Tournament Reports - Pokémon TCG Pocket Week 37

Week 3 of the Eevee Grove release. After two diverse yet Sylveon ex-heavy weeks of tournament, will a contender claim true dominion over the format?

FrogEX Weekly Cup #27

Prize pool: $50 thanks to Pokémon Zone

From a fairly balanced field, Sylveon ex once again took the lion’s share of the top cut, making up nearly 40% of the decks there.

Thankfully, the top 8 was more diverse, and in the end, it was Buzzwole ex that took the crown.

This list is reminiscent of early Extradimensional Crisis builds. elluquitas cut all Kartana to make room for the Pheromosa + Cyrus combo, especially useful in this metagame to pull the dead weight that is Sylveon ex off the Bench, right at the critical 120HP mark: the synergy between Jump Blues' splash damage and Big Beat results in a perfect KO on Sylveon. It also runs two hand disruption cards (1 Red Card, 1 Mars) to counter the stage 2 evolution decks that have grown in popularity due to their favorable Sylveon ex matchup and to counter their own Sylveon ex. Notably, elluquitas defeated both Charizard ex decks he was paired against, historically a terrible matchup for Buzzwole.

Leaf Cape lets Pheromosa survive key attacks like Fairy Wind or Water Shuriken + Mist Slash, and Buzzwole ex tank hits from Flareon ex. Rocky Helmet adds a critical 20 damage, which added with Big Beat totals for 140 damage. Solid into a wide range of matchups, Buzzwole ex continues to prove it hasn't been outclassed by the newer expansions.

Magma $51 USD Weekly Cup

Prize pool: $51

Unsurprisingly, Sylveon ex was both the most played deck overall and the most represented in top cut. Flareon ex and Buzzwole ex had notably strong win rates, and Darkrai ex stayed consistent with solid results.

But in yet another upset for Sylveon, it was Charizard ex, piloted by frappesdrinker, that went undefeated with a staggering 15-0 record.

Remember the list Soramaru used last week to reach the finals at the Magma Cup? This is the exact same 20. It just needed a second push to go all the way. The run included wins over 4 Sylveon decks, 3 Darkrai decks, and even 2 Silvally Lightning decks, including one in the finals; a traditionally bad matchup due to Pom Pom Oricorio.

In that final, the regular Flareon was crucial. Not only does it deal with Oricorio, but it also one-shots Silvally, the deck’s main attacker. Lillie allowed Charizard ex to survive Zzzap and buy a turn to power up Flareon’s Flamethrower, which sealed the game.

A less common Tapu Koko ex variant, recently mentioned in our tier list report, also made top 8: Tapu Koko ex Arceus.

While most Lightning decks today revolve around Silvally and Pom Pom Oricorio, Im_NotRyan played this one with 3 two point Pokémon. Tapu Koko ex is a strong opener, with Plasma Hurricane setting up Mach Bolt for the following turn. In this variant, Electrical Cord becomes a powerful mid-to-late game tool, redistributing Energy when a Pokémon gets KO’d, even to non-Lightning types.

That’s where Arceus ex comes in, acting as a finisher that can go online as early as turn 4 thanks to Zeraora + Dawn. While not the most aggressive attacker, Arceus ex delivers solid value with up to 130 damage with a full Bench, which this list's 7 basics –including two Pom Pom Oricorio– often enable.

Ursiiday's Pocket Weekly #34

Prize pool: $400 thanks to XPCollect

Sylveon ex once again dominated top cut, making up nearly 40% of the field.

Defending champ pepin_mx reached top 4 with Sylveon again, but the title went to maims123, piloting classic Darkrai ex Giratina:

Darktina remains the most enduring archetypes in Pokémon TCG Pocket, barely changed since its debut over 3 months ago. Its strength comes from running two of the best Pokémon ex and Energy only to consistently trigger Nightmare Aura, paired with a tight, adaptable trainer lineup.

It’s particularly strong against Sylveon ex decks, as Nightmare Aura + Chaotic Impact, supported by tools like Rocky Helmet, Red, and Guzma, can easily reach 140 damage, regardless of the opposing heals. Two hand disruption cards once again prove optimal. maims123 faced seven Sylveon Greninja Giratina decks and lost only once.

The finals opponent, Randomways, brought a far less conventional choice: Solgaleo ex with a fresh twist from Eevee Grove.

Yes, Sylveon ex again. In the previous format, Solgaleo ex was paired with Shiinotic, whose Illuminate helped dig for Rare Candy. Sylveon ex does it even better by drawing into Candy directly. Leftovers, a new addition from Eevee Grove, is very interesting in this deck: it immediately heals off Sol Breaker recoil damage, particularly relevant against Charizard ex to get out of KO range.

To handle Pom Pom Oricorio, a one-of Magearna is included. It's awkward: it doesn’t one-shot Oricorio even with Giant Cape, and in open decklist formats it’s easy to play around. Still, Randomways beat all 3 Lightning decks he faced and posted a 7-0-1 record against top-tier Sylveon ex Greninja Giratina decks. Solgaleo ex’s incredible bulk, surviving Water Shuriken + Chaotic impact, and how quickly it can hit the board, make it hard to deal with.

Where Is the Eevee Grove metagame at?

As previously seen, Sylveon ex still dominates; not just in its own archetype alongside Greninja and Giratina, but also as a consistency engine for many other decks. It especially boosts Rare Candy strategies, helping decks like Charizard ex and Solgaleo ex bring out their heavy hitters much earlier.

While Sylveon ex Greninja Giratina still shows the strongest overall presence in top cut, it's being seriously challenged by other builds. Basic-heavy decks such as Darktina, Ultra Beasts, and Lightning-based lists with Pom Pom Oricorio are all proving to be strong contenders.

As the format winds down, the value of draw power in TCG Pocket is clearer than ever, but it's also become clear that older archetypes still have solid tools to compete. Small tech adjustments, like adding hand disruption, are powerful to stay even with the pace and flow of the current meta.