All Item Cards In Pokemon TCG Pocket, Ranked

Most cards in Pokemon Pocket have strict conditions behind them. Pokemon can only evolve once per turn, and you cannot play evolved ones without their basic version on the board. Similarly, despite how strong Supporter cards are, they’re balanced around the fact that you can only use one every turn.

A series of Pokemon cards, including Moltres EX, Pikachu EX, and Meowth set on a subdued green background.

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However, item cards are different. You can empty an entire hand of items on a single turn or keep it hidden for that one decisive moment. Cards like the Pokeball are also staples of every deck, with no meta deck functioning without them. From card draws to discounted retreats to information advantages, here’s what all items in Pokemon TCG Pocket can do and which ones are worth putting in your deck.

7

Pokedex

Look At Your Next Draw

Pokemon Pocket is much faster than other TCG games like Hearthstone or Magic: The Gathering. With only 20 cards in each deck, it’s easier to figure out what your chances are at getting a card you desperately need in the next draw.

If you don’t like what you see in the Pokedex, you can use a Pokeball to reshuffle your next draw!

Still, if you’re unsure of your luck, putting a copy of the Pokedex lets you look at the top cards in your deck. This helps you plan ahead, letting you play more aggressively if you draw a Sabrina next or risk putting your main Pokemon on the field if you can top-deck a Potion or an evolution.

6

Potion

Heal An Allied Pokemon

Regardless of how nuanced the combat in Pokemon Pocket is, the strongest decks in the game are the ones best at one-shotting you. Mewtwo Ex, Charizard EX, and even less bursty cards like Pikachu EX want to make you faint in a single turn to stop your energy-invested Pokemon from doing anything.

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For this, most early-game phases consist of lowering your opponent’s HP to get them within a comfortable hitting range. If the opponent’s EX cards can’t end you instantly, they risk giving out two points after their attacks. For this reason, Potions are a superb counter, letting your Pokemon stay alive just one turn longer, enough to turn the tides and gain two points while giving one or to simply stall while your own Mewtwo EX or Alakazam gets fed while on the bench.

5

Fossil Cards

Tech Against Specific Cards

Helix Fossil, Dome Fossil, and Old Amber function the same way. They’re more like special base Pokemon than actual items, being used primarily to evolve into stronger Pokemon. Not only are these evolved versions rarer than normal cards, but they’re also not nearly as good as some of the other Pokemon you can put in your deck.

Since these don’t count as Pokemon, Sabrina can’t forcefully make you switch to them. Similarly, you can’t draw them with Pokeballs.

However, these fossil cards also work as tech for a number of reasons. First, they’re a very good counter to Sabrina, one of the best cards in Pokemon Pocket. They’re also amazing tanks since you can Retreat them for free by discarding them. Additionally, they let you have an early-game Pokemon to start the game with and take damage without decreasing the consistency of your Pokeballs targeting your combo pieces.

4

Hand Scope

Look At The Opponent’s Hand

Strategy card games are all about information. You can have all your combo pieces on board but still lose if you can’t figure out the opponent’s response. In games like Yu-Gi-Oh, knowing your opponent’s hand is essentially the same as winning the game. This information warfare is a lot less extreme in Pokemon Pocket, but that doesn’t mean it’s without value.

Similarly to the Pokedex, knowing what your opponent can do in the next few turns can greatly benefit your own game plan. If they have Potions, knowing that can tell you that whittling them down might not be a good idea, letting you invest your Energy better. It’s also one of the best counters against the Red Card, letting you protect your hand against it by dumping your important stuff the moment you see it in the enemy’s hand.

3

Red Card

Shuffle Opponent’s Hand Into Deck

Pokemon Pocket doesn’t have a lot of disruption. There are cards like Gengar EX that stop you from playing Supporters and attacks like Arbok’s Corner that force your opponent’s active Pokemon to stay on-field, but you need to have those cards active to make any use of them.

A collage of Fighting Pokemon TCG Pocket Card Art.

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They pack a punch.

The Red Card directly ruins your foe’s plans by shuffling their hand into their deck. This can singlehandedly make you win games by using it when the opponent has a lot of cards in their hand or when it seems like they’re preparing for a game-ending turn.

2

X Speed

Discount Your Retreat Costs

Games in Pokemon Pocket are all about defeating cards. There’s no face or nexus to hit. As such, prioritizing your Pokemon is a bigger deal than in other card games. This stands twice as true for your EX Pokemon, especially those your opponent can target to end games quickly by scoring two points in one go.

You can use multiple X Speed cards in the same turn, letting you use Retreat on certain Pokemon for free.

In Pokemon TCG Pocket, you can choose to bench your Pokemon by using Retreat and discarding a certain number of attached Energy. However, there are cases where you either don’t have enough Energy, or you need to save it. Playing two copies of X Speed is a necessity in nearly every deck for this reason, making it one of the best and most useful cards in Pokemon Pocket.

1

Pokeball

Draw Basic Pokemon From Deck

The Pokeball card art in Pokemon TCG Pocket.

The relatively small size of Pokemon Pocket decks makes it very easy to get your combos on board. As such, putting extra Pokemon is rarely ever better than only adding those that aid your game plan. This is largely due to the Pokeball item card, which lets you fish out for these specific basic Pokemon from your deck.

Furthermore, Pokeballs can be used to increase the consistency of your Professor Oak cards by thinning your deck of base Pokemon. This can be extremely powerful in decks that use evolved versions of their cards for their main combo, such as a Venusaur EX deck.