Pokemon TCG Pocket's Triumphant Light Expansion Just Gave Water Decks Another Powerful Card, and Everyone's a Little Over It

Pokémon TCG Pocket's initial meta was quickly dominated by a few powerful decks, notably those centered around Misty and water-type Pokémon. The inherent luck involved in Misty's ability—flipping coins to determine energy attachment—made victories feel frustratingly unfair to opponents. Even after three expansions, instead of countering Misty decks, the latest expansion, Triumphant Light, has inadvertently strengthened them.

This isn't about Misty decks being the most powerful; it's the frustratingly luck-based nature of their wins. Misty, a Supporter card, lets players flip coins to attach water-type energy to a chosen water Pokémon for each heads. This could result in zero energy, rendering the card and play useless, or a massive energy boost leading to early game domination. A lucky Misty can secure a turn-one win, leaving opponents helpless. Even without turn-one wins, the energy advantage often overwhelms defenses.

Subsequent expansions exacerbated the problem. Mythical Island's Vaporeon allows energy manipulation, while Space-Time Smackdown introduced Manaphy, adding even more water energy. Powerful Pokémon like Palkia ex and Gyarados ex further cemented water decks' dominance.

Triumphant Light's Irida card adds insult to injury. Irida, another Supporter, heals 40 damage from each Pokémon with attached water energy, giving water decks powerful recovery capabilities. Previously, grass-type decks were the healing specialists; now, water decks can easily stage comebacks thanks to the energy abundance from Misty, Manaphy, and Vaporeon.

Some TCG experts suggest Irida was intended to counter Misty, forcing players to choose between them in their 20-card deck limit. However, many players have found ways to incorporate both, rendering the supposed countermeasure ineffective.

Pokémon TCG Pocket's upcoming event, offering rewards for win streaks, highlights the issue. The difficulty of achieving a five-match win streak is amplified by the potential for early game sweeps from well-played Misty decks, especially those utilizing Irida for recovery. Expect a high prevalence of water decks during this event and likely for the foreseeable future, making playing a water deck a viable, perhaps even necessary, strategy.