Mythical Island completely shook the Pokémon TCG Pocket meta after making landfall and players are now chasing glory (read Emblems, rewards, and win records) by grinding through challenging battles with the new cards.
That begs the question: which decks are the best in the game and can ensure higher odds of victory? Here’s a compilation of the best decks that can help you dominate in every matchup.
The deck that has taken the TCG Pocket community by storm, the talk of the town, and the most brutal EX card created to date: Celebi EX | Serperior Grass deck.
Celebi EX boasts the move Powerful Bloom, which does 50 DMG for each head obtained on flipping coins corresponding to the amount of Energy attached to it. Now, the move typically costs 2 Energy, and Celebi does 100 DMG if it gets two heads. Neat, but when Serperior slithers into the Bench, its Ability Jungle Totem makes each Energy masquerade as 2 Energy.
In other words, 2 Energy attached to Celebi EX counts as 4 Energy, 3 as 6, 4 as 8, and so on. The best part? You will flip coins as many times as the amount of Energy with Celebi, and this takes Serperior’s gains into account!
So, just at the base 2 Energy needed to use the move, Serperior gifts you 4 coin flips and gives you a potential 200 DMG output if you get all heads. The more energy you have, the more likelihood of getting heads, and infinite damage potential!
The trick is to build Celebi and Serperior on the Bench while Exeggutors stall in the Active Spot. Exeggutor EX has a massive 160 HP, and can do straight-out 80 DMG with Tropical Swing at only 1 Energy if you get only a head, or 40 DMG if you get a tail.
The other, new Exeggutor card (not an EX) has a decent 130 HP but what makes it truly special is Psychic, which does base 80 DMG + 20 DMG for each Energy attached to the opponent. This makes Exeggutor an OHKO machine against the likes of Mewtwo EX, Pikachu EX, and even opposing Celebi EX. So every card is a red alert threat!
If you aren’t too keen on using Exeggutor, you can try Dhelmise and Caterpie instead.
Of course, good ol’ Erika is there to heal a whopping 50 DMG while Leaf makes retreats free or just 1 Energy since she reduces your retreat cost by two!
This Grass deck is stupidly powerful and you can expect many to concede in the course of the match. Without doubt, the Celebi EX and Serperior deck is the most powerful in TCG Pocket right now.
We have all given up battles when staring at a Mewtwo EX getting an extra Energy each turn from Gardevoir’s Psy Shadow Ability, and spamming its 150 DMG Psydrive every turn. Now, there’s a new Pokémon that takes advantage of this strategy: Mew EX.
Mew EX’s Genome Hacking requires 3 Energy and lets it use one of the opponent’s attacks as its own. Got OHKO’d by a Charizard EX Crimson Storm or Mewtwo EX Psydrive last turn? Bring Mew EX in, enriched with 3 Energy within just two turns thanks to Gardevoir, and OHKO those OP EX cards using their very moves, lol.
But then, wouldn’t Mew EX be underwhelming if Gardevoir doesn’t arrive timely or if you draw Mew right at the start, and it gets slowly chipped away by things like the Mythical Island OP Eevee or the Genetic Apex Kangaskhan, while Mew is only doing low damage in return (remember, Mew just copies the move, not the Energy gains attached).
That’s why we have some backup plans in store! First, the Budding Expeditioner Trainer card which basically serves as a Koga for Mew EX (ala Weezing) by recalling it back to your Hand and restoring full health before being comfortably back to the Bench.
So, you can use Mew EX as a sponge to soak in damage and restore HP, while Mewtwo EX and Gradevoir are set up on the Bench. But what if it still gets hit hard, maybe from an Articuno EX that hit the Energy jackpot with Misty! That’s why, we also have Jynx that you can use as a sacrificial pawn or take advantage of its move Psychic to deal huge damage to EX cards functioning on tons of Energy being attached.
Oh, and getting Ralts and evolving it all the way to Gardevoir is quicker now, thanks to the Mythical Slab Trainer card that gives you a look at the top card of your deck and draws it if Psychic, else sends it all the way to the bottom, making it easier to grab Kirlia/Gardevoir. Ultimately, you’re able to efficiently get your Mewtwo EX ready to slay the opposition!
The Psychic deck was always feared but now, Mewtwo EX has a partner in crime who can either sponge damage and stall, or do tremendous damage to OP threats with Genome Hacking, all blessed by Gardevoir’s Energy grants. Enjoy this multifunctional deck.
Even after a huge shift in the meta, the notorious Pikachu EX and Zapdos EX Lightning deck from Genetic Apex remains a force to be reckoned with! Pika EX is the star of the deck, a Basic EX card that just needs a full Bench and 2 Energy to deal 90 DMG with Circle Circuit. Draw a bunch of Basic cards at the beginning of the match, and you’ll send your opponent packing before they even realize it!
This high damage output with low investment makes it one of the most OP decks to exist in TCG Pocket, and it remains so even after the debut of Mythical Island. Zapdos plays the perfect second fiddle, tanking damage while also dishing out a possible 200 DMG with Thundering Hurricane (if you get 4 heads). This requires only 3 Energy and doesn’t even discard on usage.
Zebstrika is a great teammate, being able to snipe any Pokémon on the opponent’s side (including the Bench) with a cool 30 DMG Thunder Spear. This can often earn you KOs against weakened cards that your opponent decides to withdraw.
Overall, a very simple set with fearsome reputation and power. It’s a must-try set if you have all the cards.
The Water deck has given many players sleepless nights thanks to the OP Misty card who can give you as much Energy as you want as long as you got heads on flipping coins. Of course, getting a tail on the first flip made the card useless, leaving the Water deck underwhelming.
Now, we have some new cards that make this deck a strong tidal wave capable of sweeping away decks. First, it’s the Vaporeon card from the Mythical Island set whose Ability Wash Out lets you move Energy from one of your Benched cards to your Active Spot as many times as you want. So Vaporeon is basically a perfect mix of Misty and Gardevoir in some ways, and this is perfect for the newest EX card in this deck: Gyarados EX!
It flexes a jaw-dropping 180 HP and a move called Rampaging Whirlpool. It does a whopping 140 DMG while also discarding Energy from any card on the battlefield (yours and your opponent). The catch is that this move requires 4 Energy to use but with Vaporeon and Misty backing it up, it isn’t a concern! Vaporeon, in particular, can direct energy from any card (that ideally has plenty of Energy attached) towards Gyarados, and boom! Rampaging Whirlpool is ready to go.
Magikarp is expectedly weak but can use Leap Out to dive into the Bench. But, the Mythical Island Eevee deserves major applause as it’s one of the most powerful cards in the entire game.
What? Sounds unbelievable, right? Well, the credit for its success goes to its move Continuous Steps, which does 20 damage for every head until you get tails. Also, this insanity requires only 1 Energy. So, you can pretty much KO almost any target as long as you get flooded with heads.
Finally, there’s the veteran Articuno EX of the Water deck. One of the prime benefactors of Misty, Articuno EX uses the 80 DMG Blizzard while also doing 10 DMG to each of your opponent’s Benched Pokémon. A deadly card that can quickly eliminate the opposition, it does all the weightlifting while Gyarados and Vaporeon set up.
You can add Staryu/Starmie if you are missing some of the cards in this deck, but regardless of what you go ahead with, this Water deck hits hard!
Whether it’s Emblems, solo battles, or versus, these four decks are the sturdiest pillars of Pokémon TCG Pocket. Use them to dominate battles and have a lot of fun while you’re at it.
Happy collecting and battling, TCG Pocket-ers!