Summary
Over the years, trading card games have started to set sail into the digital world, seeing how increasingly popular the genre has become throughout the video game world. EvenPokemon TCGhad joined the party withPokemon TCG Online but it never truly caught the wind that other games had mastered.
With the release ofPokemon Pocket, however, players are captivated by opening digital packs on their mobile devices and scanningthrough their cards to see if they’ve collected something rare, or at least practical to use in the new ‘Battle’ mode (which is much shorter than actually playingPokemon TCG).Instantly catching global fire,Pokemon Pocketwas a hit, and many players are curious about the best cards in the TCG game that would give them a meta-edge over others.
10Greninja
Found In: Genetic Apex (Charizard)
A fan-favorite Pokemon from Generation 6,Greninja has amazing potentialinPokemon Pocket. Despite lacking the “ex” title, which gives such cards major feats, Greninja withholds a sense of strategy and pressure that makes him such a beloved Stage 2 Pokemon.
With the card’s Ability, Water Shuriken, Greninja can deal 20 damage to one of the opponent’s Pokemon once every turn. This not only stacks up Greninja’s damage output against the active Pokemon but also allows players to target benched Pokemon that may have lower HP.
9Gardevoir
Found In: Genetic Apex (Mewtwo)
Once players were starting to unlock more and more cards uponPokemon Pocket’srelease, psychic decks became highly popular in usage alongside water-type decks. With great psychic-type Pokemon like Mewtwo ex and Alakazam, Gardevoir was a must-have and is the sole reason behind the psychic-type popularity.
That is becauseof Gardevoir’s Ability,which allows players to give their active psychic-type Pokemon one psychic energy from their Energy Zone. Practically, players are able to attach two energies every turn. This is an amazing ‘enabler’ card that works great within many psychic decks that don’t have many other evolutionary cards, as Gardevoir is a Stage 2 Pokemon.
8Serperior
Found In: Mythical Island
As part ofPokemon Pocket’svery first expansion setto the TCG game, Serperior instantly became a big hit for players looking to use grass-type decks (especially with Celebi ex). Serperior is a Stage 2 Pokemon, but is well worth the buildup thanks to the card’s game-changing ability: Every grass-type energy on friendly Pokemon counts as two energies.
In combination with other great grass-type cards like Venusaur or Celebi ex, Serperior can completely turn a game ofPokemon Pocketaround. Even better, Serperior has the move Solar Beam, which is a 4-cost move that deals 70 damage, making him a nice substitute for the active spot when needed.
7Dragonite
One of the best things aboutPokemon Pocket’sdeck-building feature is that fans can combine Pokemon card types with their corresponding energies resetting in the Energy Zone. Not only does this give way for fantastic type combos, but also sets the foundation for dragon-type Pokemon in Battle.
Dragonite is an incredible card that deals immense damage at the cost of needing four energy, one of which is water, and another which is electric (the other two are colorless). Once Dragonite has the energy, this card can use Draco Meteor to choose an opponent’s Pokemon at random four times and deal 50 damage each time. With one Pokemon in the active spot, Dragonite deals a whopping 200 damage.
6Mewtwo Ex
As the face of oneof Genetic Apex’s packs,the Mewtwo ex card is a brilliant way to immediately start dishing out incredible damage to an opponent near the beginning of the game. Mewtwo ex is a Basic Pokemon and only requires two energy to deal 50 damage with the move, Psychic Sphere. Mewtwo ex’s other move, Psydrive, does 150 damage, but Mewtwo has to discard two energy.
To make up for this, players can use Gardevoir to consistently charge Mewtwo ex with two energies, meaning that the ex card can slam the opponent with 150 damage every turn. All around, Mewtwo ex is a fantastic psychic-type card to use in related decks, especially with Gardevoir.
5Sabrina
This master of psychic-type Pokemon and gym leader of Saffron City makes her way intoPokemon Pocketas a Trainer card.When using Sabrina,the opponent will be forced to switch out their active Pokemon with one of their benched Pokemon. For immediately considerable reasons, Sabrina is used in almost every meta deck that players have come up with.
When used correctly, players can force the opponent to move their high-power card to the bench and send in a weaker Pokemon, giving the player a free point. Sabrina can also help quickly take out retreated ex Pokemon to achieve two points.
4Articuno Ex
Articuno is a highly-used card inPokemon Pocket, synergizing with the Misty Trainer card. With a 2-energy move that deals 40 damage and a second move that requires three water energies and can hit the opponent for 80 damage while taking out 10 HP points from the opposing benched Pokemon, Articuno ex is one of the best water-type cards.
Though it doesn’t take too long for Articuno to become fully powered-up with energies,Misty can immediately help Articunoex start dealing out damage to all the opponent’s Pokemon at the beginning of a match, so long as the player is lucky. This card is also a nice way to start taking out benched Pokemon before the opponent can build them up.
3Misty
Found In: Genetic Apex (Pikachu)
Another Trainer card that players can find within the Genetic Apex set, Misty is an absolute must-have for any water-themed decks inPokemon Pocket. She resides within every water-type deck for a reason; Misty allows players to choose one of their water-type Pokemon and then flip a coin until they get tails. For each heads, that Pokemon obtains a water energy.
With the right amount of luck, even if it is just one or two heads, many water-type Pokemon can instantly take out the opposing team. Cards like Articuno ex, Blastoise ex, and Gyarados ex all benefit highly from this meta Trainer card.
2Moltres Ex
One of the most important parts of a meta deck inPokemon Pocketare energy-enabler cards. In fire-type decks' case,Moltres ex is a fantastic choiceto fulfill this role. Moltres ex may have lower HP compared to other ex cards, but has the move Inferno Dance to make up for it.
This 1-cost move allows players to flip three coins, and for each heads, they can attach a fire energy to one of their fire-type Pokemon on the bench. Working alongside Arcanine ex, Charizard ex, or Centiscorch, who all deal massive amounts of damage, Moltres ex can completely change the tide of battle by powering up friendly fire-type Pokemon.
1Celebi Ex
Mythical Island
Debuting alongsidethe Mew ex cardreleased in the Mythical Island set, Celebi ex became a highly coveted card due to its instant rise in the meta. Celebi ex has low health (130 HP) but makes up for it in damage. Celebi ex’s one move, Powerful Bloom, only requires two energies and allows the player to flip a coin for each energy that Celebi has attached.
For each heads, Celebi attacks the opposing active Pokemon with 50 damage. With the right combinations in play, like Serperior, Celebi can amass massive amounts of energy, allowing Celebi to constantly flip coins and easily pass 100-150 points of damage.
