Miraidon ex decks are won in the first two minutes. Tandem Unit benches two Basic Lightning Pokémon the moment Miraidon ex lands, and sudden...
Miraidon ex decks are won in the first two minutes. Tandem Unit benches two Basic Lightning Pokémon the moment Miraidon ex lands, and suddenly a deck that should need three turns of setup is attacking at full strength on turn one.
The Core Cards
- Miraidon ex — Basic Lightning, 220 HP, from Scarlet & Violet. Ability: Tandem Unit; Attacks: Photon Blaster.
- Iron Hands ex — Basic Lightning, 230 HP, from Paradox Rift. Attacks: Arm Press, Amp You Very Much.
The Game Plan
The classic build pairs Miraidon's flood with Iron Hands ex, whose Amp You Very Much steals an extra Prize on a Knock Out — first the deck outruns you, then it out-scores you. Miraidon ex itself is no slouch: Photon Blaster for 220 handles targets the support cast cannot. The deck's weakness is its glass jaw; everything is a Basic, everything trades, and the plan is to win the race before that matters.
Related reading: Pikachu ex Deck Guide: A Fast Lightning Lineup from Surging Sparks — keep it open for when you finish this one.
The Prize Map
Every deck should know its own scoreboard. Your flagship, Miraidon ex, gives up 2 Prizes when it falls, so the route to six usually runs through it exactly twice, with single-Prize support taking the early trades. The core above is drawn from Paradox Rift, Scarlet & Violet, which is also your shopping list in order: flagship first, evolution line second, support last.
Testing Checklist
- Goldfish test: is Miraidon ex in play and powered by turn three in at least 8 of 10 solo runs?
- First-Prize test: which Pokémon takes the first Prize while Miraidon ex is still developing?
- Recovery test: after Miraidon ex is Knocked Out, who takes the next two Prizes — and is that plan in the deck, or in your hopes?
Budget Roles and Alternatives
Budget Lightning keeps Tandem Unit and downgrades the finishers — Scarlet & Violet and Paradox Rift are full of Basic Lightning attackers that can hold the speed roles. Iron Hands ex is the luxury piece; the engine that makes the deck famous costs far less than the closer.
Build the engine first, goldfish the first three turns until they are boring, and only then start swapping in tech. Every deck in this series rewards that order of operations.
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