In Pokémon TCG Pocket you can not only collect over 200 cards of the popular pocket monsters but also fight against other players. The combat system of the mobile game is very well received by many players, which is why the community organizes its own tournaments – and one deck is particularly successful in these tournaments.
What kind of tournament is this? Last weekend, three tournaments took place, organized by fans of the game, with several hundred players participating (via Pokémon Zone):
- Pocket Legends League #7 – 519 participants
- Ursiiday’s Pocket Weekly #3 – 1,368 participants
- Pikaverse Pocket Cup #2 – 663 participants
Each of these tournaments promised a small prize pool for the top players. For example, Ursiiday’s Pocket Weekly #3 had a prize pool of approximately 385 euros, of which the first place took home 144 €.
Feared deck dominates community tournaments
What is the winning deck? In all three tournaments, a player using the feared “Mewtwo-ex” deck emerged as the winner, although there were slight variations in the cards surrounding Mewtwo-ex.
The winning deck from “Ursiiday’s Pocket Weekly #3” with just over 1,300 participants consisted of:
- 2x Mewtwo-ex
- 2x Trasla
- 2x Kirlia
- 2x Gardevoir
- 2x Pokéball
- 2x Potion
- 2x X-Initiative
- 2x Professor’s Research
- 1x Giovanni
- 2x Sabrina
- 1x Red Card
The winner of the Pocket Legends League #7 opted for 1x Sabrina, but instead included a regular Mewtwo. This can, for example, buy some time and take damage while you try to gather the necessary energy for Mewtwo-ex or finish your Gardevoir.
Besides Mewtwo-ex, the deck around Pikachu-ex was also played a lot and successfully, frequently reaching the top 3 in the three tournaments. In “Ursiiday’s Pocket Weekly #3,” the electric mouse was in the top 3 twice (via limitlesstcg.com).
What makes the Mewtwo-ex deck so strong? Mewtwo-ex has a very strong attack called “Psycho Drive” that deals 150 damage, which very few Pokémon in TCGP can survive. However, the attack has the disadvantage of being very expensive and slow, as it requires 4 energies to attack. Additionally, 2 energy points are deducted when you use the attack.
To compensate for this weakness, players rely on Gardevoir, whose ability “Psychic Shadow” allows them to attach an additional energy to the active Pokémon each turn. This way, Mewtwo can use Psycho Drive every turn.
A deck becomes an insider tip against Mewtwo-ex
Can you counter Mewtwo-ex? We spoke with “Skorme,” one of the admins of the “Pocket Legends League” (via Discord). He provided us with some insights into the data collected during the various tournament events.
He revealed to us that a deck built around Muk and Arbok actually won 70% of the matches against Mewtwo. This could be a sensible counter for the feared deck.
A possible team composition was showcased by the Brazilian trainer “Kuriank” at “Pocket Legends League #6,” where he placed 5th among 600 participants.
He used the following cards:
- 2x Ekans
- 2x Arbok
- 2x Koffing
- 2x Muk
- 2x Pokéball
- 2x Potion
- 1x X-Initiative
- 2x Professor’s Research
- 1x Giovanni
- 2x Sabrina
- 2x Koga
Since Muk and Ekans are of the “Dark” type in TCGP, they deal increased damage against Psychic Pokémon like Mewtwo. Additionally, Muk can poison the active Pokémon with its ability, causing continuous damage until the active Pokémon is switched out.
Koga also allows for Muk to be returned to the hand, fully healing the Pokémon. Furthermore, Arbok can defeat a Mewtwo with its attack “Pressure” in 2 turns and prevent it from switching – which can be particularly useful in case of poisoning.
If you’re still unsure which decks are good to play in Pokémon TCG Pocket, feel free to take a look at our tier list. But don’t be surprised if Mewtwo-ex is at the top: Pokémon TCG Pocket: Tier List of the best decks you can play
