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Extradimensional Crisis arrives next week, bringing the Ultra Beasts to Pokémon TCG Pocket. While there isn't a singular card that's as obviously impactful as, say, Giratina ex or Rare Candy, there are some pretty interesting support pieces for existing decks as well as the beginnings of new archetypes. In keeping with tradition, this is the scale we'll be using:
: Unplayable pack filler (Rhydon)
: Niche tech or good for surprise factor (Dragonite)
: Solid tech or glue card (Turtonator)
: Very strong, is either a staple card or has potential to win a game on its own (Decidueye ex)
: Meta-defining (Darkrai ex, Sabrina, Oricorio...)
Tapu Koko ex
With the imminent invasion of the Ultra Beasts, the guardian deity of Melemele Island is here to attempt to keep them at bay. Tapu Koko ex feels like a hybrid of Zapdos ex and Pikachu ex (GA), with the former's 1-energy 20 damage attack that sets up for a 90 damage swing on the second attacking turn. While this would be a phenomenal card in the Genetic Apex and Mythical Island metagames in the then-tier 1 Pikachu ex deck, it's safe to say the power creep that hit TCG Pocket since has somewhat outpaced the damage numbers Tapu Koko ex's Mach Bolt can dish out. Being in clean one-shot range of Giratina ex and Meowscarada doesn't do it any favors either, especially as the latter loves opportunities to take 2-point KOs while only risking 1 point in return. Definitely a reasonable card to throw into an aggressive deck, as it can be seen as a GA Pikachu ex that doesn't require any conditions to attack for 90, but nothing spectacular anymore.
MKCrimson's Grade:
Tapu Koko ex is similar to Genetic Apex Pikachu ex. It doesn't have too much to speak of stats-wise, but its moves are capable of walking the talk. Plasma Hurricane provides chip damage as well as lightning energy, for a single lightning energy. Mach Bolt, a mediocre attack requiring 2 lightning and one colourless energy, suddenly becomes a 1 lightning and one colourless energy attack in practice due to Plasma Hurricane. This allows it to consistently deal GA Pikachu ex level of damage, while also getting extra chip damage in.
Requiring minimal setup, it is perfect for Lightning decks looking for an Aggro partner to put pressure while they set up the big damage dealers. Any competing deck requires more set up, be it Solgaleo ex, Rampardos or SR Charizard ex Incineroar ex. The consistency is at an all-time high, but the results remain to be seen.
Johann Tryger's Grade:
Guzzlord ex
The two numbers that immediately stick out on Guzzlord ex are its titanic 170HP - the most of any Basic printed so far - and its equally titanic retreat cost. Tyrannical Hole is roughly on-rate for a Basic with an unconditional 120 damage but still not thrilling for the 4 energy required, meaning its success is reliant on its HP stat and its other attack, Grindcore. Apparently Guzzlord ex absorbed a Team Rocket Grunt, as the 30 damage component is paired with the Rocket Grunt's energy denial. Having a cost of means Guzzlord ex can be splashed into any deck that desires additional energy denial. That said, any chip damage in the slightest puts it in range of the ever-present Meowscarada thanks to its weakness, and its retreat cost can lead to being stranded in active with Sabrina; outside of its partner Celesteela, or being used in conjunction with Solgaleo ex, there is effectively no way to profitably pivot out of an active Guzzlord ex. Using it purely for its HP is also not a viable option, as you're effectively spotting the opponent 2 points compared to the wealth of 1-point tanks available.
Opportunity cost is also a factor thanks to its typing assuming you want to attack with Tyrannical Hole; the 2 energy invested in allowing it to attack could easily have been attached to, say, a Darkrai ex instead for more guaranteed value. The splashable energy denial aspect does save it from being pure pack filler; this could also become stronger if there's additional Ultra Beast support. A certain Aether Foundation president works particularly well with Guzzlord ex, giving a bit more optimism than I'd normally have.
MKCrimson's Grade:
Ignoring the HP, Guzzlord ex seems like a good card, the kind that could become a promising deck archetype. Grindcore has a Team Rocket Grunt effect with 30 damage extra at the cost of 2 energy, which could prove to cause some more posts on Reddit dedicated to hating it. Tyrannical Hole is a straightforward attack doing 120 damage for 3 Dark and 1 Colourless energy (The OGs will be getting Melmetal flashbacks). Its Retreat Cost is a horrendous 4, though it may not require Leaf, partially due to 2 cards we will see later.
This may seem like another good ex, but one look at the HP, and a blind human can see this card is made for the meta. 170 HP on a Basic Pokémon means that either the creators wanted to really stick to its design concept, or there are numerical mistakes that gave it as much HP as Infernape ex, a Stage 2 ex. This is exactly the kind of card that can give Darkrai ex a run for its money. Guzzlord ex will instantly be meta upon release, and will likely have its own archetype.
Johann Tryger's Grade:
Buzzwole ex
With the dominance of Darkrai ex since its initial printing, anything that can threaten to grab a one-shot KO against it deserves consideration at bare minimum. Buzzwole ex's Big Beat hits the 140 damage breakpoint to knock out the Pitch-Black Pokémon provided it isn't wearing a Giant Cape, whether by choice or with assistance from Guzma. Punch with a followup Big Beat hits the equally-important 150 damage required to knock out its partner in crime Giratina ex, potentially blowing a huge hole in the opponent's board. Being locked out of repeated 120 damage hits is a notable downside which can be somewhat diminished by using Punch to mark targets for a Cyrus in the event the opponent tries to pivot around Big Beat. 140HP is roughly on-curve with other Basic ex's and can further be boosted thanks to its typing giving access to Erika and Leaf Cape.
The retreat cost might be the biggest barrier to Buzzswole ex's success; once it's in, it's either reliant on Leaf to retreat out or it's going to swing until it's converted into 2 points. 120 damage for 3 energy on a Basic is worth a look at the very least, and I'm confident it will see play at least at the start of the set.
MKCrimson's Grade:
Buzzwole ex, one of the other pack art ex aside from Guzzlord ex, is a bit less flashy than its counterpart. Punch is clearly worse than Grindcore, but it was given Big Beat, an attack requiring 2 Grass energy and 1 Colourless energy dealing the same amount of damage as Guzzlord ex does with Tyrannical Hole. However, the restriction is that it cannot use Big Beat next turn.
The obvious support here are Exeggutor ex and Serperior. Exeggutor ex can easily keep pressure while swinging early on, thanks to the amount of HP related support has with Leaf Cape and Erika, not to mention the general healing cards like Potion and Pokémon Center Lady. Serperior, which can be put out as quickly as Turn 3 with Rare Candy, can help reduce the amount of energy it needs to attack, and can also make sure the deck can attack by their second turn going first. It lacks the insane HP Guzzlord ex has, but has lower retreat cost to make up for it. This will be a strong card unless there are some seriously good counters that weren't shown in the trailer.
Johann Tryger's Grade:
Ultra Necrozma ex
Ultra Necrozma ex got hit with the Stone Cold Unplayable double whammy of being a Promo ex and a . You mean I can spend my first two turns doing nothing to curve a pathetic 60 damage into a hyper-specific 4 energy 2 type 120 damage hit that is just as likely to hurt me as my opponent with its secondary effect? Where do I sign up?? Synergy with Celestic Town Elder aside, this is at least as bad as previous Worst Card Ever Trimphant Light Giratina and might even be worse; even actual multi-type support couldn't possibly save this thing.
MKCrimson's Rating: lol. lmao even
Blacephelon
Better to burn out than to fade away! Blacephalon is the ultimate high-risk high-reward attacker; Beat Punk's 130 damage is a truly massive amount for a Basic one-point Pokémon, able to delete virtually any Basic ex with Red, any prior chip, or weakness. This does, of course, come with the downside of being virtually guaranteed to be knocked out if there's anything the opponent has that can attack for even marginal damage; the 70 damage worth of recoil leaves Blacephalon completely crippled. Of course, if the opponent somehow is incapable of attacking again, Blacephalon is surely taking something else with it after an additional attack. Despite its huge damage output, Blacephalon feels like a gimmick that will occasionally get a 2-point trade-up by accident. It will be very funny when it happens, though, and that's the true strength of this card!
MKCrimson's Grade:
Blacephalon sports good stats overall, but the special thing about it is its attack. Beat Punk, though taking 2 Fire and one Colourless energy, does a detrimental 130 damage, similar to Marshadow, but instead of relying on your opponent to KO one of your Pokémon, you nearly KO Blacephalon itself, due to Beat Punk doing a massive 70 recoil damage to itself.
This is a good option for a deck looking for a high-energy, high-damage attack, and the recoil can be survived with the help of Giant Cape. And if your opponent does fail to KO Blacephalon, they are in for a rough time.
Johann Tryger's Grade:
Celesteela
Similar to Guzzlord ex, Celesteela has more HP than the average Basic 1-pointer (120HP) and a gigantic retreat cost of . The latter is mitigated entirely by its Ultra Thrusters ability, which is one of the components that enables an all-Ultra Beasts deck; being able to freely pivot every turn is no small boon, only offset by the restriction of having an Active Ultra Beast and pivoting into a Benched Ultra Beast. Given the choice, you likely never want to attack with Celesteela, as Moombahton is unreliable at best as well as expensive. Likewise, having Celesteela as your only one-pointer in, say, a Guzzlord ex or Buzzwole ex deck is risky if it gets brought in by Sabrina or Greninja + Cyrus. That said, if UB-heavy decks see play, Celesteela will be worth a look for its utility alone.
MKCrimson's Grade:
Celesteela comes with mediocre stats, except the 120 HP, as well as a useless attack in the form of Moombahton. What it does have though, is an impressive Ability, Ultra Thrusters, which allows you to switch your Active Ultra Beast with a Benched Ultra Beast, a massive upgrade from just retreating, saving energy in the long run.
This card will almost certainly be run in an Ultra Beasts-based deck as a free switch. The only other cards that can do this as of now are Solgaleo ex and Tapu Koko, and both only switch themselves, so cannot be used as tech cards.
Johann Tryger's Grade:
Nihilego
More Poison might be the most on-the-nose Ability name yet, as any opposing Active that is Poisoned becomes, well, More Poisoned and takes 10 extra damage every cleanup. This can function as a pseudo-Giovanni in existing Venoshock decks with Grafaiai and Paldean Clodsire ex, make Poison Barb into a 40 damage+ revenge hit, or even synergize with Toxicroak (SR) to turn its Toxic poison into a 30 damage-per-turn nightmare. New Wave isn't even a bad attack in its own right, hitting for 50 minimum for 2 energy with potential for more with additional poison turns. Of course, Arceus ex exists as a looming threat that can't really be threatened by Nihilego, and New Wave won't exactly be sweeping on its own. As a support shell for Status Condition-heavy decks, Nihilego will see some amount of use, and it's not difficult to squeeze into the Venoshock decks that already exist. Its utility does, however, seem niche at best in a niche at best archetype.
MKCrimson's Grade:
This is exactly the kind of card that will trigger anger in the minds of its opponents. Nihilego’s Ability, More Poison, deals 10 extra damage to your opponent's Active Pokémon, which can easily be paired with Weezing, Grafaiai or Poison Barb to chip away at your opponents. And while we're at it, why not put the Poison Barb on Guzzlord ex and pair that with Nihilego? The result is that your opponent is locked out of attacking, unless they have a Pokémon that does not mind taking 20 damage every Pokémon Checkup, and also has to make sure they have the required energy, as Grindcore can easily rip through energy with some luck.
Dark decks have a dream tech with Nihilego+Poison Barb, deterring the opponent from attacking unless they have enough HP and/or healing cards to sustain the continuous damage they take by attacking even once.
Johann Tryger's Grade:
Kartana
Farfetch'd started TCG Pocket's meta as a premier aggressive Basic, and has only really been held back by its inability to hit for weakness and the general slowdown of the game with Poké Tools. Kartana does one better by being a Farfetch'd that hits for weakness against one of the most dominant cards in the game: Darkrai ex! Two hits with a Red is enough to trade profitably against Darkrai ex, one hit one-shots Gible in the Garchomp ex deck, we can apply pressure to Rampardos decks that are slow to hit their big head-smashing dinosaur, and we can even spare Leaf Cape and Erika to give longevity to our aggressive Basic, giving upside compared to Farfetch'd even when hitting neutral targets. I fully expect Kartana to see play in aggressive decks that want to apply early unconditional pressure - think the kind of decks that also want to run Buzzwole ex or the Beedrill ex line, or even Meowscarada while we wait to draw our Stage 2 wincon.
MKCrimson's Rating:
The Grass version of Farfetch'd, Kartana has much more support than its clear rival, with Erika and Leaf Cape helping due to its Grass typing, not to mention the Ultra Beast support in the form of Celesteela and a niche-case Lusamine. It will not be making any big waves, but it can certainly play the early aggressor role in an Ultra Beasts-based deck. Indeed, you can put this in some other Grass decks too.
Johann Tryger's Rating:
Pheromosa
Lurantis and its Petal Blizzard has proven to be good enough to see play in the Decidueye ex deck to enable Pierce the Pain. Pheromosa is barely worse, as it hits fewer targets - just the Active and a singular Benched Pokémon - but is a Basic in exchange. This means you can select a specific target to mark for Decidueye ex and be online sooner. Even in non-Decidueye ex decks, being able to mark a specific target to be vulnerable to Cyrus is incredibly valuable. Similar to how Kartana is a type-shifted Farfetch'd, this effect previously existed on Lopunny but required both evolving and using an attacker that cannot hit weakness. Benefiting from the Ultra Beast tag and support should give Pheromosa at least a couple decks to call home.
MKCrimson's Rating:
Our first “bad” Ultra Beast, Pheromosa is pack fodder and is just plain bad. The meta has no space for such a card, despite it doing 40 damage with a single energy, due to the damage being spread around. There is an extremely low chance this card gets played in any Tier 2 deck.
Johann Tryger's Rating:
Stakataka and Xurkitree
There had to be some pack filler Ultra Beasts, and these two fit the bill. They're "supposed" to function as type-specific 1-point tanks, but get strictly outclassed in that role by Celesteela; at least Ilima can return Celesteela to hand in an absolute worst-case scenario, let alone access to Ultra Thrusters. Neither have an attack worth investing Energy into on rate. Neither really have a specific reason to be brought at all, in fact. Don't bother.
MKCrimson's Rating:
Xurkitree is another pack fodder. It may have decent HP, but Electronica takes far too much energy for any meaningful use. If only it took one less energy, it would be a useful card. Alas, another Ultra Beast bites the dust.
Johann Tryger's Rating:
Stakataka sports high HP for a Basic, at the cost of having a high Retreat Cost but again, Celesteela can easily take care of that. Brass Rock is a decent attack, but requires you to either go second, or hope that your Stakataka managed to survive. Overall, it is not a very good card, due to being too slow.
Johann Tryger's Rating:
Lusamine
Alongside Celesteela, Lusamine is the second "Ultra Beasts Matter" card we've seen spoiled so far. Lusamine is similar in function to Volkner, reusing 2 discarded Energy to ramp up an Ultra Beast. Unlike Volkner, who can abuse enablers such as Pikachu ex (SR) and Luxray to get the ramp going at any time, Lusamine is much more cruel, requiring your opponent to have knocked out one of your Pokémon to be online. In exchange, there are simply more Ultra Beasts than Volkner targets, meaning any aggressive attackers are incentivized to stay in and keep swinging until they get knocked out to recycle their Energy. Not only does this synergize well with the frail Kartana, it also oddly works well with Guzzlord ex, either because you had two energy attached for its Grindcore attack when it got knocked out, or because you plan on using its Tyrannical Hole as a cleanup tool - or both, if you have two Guzzlord ex's in play! It's not common to go through an entire match giving up 0 points, so the condition to use Lusamine should naturally come up at some point in a match. Any other playable Ultra Beasts, either in this set or in A3b, only help in giving Lusamine more toys to play with.
If there's a successful Ultra Beast Tribal deck, Lusamine will be a reason why.
MKCrimson's Rating:
The protagonist of the Alola video games, Lusamine sports a powerful effect, so much that it has a condition to use it. Lusamine requires your opponent to have taken at least 1 point, which is uncomfortable as it means you have to lose at least 1 Pokémon, a hard endeavor in a game that is around taking 3 points. However, it offers the kind of effect that only 1 other Supporter card yet has achieved.
Lusamine lets you take 2 random energy from your discard pile and attach it to your Ultra Beasts in any way. Only STS Volkner has ever had such an effect, and it was limited to 2 Pokémon, one being a Stage 2 and another being a Stage 1. This can create innumerable combos with Ultra Beasts, especially ones requiring large amounts of energy such as Blacephalon and Xurkitree (it is still bad). This card is likely an auto-include in Ultra Beasts-based decks, as much as Professor's Research. However, the main problem is that the Ultra Beasts revealed aren't exactly the best set of Pokémon.
Johann Tryger's Rating:
Naganadel
The final Ultra Beast revealed so far, Naganadel provides an additional Stage 1 Poisoner to include in a More Poison deck. I'm more inclined to run Grafaiai to Poison without spending my attack, but if I'm going to have a secondary Attacker to my Venoshock payoff, 40 damage for one energy on a Stage 1 isn't anything to scoff at, as it gives a powerful "go first" attack for your first attacking turn. Again, Arceus ex makes Electro House into merely a decent attack and is unlikely to stop seeing play anytime soon. Poison decks are also still a niche archetype as is. Maybe DeNa is hoping that a critical mass of Poison effects will finally carve a space out for the deck?
MKCrimson's Rating:
The only Stage 1 Ultra Beast, Nagandel sports a “Whirlipede but better” look with Electro House doing 40 damage and Poisoning the opponent’s Active Pokémon, pairing well with Venoshock users and Nihilego, all for a single energy.
This is a decent card overall, but probably will not see much use due to Poison Barb. Not pack fodder, but not that good either.
Johann Tryger's Rating:
Zeraora
Zeraora straight-up feels like a deckbuilding trap. Requiring it to be in play from the end of your first turn - not the turn it comes into play - in order to enable Thunderclap Flash is a pretty significant downside. Even if you get to open with Zeraora somewhere, its attacking schedule doesn't actually change whether you're going first or second thanks to Lightning Claw costing . The double requirement also prevents it from being a splashable card in, say, Rampardos decks to ensure it's always in play from turn 1 as the only "Basic Pokémon" with fossil cheese. 90HP is reasonable for a Basic, but its attack is comparable to Oricorio, which has the Safeguard ability to keep it in play against Pokémon ex. Sadly, I don't see a universe where you're happy to play this card.
MKCrimson's Rating:
The Thunderclap Pokémon has arrived, and it has arrived with a flashy Ability. Thunderclap Flash lets you attach a free Lightning energy onto it at the end of your first turn, meaning you can get 2 Zeraora on the bench and completely warp the energy balance in your favour, especially when going second. Lightning Claw may be straightforward and boring, but the low energy requirement makes it perfect for this Pokémon, letting it swing for 50 damage every turn from the second turn, while only requiring a single energy attachment.
This is an easy-to-use card with many applications, and can be paired with many slow cards to serve as an early aggressor. It is a good card overall, and 2 copies on the first turn can easily enable 1-1-2 point stalling for ex decks such as SR Pikachu ex, as it has enough damage output to pressurize your opponents.
Johann Tryger's Rating:
Shiinotic
The top end of what Shiinotic is capable of is the strongest card-draw engine currently available in the game, being able to draw any Pokémon from your deck every turn while receiving two full heals from Mallow. It's also a card that could work with Lusamine, as the two Energy required to attack - or two Energy that get discarded thanks to Mallow's forced self-Energy removal - can be recycled onto your "real" attacker that you almost certainly drew thanks to Shiinotic's effect in conjunction with Mythical Slab, Poké Ball, or Professor's Research once your card-drawing fungus inevitably gets KO'd. That said, this does require an evolution to come online, somewhat limiting its ability to draw cards as soon as possible. The bulkiest Morelull has 60HP, which is standard evolution-ready bulk, but there's no guarantee you don't just donate a point while waiting for Shiinotic to appear. The upside makes me skew positive on wanting to play around with it in my decks, but the evolution variance means I'm not positive enough for a top-tier grade.
MKCrimson's Grade:
Shiinotic has mediocre stats and attack, but it's Ability sets it out as a near staple for Psychic decks, especially those requiring evolutions. Illuminate allows you to pull a random Pokémon from your deck once a turn, giving you a massive boost in consistency. There is also a low chance, due to the wording of the ability not specifying any type, that this gets slotted into some non-Psychic decks for consistency, similar to Oricorio. However, the main problem with it is the word ‘random’. Can't we just have ONE search card, devs? One?
Johann Tryger's Grade:
I'm going to take a bet and say that Shiinotic is an interesting yet failed attempt of a good card, and probably the biggest bait of the new set. Although emptying the deck every single turn to get to more important Pokémon is a lovely perspective, in practice it will mostly get you to search for more Morelull and Shiinotic, while the former effectively screws your consistency by adding useless targets to Poké Ball. Shiinotic then holds the promise to be the only searcher for Evolution Pokémon that doesn't make you go minus 1, unlike Pokémon Communication or Iono. It's hard to find immediate application for it, and ultimately, i'm pretty sure players would rather run 3 or 4 trainers over the Morellul line for this random support effect that doesn't quite accomplish much.