With Charizard on a pack and Venusaur celebrating its own event, Blastoise always seems to be in third place among the original starters. But Blastoise can be a force to reckon with in Pokemon TCG Pocket, where Water-type Pokemon get some of the best support in the game.
Related
Pokemon Pocket: Gyarados ex/Vaporeon Deck Guide
Gyarados ex, introduced in Pokemon TCG Pocket’s Mythical Island mini-expansion, can be a powerful card. Especially with Vaporeon at its side.
Thanks to Mythical Island, Water-type decks got a major upgrade, and Blastoise is here to make a splash (literally). In this guide, we’ll show you a sample decklist, the best strategies to make Blastoise shine, and highlight some matchups that’ll have your opponents begging for mercy. Stick with us, and soon you’ll be ruling the battlefield as a Blastoise pro.
Sample Decklist
|
Blastoise |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|
|
|
Squirtle x2 |
Wartortle x2 |
Blastoise x2 |
Articuno ex x1 |
|
|
|
|
|
Eevee x2 |
Vaporeon x2 |
Misty x2 |
Professor’s Research x2 |
|
|
|
|
|
Leaf x2 |
Poke Ball x2 |
X-Speed x1 |
|
Which Eevee you use doesn’t make much difference, since you’ll have it on your Bench most of the time. The Eevee from Mythical Island, with Continuous Steps, is the best option because it has a chance of doing a lot of damage in the rare situation that you need it, but the promo with Growl is a consistent damage reducer and the Genetic Apex version’s Tackle does more reliable damage.
The base Articuno is a fair substitute for Articuno ex, either to make every Pokemon worth a single Prize Point or because you haven’t opened the ex version yet. Articuno’s Ice Beam can’t be used as early as Ice Wing, but it Paralyzes your opponent’s Pokemon so that they can’t attack or retreat the next turn.
Swapping out Articuno ex for Articuno also lowers the rarity of all Pokemon cards to three diamonds or less, which is necessary for some missions.
Blastoise Deck Strategy
Like other Stage 2 Pokemon, Blastoise needs a couple of turns to set up before it can be used effectively. Articuno ex can absorb several hits while attacking with Ice Wing and Blizzard, then retreat to safety once you have Blastoise ready.
With Articuno ex soaking damage as your Active Pokemon, evolve Squirtle as quickly as possible and try to get an Eevee evolved into Vaporeon. A second Squirtle or Vaporeon can be added to the Bench in order to dodge Sabrina with your key Pokemon.
The Mythical Island version of Vaporeon allows you to move any amount of Energy from your benched Water-type Pokemon to your Active Water-Type Pokemon. This allows you to invest Water Energy in Articuno ex without losing pace on Blastoise, since you can transfer all of your Energy onto whatever Pokemon you move into the Active position after retreating.
Use Misty to add extra Energy to Articuno ex for early Blizzards or to your Blastoise line if Articuno ex isn’t available, but prioritize Professor’s Research as your Supporter if you don’t have the next Stage in that line in hand. Ideally, you should evolve every turn, and can’t afford to delay an evolution in favor of more Energy for later.
A big exception is if you have the opportunity to win by donking your opponent. A first turn Misty on Articuno ex has a one-in-eight chance of scoring a KO on many Pokemon with Blizzard (one in four against Magikarp with Ice Wing), so if their Bench is empty, go for it!
If Articuno ex is in danger, or when Blastoise has evolved and has a couple of Energy already, retreat Articuno ex and use Vaporeon’s Wash Out ability to move Energy onto Blastoise. Three Energy allows it to use Hydro Pump for 80 damage, but five Energy bumps that up to 140 damage.
A second Blastoise line on your Bench can be set up while your first one is attacking, and you can take advantage of Wash Out to move Energy to it when it’s time to retreat your first one.
Blastoise Matchups
Celebi ex/Serperior
Pokemon video game fans may need to be reminded that cards can only have one weakness, and none of the Water-type Pokemon in this deck are weak to Grass. While this means that you won’t need to worry about extra damage from this deck, you’ll still be at a disadvantage: Celebi ex/Serperior is faster, more consistent, and has a much higher damage cap than Blastoise.
Despite these disadvantages, Blastoise is capable of OHKOing anything in the Celebi ex/Serperior deck, and with a lucky Misty can start Knocking Out support Pokemon like Dhelmise and the Serperior line on turn one.
Pikachu ex
Pikachu ex may not be the top deck anymore, but it’s still a powerhouse, and every Water-type Pokemon in the Blastoise decklist is weak to Lightning. Additionally, Pikachu ex variants tend to be both fast and consistent, often attacking for 90 damage (110 with type advantage) by the third turn, which is the earliest you can hope to have Blastoise evolved.
Pikachu ex cannot OHKO Blastoise, and Zapdos ex can only do it with lucky flips, while Blastoise can take out anything in Pikachu’s playbook. You may be able to eke out a victory by sacrificing two single-prize Pokemon while setting up Blastoise, but only with a lot of luck.
Charizard ex/Moltres ex
Fire-type decks like Charizard ex and Arcanine ex went on the decline in the Mythical Island metagame, owing to new tools for Water-type decks that can exploit their weaknesses. While Blastoise has a decent shot against the popular Arcanine ex archetype, Charizard ex may be another story.
Charizard ex relies on stockpiling Energy from Moltres ex to use Crimson Storm a couple of times in a row, hopefully KOing two double-Prize Pokemon in the process. It has more than enough HP to tank a Hydro Blast from Blastoise, and Crimson Storm will score an immediate KO in return.
The weakness in Charizard ex decks is that they tend to put all of their eggs in one basket: If you can trade a single-Prize Pokemon for Charizard ex, your opponent may not be able to set up a second one before you collect the final Prize Point.
Next
Pokemon Pocket: Greninja/Articuno ex Deck Guide
Here’s how to build a Greninja/Articuno ex Deck in Pokemon TCG Pocket!