The Wisdom of Sea and Sky set (A4) has made landfall in Pokémon TCG Pocket, and being a major expansion, players are in for a good number of EX cards.
After Sylveon EX disrupted the meta, does this Johto-themed set a new power ceiling with its EX cards? Or, are they a let down?
We begin with one of the two headliners of this set: Ho-Oh EX. The Legendary Bird sets a ‘Gold’ standard for multi-energy tech with its amazing move, Phoenix Turbo. Requiring 3x Colorless Energy, this 80 DMG move also gives you one each of a Fire, Water, and Lightning Energy, and lets you attach them to your Benched cards in any way you like.
You can work around this in two ways.
First, add another Ho-Oh EX to the picture. Once your Active Ho-Oh Ex uses Phoenix Turbo, your Benched Ho-Oh Ex is immediately ready to go. Simply retreat or use Leaf/X Speed to bring in your ready-to-go second Ho-Oh EX, fire off another Phoenix Turbo, and voila… your first Ho-Oh again has complete Energy. This lets you create a sort of infinite loop to keep bringing in Ho-Oh EX, so adding healing support via Potions and Pokémon Center Lady is great.
You can add Eevee (from Wisdom of Sea and Sky) and regular Flareon (from Eevee Grove) to handle early-game while you get Ho-Oh EX ready, and create a winning Fire deck that drives your opponent insane with all the switch-outs and Energy generation.
OR…
Ho-Oh EX can embrace the draconic realm and join Dragonite (regular and/or EX), and make use of its Water and Lightning Energy add-ons to power up Dragonite. You can even go with Rayquaza EX or Arceus EX instead of Dragonite.
You must remember that Ho-Oh EX can only provide Energy to Benched Basic cards. So, provide Energy to Dratini and not Dragonite.
Fire, Water, and Lightning are popular types that can be a part of upcoming Dragon Pokémon cards (even Druddigon uses Fire and Water). And there are always Colorless cards to salvage.
Not only is Ho-Oh EX a premier Fire-type attacker, it also powers up the Colorless meta and aids Dragon types. The future looks bright for this Legendary!
I have to be honest here… when I described the best pairings with Ho-Oh EX, I intentionally omitted its best partner, and that’s none other than Lugia EX.
This beast also requires 3 Energy to fire off the insane 180 DMG Elemental Blast, but those three Energies are Fire, Water, and Lightning. Seems rough, yes, and that’s where Ho-Oh EX joins the party. Once Ho-Oh EX uses its move, it directly transfers all three Energies to Lugia EX. In the next turn, retreat Ho-Oh EX, and bring in Lugia EX to blast 180 DMG, enough to OHKO most Pokémon in TCG Pocket (including Caped mons).
Such a powerful move comes with a catch, that being Lugia EX losing all those Energies on using its move. So, be sure to use Lugia EX as a finisher, with Ho-Oh EX carrying the weight early on. For more support, combine the Ho-Oh EX | Lugia EX set with Zeraora (its ability generates Lightning Energy at the end of the first turn) and the new Elemental Switch Item card to move a Fire, Water, or Lightning (in this case, it’s Lightning from Zeraora), towards Ho-Oh EX. Pichu is also a good fit as it gifts a Lightning Energy to a Benched Basic.
Shuckle EX looks underwhelming, but when you scratch the surface, you’ll find that it’s one of the best starters in the game. A Basic that can do up to 60 DMG for only 1 Energy is ridiculous. Yes, it’s entirely dependent on how many heads you get in three coin flips, but the potential is great. Additionally, this Pokémon takes 20 less damage from attacks.
Now, imagine pairing this chap with Exeggutor EX and/or Alolan Exeggutor. All these cards benefit tremendously from the Will Supporter card, who guarantees that your first coin flip is a head. Add Leaf Cape, Potions, and Erika, and you can see this deck shaping up to be a monster.
Shuckle EX may need some buddies to unleash its potential, but it’s surely a very handy card to run even in Ranked battles.
The Water-type meta in Pokémon TCG Pocket has been on a roller coaster ride. It started off huge, with stalwarts like EX cards of Starmie, Articuno, Gyarados, and Palkia displaying sheer dominance. Irida helped the cause. It then fell off as other types took centerstage (Hello Darkness, my new friend).
Now, the Wisdom of Sea and Sky is bringing back lost glory, with a lot of that credit going to Kingdra EX. With just 2 Energy in its bag, Kingdra EX dishes out a respectable 90 DMG, but that’s not what makes it so dangerous. This move, aptly named Stormy Prison, also imprisons the target in the next turn, preventing them from retreating for their own life.
So effectively, Kingdra EX is dishing out 180 DMG! This would have been a decent card if Kingdra had only 140 to 150 HP. Nah… it boasts 170 HP, making it 190 HP with a Giant Cape. At the same time, it’s not broken since it’s a Stage 2 card, meaning you’d need a Rare Candy to evolve Horsea to Kingdra.
As such, pair it with Articuno EX or Palkia Origin (now OP with Will Supporter card helping it do 120 DMG). You don’t just need Basics since you can also take Kingdra EX for a spin alongside Greninja. Consider adding Elemental Switch as well for Water Energy transfer(s).
Kingdra EX is surely reinstating the usage of Water decks in Pokémon TCG Pocket, and we are all seated!
Lanturn EX is among the tier 2 EX cards in Wisdom of Sea and Sky. It dances well with Zeraora, Pichu, Pachirisu, and the Elemental Switch. But the bulk and overall damage output aren’t too exciting.
It’s not that Lanturn EX is bad, just that its fellow EX cards offer more value.
Okay… Espeon EX is one of the deadliest cards in Wisdom of Sea and Sky… not alone though. This Eeveelution EX pairs with the most notorious Eeveelution EX to form a brutal deck that boasts a phenomenal win rate: the one-and-only Sylveon EX.
It’s a pure Psychic deck, so both Eeveelutions are putting in work. Sylveon EX has its incredible card-drawing power and a neat 70 DMG. Espeon EX deals 80 DMG and heals 30 DMG from one of your other Pokémon. Both cards require only 2 Energy to attack and have a meager 1 Energy retreat cost.
Moreover, using two Eevee EX and two copies of the new Eevee card in Wisdom of Sky and Sea (uses Find a Friend to draw a random Pokémon card from your deck) makes this a fast and aggressive deck that constantly keeps the gears turning. In other words, you’re doing something meaningful in every turn.
Add an Eevee Grove Espeon as well, since it does 20 DMG for each Energy attached to all of your opponent’s Pokémon. Also include two Eevee Bag Item cards for more damage or healing. And, X Speed is a must (a single would do). This entire setup is brilliant and threatens any deck in the game.
You can use the check out the Espeon EX and Sylveon EX deck in the Expert Solo Battle section of the game
Donphan EX is neat as it inflicts 50 DMG at only 1 Energy. If you have 3 Energy attached in total, you do 110 DMG.
While the cheap Energy requirement is attractive, it also has a hefty 3 Energy retreat cost. So, if you withdraw and then bring it back (with 1 Energy), it will do only 50 DMG until it collects 3 Energy. In terms of utility, Silvally and Lycanroc Midnight are more oppressive for the opponent. Donphan EX is obviously bulkier, but to put it into perspective, Donphan EX isn’t too threatening.
Darkrai EX brought a new lease of life into the Darkness meta, and Nihilego raised the bar with its Poison antics. The Wisdom of Sea and Sky expansion has a new toy in play that dwells in these shenanigans, and that’s Crobat EX.
You’ll need Rare Candy to evolve Zubat (who can also poison its target + do 10 DMG) into Crobat EX, doing 70 DMG and also poisoning the opponent. Needless to say, Drakrai EX is an amazing partner, cutting the opposition down to size every turn. The best part is that Crobat EX only requires 1 Energy to attack as well as retreat. Not to mention, it’s also bulky at 170 HP.
While increasing the HP to 190 via Giant Cape seems tempting, there’s a new big bad in town. The Dark Pendant Pokémon Tool disposes off a random card from your opponent’s Hand each time your Active Pokémon (donning this Pendant) is attacked! Isn’t that spectacular?!
If that wasn’t enough already, add the Silver Supporter to throw out a Supporter card from your opponent’s Hand, and complementing the Dark Pendant. Crazy, right?
You may also consider adding Nihilego to the mix to amp up the Poison threat. All in all, the Darkness meta just became scarier than ever before.
I just wrapped up Crobat EX by stating that the Darkness meta is scarier than ever. Well, it looks like the devs at TCG Pocket are in affirmative as this set has introduced two EX cards in the Darkness type!
Meet Umbreon EX, a Pokémon that does 80 DMG for 2 Energy and packs a fearsome ability that works as an auto Cyrus. When this card is in the Active Spot, you can switch a damaged Pokémon from the opponent’s Bench to their Active Spot! When coupled with Darkrai EX, your opponent taking damage is a given, making this duo a massive force to be reckoned with.
Add Rocky Helmet / Poison Barb to raise the stakes and strike fear in your opponent’s heart. Your opponent would regret doing damage to your Pokémon.
Seriously, Darkness decks are arguably the best in TCG Pocket at the moment, and I’ll repeat the classic line: Hello Darkness, my new friend!
Darkness is not the only type that has been getting better with each new expansion, as the Metal type is also enjoying a lot of success. Starting with Dialga EX, Skarmory, and then Solgaleo EX, the steely mons are truly shining.
Joining that bandwagon is Skarmory EX, dishing out 70 DMG for only 2 Energy and taking 20 less damage the next turn. But what makes Skarmory EX useful is a pair of Trainer cards built for this card in particular.
- First, there’s the Jasmine Supporter card that lets your Skarmory EX (or Steelix) take 50 less damage from your opponent in the next turn. Add Skarmory EX’s own tech, and you’re taking 70 less damage!
- The Steel Apron Pokémon Tool not only makes the Pokémon take 10 less damage, but also remains unaffected by any Special Conditions (no Poison, Burn, Paralysis, Sleep, etc). In case your Skarmory EX is already affected by any of these conditions, Steel Apron also helps it recover!
So, Skarmory EX (-20 DMG), Jasmine (-50 DMG), and Steel Apron (-10 DMG) = -80 DMG when all these cards align together!
These turn Skarmory EX into an indestructible force, and you can threaten any deck. Add a regular Skarmory for extra pressure and Dialga EX for Energy gains, and tada! You have a legitimately formidable Metal deck.
Blissey EX joined the fray as part of its Drop event, and it’s a pretty viable Colorless type. For starters, 180 HP is amazing (buffed to 200 HP with Giant Cape) and backed with healing from Trainers as well as its own attack (heals 60 DMG if heads from a coin flip), it can be quite a phenomenal stall.
Remember that Lillie doesn’t apply to Blissey EX even though it’s technically a Stage 2 Pokémon via Happiny. In TCG Pocket, Baby Pokémon don’t evolve, so their final evolutions don’t count as Stage 2 cards in the game.
Speaking about Baby Pokémon, Blissey EX can be used offensively with Pichu or Magby at the forefront, supplying Energy effortlessly without any Energy input for attacks and from the first turn of the game itself. Furthermore, you can add Ho-Oh EX to the deck (instead of Dialga EX), making a solid lineup!
Another option is to use Blissey EX in Metal decks starring Dialga EX, with the Legendary accounting for the 4 Energy requirement. That said, the Baby | Ho-Oh EX setup is better.
In a nutshell, 100 DMG from a bulky card like this is neat, as it’s tanky enough to withstand most attacks for at least 2 turns even without healing. Lyra helps with a free retreat for a damaged Blissey EX, and Will ensures the heads necessary for 60 DMG healing.
Add healing Trainer cards to the mix, and you’ll find that this card can be quite a threat.
The Wisdom of Sea and Sky set has a strange collection of EX cards when you see that, except Lugia EX, all other Pokémon don’t do too much damage in a single turn. However, they have additional tech and a bunch of new Trainer cards to make them some of the best EX cards in the game.
Indeed, this Johto-themed set has set a new standard, and battles are promised to be more challenging than ever!
Happy collecting and battling, Pokémon TCG Pocket-ers!
