The Pokémon TCG Pocket meta has develop into clear, now that the cell card sport has formally drained the battery life of each smartphone this facet of Kanto.
Launched in late October 2024, Pokémon TCG Pocket is primarily a card-collecting sport, although there’s a aggressive component — a streamlined iteration on the basic Pokémon buying and selling card sport. There’s incentive to play battles, too, as successful earns you XP, which helps you degree up, which helps you open extra booster packs, which helps you construct higher decks to win extra battles. Ah, the good cell sport suggestions loop.
What follows is a abstract of the Pokémon TCG Pocket meta as of December 2024, together with one of the best decks and one of the best playing cards. We’ll replace this information because the Pokémon TCG Pocket meta meaningfully shifts.
What’s the Pokémon TCG Pocket meta proper now?
Graphic: Polygon | Supply photos: Creatures, DeNA/The Pokémon Firm
At current, all out there playing cards in Pokémon TCG Pocket are from the Genetic Apex enlargement, which options three forms of booster pack: Mewtwo ex, Pikachu ex, and Charizard ex. No large shock, however the three headline playing cards have come to outline the meta because the sport’s launch.
Decks in Pokémon TCG Pocket comprise 20 playing cards every. Although you may combine and match varieties when constructing a deck, the viable decks du jour are designed round one component. Since most assaults are powered by a selected elemental sort, you don’t need to go away the component you draw every flip as much as a coin flip. Pokémon TCG Pocket has sufficient coin flips already.
Moreover, one of the best decks are for essentially the most half constructed round one or two particular playing cards, with the remainder of the deck padded out by coach playing cards (gadgets or supporters) and primary Pokémon of the identical elemental sort. As of December 2024, these high decks are:
In different phrases, smash that “concede” button in the event you see any of the above playing cards in your opponent’s facet — and we get into extra element about why these decks are so profitable under.
Pokémon TCG Pocket finest decks
Figuring out one of the best playing cards of the second is one factor, however getting these playing cards is one other matter. Proper now, the Pokémon TCG Pocket meta is outlined by ex playing cards — high-power playing cards which are additionally extraordinarily uncommon.
You may get these from booster packs (you may see your possibilities of particular playing cards by clicking the “providing charges” button on the lower-left nook), however in the event you’re struggling, know you may get particular playing cards by exchanging pack factors, a forex you’ll earn by opening booster packs.
Ex playing cards begin at 500 pack factors, although, and presently, you solely get 5 pack factors for each booster pack you open. So even in the event you’re keen to spend IRL cash on Poké Gold to open a bunch of packs, you’ll nonetheless have to take a seat by means of a variety of senseless clicking earlier than you may afford the precise ex card of your alternative.
In different phrases, till buying and selling is launched in January 2025, one of the best ways to get any of the next playing cards is… Luck.
Mewtwo ex and Gardevoir deck
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Mewtwo ex is dominating the Pokémon TCG Pocket meta for the time being, due to its Psydrive assault, which offers 150 harm. Few Pokémon have 150 HP to outlive such a success, however the assault prices Mewtwo ex 4 vitality to make use of and additional discards two psychic-type vitality with every use.
The trick right here is to lean on Gardevoir. Gardevoir’s capacity, Psy Shadow, lets you add an additional vitality to no matter Pokémon you’ve got within the lively spot — and you should utilize it even with Gardevoir in your bench. This combo lets you recoup the 2 vitality you burn with every use of Psydrive (one out of your flip naturally and one Gardevoir’s capacity), primarily guaranteeing 150-damage assaults with no drawbacks.
Pikachu ex may as effectively be Ash Ketchum’s uncannily super-powered Pikachu. Pikachu ex isn’t a part of an evolution chair, so in the event you draw it, you’re able to play it. Its assault, Circle Circuit, additionally solely prices two electrical vitality and offers 30 harm for each electric-type Pokémon in your bench. Stack all three slots in your bench with electric-type Pokémon, and also you’re dealing 90 harm per flip.
Electrical-type playing cards on the whole are likely to have decrease retreat prices (Electrode has a free retreat, as an illustration), permitting you to simply swap out playing cards as wanted, preserving your bench — and Pikachu ex’s assault energy — at full capability. This deck additionally works effectively with Zapdos ex or Jolteon as backup attackers; each have assaults that may deal as much as 200 or 160 harm respectively.
Charizard ex and Moltres ex deck
The Charizard ex deck capabilities so much just like the Mewtwo ex deck in that it’s a must to use one Pokémon to generate vitality for an additional. The important thing right here is to open with Moltres ex. With its Inferno Dance assault, you flip three cash, and for each heads you get, you may apply one bonus hearth vitality to a Pokémon in your bench. You’ll be able to load up a Charmander or Charmeleon with with as much as three vitality per flip.
When your Charmeleon is able to evolve into Charizard ex, it’ll hopefully have sufficient vitality to make use of Charizard ex’s Crimson Storm assault, which prices 4 vitality and offers 200 harm but additionally discards two vitality per use. Pull off this combo accurately, and your Charizard ex card ought to have sufficient vitality to persistently use Crimson Storm. Charizard ex additionally has 180 HP — sufficient to outlive a success from Mewtwo ex’s meta-dominating Psydrive assault.
Lapras ex and Articuno ex deck
Lapras ex was launched through Pokémon TCG Pocket’s first battle occasion, and goes hand-in-hand with Articuno ex. Each playing cards are basic-stage, so you may play them instantly, and each playing cards have highly effective assaults. Articuno ex’s Blizzard assault offers 80 harm to your opponent’s lively Pokémon and 10 harm to any playing cards on their bench, so you may conceivably knock out any weakened Pokémon in your opponent’s again row. Lapras ex’s assault, Bubble Drain, offers 80 harm to your opponent however heals 20 HP to itself.
Each playing cards are highly effective in a vacuum, however to profit from this deck, you’ll need to use a Misty coach card. Once you play Misty, you flip a coin repeatedly till you get tails. For nevertheless many heads you get, you may connect that quantity of water vitality to one in all your Pokémon. If luck is in your facet, you may absolutely energy up Lapras ex or Articuno ex in a single flip.
Starmie ex, with its 90-damage assault and free retreat, is one other good card to run on this deck.
Finest playing cards to incorporate in any meta deck
Graphic: Polygon | Supply photos: DeNA, Creatures/The Pokémon Firm
Lastly, each meta-viable deck proper now options no less than one copy of every of the next coach playing cards:
Professor Oak helps you to draw two playing cards, capitalizing on the common card sport idea that implies, the extra playing cards you draw, the higher your possibilities of victory. Pink Card is the alternative: It shuffles your opponent’s hand again into their deck, after which they draw three playing cards. (It’s finest deployed to mess along with your opponent after they play a Professor Oak or Poké Ball card, each of which add playing cards to their hand.)
In the meantime, Sabrina forces your opponent to swap out their lively Pokémon — nice for getting out of a pinch. Lastly, X Velocity reduces your retreat value by one in the course of your flip, permitting you to drag a card with low HP again to your bench in a pinch.
