Summary
The Triumphant Light mini-set made significant changes to thePokemon TCG Pocket’s metagame. The expansion’s impact has been so pronounced that it makes the previous mini-set, Mythical Island, almost insignificant. Now that the Triumphant Light has triggered major shifts in PvP, an important question arises: how can players counter the new meta?
Fortunately, the Triumphant Light mini-set has also led to the creation of some of the best anti-meta and counter decks inPokemon TCG Pocket’s history, with the finest examples listed below. (Some of these decks will probably endure the changes introduced by the Shining Revelry set.)
List Criteria
The following decks have been carefully selected based on their performance (i.e., tournament appearances, meta share, and matchup data). Essentially, we’ve chosen emerging decks that perform well against the currently dominant setups, ranking them from least to most effective.
The statistics provided for each deck are gathered fromrecentTCG Pockettournamentstracked by the Limitless TCG website.
5Mew ex & Dialga ex
Perfect for Countering Unexpected Encounters
Mew ex became the most popular tech card back in the Mythical Island era. However, Triumphant Light’s release has once again reintroduced it to the meta, this time as a counter to the Arceus ex dominance. What makes this counter setup unique is that it closely mirrorsthe Arceus ex & Dialga ex lineup, with the key difference being the inclusion of Mew ex.
Mew ex’s Genome Hack ability enables it to copy the opponent’s moves with three Colorless Energy. This means that the player may occasionally copy the enemy’s most devastating attack, such as Arceus ex’s Ultimate Force, before the opponent can use it.
It is worth noting that the Mew ex & Dialga ex decks have generally been favored against the popular decks from the previous expansion. Consequently, they have achieved the highest success rates against decks like Charizard ex and Moltres ex,Exeggutor ex and Celebi ex, as well as Darkrai ex and Magnezone.
A surprising counter deck that emerged withthe release of Triumphant Lightwas the combination of Palkia ex and its Origin Forme. The logic behind this lineup is straightforward: the player aims to ramp up either Palkia ex or Origin Forme Palkia using Manaphy while leveraging the Zone Energy to power up the other. However, what makes the deck an effective counter to the meta is the inclusion of a new Supporter: Irida.
Irida’s role in the Palkia ex & Origin Forme Palkia deck is crucial. She can provide the board with up to 160 HP, extending the damage dealer’s active time for at least another round. This is especially important for Palkia ex because it has an Energy-discarding effect, which makes it likely to get knocked out if its first strike fails to defeat the opponent. However, with Irida’s help, Palkia ex can endure one more hit and, hopefully, resume dealing damage after a round or two.
In terms of matchups, Palkia ex & Origin Forme Palkia has been one of the best options against Arceus ex & Dialga ex decks. Recent PvP data confirms that the Water-type duo has won 54% of the matches against this meta-dominating duo. But it’s also been a strong response toLeafeon ex & Celebi ex(61.5% win rate) and Articuno ex’s 18-Trainer decks (55.5% win rate).
One advantage of running a Palkia ex & Origin Forme Palkia decks in the current meta is that their weakness to Lightning-type Pokemon won’t cause a significant threat, as Lightning decks have lost their popularity after the A2a mini-set release.
TheWater archetype inPokemon TCG Pocketis on the rise thanks to the addition of Irida. One of the decks that has leveraged this new Supporter to its fullest is the 18-Trainer Palkia ex lineup. It utilizes Irida to buy time for the Active Palkia ex while using Misty to ramp it.
So far, Palkia ex’s 18-Trainer deck has dominatedall meta Grass-type decks, including the new Leafeon ex and Celebi ex alliance, achieving a +60% win rate. However, it has encountered difficulties against the mini-set’s top deck, Arceus ex & Dialga ex. Additionally, it has not been the best choice against Magnezone lineups due to its weakness to Lightning-type Pokemon.
If it weren’t for Arceus ex’s weakness to Fighting-type Pokemon, Gallade ex might have struggled to climb the meta. However, many players are pairing this card with the previous expansion’s top-performing sniper, Hitmonlee, to counter all Arceus ex setups. And the strategy seems to have paid off, as the Gallade ex & Hitmonlee decks have a 55% win rate against Arceus ex & Dialga ex. Additionally, they’ve also proven effective against three other popular decks:Charizard ex & Moltres ex, Leafeon ex & Celebi ex, and Darkrai ex & Magnezone.
Despite being the second-best counter deck in Triumphant Light meta, the Gallade ex & Hitmonlee lineup has proven to be incredibly vulnerable to two 18-Trainer decks: Articuno ex and Palkia ex. This vulnerability arises from Gallade ex being aStage Two Pokemon, which is typically challenging to evolve on the Bench. In other words, fast-paced decks like the 18-Trainer Articuno ex and Palkia ex can effectively destroy the pre-evolution forms before they can evolve into Gallade ex and deal damage.
The best counter or anti-meta deck in Triumphant Light isthe refined Rampardos and Lucario deck. This duo holds the second-largest share of the meta, closely following the Arceus ex & Dialga ex decks. Interestingly, this is the first time a counter deck designed in response to another meta deck has become so popular that it is practically the second-most-picked deck in PvP.
What makes the new Rampardos and Lucario decks so powerful against the meta is the addition of Sudowoodo. With thisFighting-type Pokemon, players can deal 70 damage to Arceus ex with just one Energy. This damage can be amplified to a remarkable 110 if the player has two Lucario cards on the board or 120 if they also play Giovanni.
