gust one of the opponent’s Pokémon and take the game-winning Knock Out.
There is no need to be concerned by the rotation of general-purpose Supporter cards Professor’s Research, Iono, and Arven. When you can perform a Last-Ditch Catch, it is easy to grab the perfect Supporter card for any situation. Dragapult ex decks might include Meowth ex to search for Briar when the opponent has two Prize cards remaining, or Crispin or the new Rosa’s Encouragement to expedite an attack.
Mega Lucario ex decks might use Last-Ditch Catch to draw cards through Lillie’s Determination, or to deny the opponent Prize cards via Wally’s Compassion. Be bold with the selection and count of the Supporter cards in your deck—none of them are out of reach for Meowth ex!
In a perfect world, every game would go to plan. When it doesn’t, Meowth ex can help prevent a catastrophe. Unfair Stamp and Harlequin have emerged as popular replacements for Iono, causing hand disruption that could send your plan into disarray. If Meowth ex is in your deck, drawing an Ultra Ball as one of the few cards in your new hand might create a pathway for you to search for a Supporter card that could improve your situation. Perhaps the clue was in the Ability name all along.
Given the many use cases for Last-Ditch Catch, Meowth ex will be an asset in a variety of decks…but be careful not to rely too much on this Pokémon to execute your game-winning strategy. The Stadium card Team Rocket’s Watchtower turns off Last-Ditch Catch, and Meowth ex’s low HP means that it can give up two Prize cards quite easily to the opponent.
If your third eye was drawn to Telepathic Energy, there is a good reason. After popular Trainer cards Arven, Nest Ball, and Artazon leave the Standard format as part of the 2026 rotation, consistently searching the deck for the preferred Basic Pokémon seems like a tall order. Telepathic Energy mitigates this loss by offering Trainers a new way to search for Basic Pokémon that does not have the same cost or limitations as other Pokémon search options like Poké Pad, Buddy-Buddy Poffin, Ultra Ball, and Lumiose City. And, as a direct replacement for a Basic Energy, it will boost the consistency of a deck without demanding any extra space.
If you are still in two minds about this Special Energy card, then consider this: unlike with Item cards, Telepathic Energy can be played to search for Basic Pokémon even after the opponent has used Budew’s Itchy Pollen or Frillish’s Oceanic Gloom. This is particularly noteworthy because the rotation of powerful draw Supporter cards Iono and Professor’s Research may increase the number of Trainers trying to disrupt their opponent through Item-lock strategies in the foreseeable future.
Keep in mind that only decks using Psychic-type Pokémon will be able to benefit from Telepathic Energy, but there are still many applications for it within that scope. Evolution decks like Mega Clefable ex and Alakazam could use this Special Energy card to ensure that all the Basic Pokémon they need to evolve later in the game are in play as early as possible. Team Rocket’s Mewtwo ex could meet the requirements of its Power Saver Ability by searching the deck for Team Rocket’s Mimikyu. Even Dragapult ex decks could benefit from Telepathic Energy by attaching it to Latias ex to put Munkidori, Duskull, or Lillie’s Clefairy ex into play.
These are just some of the impeccable cards you will find in the new Pokémon TCG: Mega Evolution—Perfect Order expansion. With over 120 cards to collect, including four Mega Evolution Pokémon ex, there are plenty of other daring combinations and strategies to explore. Will you seize control of the battlefield?
For more Pokémon TCG strategy and analysis, visit Pokemon.com/Strategy.
Ellis Longhurst is a contributing writer for Pokemon.com. She has been competing in high-level Pokémon TCG tournaments since 2006 and creating written content for the Pokémon community since 2011. Now she brings some Australian flavour to the Play! Pokémon commentary teams at the International and World Championships.
