If you haven’t built your dream deck just yet, check out our tier list of Pokemon TCG Pocket’s Rental Decks for the best chance at picking up the win.
If you’re looking to take your trading card game hobbies on the go, you won’t find a better option than Pokemon TCG Pocket. It’s not just us saying that either. More than 30 million people have downloaded the app and they’re hooked enough to have spent over $120 million on it.
It has all the hallmarks of the real-world Pokemon TCG including collecting rare cards, strategic battling, and building powerful meta decks. Of course, to build those decks you’ll need to collect a bunch of strong cards and if you haven’t managed to find all the pieces, there is another option.
Rental Decks are a great way to set out certain cards and their archetypes before you’ve amassed a bigger collection. This Pokemon TCG Pocket Rental Deck tier list will break down which ones are worth your time and which are best left on the shelf.
How to unlock Rental Decks in Pokemon TCG Pocket
Before we get stuck into ranking Pokemon TCG Pocket’s Rental Decks, you’ll want to know how to access them. Getting ahold of one still relies on the luck-based nature of the apps core gameplay loop.
Rental Decks are unlocked when you obtain the Highlight Card from that particular deck from a booster pack. For example, collecting the Charizard ex card will give you access to the Charizard ex Rental Deck.
Rental Decks are built around powerful cards and they will let you play a fully tuned deck that features cards you haven’t even collected yet. This means that even if you don’t have a big collection, you can still take part in Pokemon TCG Pocket’s battling,
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To claim a rental deck, head into the game’s mission tab and navigate to the ‘Deck’ missions. If you’ve collected the Highlight Card for a Rental Deck, you’ll be directed to claim it from that menu.
From here, you’ll have the option to select a Rental Deck before a battle. Keep in mind, you can only use each one a maximum of 10 times so pick them sparingly and make sure to follow recommendations for type advantages.
Tiers and rankings explained
Each of Pokemon TCG Pocket’s Rental Decks are worthwhile options for players who are just starting out, or who aren’t particularly well-versed at building their own decks. Most will take you through the game’s single-player encounters against the AI fairly easily. At least in the lower ranks.
Some are definitely better than others, however. This mostly comes down to having cards that are stronger than others or even better Trainer and Support options. Below is a quick rundown of the tiers we’ve broken the Pokemon TCG Pocket Rental decks into and what they mean.
- S-tier: The best Rental Decks in the game that make great foundations for building your own deck.
- A-tier: Solid Rental Decks that feature some good cards to target for collection.
- B-tier: Rental Decks that might be built around a good card but fall short in other areas.
- C-tier: Average Rental Decks that might have some fun mechanics but can be hard to pick up a win with.
So, now that we know how the rankings work, let’s judge some Rental Decks in Pokemon TCG Pocket.
S-tier Pokemon TCG Pocket Rental Decks
| Tier | Rental Deck | Explaination |
| S | Mewtwo ex Rental Deck | The Mewtwo ex Rental Deck is built around the powerhouse legendary for which it’s named. Being a Basic Pokemon, getting Mewtwo ex out is incredibly fast and it can deal insane damage when you get it loaded up with Energy.Quality backups in Slowbro and Gengar make things less stressful if you don’t pull Mewtwo straight away and the deck features some decent Trainer cards. |
| S | Pikachu ex Rental Deck | The Fastest Rental Deck in the game. Pikachu ex is great fo similar reasons to Mewtwo ex with the added bonus that he requires less Energy to get up and running.Every Pokemon in this deck is an Electric-type meaning its very easy to get the most out of Circle Circuit. |
A-tier Pokemon TCG Pocket Rental Decks
| Tier | Rental Deck | Explaination |
| A | Charizard ex Rental Deck | The Charizard ex Rental Deck can be fast-paced if you use Rapidash and Salazzle’s decent damage dealing while you stack your Charizard ex with energy for a massive finish.It falls out of S-tier because Stage 2 evolutions require more setup than Pikachu or Mewtwo ex. |
| A | Venusaur ex Rental Deck | Venusaur can be a nightmare for opponents to deal with thanks to a strong attack that also heals him.The Energy requirement for that attack is a little high but thanks to Erika, you can heal Venusaur ex while he charges up. Gogoat is also a solid damage dealer for backup. |
| A | Blastoise ex Rental Deck | The Blastoise ex is a great teaching tool for how powerful a Water-type deck can be. The key is using the Misty trainer card to overload it with Energy to deal a whopping 160 damage.Unfortunately, only one Misty in the deck makes pulling her a little inconsistent. As a consolation, Articuno is a menace thanks to its ability to Paralyze opponents. |
| A | Blaine Rental Deck | Another fast-paced Fire-type deck. The Blaine Rental Deck might not be as powerful as the Charizard ex deck but it’s way more consistent.With two copies of each of its major hitters in Magmar, Rapidash, and Ninetails, all of their damage can be boosted with Blaine’s Supporter ability. |
Once you’ve got your head around battling with the Pokemon TCG Pocket Rental Decks in this tier list, you can start trying out your own build. Check out our Primeape and Dragonite deck guides for inspiration.