Key Takeaways
- Pikachu ex dominates battles with over 55% win rate when paired with Raichu, Zapdos ex, Zebstrika, or Electrode.
- Arcanine ex and Moltres ex combo is underutilized but has over 52.5% win rate in Pokemon TCG Pocket matches.
- Mewtwo ex only appears once in the charts, ranked ninth, proving Pikachu ex’s dominance in the game.
The launch of the Lapras ex and Genetic Apex Emblem events in Pokemon Trading Card Game Pocket saw the game’s battling scene become more competitive as players sought to determine the most viable decks to rack up wins.
Decks revolving around Mewtwo ex, Pikachu ex, Starmie ex, Venusaur ex, and Dragonite all rose to prominence during the period.
While it was hard to determine which of these decks was actually the best, one Pokemon TCG Pocket player has crunched the numbers, looking at the results of almost 30,000 matches and figuring out which really is the cream of the crop.
Shared on Reddit, user -OA- analyzed win rates from 29,326 Pokemon Trading Card Game Pocket matches. They found that one card in particular was dominating battles.
When coupled with a range of Pokemon, Pikachu ex had a win rate of over 55 percent, making it the best in class. It took the top four spots for win percentage, as pairings with Raichu, Zapdos ex, Zebstrika, and Electrode overshaddowed the leaderboards.
Pikachu ex had a win rate of over 55 percent, making it the best in class.
The fifth-place deck was somewhat more surprising and is perhaps underutilized by players. A combination of Arcanine ex and Moltres ex had a win rate of over 52.5 percent, with Moltres ex able to generate quick energies onto its counterpart. The only other two decks to fall into this bracket were a solo Articuno ex deck and an Articuno ex and Starmie ex combination.
Although one of the most popular cards in the TCG, Mewtwo ex only appeared once out of the 24 decks in the analysis, coming in ninth place with a win rate hovering around 50 percent.
The top 10 decks, ranked by win rate, according to -OA-‘s analysis, are as follows:
- Pikachu ex and Raichu
- Pikachu ex and Zapdos
- Pikachu ex and Zebstrika
- Pikachu ex and Electrode
- Arcanine ex and Moltres ex
- Articuno ex and Starmie ex
- Articuno ex
- Articuno ex and Greninja
- Mewtwo ex and Gardevoir
- Starmie ex and Greninja
Pikachu ex’s dominance is no surprise. As a basic ex, it can be played straight from the hand and takes only two energy to deal 90 damage, 100 if combined with Giovanni, and up to 120 against some of the game’s other most meta-relevant Pokemon. While Mewtwo ex can also be played straight away, its four energy cost, and reliance on getting Ralts evolved to Gardevoir, make it a bit more susceptible to RNG.
Articuno ex is another one that can be played straight off the bat, and its three-cost energy move, which deals 80 damage, is solid, especially when it deals 10 damage to the opponent’s benched Pokemon. Combined with Greninja, which can hit any Pokemon for 20 damage, even from its own bench, you have the opportunity to take out any low-HP benched Pokemon pretty easily.
With the game in its infancy, new packs due out next month, and trading on the horizon, the meta is only going to evolve, but it’s interesting to see such an early front-runner. Now we just need to see if the developers plan to nerf cards based on their dominance.
Experience the fun of collecting Pokémon Trading Card Game (TCG) cards with Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket, an upcoming game for iOS and Android devices from Creatures Inc., the original developers of the Pokémon TCG, and DeNA Co., Ltd.
In this game, you will be able to open two booster packs every day at no cost. You can collect digital cards featuring nostalgic artwork from the past as well as brand-new cards that are exclusive to Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket.
Be on the lookout for new “immersive cards,” which will make you feel as though you’ve leapt into the world of the card’s illustration.