TCG Pocket TRADEMega Dragonite ex Jimbolt: Setup, Energy Management and Trade-offs
Pokémon TCG Pocket · Creator guide
Deck and gameplay by Jimbo Pocket. Written adaptation by TCG Pocket Trades, prepared with permission.
Mega Dragonite ex can attack in Jimbolt. Getting there is the difficult part.
Jimbo’s version keeps the Dragonair engine and Ancient attackers, then makes room for Mega Dragonite ex, Wally and a second Serena’s Choice. The aim is to get the Mega ready to swing before the game slips away. Jimbo is clear about the trade-off: he considers this version weaker than his previous list. It is a build for players who want to try Mega Dragonite, rather than a recommendation to replace their usual ranked deck.
The 20-card list
Cards you need
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Dratini
C1-098 · Required 2Dragonair
B4-117 · Required 2Mega Dragonite ex
C1-100 · Required 1Gouging Fire
B3a-054 · Required 2Raging Bolt
B3a-055 · Required 1Poké Ball
P-A-005 · Required 2Professor’s Research
P-A-007 · Required 2Copycat
B1-225 · Required 1Professor Sada
B3a-072 · Required 2Wally
B4-153 · Required 1Serena’s Choice
C1-127 · Required 2Rainbow Cave
B4-155 · Required 2View text deck list
| Card | Copies |
|---|---|
| Dratini — 70 HP, Hook | 2 |
| Dragonair — Dragon’s Blessing | 2 |
| Mega Dragonite ex — Draconic Meteor | 1 |
| Gouging Fire | 2 |
| Raging Bolt | 1 |
| Poké Ball | 2 |
| Professor’s Research | 2 |
| Copycat | 1 |
| Professor Sada | 2 |
| Wally | 1 |
| Serena’s Choice | 2 |
| Rainbow Cave | 2 |
Energy Zone: Water, Lightning and Fire.
Scan to build the deck
In Pokémon TCG Pocket, choose Build New → Scan Code and scan this code from another screen. It carries the same deck data as the code displayed in Jimbo’s original video, redrawn for readability. Importing the list does not grant any missing cards.
The Dragonair matters: use the version with Dragon’s Blessing, not the Dragonair with Beam from Dual Fusion. The Dratini shown in the video is the 70 HP version with Hook. Alternate artwork is fine when it represents the same card.
What changed to make room for the Mega?
Jimbo says he removed Cyrus and Pokémon Center Lady to fit Wally and an additional Serena’s Choice. Those slots now help the deck get its pieces together, rather than pull a damaged target forward or help an attacker survive.
He also explains why Walking Wake feels less useful here. Its chip damage had helped ordinary Dragonite ex reach knockouts and created targets for Cyrus. With Cyrus removed and a different Dragonite at the top of the evolution line, that damage serves less of a purpose. Gouging Fire offers immediate damage instead, and Jimbo notes that it can win games by attacking repeatedly on its own.
There is no extra protection package for Mega Dragonite in this list. The plan is to get it attacking and let that attack finish the job.
Build the Dragonair engine first
Getting both Dragonair online quickly is Jimbo’s main setup priority. Dragon’s Blessing works while Dragonair is on the Bench: each use attaches an Energy from your discard pile to your Active Dragon Pokémon.
That makes your discard pile part of your setup. Drawing the evolution line is only one requirement; you also need Energy available to recover and an Active attacker that can receive it. Raging Bolt and Gouging Fire give the deck attackers to work with while the Mega is still being prepared.
Keep track of what happens to the engine when you evolve. A Dragonair that becomes Mega Dragonite no longer provides Dragon’s Blessing. Before committing the evolution, check whether the other Dragonair is ready to keep supporting the Active Pokémon.
Serena’s Choice helps find a missing piece by looking at the top three cards of your deck, taking one and shuffling the others back. It does not search the entire deck. In the third game, Jimbo says that Wally and the second Dragonair are his last two cards while he is waiting for either one. The setup can still stall even when most of the pieces are in place.
Plan the Energy before attaching it
Draconic Meteor costs five Energy, including Water and Lightning. Fire can cover a Colorless requirement, but it cannot replace either required type.
The first game gives a useful example of how that distinction matters. Jimbo notices that he has put the Water Energy on the wrong Pokémon, then points out a Fire attachment he would have preferred to place elsewhere. He has to spend extra turns working around those decisions before finally attacking with the Mega.
Before using an attachment or Dragon’s Blessing, check three things:
- Which Pokémon needs to attack next?
- Where are the Water and Lightning needed for that attack?
- What Energy will still be available after a retreat or an attack that discards Energy?
Professor Sada supports the Ancient side of the deck. It is not a direct acceleration card for Mega Dragonite. Keep that distinction in mind when deciding where to build Energy and how to move from an Ancient attacker into the Mega.
Take the attack the board gives you
This is still a Jimbolt list, so Mega Dragonite is not the only attacker that matters. Gouging Fire provides the straightforward damage Jimbo wanted from that slot, while Raging Bolt gives the deck another knockout threat.
The video deliberately pursues Mega Dragonite attacks to test whether the card can function. That is a different objective from choosing the cleanest available route to a win. If Gouging Fire is already in a position to keep attacking, consider that line before spending more turns assembling the Mega.
When Mega Dragonite is ready, remember what Draconic Meteor actually does: 250 damage to one randomly chosen opposing Pokémon. You do not select the target. Check the opponent’s whole board before treating the attack as a winning play; a large damage number does not guarantee that it hits the Pokémon you need.
Three moments worth watching
- 0:37 — The deck changes. Jimbo explains the cuts, the extra setup support and why Walking Wake was replaced.
- 6:43 — Energy placement becomes a problem. Follow the Water and Fire attachments through the first game. The eventual Mega attack arrives around 9:31.
- 24:22 — Ready to attack, still relying on the target. The third game shows the difference between getting Draconic Meteor online and getting the outcome you want from it.
Should you build it?
Try this version if Mega Dragonite is the card you want to play and you enjoy managing an Energy-recycling engine. Expect a demanding setup and an attack whose target you cannot control.
Jimbo gets two Mega Dragonite attacks off over the roughly 29-minute video. He does not present those games as evidence that the list is stronger than his previous build, and the footage does not establish a ranked win rate or a reliable matchup spread. The useful takeaway is the route he takes to make the card attack—and the consistency he gives up to do it.
Watch Jimbo’s original video
Can MEGA DRAGONITE actually work? | Pokémon TCG Pocket
For the full games and Jimbo’s commentary, watch the original video and visit Jimbo Pocket’s YouTube channel.
Original video and commentary © Jimbo Pocket. Adapted with nonexclusive permission. English adaptation published with the creator’s approval.