Mammoth Hauler: Discovering Mamoswine ex for Pokémon

A Fuzzy New Deck

What’s up Ultimate Guard readers? I’ve been testing a bunch of different Journey Together decks, and have stumbled across arguably the most fun one - Mamoswine ex [Journey Together]! It might not seem like a lot at first: a deck focused on getting as many Stage 2 Pokémon into play that you can, but it somehow works with all of the included cards in this deck. In this article, I’ll be sharing the strategy, card breakdown, and decklist! It might not be the most competitive deck of all time, but every time I play this deck I have a huge smile across my face - let’s jump into it!

Mammoths, Pigeons, and Chickens

This is a combo based deck that relies on three powerful Pokémon ex - Mamoswine ex, Pidgeot ex [Obsidian Flames], and Blaziken ex [Journey Together]. I’ll break down the strategy of these three Pokémon here!

Mamoswine ex

Mamoswine ex is our main attacker, but it is also the Pokémon that sets up a wild combo of searching for Pokémon, searching for anything, and accelerating Energy - the rest comes together perfectly. Ideally we want to start with Arven [Scarlet and Violet] to search out Buddy Buddy Poffin [Temporal Forces], and Technical Machine: Evolution [Paradox Rift] to get out some Pokémon, and Evolve them too.Typically you’ll want another Swinub as backup, and either a Pidgey [Obsidian Flames] or Torchic [Journey Together] depending on your opening hand. Once we’re able to get a Mamoswine ex rolling, we want to search for Pidgeot ex (if possible) to get that rolling.

Pidgeot ex

With Mamoswine ex searching out Pidgeot ex with its Ability, Pidgeot ex can then use Quick Search to grab any remaining pieces. A lot of the time, you’ll wanna grab an Arven to nab a Rare Candy [Scarlet and Violet] to Evolve a Torchic into a Blaziken ex. You can reasonably grab whatever you want because Quick Search grabs anything - be mindful of what you need for your board, and find the ultimate piece to complete your combo!
 

Blaziken ex

If Mamoswine ex can search out Pidgeot ex, and Pidgeot ex can search out the pieces to get out Blaziken ex - what does Blaziken ex do for this deck? Well, its Seething Spirit Ability allows us to accelerate Energy into play to keep your Mamoswine ex moving. If you need to retreat, we can easily load up Energy with the help of a couple Blaziken ex, and keep your mammoths moving!

When you put it all together, all of these Pokémon work harmoniously together to search out the other pieces, and to keep your Energy fully loaded. It might be a slower start compared to some of the “big” basic Pokémon ex decks that can viciously attack as early as turn one, but once you get this deck setup, it might be too difficult to stop. The super high HP of all of these Stage 2 Pokémon ex allows them to withstand an attack or two, which means once you are ready to go - you’re ready to lock in to try and win the game! With an additional Mamoswine ex on the Bench, a Pidgeot ex on the Bench, and a Blaziken ex on the Bench - Rumbling March hits for a whopping 180 + 120 for 300. Need more? Well Klinklang [Stellar Crown] allows you to “summon” it into play as long as your opponent also has a Stage 2 Pokémon in play - that's an additional 40 damage. Similarly, Luxray [Paldea Evolved] allows you to “summon” it into play if you’re behind on Prize Cards - something that can add another 40 damage. Since most Stage 2 Pokémon ex are going to crumble at 340 HP, having four Stage 2 Pokémon on your Bench (with a Mamoswine ex in the Active Spot) allows you to OHKO anything in your path! Pair that with Boss’s Orders [Paldea Evolved] or Prime Catcher [Temporal Forces] for a late game powerhouse!

Mamoswine ex Deck

While this mammoth-themed deck has its flaws, the combo-spirited gameplay in the mid-to-late game brings back memories of me playing any deck I’d like - not falling into a top tier conformity of the metagame. Does that mean this deck is bad? No, not at all! It certainly will take some losses to the top decks in the format, but it has a decent matchup spread against some of the top decks - meaning it could see competitive success in the right metagame! The list in this article is incredibly basic, but covers all of the bases necessary to make this deck work as competitively as possible. Lots of consistency cards, lots of pieces to help you combo all of your Pokémon into play, and more! Here is the PTCGL import of the list:

Looking to help your Mamoswine ex deck withstand the harsh conditions of the real world? The Kikko Sidewinder is built to last, and would look amazing with your mammoths! Check it out https://ultimateguard.com/en/Deck-Boxes/Sidewinder-100-Xenoskin-Katana-The-Shogun-s-Journey-Part-2-Kikko-White-Blue/UGD011441/here.

Time to Explore

As I continue to explore Journey Together, I am challenging myself to not fold to the norms of the metagame - I truly want to journey with all of the decks! Does that mean I’m bringing Mamoswine ex to my next Regionals? Let’s not try to read in between every line - I want to explore these decks, and maybe I learn more about the Pokémon TCG in general! I want to construct the best decks, have the most accurate playtesting knowledge, and enjoy a game I’ve loved for more than 20 years. I’m likely going to continue to write about decks that interest me, create video content on my YouTube channel (The Shuffle Squad), and maybe you’ll find me playing some of these decks at local events near me! Until then, I’ll continue to share my findings with you, and post them right here at Ultimate Guard! Thanks for reading, and I’ll catch ya around soon!