Rayquaza ex drop event in Pokémon TCG Pocket: best counter, promo cards, and more

Rayquaza fans are definitely rejoicing right now, as apart from the hype of the latest set, Celestial Guardians, players can also get a newly released Rayquaza ex from a Pokémon TCG Pocket drop event that started on the last day of April 2025.

Like the previous drop events, you’ll need to complete a series of Solo battles first before you can have a chance of pulling a Rayquaza ex. Not only that, but you’ll also have a chance to obtain a bunch of pack hourglasses if you can complete some missions on the list of the ongoing Special Missions 2025.

Whether you’re new to the game or if you don’t have any idea of what type of deck the event will pit you against, here are all the details that you need to know so you can grab all the exclusive rewards in no time.

For this drop event, you’ll face a set of water-based Rayquaza decks of varying difficulties. 

The first two decks, Beginner and Intermediate, both feature Rayquaza (non-ex) as their main Pokémon, while the Advanced and Expert decks boast a stronger variant, Rayquaza ex.

Check the table below for all the information about all the Rayquaza ex drop event decks for Solo battles.

Every deck that you beat for the first time during the Rayquaza ex drop event, regardless of difficulty, will reward you with 15 Hourglasses, one Promo Pack, and one Shop ticket. 

The next time you win against any of the decks in the event, you’ll only get one Promo Pack, 25 Shinedust, and one Shop ticket as chance rewards.

Fortunately, this drop event isn’t that hard to complete, as all Rayquaza decks that you need to fight against are all weak to one type: Lightning.

So far, the best counter that can overwhelm even the Expert Rayquaza ex deck is the Pikachu ex deck. 

The Beginner and Intermediate decks will stand no chance against the aggressive strategy of Pikachu ex, as this Lightning deck only requires a couple of Energy cards plus a full Bench to demolish the opposing team.

Even if you can’t draw an early Pikachu ex, you’ll likely end up with a Zapdos ex, which is just as big a threat as Pikachu ex. The high damage output of these Lightning-type Pokémon can score you three Knockouts before the AI even gets its Rayquaza ex in place.

Just watch out for Manaphy and Greninja, as these cards can help Rayquaza ex deal extra damage and get all the Energies it needs to use its high-damage Draco Meteor. Try to prioritize attacking them in the first few turns.

Alternatively, other Lightning decks can work as well, like Pachirisu ex.

Each Promo pack for the event may contain any of the following Promo cards, with Rayquaza ex as the rarest pull.

The Rayquaza ex Drop Event will run until May 12 at 10:59 p.m. PDT.

Stay tuned to esports.gg for more tips, updates, and deck builds for Pokémon TCG Pocket.