[Top 3] Pokemon TCG Best Fire Decks

A look at the top three fire decks in the Pokemon TCG.

Updated:

29 Sep 2021

Hello all you fans of the Pokemon Trading Card Game and casual readers. I’m fired up to discuss today’s topic with you. If you couldn’t guess by my pun or the title, today we’ll be looking at three of the best fire type decks from recent Pokemon expansions. Most of these decks were (at one point or another) at the top of their META and use fire type Pokemon as well as those shiny red energy that go with them. Without further ado, let’s get into the list.

3. Volcanion EX

Turtonator GX from Guardians Rising, Volcanion EX from Steam Siege, and Volcanion from Steam Siege.

First off we’ve got Volcanion EX. This is a slightly older deck (2016-2018) and the main card, Volcanion EX, came out in the Steam Siege set.
Volcanion EX is unique as both a fire type and water type Pokemon. It also features the Steam Up ability. This ability allows you to discard a card from your hand and increase the damage of your Basic fire Pokemon by 30 damage. You can use this once for each Volcanion you had (up to 4 times). And for three energy, Volcanion’s Volcanic Heat attack did 130 damage. This damage plus the Steam Up boost could KO most Pokemon at the time whose HP maxed out around 250.
Other Pokemon companions in this deck have included the likes of Turtonator GX, Volcanion, and Tapu Lele GX, depending on what was Standard at the time.
And let’s not forget the valiant trainers that have made this deck possible. Cards like Blacksmith (accelerating energy), Fighting Fury Belt (additional HP and damage), Max Elixir (Energy Acceleration), and Brooklet Hill (Searching for Basics).

Fighting Fury Belt from BREAKpoint, Max Elixir from BREAKpoint, and Blacksmith from Flashfire.

Here’s one version of the deck list:

Pokemon - 10

4 Volcanion-EX STS 26
4 Volcanion STS 25
2 Shaymin-EX ROS 77

Trainer - 37

4 Professor Sycamore BKP 107
2 N FCO 105
2 Blacksmith FLF 88
2 Lysandre AOR 78
2 Pokémon Ranger STS 104
4 VS Seeker PHF 109
4 Ultra Ball FCO 113
4 Acro Bike PRC 122
4 Energy Retrieval PRC 126
2 Trainers' Mail ROS 92
2 Battle Compressor PHF 92
2 Escape Rope PRC 127
3 Fighting Fury Belt BKP 99

Energy - 13

13 Fire Energy

2. Reshiram & Charizard Tag Team

This deck uses bulk to smash it’s way through the game. It saw play from 2019 to 2021 and focuses on the might of Reshiram & Charizard Tag Team GX (Reshizard).
Reshizard has 270 HP and three spaced attacks. First, the Outrage attack deals 30 damage plus 10 more for each damage counter on Reshizard. This is great once your opponents starts hitting you. There is also Flare Strike which deals 230 damage for four energy. And of course the impressive Double Blaze GX. This one-use attack deals 200 damage for three energy and 300 damage for six energy. During most of Reshizards time in play, this was enough to oneshot anything.
Reshizard decks utilize the ever powerful Welder. This supporter card exponentially increases how fast fire types can power up. In addition, other cards for getting and utilizing fire energy have really boosted this deck to unbelievable heights. Those cards include Giant Hearth, Heat Factory, Fiery Flint, and Green’s Exploration (for less ability heavy versions of the deck).

Giant Hearth from Unified Minds, Welder from Unbroken Bonds, and Heat Factory Prism Star from Lost Thunder.

Because Welder allows for so much energy flexibility, Reshizard has shared the stage with quite a few friends including, but not limited to; Volcanion, Braixen & Charizard GX, Heatran GX, Ninetales, Victini Prism Star, Victini V, Jirachi, and even featured in fire variants of Mewtwo and Mew GX decks.

Volcanion from Unbroken Bonds, Charizard & Braixen GX from Cosmic Eclipse, and Heatran GX from Unified Minds.

Here’s one version of the deck list:

Pokemon - 18

4 Jirachi TEU 99
3 Dedenne-GX UNB 57
2 Vulpix TEU 15
2 Ninetales TEU 16
1 Heatran-GX UNM 25
1 Mega Lopunny & Jigglypuff-GX CEC 165
1 Reshiram & Charizard-GX UNB 20
1 Zebstrika LOT 82
1 Ditto Prism Star LOT 154
1 Turtonator DRM 50
1 Victini Prism Star DRM 7

Trainer - 24

4 Welder UNB 189
1 Cyrus Prism Star UPR 120
4 Cherish Ball UNM 191
4 Pokémon Communication TEU 152
3 Switch CES 147
2 Fiery Flint DRM 60
1 Pal Pad UPR 132
2 Escape Board UPR 122
2 Giant Hearth UNM 197
1 Heat Factory Prism Star LOT 178

Energy - 18

18 Fire Energy

1. Blacephalon

Victini Prism Star from Dragon Majesty, Blacephalon from Unbroken Bonds, and Blacephalon GX from Lost Thunder.

We’ve had a big Tag Team GX and an older EX so let’s end this with a Basic Pokemon that hits like a VMAX (you can tell it’s good because there are more capital letters). This deck features Blacephalon and was played primarily from 2019-2020.
Blacephalon is a 120 HP Basic Ultra Beast card. It’s first attack, Blazer, deals 10 damage for one energy and you flip one of your prize cards face up. If that reveals a fire energy then the attack deals 60 damage. And the main draw of this deck is the Fireball Circus attack. This attack costs three energy and discards any amount of fire energy from your hand. This attack deals 50 damage for each energy you discard.
Among the various trainers that make this deck work, you will obviously find Welder for reasons discussed previously. You will also find a number of trainers to fuel the energy for this attack such as, Energy Retrieval, Green’s Exploration, Fire Crystal, Fiery Flint, Giant Hearth, and many others.
This deck doesn’t play too many supporting Pokemon. Early versions played Blacephalon GX and Victini Prism Star while more recent versions will play this card in fire boxes and Reshizard Decks.