Some surprising cards fromPokémon Trading Card Game Pocket’s Mythical Islandexpansion are taking over the game’s meta, surprising many players. Last week,Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocketlaunched its first new expansion,Mythical Island. The new set included several new cards that upgraded existing decks and formed the basis of new ones. But while everyone expected theCelebi ex/Serperiordeck combination to become the dominant new deck, two differentMythical Islanddecks have surprisingly emerged as potential game-changers.
In a recent tournament hosted byPokémon TCGstreamerUrsiidaywith over 1,500 players, 13 players made the top 32 cut usinga Gyarados ex deck. Surprisingly, not a single Celebi ex deck made the top cut. Additionally, the winning deck was built around Golem instead of a more popular option like Pikachu ex or Mewtwo ex. Considering that so much focus was on Celebi ex whenMythical Islandcame out,no one expectedthe dominance of Gyarados ex or Golem.
Why Golem and Gyarados Ex Are Dominating Pokémon TCG Pocket
One Key Pokémon Card For Both Decks Is Druddigon
Gyarados ex has emerged as a powerhouse that dishes out 140 damage in a single turn, enough to one-hit most Pokémon in the metagame. When coupled with Greninja (who can deal out damage from the bench), players can beat literally any single card in the game.Golem has also shone as a one-point Pokémon card that can deal 100 damageand also knock out most major meta threats in the game with a single attack.
The key to both decks is the use of Druddigon, a Dragon-type Pokémon. As a Basic Pokémon, Druddigon can be played on the first turn and used as a stall while building up Gyarados ex or Golem.The key to Druddigon is its Rough Skin ability, which causes any Pokémon who attacks it while in the Active Spot to take 20 damage. Considering that Druddigon has 100 HP, it’s tough enough to survive two attacks from Pokémon like Pikachu ex and lower their HP to the point that Golem or Gyarados can knock them out.
Our Take: An Unexpected Pokémon TCG Pocket Twist
A New Slower Style Of Play Has Jumped To The Forefront In-Game
It’s fantastic that players have already figured out some unexpected deck combinations inPokémon TCG Pocket’s brand-new expansions. I expect we’ll see more experimentation with cards that weren’t often used in the game’s early weeks, which could help push other decks unexpectedly to the front of the metagame.
The use of Druddigon as an effective stall card could help inspire other intriguing and unconventionalPokémon TCG Pocketdecks in the coming weeks, especially for cards with high energy costs or other drawbacks.
