Shurikens at the Ready: The Mega Greninja ex League Battle Deck Arrives November 13

Players are having a very good autumn. The Deck Crafter's Collection arrived on October 23, the 30th Celebration Battle Decks follow on October 30, and the run finishes with the most serious deck of the three. On November 13, the Mega Greninja ex League Battle Deck lands, built around one of the most popular Pokemon of the last decade, and it is ready for league night the moment the box is opened.

A shuriken before the attack

Mega Greninja ex is a Stage 2 Pokemon with 350 HP, and its Ability is the whole plan. Mortal Shuriken works while Greninja is in the Active Spot: discard a Basic Water Energy from your hand, and place 6 damage counters on any one of your opponent's Pokemon. Used before the attack, it lets the deck soften a Bench sitter, finish a Pokemon that thought it had escaped, or set up a Knock Out that the attack alone could not reach.

The attack keeps the loop going. Ninja Spinner does 120 damage for two Water Energy, and you may return one of those Energy to your hand to make it 200 instead. That returned Energy is exactly what Mortal Shuriken wants to discard next turn, so the deck feeds itself as it plays. The list runs four Froakie, two Frogadier and three Rare Candy, which means Greninja can arrive as early as your second turn. The catch is honest: when a Mega Evolution Pokemon ex is Knocked Out, your opponent takes 3 Prize cards, so this deck wins by striking first and striking hard.

Starmie brings the second wave

Two copies of Mega Starmie ex give the deck a second attacker with a very different rhythm. Mega Starmie ex has 330 HP, and Jetting Blow does 120 damage for a single Water Energy while also doing 50 damage to one of your opponent's Benched Pokemon. Nebula Beam does 210 damage and ignores Weakness, Resistance and every effect on the Defending Pokemon, which is a clean answer to walls that would normally stall a Water deck. Around the two Megas, Meowth ex finds a Supporter when it reaches the Bench, two Mantine fill the Bench early, and the Stadium Surfing Beach swaps your Active Water Pokemon once a turn so Greninja can step back in and throw another shuriken.

What is in the box

The box holds the full 60 card deck, six damage counter dice, one coin flip die, two condition markers, a deck box, a strategy sheet and a code card for Pokemon TCG Live. Every card in the list is Standard legal, so this deck has the longest runway before rotation of any League Battle Deck so far. The price is 29.99 USD ($42.74 CAD), and preorders are open now. League Battle Decks have a habit of selling through in their first weeks, so planning ahead is wise if this one is on your list.

Who should pick it up

This is a deck for players who already know the rules and want to sit down at a league event with a real chance to win games. The choices each turn are genuine ones: where the shuriken counters go, when Starmie takes over, and how to protect two Megas that each give up 3 Prize cards. If you are newer to the game, the 30th Celebration Battle Decks on October 30 are the friendlier starting point. For everyone else, November 13 cannot come soon enough.