Triumphant Light: First Impressions

The big splashy EX of Triumphant Light! Arceus EX is a reasonable standalone card as it stands. Immunity to status impairments is not terribly useful, as there aren't really any of them at all in the current metagame. That being said, 140HP is reasonably tough, and making Ultimate Force a reasonable on-rate attack is not too difficult; the only condition is "play other Pokemon," and as we'll see, Arceus EX might want to bring some special friends of its own. Even outside of that, there is direct synergy with Manaphy and Dialga EX to feed bonus energy to Arceus EX. The main downsides are its retreat cost of 2 paired with a 3-colorless attack as its only offensive option, virtually mandating retreat cost reduction of some sort to not get stranded in active before it's ready to attack. Of course, this is still our first basic colorless EX, and will see some play on that merit alone.

MKCrimson's Rating:

Carnivine is looking to muscle in on Skarmory's turf as a one-point basic with the ability to attack for a massive 50 damage for just one energy when given a boost by Power Link. It's not difficult to see a world where a playable "baby" Arceus is used to make a no-EX aggressive deck virtually identical to current Skarmory builds, with Arceus taking the place of STS Heatran and Magnezone filling the role of splashed-in Stage 2 attacker. Of course, having access to Erika doesn't hurt either! This is the kind of basic that also potentially gives Leafeon from Space-Time Smackdown the kind of efficient, low-retreat partner it's been missing. Just be ready to be disappointed in the games where Arceus doesn't want to show its face and you're stuck attacking for a pitiful 20 at a time.

MKCrimson's Rating:

By comparison, Tyranitar looks like a clunky mess. 160 damage, is, in fact, a lot of damage, as is its 160HP, but the four retreat cost and four energy attack requirement is going to just get this thing killed by any bench damage + Cyrus play. It's also tricky to justify investing nearly that much energy in a world where Rampardos is capable of hitting similar breakpoints in the same type for a quarter of the cost. Are we sure this wasn't supposed to get Resilience Link instead? It wouldn't help, but it would make a lot more sense.

MKCrimson's rating:

As shown by my Carnivine rating, I'm fine with playing a conditionally strong attacker if the condition is "have Arceus in play." I am much less okay when there's a second condition, and this Heatran has a particularly annoying one of requiring damage on it in order to go from a horrid rate to a strong 80 for 2 energy. Without damage, it can serve a function as a free pivoting basic provided that Arceus is in play; without Arceus providing Speed Link, 3 retreat is prohibitively bad. 110 HP is also not what it used to be, getting one-shot by the ever-present Magnezone. If the stars align, this is as good an attacking basic as decks are getting. I just don't see them aligning terribly often.

MKCrimson's Rating:

Finally, Hitmonlee at home! Notably, like its Space-Time Showdown cousin, Rotom can attack for , enabling a free splash. The free retreat from Speed Link is also less mandatory than it is for Heatran, thanks to the base retreat cost of one. However, 20 damage just doesn't really cut it, missing the kill on the pitiful Magikarp. For reference, Lopunny hits a benched mon and the active for 20 apiece, is a completely free splash, and is completely unplayable. Rotom being a basic doesn't swing the pendulum far enough for it to escape the rabbit's fate.

MKCrimson's rating:

I feel like if I only get to run two copies of Magnezone in my deck, I'd much rather play the one that actually benefits from Magneton building free energy onto it to swing for 110 a turn in any deck I'd like. 30 flat damage reduction a turn isn't nothing, but 80 damage for 3 energy on a Stage 2 is frankly awful, especially with how little hits for weakness. Arceus will definitely help this live for a long time, but I'm not sure what I'm supposed to actually accomplish once it's in play.

MKCrimson's rating:

No, really, are we sure this wasn't supposed to have Power Link and someone just swapped this and Tyranitar in the file as a prank? I'm actually irritated, as Power Link seems like just the thing for Raichu; 70 damage for 2 energy on a Stage 1 would have been solid, and the bench cleave would be a nice bonus, if a bit underwhelming in the current meta. What we actually got is incoherent and pretty hilariously unplayable; Resilience Link is not helping a 90! HP Stage 1 live anything relevant, and once again we're stuck with an attack that's incredibly below rate. Again, I'm not sure what I'm actually supposed to do in the situation where I have an Arceus and this thing out to actually win games of TCG Pocket.

MKCrimson's rating:

Hey, it's that attack I wanted on Raichu! 2 energy for 80 damage is quite a solid rate - again, assuming you have the prerequisite Arceus in play. 3 energy for that same 80 is significantly worse, somewhat remedied by Manaphy, Dawn, and Misty existing in the card pool to provide some backup in case we can't find Arceus. That said, Abomasnow's biggest issue isn't even its reliance on Arceus to be strong on-rate; it's the fact that already has much stronger attacking threats that don't require nearly as much hassle. To put in perspective, Starmie EX is frequently going to just be better to throw in your deck even as a 2-point risk.

MKCrimson's rating:

It's just as well that I finally get to say nice things about a card - I was worried I'd run out of ratings! Crobat has a much more natural supporting cast than almost any of the other Arceus friends. Most obviously, Darkrai EX is more than happy to take on any extra energy, as Crobat only needs one to attack. Cunning Link is not quite as flexible as Water Shuriken in terms of setting up Cyrus plays, as Cunning Link can only hit the Active slot. However, this is made up for in damage potential, as you can end up in a situation where Crobat+Darkrai EX+Arceus EX is threatening anywhere from 100 to 180 damage a turn! This does have the downside of directly competing with current metagame staple Magnezone for the Stage 2 of choice in Darkrai EX shells, but there is definite potential to be had when the entire line can attack for just one energy and the capstone threat can pivot out for free! Expect a fair amount of experimentation with Crobat.

MKCrimson's rating:

It's hard not to be drawn in by Forest Breath; energy cheat has consistently been strong, and Leafeon EX is not dissimilar to Moltres EX in being a persistent source of energy while threatening 70 damage a turn once it has its own energy set up. Unlike Moltres EX, it even has access to Erika to stay healthy and continue attacking and ramping. The biggest issue for Leafeon EX, incredibly, might just be the opportunity cost of not running Exeggutor EX in its slot instead; Celebi EX, the most natural ramp target for Leafeon EX, is winning games just fine getting dosed up "the fair way" while Tropical Swing crashes in for 40-80 a turn from potentially the first attacking turn. By contrast, Leafeon EX can't possibly attack until at earliest the second attacking turn, and a persistent 70 is "fine" but pretty poor rate at 3 energy. It might seem unfair to dock points off an otherwise stellar Stage 1 pokemon due to being worse than the best Stage 1 in the game but that's just card games - opportunity cost sucks!

MKCrimson's rating:

Glaceon EX looks worse on rate than it actually is; 90 damage for 3 energy isn't great, but Snowy Terrain is a free 10 damage on each Checkup stage - including the ones where Glaceon is stuck unable to attack! Also, unlike fellow -type Starmie EX, Glaceon EX barely survives Nightmare Aura + Magnezone thanks both to its 140 HP and being weak to rather than . This does still end up putting Glaceon EX in an awkward spot where its actual damage output caps out fairly low, similar to Starmie EX, while not being quite as fast to start throwing out 90-damage attacks each turn. It's also incredibly risky to commit to the Glaceon and then hit tails with your followup Misty; even the free 10 a turn comes at a 2-point risk in your active slot. I feel like Glaceon EX is worth some experimentation in Starmie EX shells, but it might end up being a sidegrade at best.

MKCrimson's rating:

Let's get the bad news out of the way now: unless the text on Cynthia changes, she will NOT buff Garchomp EX. That said, even though Dragon Claw caps out lower than Machamp EX's Mega Punch, I can easily see Garchomp EX succeeding Machamp EX as the Fighting Stage 2 EX of choice. The new Gible and Gabite both attack for one energy, meaning Garchomp EX is in a unique spot where it can attack on curve going either first (attacking with Linear Attack for 50 anywhere damage) or second (attacking with Dragon Claw). A frankly massive 170HP means Rocky Helmet is a perfect fit, adding another 20 damage a turn if the opponent means to break through. If anything, my only real concern is the weakness, as well as potentially being out-capped in endgame scenarios. The 50 anywhere damage to set up Cyrus finishers, in my eyes, sufficiently addresses those concerns. This is a card I'm excited to try.

MKCrimson's rating:

Probopass EX and Adaman were pretty clearly designed to be delayed-release support for Dialga EX. Probopass EX only needs the energy from Metallic Turbo and the natural attach for turn to begin crashing in, and Adaman combined with Defensive Unit gives Probopass EX an incredible 40 flat damage resistance on the next turn. This will not reduce damage from out-of-combat sources like Water Shuriken or Nightmare Aura, but it's not out of the question for Probopass EX to just sit in play for extended periods thanks both to the damage resistance and its 160 HP.

Shaymin is the kind of card that can only see print now that Cyrus has made Big Basic pivot-heavy strategies much riskier. Even so, it's pretty hard to be upset at a bench-support Pokemon that effectively plays a free X Speed for you every turn. Sadly, in the event this is forced into Active, it cannot help itself retreat, as the ability mandates it be on the bench to be used. This also cannot reduce the retreat cost of non-Basic Pokemon, forcing it into decks where it's All Basics, All The Time in order to get maximum value. This might have a home in Dialga EX decks assuming that Arceus EX ends up being the new payoff for Metallic Turbo, as both EX's have an otherwise irritating retreat cost of 2. I'm not sure what other homes Shaymin has - Sky Support feels incredibly limited.

MKCrimson's Rating:

This isn't a TCG Pocket Card - it's a cry for help. Giratina might actually be the new definition of pack filler unplayable. Let's look at the process of using a Giratina and attempting to do anything with it:

1. Get 3 energy, including and , attached to Giratina,
2. Somehow, while getting this set up onto the Giratina, it does not get Sabrina'd in and bullied with its retreat cost of 3,
3. By the time our energy zone has cooperated with us, we attack for 120 and probably don't actually kill what's in front of the Giratina (or maybe we do, and secure a singular point against a Druddigon or Kangaskhan or something),
4. Two random energy - I repeat, two random energy - gets discarded off the Giratina. Even if we got to , maybe both get discarded and is next in our energy zone. Too bad!

Irida is an intriguing take on Erika-esque Supporter healing. Notably, the restriction is not being a type, but rather having energy attached. 40 healing from the Supporter slot is not far off enough from Erika to suddenly become bad, so even if we only play this like an Erika for our Active we're probably pretty happy - especially if something like Manaphy gets to attack again. However, this also can heal Druddigon in Gyarados EX shells, we can heal our Dragonite, or we can go incredibly spicy and run some kind of Yanmega EX/Magnezone monstrosity in our Manaphy+Palkia EX decks. If we haven't been caught in a bad pivot by Cyrus, this one supporter can be worth a massive 160HP in healing at maximum value. Mythical Island Vaporeon is an absolute rock star with Irida, letting us spread water energy to every single damaged Pokemon we have before shoving out massive heals and then relocating the energy we have onto our primary attacker. Expect this to be an absolute staple in any deck playing .

MKCrimson's Rating:

Triumphant Light is clearly pushing new archetypes, especially with Arceus EX leading the charge. That said, I'm not sure there's anything revealed so far that will shift the metagame significantly off of the Darkzone/Exeggutor EX metagame that Space-Time Smackdown has turned into. That said, we have 2 months of metagame developments and many more cards to see once the set goes live. Hopefully things shift more than I expect.

Happy brewing!