The Pokémon TCG Pocket meta should’ve not too long ago turned 30 — as a result of it’s lastly settling down!Launched in late 2024, Pokémon TCG Pocket is a card-collecting sport with a aggressive streak — a streamlined iteration on the traditional Pokémon buying and selling card sport. There’s incentive to play battles, as profitable earns you XP, which helps you stage up, which helps you open extra booster packs, which helps you construct higher decks to win extra battles. Ah, the nice cellular sport suggestions loop.What follows is a abstract of the Pokémon TCG Pocket meta as of April 2025, together with one of the best decks and one of the best playing cards within the wake of the Area-Time Smackdown enlargement and Triumphant Mild and Shining Revelry booster pack.Replace (April 8): Defined the state of the meta in gentle of Shining Revelry’s arrival, which has added new ‘greatest playing cards’ to think about for any deck.What’s the Pokémon TCG Pocket meta proper now?Graphic: Polygon | Supply pictures: Creatures, DeNA/The Pokémon CompanyOnce upon a time, in case you didn’t have the cardboard(s) of the second, you have been finished for. That’s not the case. With eight enlargement packs to select from — the three Genetic Apex launch packs, two Area-Time Smackdown packs, and the singular Legendary Island, Triumphant Mild, and Shining Revelry boosters — there’s a wealth of choices to construct your decks.The Pokémon TCG Pocket meta has developed to a degree the place it’s much less in regards to the taste of month, and extra a few sequence of stalwart archetypes that may be personalized primarily based on the playing cards in your assortment. The latest expansions, Triumphant Mild and Shining Revelry, didn’t upend the meta a lot as introduce a handful of versatile playing cards.For example, Arceus ex from Triumphant Mild is a well-liked one, not simply due to its sheer injury output (as much as 130!) but additionally as a result of it suits into many decks. Shining Revelry, in the meantime, added an alternate model of Charizard ex, nevertheless it doesn’t seem like way more well-liked than the unique. In the meantime, it’s the coach playing cards from Shining Revelry which have actually made the largest influence (which we additionally get into under).In different phrases, for probably the most half, the decks which were well-liked this yr attained that recognition for a purpose: They’re actually good, and proceed to be actually good to at the present time. Anticipate to see a bunch of those whereas climbing the Ranked mode ladder. Learn on for particulars.Pokémon TCG Pocket greatest decksKnowing one of the best playing cards of the second is one factor, however getting these playing cards is one other matter. Proper now, the Pokémon TCG Pocket meta is essentially outlined by ex playing cards — high-power playing cards which can be additionally extraordinarily uncommon — however a variety of a playing cards that may enhance your vitality manufacturing are additionally fairly well-liked.Just about each deck that has been dominant to this point remains to be highly effective, although you don’t see them round as often with the arrival of Area-Time Smackdown. To be clear, they’re no much less efficient — only a bit passé. With that in thoughts, we’re holding them on this checklist of one of the best decks, and are including the three latest additions to the highest — that means the eight greatest decks in Pokémon TCG Pocket as of April 2025 are:Darkrai ex (darkness-type)Dialga ex (metal-type)Lucario (fighting-type)Celebi ex (grass-type)Charizard ex and Moltres ex (fire-type)Articuno ex and Lapras ex (water-type)Pikachu ex (electric-type)Mewtwo ex and Gardevoir (psychic-type)You’ll see that one of the best decks are nonetheless constructed round a single vitality kind, to reduce yet one more coin flip in battles. We’ll get into element about why these decks are so profitable under. And in case you’re on a foul luck streak with opening booster packs, it’s also possible to use pack factors or buying and selling the get the precise card(s) you’re searching for.Listed here are one of the best decks in Pokémon TCG Pocket, with the important thing playing cards for every deck highlighted in daring.Graphic: Polygon/Ana Diaz | Picture sources: Creatures Inc., DeNA/The Pokémon Firm through PolygonDarkrai ex is the stuff of nightmares. As an ex card, its stat line (140 HP and an assault that prices three vitality and offers 80 injury) isn’t notably superb. However its capacity, Nightmare Aura, makes up for the deficit. Each time you connect a darkness vitality to Darkrai ex, you’ll robotically deal 20 injury to your opponent’s energetic Pokémon.That further 20 injury is commonly sufficient to remove an opponent’s energetic Pokémon when mixed with an assault from yours. And in case you’re frightened about Darkrai ex hogging vitality from the remainder of your workforce, you should use the Daybreak coach card, which lets you transfer vitality from a benched Pokémon to your energetic Pokémon.Whereas Darkrai ex has synergy with hottest darkness-type Pokémon (like Weezing, Toxicroak, Arbok, or the Nido evolution chains), the hack right here is unconventional: Magnezone, with its highly effective 110-damage assault, Thunder Blast. Its earlier-stage evolution, Magneton, has a capability that lets you add one lightning-type vitality to it per flip — no matter what vitality kind you’ve set to your deck. The result’s one Pokémon that accrues vitality all by itself and one other Pokémon that persistently offers injury just by present.The addition of Dialga ex to TCG Pocket has singlehandedly turned metal-type decks from laughable to aggressive. It has 150 HP. Considered one of its assaults offers 100 injury (albeit at the price of 4 vitality). However the secret weapon is its Metallic Turbo assault, which solely offers 30 injury however lets you connect two metal-type vitality to any Pokémon in your bench.This instantly lowers the beforehand prohibitively excessive vitality value for highly effective metal-type playing cards like Melmetal. However as a result of colorless-type Pokémon can use any kind of vitality, it’s additionally useful. In consequence, Dialga ex pairs simply as nicely with Pokémon like Regigigas (whose damage-scaling Raging Hammer assault requires 4 vitality), Wigglytuff ex (whose Sleep Tune assault places energetic Pokémon to sleep), and Pidgeot ex (whose Scattering Cyclone assault offers extra injury primarily based on how full your opponent’s bench is).With the prevalence of dark-type decks nowadays, fighting-type decks have emerged as a pure counter. And Lucario is an important inclusion for fighting-type decks.Lucario isn’t precisely nice by itself deserves. It solely has 100 HP and its assault, Submarine Blow, solely offers 40 injury. However its capacity, Preventing Coach, is arguably the strongest assist capacity within the sport proper now. When in play, Lucario will increase the injury output of your fighting-type playing cards by 20 — and it stacks, too! If the luck of the draw lands such you can get two copies of Lucario in your bench, all your fighting-type playing cards will deal a further 40 injury per assault.So whereas Lucario isn’t value constructing a deck round, it’s completely value slotting into any of your present fighting-type decks. Machamp ex, as an illustration, might deal as much as 160 injury per assault. Kabutops turns into nigh unstoppable with a 90-damage assault (that additionally heals 90 HP). Golem, already fairly evil when paired with Brock’s energy-ramping methods, turns into one of many hardest non-ex playing cards within the sport.Graphic: Ana Diaz/Polygon | Supply pictures: Creatures Inc., DeNA/The Pokémon CompanyCelebi ex has held quick because the strongest grass-type deck within the sport. Celebi ex’s assault, Highly effective Bloom, prices two vitality. For each vitality connected to Celebi ex, you flip coin — and for each heads you get, you deal 50 injury. Stack sufficient vitality on Celebi ex and also you gained’t even want luck in your facet to take out actually any Pokémon within the sport with a single hit.There are two playing cards that assist you energy up Celebi ex. Lilligant’s (which evolves from Petilil) Leaf Provide assault lets you connect a bonus grass-type vitality to any Pokémon in your bench. Serperior (the third-stage evolution of Snivy) has a passive capacity, Jungle Totem, that causes any grass-type vitality connected to a grass-type Pokémon to depend twice. With each of these playing cards in play, you’ll be able to energy up your Celebi ex right into a monster that may predictably deal 250 injury (or extra) per flip.You’ll additionally wish to have an Erika or two on this deck. Erika, a supporter card, heals 50 HP for any grass-type Pokémon — far more than the 20 HP you’d get from a Potion card. Given Celebi ex’s glass cannon nature, holding its well being full is essential.Charizard ex and Moltres ex deckFire-type decks are a pure affirmation to Celebi ex’s terror. And the Charizard ex deck stays TCG Pocket’s strongest fire-type deck.The Charizard ex deck is contingent on utilizing one Pokémon to generate vitality for an additional. The important thing right here is to open with Moltres ex. With its Inferno Dance assault, you flip three cash, and for each heads you get, you’ll be able to apply one bonus hearth vitality to a Pokémon in your bench. You possibly can load up a Charmander or Charmeleon with with as much as three vitality per flip.When your Charmeleon is able to evolve into Charizard ex, it’ll hopefully have sufficient vitality to make use of Charizard ex’s Crimson Storm assault, which prices 4 vitality and offers 200 injury, but additionally discards two vitality per use. Pull off this combo accurately, and your Charizard ex card ought to have sufficient vitality to persistently use Crimson Storm. Charizard ex additionally has 180 HP — sufficient to outlive a success from a few of the strongest assaults, like Mewtwo ex’s Psydrive.Articuno ex and Lapras ex deckGalaxy mind right here, however if you wish to counter the Celebi ex counter, run a water-type deck. The Articuno ex deck has confirmed powerful to beat, notably when it features a card like Lapras ex.Lapras ex was launched through Pokémon TCG Pocket’s first battle occasion, and goes hand-in-hand with Articuno ex. Each playing cards are basic-stage, so you’ll be able to play them instantly, and each playing cards have highly effective assaults. Articuno ex’s Blizzard assault offers 80 injury to your opponent’s energetic Pokémon and 10 injury to any playing cards on their bench, so you’ll be able to conceivably knock out any weakened Pokémon in your opponent’s again row. Lapras ex’s assault, Bubble Drain, offers 80 injury to your opponent however heals 20 HP to itself.Each playing cards are highly effective in a vacuum, however to benefit from this deck, you’ll wish to use a Misty coach card. While you play Misty, you flip a coin repeatedly till you get tails. For nonetheless many heads you get, you’ll be able to connect that quantity of water vitality to certainly one of your Pokémon. If luck is in your facet, you’ll be able to totally energy up Lapras ex or Articuno ex in a single flip.Starmie ex, with its 90-damage assault and free retreat, is a stable card to run on this deck. However the secret weapon is the Legendary Island model of Vaporeon (which evolves from Eevee). Its Wash Out capacity lets you transfer water-type vitality out of your benched Pokémon to your energetic Pokémon.Gyrados ex, launched within the Legendary Island enlargement, has emerged alongside Articuno and Lapras as one other uber-powered water-type ex card. It has 180 HP — one of many highest within the sport — and its assault, Rampaging Whirlpool, offers 140 injury — sufficient to remove the overwhelming majority of playing cards in a single hit — plus removes one vitality from a randomly chosen card on the board, which might screw up your opponent’s technique.Rampaging Whirlpool prices 4 vitality. However as with Articuno ex, you should use Misty or the Legendary Island Vaporeon to stack a Gyarados ex with vitality. (In the event you haven’t drawn Gyarados ex, Magikarp, its fundamental stage, has an assault that lets you reteat with out spending vitality.) Sure, you want a number of issues of likelihood to tilt in your route to line up this technique. However in case you’re capable of get a powered-up Gyarados ex on the sphere within the first few turns, you’re unstoppable.Electrical-type decks are the strongest counters to Articuno ex decks. Proper now, one of the best one remains to be headlined by Pikachu ex, who would possibly as nicely be Ash Ketchum’s uncannily super-powered Pikachu.Pikachu ex isn’t a part of an evolution chain, so in case you draw it, you’re immediately able to play it. Its assault, Circle Circuit, additionally solely prices two electrical vitality and offers 30 injury for each electric-type Pokémon in your bench. Stack all three slots in your bench with electric-type Pokémon, and also you’re dealing 90 injury per flip.Electrical-type playing cards usually are likely to have decrease retreat prices (Electrode has a free retreat, as an illustration), permitting you to simply swap out playing cards as wanted, holding your bench — and Pikachu ex’s assault energy — at full capability. This deck additionally works nicely with Zapdos ex or Jolteon as backup attackers; each have assaults that may deal as much as 200 or 160 injury respectively.Mewtwo ex and Gardevoir deckGraphic: Polygon | Supply pictures: DeNA, Creatures/The Pokémon CompanyMewtwo ex dominated the Pokémon TCG Pocket meta at launch — because of its Psydrive assault, which offers 150 injury — and continues to be an imposing and extensively used deck. Few Pokémon have 150 HP to outlive such a success, however the assault prices Mewtwo ex 4 vitality to make use of and additional discards two psychic-type vitality with every use.The trick right here is to lean on Gardevoir. Gardevoir’s capacity, Psy Shadow, lets you add an additional vitality to no matter Pokémon you’ve gotten within the energetic spot — and you should use it even with Gardevoir in your bench. This combo lets you recoup the 2 vitality you burn with every use of Psydrive (one out of your flip naturally and one Gardevoir’s capacity), primarily guaranteeing 150-damage assaults with no drawbacks.Greatest playing cards to incorporate in any meta deckFinally, each meta-viable deck proper now options at the very least one copy of every of the next coach playing cards:CyrusTeam Rocket GruntGreat CapePokémon Middle LadyLeafProfessor’s ResearchCyrus is principally a laser-targeted model of Sabrina. The place Sabrina forces your opponent to change out their energetic card, Cyrus permits you some management over the selection: You possibly can swap in any Pokémon that’s not at full HP, successfully nullifying makes an attempt your opponent makes at retreating a broken card.Staff Rocket Grunt is one other card that may screw over your opponents. Consider it as a reverse-Misty, in that you simply flip a coin till you get tails, with each heads you get eradicating one vitality out of your opponent’s energetic Pokémon.The Nice Cape Pokémon Instrument is only a stronger model of Potion. Quite than therapeutic 20 HP, it will increase your card’s whole HP by 20, which in some circumstances can forestall your Pokémon from getting knocked out in a single hit. Although in case you’re searching for a therapeutic card, Pokémon Middle Girl (a reputation that’s enormously disrespectful to Nurse Pleasure) not solely heals one Pokémon by 30 HP, but additionally removes any particular situations, like poison or sleep.At launch, the X Velocity card (which reduces your retreat value by one vitality) was important for any deck, permitting you to drag a card with low HP again to your bench in a pinch. Leaf is principally a greater model of that card: It reduces the retreat value of your energetic Pokémon by two at some point of your flip.Professor’s Analysis allows you to draw two playing cards, capitalizing on the common card sport principle that means, the extra playing cards you draw, the higher your probabilities of victory. It’s one of many first playing cards you get, and one of many easiest. Doesn’t imply it’s not, to at the present time, probably the greatest.
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