The Eevee Grove mini expansion (A3b) is making waves in the Pokémon TCG Pocket meta and the new EX cards are the main reason behind this shift.
Oh yes, this set has given us some spectacular EX cards that have put players, both new and veteran, on notice! Without ado, let’s crack into these powerful new additions.
We begin with the poster Pokémon of this set: Eevee EX. Thematically, it headlines the expansion but when it comes to battle, it is probably the weakest EX card until now. Its only flavor is its ridiculously named ability, Veevee ‘volve, by virtue of which Eevee EX can be evolved into any Eeveelution, EX card or not.
In contrast, the regular Eevee card is super valuable as its non-damaging move Collect draws a card, proving more useful in the process. This mechanic becomes more prominent when you consider the might of Sylveon EX (covered next), one of the most broken cards in TCG Pocket.
Do note that Eevee EX is useless since you can have 2x Eevee EX and 2x Eevee in one deck, gaining more Eeveelutions as the battle progresses. The regular Sylveon card benefits from this since its damage output depends on having more Eeveelutions in play.
As such, Eevee EX may not boast raw power but offers a lot of utility in Eeveelution-centric decks. Also, Eeevee EX is the Immersive card from this set!
We now move to one of the craziest cards ever introduced in Pokémon TCG Pocket: Sylveon EX!
Just like other OP cards such as Giratina EX, Darkrai EX, and Solgaleo EX, Sylveon EX’s secret sauce is its ability, Happy Ribbon.
When you evolve Eeevee/Eevee EX into Sylveon EX in a turn, you are free to draw 2 cards in that same turn. So, essentially you get a Professor’s Research effect with Sylveon EX but what if I told you that you can even draw up to 8 cards per turn and maybe pull your entire deck in 3-4 turns?! 😯
Here’s how you can do it:
- A single Sylveon (Active Spot/Bench) EX draws 2 cards.
- Another Sylveon EX draws 2 more cards. We now have 4 cards.
- If one of your pulls is Professor’s Research, draw 2 more cards. It’s now 6 cards.
- Pulled a Poké Ball? Get a Basic. That’s 7 cards, y’all!
- Oh, did you forget? You even draw 1 card for the turn. 8 CARDS!
Of course, the opponent using a Red Card in their turn can ruin your stunt but hey, you can draw up to 8 cards and spell disaster for your opponent.
The fun here is that Sylveon doesn’t even need to be in Psychic decks. It just needs to be there on the Bench and do its magic right in front of your opponent’s horrified eyes. Of course, Psychic Energy makes it offensive as well, and it’s in a solid deck with Giratina EX. Other great partners to Sylveon EX include Greninja (extremely competitive), Garchomp EX, and Shining Revelry Charizard EX. The Sylveon EX | Greninja | Giratina EX has been very popular among players.
Moreover, this ability to help get your entire deck in action in a few turns lays the foundation for decks consisting of 20+ cards in the future. Folks, Sylveon EX has changed Pokémon TCG Pocket. For better or worse? We’ll have to wait and see.
Oh my goodness, they did it. An OG non-EX powerhouse Pokémon got its EX variant and it’s quite good! Yes, Dragonite EX is in the house and it’s rampaging.
Backed with the same Energy needs as regular Dragonite (Lightning and Water), this beefy 180 HP brute inflicts a massive 180 DMG with Giga Impact. Yes, it can’t attack the next turn but its retreat cost is just 2 Energy, nothing silly, so Leaf is there for the rescue.
In fact, both its attacking Energy and retreat cost are cheaper than regular Dragonite, and you can pair this Pseudo Legendary with the dreaded anti-EX Pom Pom Style Oricorio or maybe even Greninja to take over when it retreats.
Dragonite EX is the Rare Candy fodder for the Eevee Grove set, and if you’re able to farm the right Energies quickly, it’s a fast and furious match-winner. Hooray to the OG Pseudo Legendary and the awkward Dragon-type meta in Pokémon TCG Pocket!
One of the strongest stall Pokémon ever in TCG Pocket, Snorlax EX is destined to be a big headache for players facing it. This card may have only 160 HP but when you look at its ability, Full-Mouth Manner (huh?), you’ll see the insanity. It heals 20 DMG each turn! Now, attach the new Leftovers Pokémon Tool card (which heals 10 DMG per turn), and Snorlax is going to heal 30 DMG!! And this is not even considering healing support like Potions or Pokémon Center Lady.
If you’re happy with 20 DMG healing, you can even go with the Lum Berry Pokémon Tool instead and offset the Sleep condition it gets from using its 4 Energy, 130 DMG Flop-Down Punch.
Speaking about its move, Snorlax EX can fit like a glove in decks of any type since it’s a Colorless-type Pokémon. There’s more to the card though…
- 4 Energy looks tedious? Pair Snorlax EX with Giratina EX and Lunala EX. Snorlax EX can stall in the Active Spot whilst maintaining good health, Giratina EX can farm Energy, and Lunala EX (once in play with Cosmog + Rare Candy) transfers all Energy to Snorlax EX. Add Dawn for convenience.
- Worried about Snorlax EX’s high retreat cost (4 Energy)? Use the Ilima Supporter card to bring it back to the Hand and then to the Bench, fully healed! Of course, you lose all Energy but by then, Snorlax EX has done its job and it’s time for its offensive teammate(s) to take over.
Snorlax EX is bound to be one of the most meta-defining cards moving forward and it makes the infamous Giratina EX all the more functional. Masterstroke! 😈
Justice has been served! Primarina was rudely left out of the EX treatment in the Celestial Guardians set (A3) where both Decidueye EX and Incineroar EX made their debut. Now, the A3b set has finally brought Primarina EX into the mix. Yay!
Just like its fellow Alolan starters, Primarina EX is not shattering the meta but it’s a pretty nice card nonetheless. Right from 1 Energy, it does a neat 40 DMG. Have at least one more Energy, and that value goes up to 80 DMG!
Add one more, making it 3 Energy, and it not only dishes out 100 DMG but also heals 20 DMG. With Irida, Potions, and perhaps even Misty in tow, this card can make the battle difficult for your opponent. 180 HP is also impressive.
As a bonus, the Hau Supporter card from this set adds 30 DMG to all attacks used by the Alolan starter EX cards. So Primarina EX’s 1 Energy 40 DMG goes to 70 DMG, 2 Energy 80 DMG goes to 110 DMG, and 3 Energy 100 DMG goes to 130 DMG. Fabulous!
The once super-dominant Water-type meta may be kind of shallow at the moment (manifesting Kyogre EX soon), but thankfully, Primarina EX improves the type’s standing by a fair margin. On that note, always keep yourself hydrated!
Last but not least, we have another Eeveelution: Flareon EX. This one’s firing up the meta, literally!
With 3 Energy, you get to use the 130 DMG Fire Spin but its Combust ability (finally an ability that’s named normally) does wonders for this fiery Eeveelution. Once per turn, Combust adds 1 Fire Energy to Flareon EX but at the cost of 20 recoil damage. You can partly negate this with Leftovers and add Potions support since 150 DMG is only decent. However, in just 2 turns once Flareon EX is live, Fire Spin is ready to go.
But wait! Fire Spin discards 2 Fire Energy on usage? No worries as you still have 1 Energy, the new turn adds another Energy, and its ability completes the trio with the final Energy. So, you can use Flareon EX’s Fire Spin immediately!
Flareon Ex pairs quite well with Turtonator (with Kiawe Supporter) and can also work seamlessly with Sylveon EX, making for a formidable Eeveelution deck. In both cases, it’s a pure Fire Energy deck. Add the Eevee Bag Item card, maybe Dawn, and some healing to make the deck click better.
The Eevee Grove mini expansion has turned out to be very meta, with its EX cards being absolute stars! Regardless of whether you’re a fan of the Eeveelutions, this set is a huge success and you can bet on having loads of fun in your matches.
Happy collecting and battling, Pokémon TCG Pocket-ers!
