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Triumphant Light has been out for a week, and despite being a "mini" expansion, its impact on the metagame has been significant. We asked top players & content creators NothingButBangers, SantyMcGoob, and Travinium for their opinions on the best current decks and those with the potential to succeed in tournaments.
Panelists
Click on their name to go to their channel!
Top tiers
Dialga ex Arceus is just all-around very powerful. Even going 1st, Dialga can get Arceus to where it is 1 energy away from potentially sweeping. Decent bulk and a lot of potential with tech cards & supporters like Shaymin, Adaman, and others.
-NothingButBangers
I have Dialga Arceus in a tier of its own since it has very few weaknesses. Unless you're playing Sudowoodo or Lucario Rampardos, you have the upper hand.
-SantyMCGoob
High tiers
Meta call:
Darkrai ex Magnezone is still really tough to deal with and can go toe-to-toe vs Arceus & Dialga. It struggles with the grass decks at times, but still has a decent chance of squeezing out wins against its worst matchups.
-NothingButBangers
Darkrai ex Magnezone is still insanely good in this meta. Free attacks and the flexibility for your energy to go anywhere is something that makes the deck have what looks to be that it will have the most longevity in the format.
-Travinium
Both 18 Trainers decks have their merits. Articuno ex hits a little earlier and more often, but Palkia ex can hit breakpoints that Articuno needs 2 turns to reach. Ultimately, both are very strong and these decks serve as a good measuring stick for players looking to bring their own cooks.
-NothingButBangers
Rampardos/Lucario is top tier if you can get Rampardos on the field, but relying on a fossil draw makes doing so inconsistent. If you can survive the swiss rounds fo tournament play, there will be plenty of juicy Arceus matchups to dominate in the top bracket.
-SantyMCGoob
Rampardos Lucario is what I would refer to as a "Meta Call" more than anything. In an environment without Exeggutor EX, it can definitely beat even the Grass decks. Now that more players are aware, I would not be surprised to see this deck perform slightly worse although it is very explosive. Rampardos answers a lot of EX Pokemon on its own and Lucario can help it reach other breakpoints.
-NothingButBangers
Middle tiers
Meta call:
There are a couple of good partners for Palkia ex in Vaporeon or Starmie EX. With Irida, the healing factor almost feels like Exeggutor EX & Celebi. Giant Cape and Starmie EX is pretty decent, although it is susceptible to the 160 HP breakpoint. Vaporeon & Manaphy can help create snowball moments where the game gets out of reach very early for opponents.
-NothingButBangers
Leafeon ex Celebi can apply early pressure and load Celebi ex with multiple energies to potentially KO any Pokemon in the game. Biggest vulnerability is the 160 damage breakpoint that some decks can do with ease. Even with Giant Cape, if a deck can consistently deal 160 all of the healing cards are suddenly dead. I would say this is an option for a Meta Call if you suspect a lot of Fighting & Darkzone to combat Arceus Dialga and Rampardos Lucario.
-NothingButBangers
Exeggutor ex is still a very powerful deck, but Celebi can be a bit of a liability. Exeggutor EX along with all the healing potential can be a big mountain for some decks to climb, but again the 160 breakpoint is a big deal breaker. With Giant Cape, Egg EX is able to handle a lot of pressure, but the damage output is detrimental.
-NothingButBangers
Exeggutor ex has fallen from grace really fast, while still pretty good due to Exeggutor being tanky. We unfortunately didn’t get more Tool cards that Exeggutor could abuse in Triumphant Light, plus... it was never really the best deck in any format to begin with in my opinion. This is a case of "always the bridesmaid, never the bride": it will always be around and pretty good, but there’s always something better
-Travinium
The potential for Druddigon to be a solid wall along with the sniping potential of Greninja leaves Gyarados ex relevant. Hitting the crucial breakpoint of 160 damage with Greninja & Gyarados or Drudd & Gyarados can help this deck contend with the top tier decks, thus justifying the label of a Meta Call deck.
-NothingButBangers
Gyarados ex is kinda in a weird spot in my opinion because Gyarados ex is supposed to be the "1 shot everything Pokemon", but it doesn’t really 1 shot anything really important in the meta with many capes still being around and with mons starting to get more and more health. I think this deck has the least longevity and is on its way out.
-Travinium
In a closed environment of 18Trainers decks, Pachirisu ex might be able to consistently beat both Articuno & Palkia 18T decks. However, in the open meta, there are a few issues that arise. The weakness at this moment is detrimental, as well as the lack of bulk. For now, this is the weakest of the three 18T decks.
-NothingButBangers
Promising decks
Meta call:
Arceus ex with Heatran and Crobat is elite if you can get it setup. Free retreats with Heatran, along with a free 30 damage from Crobat, make this deck a compelling choice. With so many Pokemon in the deck though, there are few ways to bail yourself out of a bad draw.
-SantyMCGoob
With grass type and eggs decks becoming less popular, I think Weavile Darkrai is slept on in the current meta. This deck has some turn one upside with Dawn, and is capable of doing a lot of damage in its first few turns.
-SantyMCGoob
Gallade ex with the Fighting Toolbox has a lot of tools to help it posititon itself against the top decks. Whether it is Sudowoodo, Hitmonlee, Lucario, or others, this deck can definitely compete. As the meta becomes more defined, choosing the best techs could lead to a successful run making this deck a prime Meta Call deck.
-NothingButBangers
Special thanks
To all of the panelists for their time and analysis! Don't miss their content:
- NothingButBangers's meta update of the latest tournament, with player interviews https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NbZ-mJWcahY
- SantyMCGoob, player with the Most Tournament Wins at TCG Pocket on his stream: https://www.twitch.tv/santymcgoob
- Travinium, co-owner of Pokémon TCG Pocket Tournament League, competitive server TCG Pocket server with the oldest running tournament series in Legends League. Discord: https://discord.com/invite/ptcgpt