Games

Pokemon Pocket’s Best Counters for Golem META, Ranked

Published

2 days ago

January 2, 2025

Christoph Rediske

pokemon tcg pocket golem counter card list scaled

Summary

Table of Contents

Mankey + Primeape disrupt Golem’s protection by targeting Druddigon early, leaving it vulnerable, with evolved Primeape dealing significant damage.
Venusaur ex + Exeggutor ex exploit Golem’s Grass-type weakness, allowing Venusaur ex to endure and defeat Golem in two turns with effective damage output.
Zebstrika + Raichu disrupt Golem’s slow evolution by sniping Bench Pokemon, neutralizing Golem lineups before they can enter the Active Spot.

The new Golem from Pokemon Pocket’s Mythical Island set has proven to be a powerful card, especially when paired with top Fighting-types like Marshadow and Hitmonlee. The addition of Druddigon to Golem’s lineup completed the puzzle, creating a dominant deck that ruled most Pokemon TCG Pocket tournaments for a while. While Golem’s popularity is slowly waning in the META, many players are seeking the best counters. Currently, most Golem decks are incredibly strong and tanky against top-tier lineups. But here’s a list of the most effective counter duos for Golem based on recent metagame trends.

Pokemon TCG Pocket: The Best Fighting-Type Decks

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6

Mankey + Primeape

This Duo Kills Golem’s Kingmaker

Mankey and Primeape may not be a direct counter to Golem, but they can effectively target a key card in Golem decks: Druddigon. One of the reasons Golem rose in the META was the protection Druddigon provided, allowing it to build up slowly without being interrupted. The Mankey-Primeape duo can disrupt this protection early, leaving Golem vulnerable.

Here’s how the duo works: Mankey attacks Druddigon, absorbing the 20 damage it returns. The next turn, Mankey evolves into Primeape, which is now in revenge mode and deals 100 damage to Druddigon. For those unfamiliar, Primeape deals an additional 60 damage when it’s hurt, and since Druddigon always retaliates, this buff is guaranteed to trigger.

5

Venusaur ex + Exeggutor ex

An Underrated Pair for Exploiting Golem’s Weakness

Golem is weak to Grass-type, which is well-known. However, Pokemon Pocket’s current META lacks a strong Grass lineup to counter Golem—except for the Venusaur ex and Exeggutor ex duo. With this combo, players can tank damage and deal solid damage in return.

Venusaur ex, in particular, can withstand two Golem attacks while hitting back for 180 damage. Here’s the math: Venusaur ex’s HP is 190, and it heals 30 damage, effectively reducing Golem’s ATK to 90 instead of 120. Venusaur ex’s base damage is 100, which should drop to 70 because of Golem’s protection. But since Golem is weak to Grass-type, it’s counted as 90 per attack—180 total. In two turns, Venusaur ex can endure and defeat Golem.

4

Zebstrika + Raichu

A META Combo for AoE and Sniping

zebristka and raichu in pokemon tcg pocket.

Golem is a slow-build Pokemon, meaning its basic and Stage One forms, Geodude and Graveler, will sit on the Bench for a while. This weakness presents a perfect disruption opportunity: players can drop Zebstrika early to snipe Golem’s Evolution line before it’s ready. Zebstrika’s primary move allows it to target any of the enemy’s Pokemon and deal 30 damage. This lets it chip away at Golem’s HP by damaging Geodude and Graveler, a lifesaver in late-game rounds.

Once Zebstrika’s done with Golem’s Bench, Raichu enters the scene. The new Raichu from the Mythical Island set deals 60 damage to the enemy’s active Pokemon and 20 damage to each of their Benched Pokemon. Combined with Zebstrika’s sniping ability, Raichu can effectively neutralize Golem lineups before they can leave the Bench.

3

Greninja + Gyarados ex

Chipping Away the Beast’s HP

Gyarados ex is already one of the top META cards in Pokemon Pocket, and it performs equally well against all Fighting-type decks, including Golem setups. Judging by Gyarados ex’s total damage output of 140 per shot, one might think that Golem holds the advantage, especially since Golem reduces incoming damage by 30, lowering Gyarados ex’s output to 110. But that’s not what happens in their matchups.

Gyarados ex is empowered by Greninja, a stealthy Pokemon that starts chipping away at Geodude and Graveler’s HP before they even evolve into Golem. As a result, the Golem that eventually enters the Active Spot typically has less than 160 HP, often within the range of Gyarados ex’s debuffed damage. By the time Golem leaves the Bench, the Greninja and Gyarados ex duo will be ready to take it out in one shot.

2

Mew ex + Mewtwo ex

The Anti-Golem Mirroring Combo

Pokemon Pocket’s metagame is largely dominated by Mewtwo ex, and Mew ex has been boosting its power with tech support. Currently, the Mewtwo ex and Mew ex combo is one of the most consistent ways to take down Golem decks. Players can either use Giovanni on Mewtwo ex to deal 130 damage, knocking out Golem in two turns, or copy Golem’s Guard Press with Mew ex, which deals a massive 90 damage. (The latter strategy, using Mew ex against Golem, is a bit tricky since it requires retreating Mew ex with Budding Expeditioner. Without this, Golem might gain the upper hand and destroy Mew ex first.)

1

Hitmonlee + Aerodactyl ex

A Bench-Sniping Combo to Disrupt Golem’s Evolution

hitmonlee and aerodactyl ex in pokemon tcg pocket.

Golem’s best counter that’s been gaining popularity is Hitmonlee. This newly appreciated Pokemon has all the features an S-tier tech card needs: 1) It’s a Basic Pokemon, making it easy to draw; 2) It attacks with one Energy, making it easy to set up; and 3) Its retreat cost is only one, allowing for easy swaps. What makes Hitmonlee especially effective against Golem is its Bench-inflicted damage.

Hitmonlee can deal 30 damage to one of the opponent’s Benched Pokemon, which, in the case of Golem, will be either Geodude or Graveler. When paired with Aerodactyl ex, Hitmonlee becomes even more disruptive, forcing the enemy to evolve on the Bench. Additionally, Hitmonlee is often teamed up with Marshadow, the new Fighting-type star, which can strengthen the counter lineup and potentially one-shot the enemy’s pre-Golem plays.