Best Pom-Pom Oricorio deck in Pokémon TCG Pocket

Looking for a surefire way to increase your rank in Versus mode? Try this annoying Oricorio deck in Pokémon TCG Pocket!

With Giratina ex, Darkrai ex, and Celebi ex dominating the current meta in PVP, it’s quite good to see a unique card that simply counters everything about Pokémon ex. The release of Celestial Guardians introduced the Pom-Pom Style Oricorio, an unexpected S-tier card that performs well against almost any deck, thanks to its ability, Safeguard.

Safeguard basically makes Oricorio invincible against any damage from opposing Pokémon ex. Since Pokemon ex are widely used as main attackers and tanks in most matches, Oricorio is taking ranked games by storm.

Many players claim they've already racked up plenty of wins just by using this card. So, for this guide, we’ll share the best Oricorio deck in Pokémon TCG Pocket, as well as how to get victories by using our build. We also discuss what it's weak against, so keep an eye out for those decks.

Take note that there are various types of Oricorio cards in Pokémon TCG Pocket. The one we’re featuring in this build is the Pom-Pom style Oricorio, a Lightning-type card.

The Oricorio deck build above focuses on using Oricorio’s Safeguard ability to stall any of the opposing Pokémon ex while you develop your main attacking pieces, Tapu Koko and Pikachu ex.

The best card to maximize Oricorio’s ability is none other than Shaymin, which allows all of your Pokémon, including Oricorio, to retreat to the Bench once every turn.

In the early phases of the game, your goal is to set up Shaymin and Oricorio on your bench. You’ll have two options for attacking your opponent with Pikachu ex and Tapu Koko, so don’t hesitate to use any of them as your first Active Pokémon.

As long as your Shaymin is safe, you’ll have plenty of approaches to win the game, depending on how your opponent behaves. If your opponent plays a non-Pokémon ex, Pikachu ex and Tapu Koko should be fast enough to go toe-to-toe with them. But if you’re against a Pokémon ex, switch immediately to Oricorio to turn your opponent’s Pokémon into a sitting duck.

Try to attack as often as possible, and if your opponent tries to retreat their wounded Active Pokémon ex, switch to Pikachu ex or Tapu Koko to keep the pressure up.

Chipping away at the opposing Pokémon’s HP should eventually win you the game, especially if their deck is highly reliant on Pokémon ex.

This trinity of utility cards helps you find as many Pokémon cards as possible, so you increase the chances of getting a Shaymin/Oricorio or maximize the damage of Pikachu ex’s Circle Circuit.

Red amplifies the damage dealt by your Pokémon to the opposing Pokémon ex, while Cyrus can score you a KO by returning your opponent’s benched low-HP Pokémon to the Active Spot.

These two cards both provide an extra layer of survivability on any of your Pokémon, especially Shaymin, who is susceptible to snipers or splash dealers like Greninja or Wugtrio ex.

Put a Poison Barb on your Oricorio or Shaymin so you can at least have a way to pay back your opponent in case they decide to take them down.

The Oricorio deck is viable to use against almost any Pokémon ex deck in the game, such as Giratina ex and Darkrai ex. If your opponent only has a Pokémon ex to play, Oricorio alone can take it down. 

Your winning conditions are also simple, since all you need is to find as many Pokémon cards in your deck as possible.

Think twice before using this deck against fellow Oricorio users. Apart from their obvious awareness of your deck’s strategy, the game can go either way, and your Pikachu ex will be rendered useless.

Another ideal counter for Oricorio is non-ex Pokémon. Your opponent can use a bunch of powerful Pokémon cards that aren’t ex, like Skarmory, Togekiss, Lucario, and Marshadow.

Lastly, Oricorio and Shaymin’s low HP makes them easy targets for snipers, and knocking them out can disrupt your momentum.

Stay tuned to esports.gg for more Pokémon TCG Pocket deck builds and strategy guides.