Water Decks Gain Powerful Card in Pokemon TCG Pocket's Triumphant Light Expansion

When Pokémon TCG Pocket first launched, the meta quickly became dominated by a select few decks, with one centered around Misty and water-type Pokémon becoming particularly notorious. Players grew to loathe this deck due to its ability to overpower opponents early on, largely depending on the outcome of coin flips.

Three expansions later, rather than being replaced or countered, Misty decks have only grown stronger. The latest expansion has introduced a new card that amplifies their dominance, leading to widespread frustration among players.

Some variety would be appreciated
byu/Mizter_Man inPTCGP

It's not that Misty decks are the most powerful in the game, but the luck-based nature of Misty makes losing to them feel particularly frustrating. Misty, a Supporter card, allows the user to choose a water-type Pokémon and flip coins until they land on tails. For every heads flipped, a water-type energy is attached to the chosen Pokémon. This can result in attaching zero energy, making the card a wasted slot, or it could attach one, two, three, five, ten, or more energies if luck is on the player's side. A successful flip with Misty can lead to a first-turn win in certain scenarios, or more commonly, enable the user to power up extremely strong cards before the opponent can mount a defense.

Why would they ever make a card like this?
byu/EfficientTrainer3206 inPTCGP

The situation has worsened with subsequent expansions introducing cards that enhance Misty's power. Mythical Island added Vaporeon, allowing players to freely move the bonus energy among their water-type Pokémon. Space-Time Smackdown introduced Manaphy, which adds even more water energy to the board. Both expansions also brought new, powerful water-type Pokémon like Palkia ex and Gyarados ex, keeping water decks at the top of the meta for multiple expansions.

DeNa, What the Heck are You Doing?
byu/HolographicHeart inPTCGP

With the release of Triumphant Light, a new card named Irida has further intensified the dominance of Misty decks. Irida, another Supporter card, can heal 40 damage from each Pokémon with water-type energy attached. This ability challenges the dominance of grass-type decks, traditionally known for their healing capabilities. Water decks, equipped with Misty, Manaphy, and Vaporeon, are well-positioned to take advantage of Irida's healing.

Some Pokémon TCG experts suggest that Irida's introduction might be a strategic move by developer DeNA to force players to make tough choices about which Supporters to include in their limited 20-card decks. However, savvy deckbuilders have found ways to incorporate both Misty and Irida, maintaining the deck's strength.

Three days away… what will you all be playing?
byu/INDlGO inPTCGP

As Pokémon TCG Pocket gears up for a regularly-scheduled event, where rewards like a gold profile badge are offered for winning five matches in a row, the presence of water decks is expected to be overwhelming. Achieving such a win streak is challenging, especially against decks that can dominate early with favorable coin flips and have recovery options like Irida.

Given the current state of the meta, players are likely to see a prevalence of water decks during this event and beyond. It might even be strategic to consider playing a water deck yourself to stay competitive.