Celestial Guardians has had a tremendous impact on the Pokémon TCG Pocket meta, with revolutionary Trainer cards like Rare Candy, Guzma, and Lillie, and powerful EX cards like Solgaleo and Lunala.
In the Ranked mode and Solo battles, Solgaleo EX had become the go-to Pokémon while the classic DarkTina EX duo continued to dominate. However, a certain EX card that was largely ignored by players during the early days of Celestial Guardians has risen in prominence. This humble card of an unpopular Pokémon (that’s also considered very ugly) is beating the strongest opponents left and right, and is also blending well with some older cards in its deck type.
It’s… *drum roll*… Crabominable EX! 😯
Crabominable EX is an impressive 160 HP card that has a very fun attack to play with. Called ‘Insatiable Striking,’ this move deals 40 DMG in its first strike and then it just gets better as every following strike does 80 DMG (as long as it’s not sent to the Bench by Sabrina or retreated by you).
But wait… stop right there! Doesn’t this card remind you of a popular EX card from Genetic Apex? No points for guessing but it’s good ol’ Exeggutor EX!
- Both cards possess 160 HP. While Crabominable EX can be beefed up to 180 HP with Giant Cape, Exeggutor EX takes the edge with a jaw-dropping 190 HP via Leaf Cape.
- EXegg’s DMG is at least 40 with 80 DMG relying on getting heads from a coin flip. CrabEX is more consistent in that regard, with 80 DMG guaranteed from its second turn as long as there’s no Sabrina or retreating involved.
- Retreat cost is a heft 3 Energy for both, making 2 Leaf cards mandatory in their decks.
- When it comes to healing, Erika heals 50 DMG from any Grass type while Irida heals 40 DMG from any Pokémon if they have at least one Water Energy attached.
- Overall, CrabEX has an offensive edge while EXEgg has a defensive edge.
Now that we have a very good idea of how CrabEX works (along with the EXegg analogy to help us), let’s see why it has become a top-notch fighter.
Here’s why Crabominable EX is so good in Pokémon TCG Pocket:
- No matter how much the meta shifts or what mechanics come into play, dealing damage from the get-go with low Energy is a major perk in battle. CrabEX starts dishing out 40 DMG at only 1 Energy followed by a consistent 80 DMG every other turn. 120 DMG in two turns is enough to KO non-EX Basic cards or severely weaken Basic EX cards.
- As a Water type, it deals super-effective damage to the famed Charizard EX card. For the soaring Shining Revelry version, doing no damage in the turn it uses Stoke is dangerous. Also, Charizard EX traditionally can’t OHKO Crabominable EX with its 150 DMG Steam Artillery.
- Backed with Poison Barb/Rocky Helmet and Irida’s healing, Crabominable EX is a force to be reckoned with. It starts applying early pressure and unlike many strong Water types, it doesn’t require Misty at all. So, you can devote Misty entirely to a teammate.
- Moreover, it doesn’t even need Rare Candy since it’s a Stage 1 evolution. While Rare Candy decks are scary, you’d still have to find the said Item as well as the Stage 2 card. No such worries with CrabEX. The luxury of being independent of stuff like Misty and Rare Candy is worth appreciation.
- Crabominable EX’s pre-evolution Crabrawler is a Fighting-type card! In case you haven’t figured out the specialty of this card yet, well… it does super-effective damage to the notorious, silly, anti-EX yellow bird of nightmares: the Lightning-type Pom Pom Style Oricorio. Two hits from the brawling crab are enough to send the bird packing.
The success of Crabominable EX is more on the Trainer cards it goes to battle with and less on its Pokémon partners as only 1-2 of them suffice. I’ll address the best Pokémon partners for Crabominable EX in the next section but first, here are the mandatory Trainer cards the CrabEX line needs:
These cards obviously (in addition to Poké Ball and Professor’s Research) are vital in ensuring the optimal performance of Crabominable EX.
- Leaf, that too two copies of it, is core as Crabominable EX has a hefty 3 Energy retreat cost.
- Irida (can go with two copies) ensures 40 DMG healing, keeping Crabominable EX healthy.
- Guzma is one of the best Supporters in the game, throwing the opponent’s Pokémon Tools like Poison Barb, Rocky Helmet, and Gianta Cape out of the window.
- Poison Barb and Rocky Helmet serve the same purpose: No one wants to lose HP when going up against a Pokémon that does consistent damage for only 1 Energy.
- In the same vein, cards would like to withdraw against Crabominable EX’s onslaught. Cyrus helps pull them back for more.
- Red amps up the damage output against EX cards, making the Crab scarier.
- It’s cool to include Giant Cape, Sabrina, and Team Rocket Grunt if need be.
Wugtrio EX
The criminally underrated Wugtrio EX is a great partner in crime to Crabominable EX. While CrabEX stalls in the Active Spot, you can build Wugtrio EX on the Bench. The best thing is that the flipside of getting Wiglett in the Active Spot is good as well. Spring Out deals 30 DMG to a random card from the opposition and once you have 3 Energy and Wugtrio EX ready, Pop Out Throughout chooses one Pokémon at random three times, and each time, it does 50 DMG.
If you get lucky with Misty, Wugtrio EX can end the game even before the opponent realizes it! The Crabominable-Wugtrio EX duo is a match-winning combo, with a lot of damage hitting opponents right from the outset. Cyrus is deadly in this deck.
Palkia EX
I came across this quote in a Reddit thread some time back: “Imagine Crabominable EX in the Active Spot and Palkia EX behind it.” Chills!
Crabominable EX armed with a Poison Barb/Rocky Helmet can do the weight-lifting in the Active Spot while the formidable Palkia EX gathers Energy to OHKO most of the meta. In this deck, equip Palkia EX with Giant Cape and include two Misty cards to possibly turn Palkia EX ballistic in no time.
The fact that Palkia can do 30 DMG with 1 Energy is very handy as a possible Sabrina switch won’t leave you clueless.
Articuno EX
NEVER count out Genetic Apex Articuno EX! If you think Palkia EX is kinda risky and would prefer sticking to Crabominable EX’s principle of doing quick damage, Articuno EX is all you need. 80 DMG plus 10 DMG to all Benched cards is stellar and can help win matches for you. Needless to say, two Misty cards are recommended again, as well as healing and Giant Cape.
All the best, Pokémon TCG Pocket-ers!
