Tournament Reports - Pokémon TCG Pocket Week 24

Darkrai ex is everywhere in ranked. Can players in large community tournaments find a way to stop its domination? Week 24 of Pokémon TCG Pocket, halfway through the Shining Revelry format, shows some creative answers to the nightmare.

FrogEX Weekly Cup #14

Player count: 256 players

Prize pool: $50

The metagame has fully stabilized since last week. Darkrai ex remains the top deck, followed closely by Gyarados ex, Meowscarada, and Giratina ex, which are all clustered in representation.

Darkrai ex continues its dominance, claiming half of the top 8 spots. Still, a challenger, kinkakuj, managed to deny it the win.

Kinkakuj’s deck wiped out every Darkrai ex and Giratina ex opponent in their path (4 and 3 respectively), using the two strongest 1-point Pokémon in the game: Meowscarada and Magnezone. Meowscarada is emerging as the best 1-point Pokémon since Shining Revelry, capable of contesting Darkrai ex thanks to its advantage. Magnezone matches that power: hitting over 100 damage, with solid HP, and trading for just 1 point.

Thanks to Magneton’s Volt Charge, the deck only runs Energy but still powers up Magnezone’s Thunder Bolt. Both attackers can swing on curve, even going first, when Darkrai ex and Giratina ex sits on just 2 Energy at best. This aggressive curve allows for heavy, even lethal damage before opponents are ready: Meowscarada’s Fighting Claws one-shots Darkrai ex.

Meowscarada Magnezone trades favorably into these big Basic Pokémon ex strategies. Even if one attacker falls, two more 1-point attackers can follow up, leaving opponents with only 1 point left: a very narrow window for a comeback. These decks can't do much to retaliate as not only neither Dark Prism nor Chaotic Impact can one-shot the stage 2 Pokémon, but unlike the weaker but universal Giovanni, the now ever so present Red is rendered completely useless against these Pokémon, so the opponents start with up to 2 dead cards in their deck!

The weakness, of course, is assembling two separate Stage 2 lines quickly. Kinkakuj’s list only has Sprigatito for consistency; no Iono or Pokémon Communication. Instead, it runs a suite of powerful 1-of Trainers: Sabrina and Cyrus for opportunistic knockouts, Giant Cape to push attackers outside of Nightmare Aura + Chaotic Impact range, and Red to secure KOs on tankier ex Pokémon.

Grass also showed up in kaburajadulu’s top 8 finish with their Carnivine Arceus list:

Four weeks after Onyx G’s performance, kaburajadulu replicated the feat with the exact same list.

While the analysis hasn't changed, it’s compelling to see this deck succeed in a new metagame. Carnivine’s Vine Whip can take down bulky ex Pokémon in three hits and knocks out Manaphy in one. (kaburajadulu hasn't lost a single game against Gyarados ex decks). Rotom's Assault Laser is still a powerhouse against the ever so present Pokémon Tools.

Since both Rotom pressure the opponent into holding back Tools or Basics to bench until a single big turn, Mars could be a strong tech for the deck. But sticking to the original list shows just how efficient this aggressive strategy is across formats.

Pocket Legends League #26

Player count: 176 players

Prize pool: $50

With fewer players, this event featured more diverse decks: even a Blaine list made top cut (top 31 after Swiss).

One constant remained: Darkrai ex dominated the top cut. Yet once more, a challenger rose up: NE, piloting Gyarados ex to victory.

Last week, Gyarados ex decks impressed by making the most top 8 despite modest overall representation. Most followed a core of Manaphy – Gyarados – 1 Origin Forme Palkia with a suite of Supporters. NE swapped Origin Forme Palkia for Articuno, favoring lower retreat over higher HP, and added Palkia ex. Palkia ex brings bulk and offense: it withstands big hits (Chaotic Impact, Rampaging Whirlpool), hits for 150 (enough to KO Giratina ex), and adds a welcomed 4th threat, when Magikarp and extra Manaphy are the only other board options for a while.

The trainer lineup seems designed to make it difficult for the opponent to play around everything: one of each strong Tool, a single copy of Irida… but the standout is Mars. Unlike the other cards, Mars doesn’t directly support the deck’s game plan: it disrupts the opponent’s. That’s a strong commitment in a deck generally focused on its own consistency. Mars performs well against Darkrai and Giratina ex decks, which often hold multiple Supporters due to the one-per-turn limit. It’s also effective against Meowscarada builds, interfering with the setup of their evolution lines. Most notably, it can shut down the card advantage from Sprigatito’s Cry for Help.

In his run, NE went 5-1 against Darkrai ex decks as well as 3-0 against Gyarados ex decks but a more lukewarm record against Meowscarada decks (1-1-1), although the win in top 4 against Rockykinkon's Meowscarada Arceus deck was certainly the most important.

Rockykinkon combined Meowscarada, Arceus, and Carnivine for a deck that deploys strong plays early. Carnivine is the best turn 1 attacker, Meowscarada is the most efficient attacker in an ex-heavy meta, and Arceus ex finishes as a powerhouse.

To optimize turn 1, the deck runs 2 Leaf to retreat a bad Arceus start. That includes both regular Arceus and Arceus ex trading down with regular Arceus when KO'd keeps the opponent from gaining too much momentum.

To maximize turn 1 efficiency, Rockykinkon runs 2 Leaf to retreat a bad Arceus opener into something better. They include one copy of each Arceus. While the regular Arceus is clearly weaker, it only gives up 1 point when knocked out, putting the deck in a much safer position than if Arceus ex, worth 2 points, were to fall. That extra buffer leaves more room to recover and stay in the game.

The deck performed decently against different archetypes thanks to this aggro approach, having a 3-1-1 record against Darkrai ex decks in their run.

Despite their overwhelming presence in the top cut, Darkrai ex decks weren't just a identical copy of each other: Mkun made it to the top 8... by adding yet another Big Basic Pokémon ex.

And staying on theme, that Pokémon is none other than Arceus ex. But why include yet another high-cost attacker alongside Darkrai ex and Giratina ex? First, Arceus ex matches Giratina ex's damage output without the recoil. Second, it's easier to charge up (faster than Giratina ex) and hits harder than Darkrai ex, giving it an edge over both. Third, it avoids the common and weaknesses, while decks are rarely seen. Finally, Arceus ex doesn’t need a specific Energy type to use Ultimate Force, which lets it benefit from Dawn’s effect, moving an Energy from Giratina ex’s Broken-Space Bellow to Arceus ex for a potential 130 damage on turn 4, a burst strong enough to close out games early.

Ursiiday's Pocket Weekly #24

Player count: 747 players

Prize pool: $400 thanks to XPCollect's sponsorship

Darkrai ex dominated top 8 again, and this time, it won! Bixie became the first player to win back-to-back Ursiiday’s, using nearly the same Darkrai ex Giratina list as last week.

The only change to their list from last week is swapping the second Leaf for a second Rocky Helmet. Rocky Helmet can’t be healed preemptively and pushes Darkrai ex or a Giant Cape-equipped Giratina ex down to or below the 130 HP threshold, setting up a clean retaliation KO with Giratina ex. Without a healing Tool like a berry, it’s much harder to play around, especially with Blue's absence and overall low impact.

Despite Darkrai’s dominance, the most played card in the top 8 wasn’t Darkrai! It was Magnezone, featured in both Meowscarada Magnezone and Skarmory Magnezone decks like suugarwater’s:

Skarmory Magnezone is another one of these fast aggro decks that can hit 50 on turn 2, threatening setup Pokémon like Manaphy or slower decks with Stage 2 evolutions. Ridzan brought this deck to finals last week; this week, it reached top 8 again with only 12 players piloting it. Though previously made inefficient by Shaymin (Space-Time Smackdown), it thrives now, especially against Gyarados ex. While weaker against Darkrai ex, it still carried suugarwater to a strong top 8 finish, only falling to Bixie.

Another highlight: Jucchan42’s Lake Trio deck, which finished 15th, incorporating new cards from Shining Revelry

Their build includes Giratina ex and Red, the set’s best new cards. Giratina ex pairs well with builds, as showcased by the performance of the Giratina ex Mewtwo “17 Trainers” lists. Here, it’s joined by the Lake Trio, 1-point Pokémon led by Mesprit, who can hit for 160 with Supreme Blast.

Giratina ex serves as an attacker as well as an Energy battery, moving a spare Energy from Broken-Space Bellow to active attackers for earlier swings. A strong finish that confirms Giratina ex’s broad potential.

Where Is the Shining Revelry metagame at?

Halfway through the format, Darkrai ex is clearly the deck to beat. Yet, you don’t need to bring it, or even any Pokémon ex, to do well. Meowscarada and Skarmory with Magnezone prove that 1-point strategies can go far. Gyarados ex, a holdover from the second set, remains strong thanks to Manaphy and its blend of bulk and power.

The only archetype not making top 8 this week in big tournaments was Giratina ex, but it still put up solid results. Big changes seem unlikely until the next set. 1-point Pokémon strategies have shown promise but struggle with evolving on curve against the fast pressure of Darkrai ex and Giratina ex.