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Three weeks into it, the Triumphant Light format displays a huge diversity of viable decks in the competition. In anticipation of the upcoming ranked game mode in Pokémon TCG Pocket, we asked three experienced players and tournament organizers their opinion on what decks to play to achieve competitive success and what their relative power level is.
Panelists
spragels
The Content Cowboy (100k followers on Youtube!)
just_samuele
Cybersecurity Specialist, founder of Pocket Winds and Team Ombra, Competitive Pokémon TCGP player.
Frog EX | Arca
Community of enthusiasts and competitive players of Pokémon TCG Pocket
Click on their name to go to their channel!
Top tiers
This is a really interesting time to be talking about the Meta because we have ranked coming to the game quite soon, I’m guessing next week, which is going to be really awesome for the game.
It seems like the meta-has revolved around a few key decks. In the top tier, you would be looking at the Arceus ex and Dialga EX combo. This deck doesn’t win every tournament but is extremely consistent and is the deck that everything else seems to be reacting to more or less. Starting turn two with this is brutal and it having so many strong Basic Pokémon leaves plenty of room for great supporter cards, tools, and items.
-spragels
Dialga Arceus continues to be a top-tier deck in the current meta. It reached the finals in two of the three largest tournaments this week, while securing a Top 8 finish at PGL. Thanks to Leaf, even with a rough start, the deck has enough turns to recover and turn the game around.
-just_samuele
High tiers
Meta call:
Water has a few strong representatives this set with Palkia ex, Gyarados ex, and Articuno ex getting a nice buff with the addition of Irida. The Origin Forme Palkia has also given these decks another one point card that can tank and fight.
-spragels
Gallade ex emerges in the meta with an excellent synergy alongside Hitmonlee, a past star that has already proven itself in previous formats. Unlike Lucario and Rampardos, this deck requires only one evolution line, making it more consistent. Additionally, Hitmonlee's ability to hit the bench is a problem for Dialga Arceus, which heavily relies on Arceus as support. The mind game created by Mars is devastating: if the opponent benches Arceus, they know it will be targeted; if they don’t, they risk not having the resources they need.
-just_samuele
Brought up by the japanese community in tournaments, Gallade ex is the current best deck vs Dialga Arceus. More consistent than Rampardos as Ralts can be searched with Pokéball, the Hitmonlee + Cyrus combo closes out games faster by pulling damaged bench Pokémon into Gallade's Energized Blade. Hitmonlee is also an insurance against the rise of Gyarados ex decks.
However, the deck struggles against 18 Trainer decks as they don't play any benched Pokémon and are faster to come out. The recent rise of Weavile ex is also bad news as the deck cannot keep up with its early damage output.
-FrogEX | Arca
While some may see it as ethically questionable, 18 Trainers remains an extremely strong deck. The risk of "bricking" is entirely in Misty’s hands, but a few lucky flips can completely shift the game in its favor. Against Stage 2 decks, such as decks, it helps balance the meta.
-just_samuele
The Lucario Rampardos deck feels like a direct reaction to the Arceus deck. This deck is extremely strong and made even better when it can counter one of the most played decks in the format. The ability to KO an EX Pokémon for a single energy is amazing. Fighting in general is having a really great moment in this set.
-spragels
Rampardos is an excellent counter to Dialga Arceus that can also win without even getting its top Pokémon online thanks to the overall power of the other Pokémon: Lucario, Sudowoodo, Marshadow... It suffers from inconsistency due to the fossil nature of its trump card that makes it impossible to get on curve reliably, something that Gallade ex does better.
-FrogEX | Arca
Weavile ex + Darkrai ex is the hallmark aggressive deck, aiming to distribute knockouts as quickly as possible. Unlike most decks, it can handle going first as Scratching Nails only require 1 Energy. It's also a hard counter to these popular decks.
It faces more challenges from the decks with big basic Pokémon, especially when they can heal (Shaymin, Irida, Erika...)
-FrogEX | Arca
Weavile ex has proven to be the perfect answer to the rising popularity of Gallade. The deck won both Ursiiday and PGL, showing that those who correctly read the meta gained a major advantage.
-just_samuele
Gyarados ex with Origin Forme Palkia would probably be the best deck of the meta if decks were absent: it has the upper hand on the most played decks of the metagame. Unfortunately, as long as Hitmonlee is a common threat, it will struggle.
-FrogEX | Arca
Middle tiers
There are many other decks that feel relatively competitive in the Meta, but don’t feel like they fit in the top two categories. decks haven’t been exceptionally strong in this meta but Exeggutor ex Celebi still has its moments. Leafeon ex is solid but only 70 damage doesn’t seem impactful enough to fight out of the middle of the pack.
-spragels
Arceus ex has many viable builds. One of my favorite is Crobat: Druggidon is in the Active spot while you charge up Arceus and evolve the Zubat line for a potential 180 damage by totalling Rough Skin, Cunning Link and Ultimate Force.
-FrogEX | Arca
Leafeon ex continues to struggle in reaching Top Cut. Eevee’s Fighting weakness makes it too vulnerable, often risking a Turn 1 knockout. Celebi, while an option, is unreliable: it was seen landing only 1 heads out of 6 attempts in some matches...
-just_samuele
Darkrai ex remains a good deck but fails to win the race against Dialga Arceus which has replaced it as the top tier deck of the format. It can be paired with Magnezone in a heavy field, or with Greninja and 2 Cyrus to catch any Pokémon on the bench.
-FrogEX | Arca
With Gallade gaining popularity, Darkrai ex is bound to make an even stronger comeback. To counter it, Grass decks could be a winning choice. Arceus Carnivine stands out as a strong contender, with variations featuring Exeggutor, two Rotoms, or Magnezone. An aggressive deck to stop another aggressive deck could help maintain balance in the meta.
-just_samuele
Promising decks
Exeggutor ex with Arceus ex is a surprisingly aggro deck: Exeggutor is set up as fast as possible with Pokémon Communication while Arceus ex is charged in the backrow for a big late-game swing. Despite a good matchup spread, it struggles against the best decks of the formats in Dialga Arceus and anything Water such as 18 Trainers.
-FrogEX | Arca
Snorlax with Magnezone is an innovative concept that finally brings fresh cards into the meta. The synergy between Snorlax and Barry is surprisingly strong, despite requiring four deck slots. Snorlax, dealing 100 damage for just two Energy, is an ideal counter to Fighting decks, which often struggle to break the 100 HP threshold even with Cape. Magnezone serves as the perfect tank in a meta increasingly revolving around Stage 2 Pokémon.
-just_samuele
Starmie ex with Palkia is the big revelation of the PLL. It won the tournament and performed well at both Ursiiday and PGL. As the meta shifts towards Stage 2 Pokémon, Starmie’s speed allows this deck to overwhelm opponents before they can fully set up. This makes it an ideal contender for climbing the ranks.
-just_samuele
decks have settled in to the middle with Infernape ex and Charizard variants looking decent, but still having to deal with being stage 2s.
-spragels
Special thanks
To all of the panelists for their time and analysis! Don't miss their content:
- spragels, Pokémon TCG Pocket content creator and co-organizer of the Hooglandia & spragels open. His Youtube channel just reached the 100k follower mark! https://www.youtube.com/@spragelsPocket
- just_samuele, competitive TCG Pocket player and tournament organizer of one of the most popular tournament series, the PGL cup: https://linktr.ee/pocketwinds
- FrogEX, competitive TCG Pocket team and tournament organizers of one of the most popular series, the FrogEX Weekly Cup: https://linktr.ee/TeamFrogEx