Summary
- Sudowoodo can take down Arceus EX in two turns due to its Fighting Headbutt attack.
- Fighting Headbutt’s 30 bonus damage to EX Pokemon is effective against Arceus.
- Despite being based on luck and game circumstances, Sudowoodo can be a strategic counter against Arceus ex.
Pokemon Trading Card Game Pocket players have already discovered a counter to Arceus ex that can quickly take down the powerful legendary Pokemon using a simple Sudowoodo. Sudowoodo is far from the most intimidating monster included in Pokemon Trading Card Game Pocket, but some players have discovered it can knock out the newest cover star in just two turns.
The Triumphant Light expansion for Pokemon TCG Pocket was released on February 28, just hours after its big reveal during the Pokemon Presents 2025 showcase. The fourth major set of cards released for the game aside from Promo Card rewards, this expansion sets itself apart from previous entries, as several of its most powerful cards include abilities centered around one Pokemon, Arceus, who has normal and EX versions included in its base set of 75 new cards.
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Arceus EX is a particularly intimidating card, featuring 140 HP and an Ultimate Force attack that deals out 70 damage plus 20 more for each of the opponent’s benched Pokemon, all for the cost of just three energy of any type. Its colorless typing means that players can comfortably throw it into any deck without worrying about mixing up their energy pool, and its Fabled Luster ability prevents it from being affected by any special conditions. But as pointed out by Reddit user Burkowitzz, an unlikely entry in the Pokemon TCG Pocket Triumphant Light card list can potentially take Arceus EX down before it ever has a chance to attack. With a little bit of luck, Sudowoodo can potentially earn a player two points in as many turns with the use of its Fighting Headbutt attack.
How Sudowoodo Counters Arceus EX in Pokemon TCG Pocket
Fighting Headbutt is not a powerful attack on its own, dealing out 20 base damage at a cost of one energy, which is a pretty standard damage-to-energy ratio for a Basic Pokemon card. Its power lies in the additional 30 damage it deals to all EX Pokemon. Additionally, Arceus EX has a weakness to Fighting-type attacks, boosting Fighting Headbutt’s effectiveness against it to 70 per attack. That’s half of Arceus EX’s base HP total, and considering that its only attack requires three energy to use, that means a head-to-head match-up between the two lets Sudowoodo take down Arceus EX before it ever has a chance to attack, provided that no Pokemon TCG Pocket Pokemon Tools or potions come into play.
Of course, the randomness of pulling cards doesn’t make this counter strategy foolproof, as the Sudowoodo player would have to go second, and the amount of time required to get Arceus ex going means most players would probably opt to keep it on the bench until it’s ready to attack. Still, under the right circumstances, it could be a very effective strategy with the highly requested release of ranked matches in Pokemon TCG Pocket coming at the end of March.
