In Pokémon TCG Pocket, some players are currently pursuing a pretty nasty tactic: Continuous damage without their own attacks. Shardrago is particularly important for this.
What can Shardrago do? Shardrago has the ability “Rough Skin.” And that’s quite useful: Every time Shardrago is attacked, the attacker also takes 20 damage. So there’s a price to pay for attacking Shardrago.
The monster is a basic Pokémon that can be played without evolution. Theoretically, it can be placed on the field from turn 1. And with its 100 HP, it is quite a formidable wall that must be overcome. Especially at the start of the match, this is a wall that isn’t easily surmounted. And if multiple attacks are needed, that costs significant damage.
In the new expansion “Collision of Space and Time,” there is also the card “Bump Helmet,” which gives a Pokémon the same effect as Shardrago’s “Rough Skin.” The kicker: You can also equip Shardrago with it, causing it to deal 40 damage with opposing attacks.
This makes one think twice about whether they really want to attack it. And players exploit this by hiding monsters behind Shardrago that can deal even more damage.
Shardrago annoys players by protecting Darkrai
In the subreddit for Pokémon TCG Pocket, you can see some posts centered around Shardrago, but also Darkrai-ex. Because: Darkrai-ex can even deal constant damage from the bench by generating energies. This means it can annoy your Pokémon every round without having to be brought into the active position itself.
Shardrago, on the other hand, enjoys being in the active position, taking hits, dealing damage, and protecting Darkrai from having to enter the battle itself. While you don’t necessarily use Shardrago for your own attacks, since its move Dragon Claw requires an unfavorable energy mix of Fire, Water, and Colorless. But as a time-waster that gives Darkrai room to attack from the bench, it works great.
This, however, makes it unpopular with some in the community, as can be seen in this reddit post by “Kroanon96”:
Some players also speak up in the comments, wishing for an adjustment to the monster. Especially the passive play style of the deck seems to bother some. At the same time, however, some say that you have to adapt to it. For instance, by wiping out Shardrago in one hit – for which, of course, strong attacks are needed, which usually require some preparation time. Another option is cards like Hitmonlee, which directly target opposing cards on the bench.
What do you think of Shardrago and Darkrai? Do they bother you, do you use the combination yourself? Or do you prefer to rely on other decks? Then check out our Deck Tier List for Pokémon TCG Pocket.
Other strong cards in TCG Pocket: The “Collision of Space and Time” expansion has brought a lot of new cards into the game, many of which have emerged as new favorites among players. Darkrai is right at the forefront, but there are also other options – like the new Palkia-ex. If you have already pulled that, you can look forward to one of the best cards in the current meta. Especially when playing Palkia-ex in combination with two other strong cards.
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