Decks That Improved From Mythical Island In Pokemon TCG Pocket

Mythical Island is a much-needed expansion to revitalize the current meta before the next major set is released. Its theme focuses on smaller legendary Pokemon like Mew and Celebi, while offering solid support for a variety of decks.

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Many decks have seen improvements in basic Pokemon dealing more damage or having abilities that mill through the deck more efficiently. While not all decks benefited equally, Mythical Island has made more decks viable in Pokemon Pocket overall.

10

Pikachu Ex

While Pikachu EX did not see as much improvement as its top-tier rival, Mewtwo EX, it still gained significant benefits from the new expansion. Pikachu EX now has access to Dedenne, a low-cost Electric type capable of inflicting paralysis. While Pikachu EX decks don’t rely heavily on stalling, the ability to buy a turn and pivot to another strategy is a welcome improvement for a deck that was previously too defensively weak to do so.

The addition of the Trainer card Blue has also given Pikachu EX a fighting chance against the popular Arcanine EX. The extra ten defense now allows Pikachu EX to outduel Arcanine EX—a feat that was previously almost impossible, as Arcanine EX could one-shot Pikachu EX in earlier matchups.

9

Dragonite

Dragon types received minimal support in Genetic Apex, with only three Dragon Pokemon and no cards that directly synergized with them. While Mythical Island wasn’t particularly generous to Dragons either, it did introduce a new Dragon Pokemon, Druddigon. Druddigon uses Water and Fire energy, which doesn’t synergize well with the Lightning- and Water-oriented Dragonite. However, it is a 100 HP basic Pokemon with an effect that deals 20 damage to any Pokemon that attacks it.

Druddigon is finding a place in many stall-focused decks. At a minimum, pairing Druddigon with Leaf offers a stronger alternative to the Weezing-and-Koga combination commonly seen in Dragonite decks. Mew EX paired with Budding Expeditioner also serves as a stall upgrade over Weezing, though it comes with a tradeoff—you’ll lose two points if Mew EX is knocked out, compared to just one with Weezing.

8

Pidgeot Arbok

One of the better mid-tier decks, Pidgeot and Arbok displayed excellent synergy. Their combined effects provided strong board control by forcing weaker benched Pokemon into the active spot and trapping them there. However, the Pidgeot and Arbok combo suffered from a notable weakness: a lack of late-game offensive power.

Pidgeot EX significantly enhances the Pidgey line and fits into many decks due to its colorless energy requirement. It deals 80 damage, which is modest, but its attack scales with your opponent’s bench size, reaching up to 140 damage. A well-timed Pokeflute can supply the extra power Pidgeot EX needs. Pairing Pidgeot EX with Pidgeot is also a flexible strategy, enabling you to respond effectively to different game scenarios.

7

Blastoise Ex

Water has the highest population of Pokemon and the most quality Pokemon cards of any type. Many good water monsters saw niche play due to the superiority of some of the best Genetic Apex cards like Starmie Ex and Articuno. Blastoise Ex has slowly been seeing better tournament results, carving out its niche.

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A new and better version of Eevee and Vaporean exists, and Vaporean’s effect allows you to reallocate your energy. One of Blastoise’s biggest problems is its damage which can be resolved if you put 5 energy on it, a weakness Vaporean can easily fix.

6

Exeggutor Ex

In the early phases of Pokemon Pocket, Exeggutor EX caused issues for players due to its early-game tankiness. However, Exeggutor EX and Grass types in general were limited by their lack of firepower. The new Exeggutor scales its damage based on your opponent’s energy, giving Exeggutor EX decks a late-game answer to energy-heavy Pokemon like Mew EX.

Additionally, Celebi is a common partner for Exeggutor. Celebi can amass significant damage output, especially when paired with the Serperior line. Another variant involves combining Exeggutor EX with Mew EX and Budding Expeditioner to create a defensive wall, allowing Exeggutor to safely build up its required four energy.

5

Koga Weezing

Koga and Weezing was the most versatile combination from Genetic Apex, but it lacked a heavy hitter, as Grimer and Muk are too energy-intensive to be effective. Whirlipede and Scolipede offer superior stats compared to Muk and Grimer, along with a lower retreat cost. While Koga doesn’t synergize with Whirlipede and Scolipede, the newly introduced Leaf card provides the option to retreat them when needed.

Mythical Island also introduces new versions of Weezing and Koffing. The new Koffing can search for another Koffing and mill your deck, while the updated Weezing deals more damage than the original but doesn’t apply poison. For upgrading your Weezing deck, it’s best to stick with the Genetic Apex Weezing, as it retains the valuable poison effect.

4

Arcanine Ex

Whether you are playing the niche Arcanine EX deck or the more common hybrid of Arcanine and Charizard, Arcanine EX will be a valuable card moving forward. This is largely due to the meta shift with Celebi EX emerging as one of the most popular and powerful cards. Fortunately, Celebi is weak to Fire, allowing Arcanine EX to defeat it with a single blow.

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As Pokemon Pocket evolves, speed is becoming an increasingly critical factor. Arcanine EX’s speed is significantly greater than Charizard EX, making it a viable option to cut the Charizard EX line altogether. Additionally, including Giovanni in your deck enables Arcanine EX to knock out threats like the new Mew EX and other problematic cards from Genetic Apex, such as Starmie EX.

3

Starmie Ex

The new Vaporeon is a significant boost for all water-themed decks. Starmie EX, known as an early-game powerhouse, can now efficiently team up with a late-game monster like Gyarados EX without the drawback of slowly building energy for Gyarados EX.

Vaporeon’s ability to transfer energy works especially well with Starmie EX. Since Starmie EX has no retreat cost, it can effectively pass two of its points to any Pokemon it tags out with, preventing it from being easily revenge-killed. Cards like Leaf further enhance the deck’s flexibility, providing more options for retreat tactics and overall board control.

2

Blaine

Ninetales and Rapidash were the backbones of the best deck that doesn’t feature an EX monster. Their ability to generate substantial power while requiring minimal energy made them a nightmare for decks with weak early-game setups. With the rise of Celebi, Serperior, and Exeggutor, Ninetales becomes even more valuable, as it can easily defeat all of them when paired with Blaine.

Additionally, Mythical Island offers unique versions of Ponyta and Rapidash that deal more damage on average than their Genetic Apex counterparts. Magmar, which also works with Blaine, has received an upgrade, dealing over 30 more damage than its previous iteration at the cost of sacrificing its energy.

1

Mewtwo Ex

Arguably, the best deck has only improved with Mythical Island. Mewtwo EX and Gardevoir offer the best combination of a consistent energy engine and high damage output. One of Mewtwo EX’s major weaknesses is its lack of options in the early game, often forcing players to rely on defensive options like the standard Mewtwo or the Hypno line.

Mew EX offers more HP and the ability to deal 20 damage, giving players additional strategic flexibility. Mythical Slab mills your deck, allowing you to access key Psychic Pokemon more efficiently while providing insight into which trainer cards you may struggle to draw into.

Systems

Released

October 30, 2024

Publisher(s)

The Pokemon Company

Multiplayer

Online Multiplayer

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