Water Decks Get New Power Card in Pokemon TCG Pocket's Triumphant Light Expansion

When Pokemon TCG Pocket first hit the scene, the meta quickly became dominated by a select few decks. Among them, the Misty and water-type Pokemon deck rose to infamy early on due to its ability to overpower opponents right from the start, hinging largely on the luck of coin flips.

Fast forward through three expansions, and you might expect new cards to have shaken up the meta or provided counters to Misty decks. Instead, the latest expansion has only bolstered Misty's dominance, much to the chagrin of many players.

Some variety would be appreciated
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It's not that Misty decks are the most powerful in the game. The frustration stems from the luck-based nature of Misty, making losses feel particularly harsh. Misty, a Supporter card, allows the user to select a water-type Pokemon and flip coins until they land on tails. For each heads flipped, a water-type energy is attached to the chosen Pokemon. This can result in attaching zero energy, making the card a wasted spot, or up to ten or more, if luck favors the player. A successful flip can enable a first-turn win or power up strong cards before the opponent can defend.

Why would they ever make a card like this?
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Subsequent expansions have only amplified Misty's power. Mythical Island introduced Vaporeon, allowing players to redistribute bonus energy among water-types. Space-Time Smackdown brought Manaphy, adding more water energy to the mix. Both expansions also included powerful new water-type Pokemon like Palkia ex and Gyarados ex, keeping water decks at the top of the meta for several expansions.

DeNa, What the Heck are You Doing?
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The latest expansion, Triumphant Light, has introduced Irida, another Supporter card that can heal 40 damage from each Pokemon with water-type energy attached. This addition makes water-type decks even more resilient, leveraging Misty, Manaphy, and Vaporeon to spread energy effectively.

Some experts suggest that Irida was introduced to force players to make strategic choices about which Supporters to include, given the game's 20-card deck limit. However, many skilled deckbuilders have managed to incorporate both Misty and Irida, maintaining water decks' dominance.

Three days away… what will you all be playing?
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As the next scheduled event approaches, where players can earn rewards like a gold profile badge for winning five matches consecutively, water decks are expected to be prevalent. The challenge is significant, especially against decks capable of early sweeps with favorable coin flips and recovery options like Irida. At this point, joining the water deck trend might be the best strategy for success.