I’m very confused as to how Pokemon TCG Pocket works. Not in a battling sense, I know that Mewtwo ex, Pikachu ex, and Starmie ex are horribly meta. Not in a collecting sense, where I know that every mechanic in the app is aimed to direct you towards opening packs and, eventually, spending money.
But this game is filled with conspiracies. From turning your packs around to unreliable pack weights, I’m certain there are some shenanigans going on behind the scenes. Another such theory was revealed to me over the weekend, by virtue of a kind email from a reader named Shelly.
Venusaur Still Eludes Me
Shelly was responding to my article bemoaning my luck with the Venusaur ex event. I’d perfected my Charizard ex deck so that I could batter Venusaur with my eyes closed (or, more accurately, with the auto button enabled). And yet, I pulled nine Haunter and nine Onix in my first 23 packs.
30 Expert-level wins and I still didn’t have a Venusaur. A weekend of Charizard perfection didn’t help my situation. And then I arrived in my office on Monday morning to an email. Shelly’s email. She suggested changing up my deck, playing each time with a different line-up and, most importantly, a different energy type.
“Not sure if this helps… I have like 6 of those Venusaur cards. Try winning the battles with different energy type decks. I find that different decks yield different results on the promo cards. I switch them up and now have multiple of each one.”
She signed off with a kind, “Good luck” and I decided to try it. I’ve got nearly every card in the game (regular art Gyarados and Exeggutor ex are still holding out) and can build most meta decks, even if I still prefer to pretend to be Team Rocket in PvP.
The Shelly Method: Switch Up Your Deck Types
I opted for Mewtwo ex first. It was the first time I’d actually used the meta deck, and it predictably breezed past the AI. I was rewarded with Jigglypuff. Not great, but not Onix at least. I changed things up again, to my Pikachu ex deck. I drew poorly and struggled over the finish line this time around, but the hard-fought success resulted in another green event pack. Could it be the one? Could Shelly’s method work?
Shelly, I thank you from the bottom of my heart. I am now the proud owner of a limited edition alt art Venusaur ex, and you are the sole reason for that. Is it because I’ve opened over 30 packs at this point and the odds had to even out at some point? Perhaps. But on the second match after using Shelly’s strategy, I’m a believer.
I need a little more testing going forward. I wondered if there was some Lightning-type juju, so my next match used Pikachu ex again, though it only rewarded Greninja. But Shelly said to change up the type every match. Maybe I’ll rotate between Charizard and Mewtwo going forwards. Keep switching between the two until Venusaur turns up again. If my luck with this strategy so far is anything to go by, I should get my second Venusaur tomorrow. After that, I never have to engage with this d*rn event ever again.
Pokemon TCG Pocket is filled with childlike conspiracies, little quirks that people are sharing on the playgrounds of social media. And a lot of it works. It may be confirmation bias or coincidence, but I’m a believer. If you, like me, are still struggling to complete the Venusaur ex event thanks to the insulting pull rates, I urge you to try the Shelly Method. It worked for her, it worked for me, and it might just work for you, too.
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Pokemon Pocket: 10 Best Cards To Use In Venusaur Solo Battle Event
Looking to dominate the Venusaur ex event in Pokemon Trading Card Game Pocket? Look no further than these terrific options for cruising to victory.