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The long sought after Generation 2 expansion is here and well! To evaluate the power level of the main decks of the Wisdom of Sea and Sky meta, we asked top players, tournament organizers and content creators Nuggie, Simbozz and Team Magma their opinion on the tier list.
Panelists
Click on their name to go to their media!
Opening statement: Babies
Even though their HP is only a measly 30, Pichu, Magby and Tyrogue definitely deserve to be at the top of the tier list. They allow the user to benefit from going either 1st or 2nd but also allows older Pokémon from previous sets make an appearance based on how these babies interact. Pichu and Magby being able to generate their type's Energy is huge for turn 1 and Tyrogue being able to be agressive turn 1 without energy is invaluable. Top it off with all babies have a 0 retreat cost means they they can also serve as a savior for 1 turn if you need to build up your main Pokémon.
-Nuggie
Top tiers
DarkTina is here to stay forever.
Definitely one of the decks that will be here for the long haul, every expansion can assist this deck so much. The newest supporter card Silver has added even more ammunition to keep this deck afloat terrorizing the meta with disruption while building its own energy.
-Nuggie
Darktina is still very consistent. It benefits enormously from Silver, especially against Charizard EX due to the combination of Silver with Red Card → Silver provides hand information and lets you choose a Supporter card from your opponent’s hand to shuffle back into their deck, helping you with decision-making, such as whether to use Red Card or not. In the current meta, Double Leaf is becoming increasingly popular, as Leaf gives many options to handle matchups effectively
-Team Magma
The Darkrai ex/Silvally/Baby deck is currently one of the absolute best decks in Pokémon TCG Pocket. The Baby Pokémon can accelerate Energy to your benched Pokémon from turn one without needing Energy themselves, setting up explosive plays. With every Pokémon having free retreat, you can quickly pivot into Type: Null or Sylvally for early pressure, or charge up Darkrai EX to unleash strong attacks. Darkrai EX’s ability to deal an extra 20 damage whenever it gets a Energy makes it even more dangerous. While the deck’s power is undeniable, it’s also quite skill-intensive – not every player will pilot it perfectly. In the right hands, though, it can deliver incredible win streaks and climb the ladder with ease.
-Simbozz
Darkrai ex Silvally have now fast energy acquisition due to Pichu and Magby. The combination of Silvally and Darkrai does 120 damage, and with the right Trainer even 130 (Gio) or 140 (Red), which can one-shot Buzzwole EX, Espeon EX or Darkrai EX. Oricorio is also a possible variation for better help against EX decks
-Team Magma
One of the newer Eevee decks entering the meta is the all powerful combo of Espeon & Sylveon. Espeon ex has proven to be an incredible unit with decent 80 dmg and 140hp but the charm here is its ability to heal 30 per turn. This kit allows it to tank and do damage while you build up your finisher on the regular sylveon. Top it off, use Sylveon EX for the incredible draw power and attack before they get a chance to build theirs.
-Nuggie
Espeon ex is of the most surprising decks of the season. When Espeon EX was first revealed, many dismissed it due to its seemingly low damage output and a healing ability that restores only 30 HP per turn. Yet, paired with two Sylveon EX (a proven powerhouse since last season) and even a single copy of regular Espeon to punish high-energy boards, it has risen to the top of multiple tier lists. The deck also has a natural answer to Pom Pom Oricorio, which walls EX Pokémon, ensuring it’s never completely shut down. With the Eevee Bag supporter providing flexible utility, either healing all Eeveelutions by 20 HP or adding 10 extra damage to attacks, the deck covers a wide range of matchups. Slightly less demanding than Darkrai EX / Sylvally & Baby’s, but still firmly in high-skill territory, this list is a consistent and dangerous contender in the current meta.
-Simbozz
Silvally will always be here to stay with its ability to boost its damages from the continuous growth of Supporters. Combining with Pom Pom Oricorio and Zeraora, you could choose to go with the pika variants or even with Arceus ex with Elemental Switch. The only weakness here is that it's extremely susceptible to decks
-Nuggie
High tiers
A powerhouse that surged into the meta last season, Sylveon ex Greninja Giratina has firmly held its ground. Greninja has been a standout since day one, with its Water Shuriken ability sniping 20 damage anywhere on the opponent’s board each turn. Combined with two copies of Cyrus, this deck can drag damaged targets from the bench into the active spot to finish them off. Sylveon EX provides consistent draw power upon play, while Giratina EX acts as a self-charging, hard-hitting closer. The mix of and Energy ensures Greninja can contribute both as a sniper and a primary attacker. While there’s some setup required for Stage 2 Greninja, once established, the deck’s synergy and targeted damage output make it incredibly difficult to deal with. A moderately skill-intensive list, but its game plan is straightforward enough to execute reliably in competitive play.
-Simbozz
Sylveon ex Greninja Giratina has lost some shine due to very bad matchups against top decks, namely Darkrai/Giratina and Espeon/Sylveon. It still has a place in this meta thanks to Sylveon EX.
-Team Magma
Guzzlord EX one-shots Espeon EX due to its weakness. It's most commonly played with 2 Naganadel, a low-energy, aggressive card that provides high early pressure. What’s great about this card is that it can one-shot 60HP Basics with 1 Nihilego, or 70HP Basics with 2, and its 1-energy cost makes going first very beneficial. Only 1 Celesteela is played now since its effect is not as essential as in the Buzz deck, though it can still be useful in some cases
-Team Magma
A long-standing meta threat, Charizard EX has maintained top-tier status for three consecutive seasons. Early builds focused on running it as a pure two-copy strategy, evolving quickly via Rare Candy and using its Stoke ability to accelerate Energy for massive 150-damage attacks the following turn. In the Sylveon ex variant, Sylveon EX offers consistent draw support, while a single non-EX Flareon serves as a crucial counter to Oricorio, bypassing its EX damage prevention. Charizard EX’s 180 HP allows it to withstand significant pressure, and with Lilie’s healing support, it can stay in play even longer. This is arguably the easiest deck on the list to pilot effectively: simple to learn, devastating in execution, and more than capable of climbing straight to Master Ball rank.
-Simbozz
Charizard ex can still win against nearly any deck with a perfect start. However, it suffers from poor matchups against Espeon EX with Cape, Guzzlord, and Ori variants. It gets also weakened by Silver, as it relies heavily on Supporters like Lillie or Red, and Silver allows the opponent to shuffle any Supporter card from your hand back into your deck
-Team Magma
Buzzwole ex secures a spot in the high tier by being the best counter against Dark/Tina (Dark/Tina has the highest share rate) and has very good chances against other decks, thanks to its high consistency & many healing options.
-Team Magma
Middle tiers
A creative and highly versatile list built entirely around Eevee and its evolutions, Eevee box features two copies each of regular Eevee and Eevee EX. The core lineup includes Leafeon EX, which self-charges Energy each turn, Flareon EX for massive 130-damage attacks (with the ability to recover Energy from the discard pile at the cost of 20 HP), Sylveon EX for draw consistency, and a non-EX Leafeon as a tech answer to Oricorio. The deck runs exclusively on Energy, relying on Leafeon EX’s ability to provide its own Grass Energy. With double Eevee Bag in play, Flareon EX can push its damage from 130 to 150, and with the Red supporter, hit 170 damage against EX Pokémon – more than enough to threaten most of the meta. Both a promising deck but also at the Same Time Mid Tier, its strong self-sustain, diverse type coverage, and high-damage potential give it clear long-term viability, possibly rivaling established staples like Darktina in the seasons to come.
-Simbozz
Thanks to the new set, Magby helps Flareon ex acquire Energy quickly. Flareon EX needs 3 energies for its 130-damage attack, but with Eevee Bags and Red, it can potentially deal 170 damage! Non-EX Flareon also deals high damage, 110 with 3 energies, and Sylveon EX can be added for faster draws. This is a secret pick in the current meta since it counters Buzzwole decks very well and has strong chances against top decks
-Team Magma
The new Donphan ex combo is A-M-A-Z-I-N-G! Stage 1s with having one of the only basic pokemons to deal 30 dmg on it's first attacking turn is great. The reason why this deck deserves to be in the list is simply because it's got 3 type advantages in the current meta. On top of that, the 1 energy cost to deal 50 dmg is great against energy dispersing units like Guzzlord. If that's not enough, then add up to 3 energy to do 110 with its 160hp pool. Combine that with Lucario and a supporter and you've got yourself a tanky hitter.
-Nuggie
Promising decks
Ho-Oh ex is a very good energy generator, allowing you to deal 80 damage and distribute 3 energies (Electric, Fire, Water) to your Benched Basics. Most often used with Pichu and Snorlax Ex, Pichu helps to quickly have the 3 energies ready for Ho-Oh’s attack. Alternatively, Snorlax EX can be used as a wall at the start to build Ho-Oh → Ilima on Snorlax EX, bench again, and make Ho-Oh EX ready to fight. The deck is vulnerable to Oricorio and Sabrina.
In my opinion, Ho-Oh EX hasn’t yet found the perfect partner but will play an important role in the future, as no other Pokémon currently allows generating so many energies.
-Team Magma
Special thanks
To all of the panelists for their time and analysis! Don't miss their content:
- Nuggie, TCG Pocket tournament organizer and content creator: https://www.twitch.tv/nuggie
- Simbozz, TCG Pocket content creator: https://www.youtube.com/@Simbozz Check out their latest videos, featuring classic builds but also a lot of uncommon ones!
- Team Magma, competitive TCG Pocket community and also organizers of one of the biggest weekly TCG Pocket tournament series: https://linktr.ee/MagmaOrg