One of the most promising Pokémon from the new Pokémon TCG: XY—Fates Collide expansion is Genesect-EX. It’s been garnering a lot of attention with its 180 HP, a cool Ability, and a powerful attack that can reach epic heights. Let’s take a look at how to put the Paleozoic Pokémon into action.

• Blast Away with Genesect-EX

Blast Away with Genesect-EX

Pokémon

• 3

  Genesect-EX

  64/124

  xy10 64
• 1

  Bronzong BREAK

  62/124

  xy10 62
• 3

  Bronzong

  61/119

  xy4 61
• 1

  Bronzong

  61/124

  xy10 61
• 4

  Bronzor

  60/124

  xy10 60
• 2

  Zoroark

  91/162

  xy8 91
• 2

  Zorua

  90/162

  xy8 90
• 2

  Shaymin-EX

  77/108

  xy6 77
• 1

  Lugia

  78/124

  xy10 78

Energy Cards

• 10

  Basic { Metal } Energy

  g1 82

Trainer Cards

• 4

  Professor Sycamore

  xy9 107
• 2

  N

  xy10 105
• 1

  AZ

  xy4 91
• 1

  Lysandre

  xy7 78
• 1

  Reverse Valley

  xy9 110
• 4

  Trainers' Mail

  xy6 92
• 4

  Ultra Ball

  xy10 113
• 4

  VS Seeker

  xy4 109
• 3

  Float Stone

  xy8 137
• 2

  Battle Compressor Team Flare Gear

  xy4 92
• 2

  Fighting Fury Belt

  xy9 99
• 1

  Muscle Band

  xy1 121
• 1

  Sacred Ash

  xy2 96
• 1

  Startling Megaphone

  xy2 97

More Info Copy Deck List ****** Pokémon Trading Card Game Deck List ****** Pokémon - 19 3 Genesect-EX FCO 64 1 Bronzong BREAK FCO 62 3 Bronzong PHF 61 1 Bronzong FCO 61 4 Bronzor FCO 60 2 Zoroark BKT 91 2 Zorua BKT 90 2 Shaymin-EX ROS 77 1 Lugia FCO 78 Trainer Cards - 31 4 Professor Sycamore BKP 107 2 N FCO 105 1 AZ PHF 91 1 Lysandre AOR 78 1 Reverse Valley BKP 110 4 Trainers' Mail ROS 92 4 Ultra Ball FCO 113 4 VS Seeker PHF 109 3 Float Stone BKT 137 2 Battle Compressor Team Flare Gear PHF 92 2 Fighting Fury Belt BKP 99 1 Muscle Band XY 121 1 Sacred Ash FLF 96 1 Startling Megaphone FLF 97 Energy - 10 10 Basic { Metal } Energy GEN 82 Total Cards - 60 ****** Deck list generated on Pokemon.com ******

The magic number for one-hit damage is 170—if you have a Pokémon that can hit that mark in a single blow, you’re capable of taking out many Pokémon-EX, not to mention virtually any other Pokémon in the game. Genesect-EX is one of the latest Pokémon that can reach that lofty mark, with a little power left to spare. Its Rapid Blaster attack does 100 damage, and you can discard any number of attached Metal Energy to boost that by 20 damage per discard. With four Metal Energy to discard, Rapid Blaster can deliver a thunderous 180 damage, enough to hit our magic number and take down most Pokémon-EX in one attack.

The power Genesect-EX can deliver puts it into a select company of powerful Pokémon, but Rapid Blaster’s steep Energy requirement needs to be solved before Genesect-EX truly becomes a top contender. That’s where Bronzong comes in, bringing some needed help to recharge Genesect-EX after Rapid Blaster dumps all that Energy into the discard pile. Bronzong’s Metal Links Ability is the perfect solution—once per turn, it can attach a Metal Energy card from the discard pile to a Benched Pokémon. The teamwork between Bronzong and Genesect-EX can put steady pressure on the opponent with big attacks.

One limitation of this Ability is that it can only be used on Benched Pokémon, so your Active Pokémon (likely the Genesect-EX that attacked the previous turn) can’t be the recipient of that extra Energy. Our example deck tries to fix this by performing a little two-step trick using Zoroark. Zoroark’s Stand In Ability lets you switch it with your Active Pokémon (which, importantly, does not count as retreating). After Zoroark becomes your Active Pokémon, you can use Metal Links to put Energy onto Genesect-EX, since it’s now on your Bench. Finally, if you attach a Float Stone Pokémon Tool card to Zoroark, it can retreat for free, allowing Genesect-EX to return to the Active slot and fire again right away. The ease of movement provided by Zoroark and Float Stone is a technique that can be applied to a variety of deck strategies, and it’s crucial for a deck like this one, where you’re working with Pokémon that have a high Retreat Cost. And when your opponent has a lot of Benched Pokémon (perhaps to take advantage of Mega Rayquaza-EX, Zoroark can even use its Mind Jack attack to dish out some solid damage.

Speaking of Bronzong, the Bronze Bell Pokémon returns in XY—Fates Collide with a couple of cards worth noting. Bronzong BREAK has the intriguing Metal Rain attack, which can rain down damage on several different Pokémon—or a bunch of damage on the same Pokémon—if it has enough attached Metal Energy to discard. This is especially useful for targeting Pokémon with low HP, or to finish off a Pokémon that has already been damaged. Bronzong BREAK can evolve from the Metal Links Bronzong we’ve been talking about, making it an easy addition to your deck. A new Bronzong has the Metal Fortress Ability, which is useful against a wide variety of Pokémon. It not only keeps your opponent’s attacks from doing damage to your Benched Pokémon, but also stops any other effects of those attacks—placing damage counters directly, moving Energy around, etc. While the Genesect-EX and Metal Links Bronzong duo makes up a solid core, adding a copy of the Metal Fortress Bronzong can certainly come in handy for any deck that uses that combo.

Genesect-EX has far more going for it than a powerful attack—its Drive Change Ability also has tons of tactical potential. Usually, when you attach a Pokémon Tool card to a Pokémon, you’re stuck with that decision. But with this handy Ability, you can put a Pokémon Tool card you’ve attached to Genesect-EX back into your hand. This lets you attach that Tool to a different Pokémon, or attach a different Tool to Genesect-EX, so you can adapt to different situations. Most of the time, you’ll want Genesect-EX to have a

Fighting Fury Belt to give it a nice balance of extra HP and a slight damage boost. If you need a bigger damage boost, Muscle Band is the way to go. Or, if you need to retreat this big Pokémon, give it a Float Stone. Another solid option for Genesect-EX is to have a Weakness Policy handy if you’re worried about the threat of Fire-type Pokémon. There are plenty of different Pokémon Tool cards to try out—look for ones that best suit the kind of competition you expect to face.

As great as Genesect-EX is, it never hurts to have some backup Pokémon to help out in certain situations. Our example deck includes Lugia, a bulky non-EX Basic Pokémon that can use the Intensifying Burn attack to do 120 damage to an opponent’s Pokémon-EX. It’s especially effective at taking down the super-popular Shaymin-EX for two easy Prize cards. Aegislash-EX is a popular choice in Metal decks for its Mighty Shield Ability, but be careful if your opponent is using Hex Maniac, which can shut down that Ability. Scizor-EX is a possible partner as well, as its Gale Thrust attack can do a solid amount of damage at a low Energy cost. Always be on the lookout for great sidekicks to complement your main Pokémon, especially if their attacks require the same type of Energy as your main attacker.

Genesect-EX, Bronzong, and Bronzong BREAK are just some of the many great new cards in the XY—Fates Collide expansion. We’ve broken down Genesect-EX and a tricky Mega Alakazam-EX deck, but there are dozens of other great cards to try out. Plus, new strategies are being discovered all the time, and all it takes is one person to find the next great deck! Be sure to check back at Pokemon.com/Strategy for the latest updates on Pokémon TCG strategies, tournament results, and more.