Pokemon TCG Pocket’s Current Meta Makes Two Unassuming Cards Amazing

It will be another three weeks or so for Pokemon TCG Pocket to release yet another set after Shining Reverly, and while collecting all cards may be very hard for free-to-play fans, every new expansion reshapes the battling meta. The same holds true for the new Shining Reverly set, which introduced not only shiny cards, but also some meta-defining ones. For example, Pokemon TCG Pocket‘s Giratina Ex ignores the turn-one downside entirely, Meowscarada is great at destroying opposing Ex cards, and Team Roket Grunt can deny opposing attacks. All this took the meta in new directions, and two otherwise middling cards have emerged as great counters.

It often happens in Pokemon TCG Pocket that new cards end up reaching the top of the meta, sometimes empowering past ones by creating the perfect storm for them to shine. With Shining Revelry, stall decks that didn’t find much fertile ground in Triumphant Light due to Arceus Ex decks came back with a bang, and 18-Trainer or 16-Trainer decks started making a splash in tournaments even if they didn’t run the tried and true Articuno Ex combos. There are many new avenues for good decks in this meta, and surprisingly, two of the current best cards are Wugtrio Ex and Dragonite.

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Darkrai Ex decks in Pokemon TCG Pocket are nothing new, previously running a stall version with Druddigon and Magnezone, came back in full force with Shining Revelry. This is because the new Giratina Ex pairs perfectly with Darkrai Ex’s more passive playstyle, with Druddigon rising to the top of the meta again due to its incredible stall potential. Since these decks are dominating the meta and they build their offense on the bench, disruptors like Wugtrio Ex and Dragonite are highly valuable because they can hit any card on the field and cause massive damage.

Wugtrio Ex can deal 50 damage to a random target three times, whereas Dragonite does the same thing, but four times instead of three. This makes them potentially lethal against Darkrai Ex and Giratina Ex decks, as the former has 140 HP and the latter 150, with Giratina also taking 20 damage whenever it attacks. In fact, both Wugtrio Ex and Dragonite can hypothetically one-shot these two meta cards, and both can be set up relatively easily. In the case of Wugtrio Ex, there are many 16-Trainer decklists having success with it, whereas Dragonite is a bit more finicky to build.

Wugtrio Ex is seeing more play than Dragonite because it’s easier to build overall, and Pokemon TCG Pocket‘s free starter deck can help get two copies faster for both new players and veterans. With Wugtrio, players can rely on Energy generation methods to get this Pokemon online sooner, such as Manaphy or Misty. In the case of Dragonite, players still need two different energy types to attack, which can be quite problematic if RNG doesn’t help. As such, Wugtrio Ex is the more reliable of the two in terms of attacking faster, but Dragonite has it beat when it comes to pure damage.

Wugtrio Ex and Dragonite Highlight the Need for Bench-Hitting Cards

Still, the fact that the meta made Wugtrio Ex and Dragonite emerge as possible ways to beat stall is interesting, as the game doesn’t have many reliable critters to hit the bench. A popular strategy revolves around Articuno Ex in Pokemon TCG Pocket using Blizzard to hit all opposing critters and then using Cyrus to deny bench buildups. Other cards like Hitmonlee, Azelf, and Rotom leave a lot to be desired, making Wugtrio Ex and Dragonite the most logical picks in the current meta.