Pokemon TCG Pocket has hundreds of cards to collect, over 200 cards are available, though that number goes up when you start counting all the different promo cards, immersive cards, illustration rares, and more. Some of these cards are great in decks, while others are purely aesthetic and great to collect.
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If you are wondering which cards are essential for your deck-building process, we have narrowed down all these cards so you know which you should craft and which you should probably wait until you open them in packs. That said, if you’re waiting for a single card before you have the perfect deck, don’t let us stop you
10
Helix Fossil – Trainer
Found In: Genetic Apex – Pikachu
One of the more curious cards in Pokemon TCG Pocket is the Helix Fossil. This Trainer card acts like a Basic Pokemon, with 40 HP, though it doesn’t have any attacks or abilities. If your opponent KOs the Helix Fossil, they still gain a point, so be careful how you use it.
The nice thing about the Helix Fossil is that you can choose to discard it from the bench anytime you want and your opponent doesn’t gain a point, and it doesn’t count as a Basic Pokemon when the game is drawing you an opening hand or when you play a Poke Ball.
9
Primeape – Stage 1
Found In: Genetic Apex – Charizard
This card has catapulted up in power with the release of the Promo A 17 Mankey. For two Fighting Energy, Primape deals 40 damage to your opponent’s active Pokemon with its Fight Back attack, but if it has any damage counters on it, Fight Back deals a huge 100 points of damage.
Mankey will deal 10 damage to itself, setting you up to use Primape’s unleashed attack to KO most Basic Pokemon and some Stage 1 Pokemon. Even if you’re not able to damage Primeape a little, it sits at 90 HP which helps them survive most attacks.
8
Gardevoir – Stage 2
Found In: Genetic Apex – Mewtwo
An essential card in practically every Psychic-based deck, Gardevoir is a rare card that can only be found in the Mewtwo packs from Genetic Apex. What makes them essential is the Psy Shadow ability, which lets you take a Psychic Energy and attach it to the Psychic Pokemon in the Active Spot.
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While more often than not you’ll be powering up Mewtwo EX to get Psydrive active in just two turns, you can also use it to get your Gengar EX online or an Alakazam for some serious damage.
7
Erika – Trainer
Found In: Genetic Apex – Charizard
If you’re building a Grass-based deck you absolutely need to be playing the Erika Trainer. This Supporter heals 50 damage from 1 of your Grass-type Pokemon, which is a significant amount of HP, 30 more than a regular Potion.
Erika is only an uncommon card, so it takes just 70 Pack Points to craft Erika, which requires you to open 14 packs, which isn’t the worst. Combine this card with other Grass Pokemon that have healing powers, like Butterfree and Venusaur EX, and you’ll have a sustainable deck that will be hard to disrupt.
6
Exeggutor – Stage 1
Found In: Genetic Apex – Charizard
Speaking of Grass Pokemon, Exeggutor is a great Rare card that can take a bunch of damage and potentially deal a ton of damage too. Exeggutor is a Stage 1 Pokemon with a substantial 130 HP, letting you take a hit or two before doing down.
Exeggutor has just one attack, Stomp, which deals 30 damage normally, or 60 damage if you win a coin flip. All that for just one Grass Energy too. This means it takes very little deck space to play, and only takes a single turn to get online.
5
Moltres EX – Basic
Found In: Genetic Apex – Charizard
One of the most important cards in any Fire-based deck, Moltres EX is an extremely powerful engine for powering up your Pokemon. For one Fire Energy you can use Inferno Dance. This attack has you flip three coins and put one Fire Energy for each head you get to any of your benched Fire Pokemon.
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That means you can’t power up Moltres EX directly to reach that three Energy Heat Blast attack with it, but you can get a Benched Charizard or Arcanine EX online much faster than before. Sure, relying on the randomness of coin flips isn’t always the best, but even if you get one extra Energy, it is worth it.
4
Pikachu EX – Basic
Found In: Genetic Apex – Pikachu
Arguably one of the best Pokemon EX cards in the game right now, Pikachu EX is a beast at dishing out damage super early in the game. For two Lightning Energy you can use Pikachu EX’s Circle Circuit attack. This deals 30 damage for each Lightning Pokemon on your Bench, dealing upwards of 90 damage as early as your second turn.
Pikachu EX doesn’t have a ton of HP, only sitting at 120, but with a retreat cost of just one Colorless Energy you can back them out if it gets a bit too dicey.
3
Giovanni – Trainer
Found In: Genetic Apex – Mewtwo
An incredibly versatile Supporter that practically every deck should be running, the eighth Gym Leader from the Kanto region, Giovanni lets you push some extra damage when you play it. During your turn, your Active Pokemon deals an extra 10 damage to your opponent’s Active Pokemon.
While 10 damage might not be a ton, it can frequently give you just enough to put your opponents at a disadvantage. Keep in mind that it only boosts damage done to the Active Pokemon, so if you have an attack that deals damage to Pokemon the Bench, it won’t deal any extra damage.
2
Misty – Trainer
Found In: Genetic Apex – Pikachu
If you’re building a Water-type deck, Misty is the most critical card in the deck, outside of the Pokemon themselves, of course. Misty is a Supporter that lets you pick a Water Pokemon and then start flipping coins until you hit tails.
For each head you flip, you add a Water Energy to that Pokemon. If you’re lucky, you can add enough Water Energy to use that Pokemon’s attack that turn. This card is essential in Articuno EX decks, where you can potentially wipe your opponent on your first turn.
1
Sabrina – Trainer
Found In: Genetic Apex – Charizard
Easily the card every player should be crafting if they haven’t opened it naturally is Sabrina, a Trainer card from the Charizard packs in Genetic Apex. This Supporter forcibly switches out your opponent’s Active Pokemon, making them place a different Pokemon there instead.
You can use this card defensively and offensively, getting rid of a potential threat by kicking it out of the Active Spot, or forcing your opponent to swap in a potentially weaker or more vulnerable Pokemon for you to KO.
- Released
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October 30, 2024
- Publisher(s)
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The Pokemon Company
- Multiplayer
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Online Multiplayer