Ultimate Guide to the Best Darkness Deck in Pokémon TCG Pocket: Space-Time Smackdown Strategy & Card List

The recently launched Space-Time Smackdown expansion for the Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket, dated January 30, 2025, has introduced a formidable Darkness-type deck that is shaking up competitive play. This expansion features an impressive variety of powerful new cards, each equipped with their own distinct abilities, attacks, and strategies. Among the exciting additions are the debut of Darkness-type ex cards: Darkrai ex and Weavile ex.

The expansion also brings two new packs for players to explore: the Dialga Pack and the Palkia Pack. Both packs are filled with formidable new cards, enabling players to assemble synergistic decks tailored for strategic success in battles. Notably, the new Darkness-type deck stands out for its rapid damage capabilities and adaptability, making it a compelling choice for serious players.

Darkness Deck Card List

Features Some Of The Strongest Attacking Pokémon From The New Expansion

Rocky Helmet item card from Pokémon TCG Pocket

The deck’s primary movers are Darkrai ex and Weavile ex. Darkrai ex features a potent attack known as “Dark Prism”, capable of delivering 80 damage for three energy cards (two Darkness and one Colorless).However, its true power lies in its ability, “Nightmare Aura, ” which inflicts an additional 20 damage to the opponent’s Active Pokémon each time a Darkness Energy card is attached to it. This ability consistently chips away at the opponent’s health while powering up its primary attack. Players can opt to keep Darkrai ex on the bench initially, enhancing the overall effectiveness of other cards in play.

Weavile ex complements Darkrai perfectly, offering a swift damage output with its “Scratching Nails” attack. It inflicts 30 damage, and if the opponent’s Active Pokémon is already damaged, this attack inflicts an additional 40 damage—a total of 70 damage possible as early as the second turn. With a cost of only one Darkness Energy, Weavile ex ranks among the fastest ex cards available, rivaling even Exeggutor ex.

Card Name	Quantity	Card Type	Attacks and Abilities
Sneasel	2	Basic	Double Scratch: 20x Damage + Flip 2 coins. This attack does 20 damage for each heads.
Weavile ex	2	Stage 1	Scratching Nails: 30+ Damage + If your opponent’s Active Pokémon has damage on it, this attack does 40 more damage.
Darkrai ex	2	Basic	Nightmare Aura: Whenever you attach a Darkness Energy from your Energy Zone to this Pokémon, do 20 damage to your opponent’s Active Pokémon.Dark Prism: 80 Damage
Spritomb	1	Basic	Swirling Disaster: This attack does 10 damage to each of your opponent’s Pokémon.
Murkrow	1	Basic	Peck: 20 Damage
Honchkrow	1	Stage 1	Skill Dive: This attack does 50 damage to 1 of your opponent’s Pokémon.
Dawn	2	Supporter	Move an Energy from 1 of your Benched Pokémon to your Active Pokémon.
Cyrus	1	Supporter	Switch in 1 of your opponent’s Benched Pokémon that has damage on it to the Active Spot.
X Speed	2	Item	During this turn, the Retreat Cost of your Active Pokémon is 1 less.
Poké Ball	2	Item	Put a random Basic Pokémon from your deck into your hand.
Professor’s Research	2	Supporter	Draw 2 cards.
Rocky Helmet	1	Tool	If the Pokémon this card is attached to is in the Active Spot and is damaged by an attack from your opponent’s Pokémon, do 20 damage to the Attacking Pokémon.
Giant Cape	1	Tool	The Pokémon this card is attached to gets +20 HP.

The additional cards within this deck serve the dual purpose of facilitating consistent damage while bolstering the effectiveness of Darkrai ex and Weavile ex. Honchkrow, a Stage 2 Pokémon, can inflict up to 50 damage with its “Skill Dive” attack, while Spiritomb deals 10 damage across the board to all of your opponent’s Pokémon with “Swirling Disaster”. These cards work in tandem to maintain persistent pressure on your opponent without heavy Energy costs, allowing players to cycle through their decks to find key ex cards.

A vital strategy is to avoid overloading your deck with rare cards. While high-value cards can provide significant advantages, they may also interfere with the overall consistency of your deck. It’s often more effective to blend reliable, lower-cost cards with the powerful ones to create a balanced deck.

Best Strategy To Win With A Darkness Deck

Use Consistent Damage And Helpful Trainer Cards To Defeat The Opponent

X Speed item card from Pokémon TCG Pocket

Giant Cape item card from Pokémon TCG Pocket

This deck thrives on an aggressive approach, favoring quick attacks to deal consistent damage. The best initial play usually involves placing Spiritomb in the active position.From there, utilize cards like Poké Ball and Professor’s Research to sift through your deck for desired ex cards. Given that Spiritomb’s attack only requires a single Colorless Energy, it enables you to quickly charge the cards sitting on your bench. Additionally, consider utilizing Murkrow and Honchkrow to temporarily delay your opponent’s offensive efforts.

Using Cyrus, you can strategically switch one of your opponent’s damaged Benched Pokémon into the Active Spot, disrupting their game plan significantly. Meanwhile, Dawn facilitates the transfer of Energy from a Benched Pokémon to your Active Pokémon, allowing for quicker setups and attacks.

Equipping Rocky Helmet to Spiritomb increases your chances of stalling efficiently for Darkrai ex. With every attack from the opponent, they suffer 20 damage, which works synergistically with the consistent damage from Darkrai’s ability. Once the battlefield is well-prepared, transitioning to either Darkrai ex or Weavile ex becomes seamless—especially because Spiritomb has a low retreat cost. With the positioning optimized, your potential for delivering impactful damage rises sharply, leading you toward victory in the ever-competitive Pokémon TCG Pocket.

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