They say Arceus was born before the universe existed—so you could say that this deck strategy for Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket’s Triumphant Light expansion is billions of years in the making. Arceus ex is a Basic Pokémon ex with an attack that only requires Energy, making it easy to pair with any other type of Pokémon. There are a ton of different strategies here, but we’ve narrowed it down to a simple, chill combination of cards that aims to take control of the battlefield with unique Abilities, natural bulk, and healing—Arceus ex, Glaceon ex, and Abomasnow.

Arceus ex’s Ultimate Force attack requires a full Bench to deal its maximum 130 damage, so this deck list features five Basic Pokémon, two Poké Balls, and two Pokémon Communication cards to make it easier to maximize damage output. Every Pokémon in the deck is a solid starter, with Arceus ex being a beefy Basic Pokémon with 140 HP, Snover evolving into Abomasnow, and Eevee evolving into Glaceon ex. Every Pokémon in the deck can contribute meaningful damage with Arceus ex delivering the harshest punishment.

Ultimately, this deck works to build a defensive wall of HP using each Pokémon’s natural bulk. Arceus ex’s 140 HP is particularly notable, but Abomasnow’s 120 HP as a one-point Stage 1 Pokémon is also quite strong, and with a Giant Cape attached, it matches Arceus ex’s HP! Abomasnow’s Vigor Link Ability—which is activated when Arceus or Arceus ex is in play—also makes its Mega Punch attack an effective option in the early game for just . In terms of both HP and attack damage relative to Energy attachments, Abomasnow is compares favorably to both Golduck and Starmie ex from the Genetic Apex expansion, albeit not without its own drawback—a heavy Retreat Cost.

Glaceon ex also sports 140 HP, plus the unique Snowy Terrain Ability, which does 10 damage to your opponent’s Active Pokémon during Pokémon Checkup. With many decks featuring “wall Pokémon” in the Active Spot, Glaceon ex can rack up damage without taking any from Rocky Helmet or Druddigon’s Rough Skin Ability. This makes the Fresh Snow Pokémon a great response to decks with both low HP Basic Pokémon and stall-heavy strategies.

This deck doesn’t have Energy acceleration, but Giant Cape, Irida, and Potion can buy more time for your attackers to get set up and start accumulating Knock Outs. In an ideal game, you’ll probably lead with either Abomasnow or Glaceon ex as your Active Pokémon before swinging for big damage with Arceus ex’s Ultimate Force attack. Sabrina is currently the only option for gusting (effects that move your opponent’s Pokémon out of the Active Spot) in the deck, but the Potion card can potentially be swapped out for another copy of Sabrina or Cyrus. Leaf is another Supporter that you can include to get Abomasnow out of the Active Spot when things get hairy.

Stay chill, Trainers!