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[Uriah]

Hitmonchan ex in TCG Pocket's Mega Rising meta hits fast with Quick Straight for 50 off one Fighting, ignores Weakness, and pairs with Lucario or Rampardos to keep prize pressure nonstop.

Hitmonchan ex-B1 has been all over the Mega Rising ladder, and you'll feel why after a couple games. It's fast, it's blunt, and it doesn't ask for much. If you're the kind of player who likes to queue up, play a few quick matches, and keep the wins rolling, this card fits. I've even seen people pair their grind with services like U4GM when they want to sort out game items or currency and get straight back to testing lists without the extra hassle. The real hook is Quick Straight: one Fighting Energy for 50 damage, and it doesn't care about Weakness math, which keeps your early turns clean and predictable.

How the early turns actually play out

You usually want to go second so you can swing right away. That first hit matters more than folks expect. A lot of popular Basics sit in that "gets KO'd or nearly KO'd" range, and once you start taking prizes early, the other player's whole plan gets shaky. Hitmonchan's 140 HP helps it stay on board, and the one-cost retreat is the quiet MVP. You can pivot without burning your whole turn, which means you're not trapped when the matchup gets awkward or when you need to reset the Active spot to keep pressure up.

Lucario, Giovanni, and why the math feels unfair

Lucario is what turns the deck from "annoying" into "why is this hitting so hard." Aura Boost adds 20 to your Fighting attackers, so Quick Straight jumps from 50 to 70 with basically no extra effort. Then Giovanni shows up and suddenly you're pushing 90 for a single Energy. That number is brutal in practice. It breaks set-ups, it punishes slow hands, and it forces evolution decks to react instead of build. People will try to hide behind a sturdier Active while they prep the bench, but you're already dictating the pace.

List choices and the matches that bite back

Most tournament-ready builds keep it simple: two Hitmonchan ex, a solid Riolu/Lucario line, and enough draw to find what you need on time. Marshadow is handy for sneaky bench pressure, and a tech like Oricorio can buy you a turn when another ex attacker is looming. Trainers tend to be heavy on Professor's Research and Giovanni, with Cyrus as the annoying closer: pull up something damaged, or drag a clunky retreat Pokémon active and watch them waste turns. The scary side is Psychic, especially Mew ex. If that's everywhere, some players switch into a Rampardos angle for raw power, but it's slower and you'll feel it when you miss the pieces.

Keeping the deck honest on ladder

The best advice is to play it like it wants to be played: quick hands, quick attacks, no cute lines. You're not trying to be clever; you're trying to be first. If you hesitate and start "saving" resources, you give your opponent the one thing they need—time. Keep your bench flexible, retreat when it preserves tempo, and don't be afraid to take the simple KO if it keeps them off balance. When you're tuning for long sessions, it also helps to have your account situation sorted so you can focus on reps, whether that's tweaking your list or checking out Pokemon TCG Pocket Accounts for a smoother setup in the background.