Pokemon TCG Pocket's Triumphant Light Expansion Just Gave Water Decks Another Powerful Card, and Everyone's a Little Over It

Pokémon TCG Pocket's initial meta was quickly dominated by a few powerful decks, notably those centered around Misty and water-type Pokémon. The inherent randomness of Misty's coin-flip mechanic made these decks frustrating to play against, leading to early complaints about their potential for overpowered early-game dominance.

Three expansions later, instead of seeing Misty decks countered, the latest expansion, Triumphant Light, has only strengthened them. This has led to widespread player dissatisfaction. The issue isn't necessarily Misty decks' raw power, but the intensely frustrating experience of losing to a deck whose success relies heavily on luck. Misty, a Supporter card, lets players flip coins to attach water-type energy to a chosen water Pokémon—one energy per heads. This could result in nothing, or a massive energy advantage, leading to potentially game-winning turn-one plays or overwhelming early-game pressure.

Several subsequent expansions exacerbated the problem. Mythical Island introduced Vaporeon, enabling easier energy manipulation between water-type Pokémon. Space-Time Smackdown added Manaphy, further boosting energy availability. Powerful new water Pokémon like Palkia ex and Gyarados ex capitalized on this energy surplus, cementing water decks' meta dominance for multiple expansions.

Triumphant Light introduced Irida, another Supporter card that heals 40 damage from each water-type Pokémon. This provides water decks with significant healing capabilities, further enhancing their resilience. While grass decks previously held the healing advantage, Irida now allows water decks to recover from setbacks, especially when combined with Misty, Manaphy, and Vaporeon's energy-generating and manipulation abilities.

Some TCG experts suggest Irida was intended to diversify the meta by forcing players to choose between Misty and Irida due to deck size limitations (20 cards). The abundance of strong water cards, however, means many players find ways to include both, negating this intended effect.

The upcoming scheduled event in Pokémon TCG Pocket, offering rewards for win streaks in online competitive play, will likely be dominated by water decks. The difficulty of achieving a five-match win streak is amplified by the potential for swift defeats at the hands of lucky Misty decks, making it increasingly difficult for players using other strategies. The prevalence of these decks might make playing a water deck yourself a strategically sound decision.