u/TrickyStepsRs

Today I used Mega Sceptile ex and gained roughly 300 points, pushing up to Top 75. I opted for the slower version of the deck that utilizes Quick Grow Extract instead of the turbo Rare Candy variant.

The biggest advantage of this build is the unmatched late game it provides. Mega Sceptile ex has incredible flexibility, being able to either deal 130 damage upfront effectively becoming 140 after poison ticks or switch gears and snipe the bench for 50 through Celebi's ability, which allows Pokémon to use attacks from previous evolutions. This gives the deck multiple angles of attack and makes prize mapping against it very awkward. On top of that, your opponent often has to go through a regular Sceptile before even reaching Mega Sceptile, adding another layer of pressure and making the deck even more difficult to navigate against.

While the non-ex Sceptile's attack may initially seem underwhelming, with Leaf Blade dealing 70 damage plus an additional 50 on a coin flip for two energies, it lines up surprisingly well into the current meta. Most notably, it cleanly one-shots Oricorio. It is also much bulkier than people give it credit for, sitting at 140 HP and reaching up to 170 HP with Leaf Cape. Combined with Celebi's ability allowing it to also snipe for 50 damage, it becomes a far more threatening secondary attacker than many expect.

The biggest drawback of the deck is definitely its speed. It naturally operates much slower than many of the aggressive decks currently seeing play, which is why leading with a disruptive Pokémon becomes so important. Goomy and Chingling are the two main options here, and both have their own strengths.

Goomy is the more universally consistent choice regardless of whether you go first or second and performs much better into Sleepscam matchups. However, it can become awkward to move out of the active position, which often pushes you toward playing X Speed. That in itself comes with a cost, since deck space is extremely tight.

Speaking of deck space, this version realistically only has two tech slots available, and there are really only three cards competing for those spaces: Leaf Cape, Lillie, and Field Blower.

I personally opted for Leaf Cape and Lillie to maximize survivability and further strengthen the deck's late game. Field Blower can absolutely be a game-winning inclusion though, especially with the increase in Protective Poncho usage among Top 100 players.

Overall, I genuinely believe this is currently one of the strongest decks in the game if piloted correctly. It has incredible inevitability, strong late-game pressure, and rewards good sequencing and matchup knowledge more than most decks in the format.

Mega Manectric's updated B3 version carried me to exactly Top 100, pushing past 2000 points. While the deck received some adjustments, the overall core remains the same: fast-paced gameplay built around early pressure from Zeraora and using Mega Manectric as an incredible closer.

That said, one of the biggest changes is that Oricorio has moved beyond being a simple tech choice and has become a core Pokémon in the deck itself. This shift makes the Mega Lucario matchup significantly more playable while also keeping several Altaria variants under control. Being able to solo Charizard is also a nice bonus, although you still need to respect and play around double Sabrina lines.

I also decided against running any energy generation or manipulation packages in favor of additional tech cards that directly swing matchups in your favor. Lucky Ice Pop and PCL have been incredible alongside Oricorio, while also dramatically improving the Sleepscam matchup. Protective Poncho has overperformed as well. Not only does it force Suibax players to have Field Blower in what is already a difficult matchup for them, but it also makes Pure Mega Lucario with Hitmontop much more manageable.

Double Rocky Helmet feels mandatory due to the nature of the deck. Mega Manectric wants knockouts as quickly as possible and often follows a 1–1–3 prize map, making the extra chip damage extremely valuable.

I couldn't find room for Training Arena Stadium. I tested it over Lucky Ice Pop, but the opportunity cost felt too high. Every other card simply provides more immediate impact or matchup value.

A small side note: I am currently using the Elektrike that deals 10 damage plus an additional 30 on a coin flip. However, I actually think the promo Elektrike with 30 damage and 10 self-damage is the best version for the deck. The ability to cleanly KO baby Pokémon and Swablu can matter a lot in certain games and gives the deck extra tempo in early turns. Unfortunately, I took a break while that promo was available, so I wasn't able to pick it up.

Overall, despite the current Fighting-heavy meta, Mega Manectric remains an incredibly strong deck. It still outpaces a large portion of the field and has favorable matchups into Sleepscam, Altninja, Chingling variants, both Sceptile versions, and most Greninja-based lists due to its speed and access to powerful tech cards.

And I really can't stress this enough: Protective Poncho does an absurd amount of work for this deck.

Since I’ve seen a lot of slander around the new Zoroark Ex deck, I wanted to make a small write-up after using it for the first few days of ranked with pretty great success. Right now I’m sitting at around a 61% WR and hovering in the top 300. Keep in mind that a good portion of my losses came while experimenting with lists during the UB1 to MB climb.

The deck revolves around Zoroark Ex acting as an extremely fast attacker that can hit for up to 90 damage off a single energy, while also utilizing the Dark type toolbox incredibly well. You get extra reach from Darkrai, and M-Absol Ex functions as a strong backup attacker and late-game cleaner.

Let’s get the ugly part out of the way first.

The deck struggles heavily into M-Sceptile Ex, which is obviously one of the most popular decks right now, and you also really want a decent opening hand to start applying pressure immediately. Another weakness is that the deck’s late game is noticeably weaker than a lot of the top meta decks. If games drag on too long, you’ll usually be unfavored against decks like M-Blaziken, Hydreigon, M-Sceptile, and even decks with weaker late games such as M-Altaria or M-Lucario, which still outscale Zoroark over time.

That said, Zoroark Ex has a LOT going for it.

First of all, its ability to dunk early is honestly unmatched. It far surpasses Jolteon’s dunk potential, which was previously the gold standard for that playstyle. On top of that, the deck has an extremely strong midgame thanks to its flexibility and consistency. You have easy reach to 110 damage, access to a fast backup attacker in M-Absol with 1–2 tools attached, and a variety of tech cards that let you take control of games once the pace stabilizes.

The “toolbox” nature of the deck is probably its biggest strength overall. In a meta where a lot of lists feel rigid and solved, Zoroark Ex actually has room for meaningful tech slots, which makes it very adaptable on a day-to-day ladder basis. You can shift the deck depending on what you’re seeing without changing the core engine.

Some relevant tech options I’ve liked are:

- PCL

- Field Blower

- Barb + Nihilego package

- Hiking Trails

- 2x Sabrina

- 2x Cyrus

- 2x Ice Pop

- Training Area

- 2x Bombirdier

In my opinion, the most important techs right now are PCL and the second Bombirdier. They massively improve the Sleep Scam matchup and make around 90% of your opening hands feel playable.

The adaptability from these tech cards is also what gives the deck ways to steal games even in weaker late-game scenarios. You can often win through unexpected lines or niche interactions your opponent didn’t account for.

That being said, navigating the late game is definitely the hardest part of piloting the deck. You need to know when to attack with Absol to discard a key wincon, when and where to ping with Darkrai, and how to sequence your tech supporters for maximum value.

Ironically, the early game is actually one of the most linear parts of the deck, but once all the pieces come together, it becomes a very decision-heavy and skill-expressive archetype.

I’m not here to say this is the best deck in the format or that everyone should instantly pick it up. I just wanted to show that the deck is genuinely solid, and the people calling it “completely awful” are probably judging it off a very limited sample size.