Summary
Pokemon TCG Pocket’s Triumphant Light could be considered the most impactful miniset since the game’s launch. To put that in perspective, the previous miniset, Mythical Island, only managed to improve a couple of already successful decks. And none of those enhanced decklists were significantly promoted or demoted.
This isn’t the case with the Triumphant Light miniset, as its release has done it all: It has relegated some dominant setups, has pushed a few low-ranking decks to the top, and has opened up new synergies that were not possible before.
TCG Pocketplayers may wonder which cards from Triumphant Light have had the biggest impact on the metagame. The following list points out some of them and explains why they are the most influential cards in the A2a set.
The List Criteria and Stat Calculations
Any Pokemon, Supporter, Item, or Tool card that has somehow enhanced a deck or introduced strong new synergies has been selected for this list and ranked by its impact on the metagame.
The stats shown under each entry have been extracted fromrecentTCG Pockettournaments. These numbers may change and could differ slightly from those on tournament-tracking sites like Limitless TCG.
5Crobat
A Darkrai ex That Needs No Energy
Darkrai ex in the Space-Time Smackdown expansion introduced long-range damage as a meta strategy. With its unique ability, Darkrai ex dealt 20 damage to the enemy’s Active Pokemon whenever a Dark-type Energy was attached to it—an ideal move for inflicting Bench damage. However, Triumphant Light’s Crobat proved that there’s a better way to do the same.
A2a Crobat comes with a Link Ability that is activated when Arceus or Arceus ex is in play. When activated, Crobat deals 30 chip damage to the enemy’s Active Pokemon from either the Bench or Active Spot, without needing extra Energy.
Crobat’s alliance with Arceus ex illustrates its significant impact on the metagame, contributing to one of the top-performing decks in the game, with an impressive 48.5% win rate.
4Sudowoodo
The New Anti-Meta Card
Sudowoodo has undoubtedly been one of the most influential cards in the Triumphant Light era. This anti-meta Pokemon has perfect synergy with the previous set’s overlooked Fighting-type duo—Rampardos & Lucario—making it the best response to the current top-performing decks, especially Arcues ex lineups.
What makes Sudowoodo an excellent counter cardis its 30-damage advantage against ex cards. Since its base damage is 20, Sudowoodo does 50 damage to ex cards, which goes up to 70 if the defending Pokemon is weak to the Fighting type. But that’s not all. As a Fighting Pokemon, Sudowoodo also synergizes with Lucario’s buff, increasing its potential damage output to 110 with just one Energy!
Sudowoodo’s addition to the game boostedRampardos & Lucario’s setupto the top of the meta, making it the second-best in PvP and tournaments. For context, Sudowoodo increased the duo’s meta share by +500%.
During the Space-Time Smackdown era, Rampardos and Lucario accounted for just 1.17% of the metagame, while Sudowoodo helped expand that to 7.47%.
3Irida
The Best Healer of the Current Meta
Pokemon TCG Pocket’s Supporter cardsare known to shake up the meta, As demonstrated by Cyrus in the Space-Time Smackdown set— Which led many to call it overpowered. It’s no surprise, then, that one of the most influential cards from Triumphant Light is the new healer support card, Irida.
There are a couple of unique things about Irida that enable her to build creative synergies (e.g., her synergy with Leafeon ex & Celebi ex). For one,Irida heals any Pokemon with at least one Water-type Energyattached, regardless of its type. Secondly, Irida’s healing effect is not limited to a single card, unlike most previous healers. Instead, she heals all Pokemon in play that meet her requirements. For example, if the player has four Pokemon with Water-type Energy, Irida will heal 40 damage from each, totaling up to 160 HP.
2Leafeon ex
A Grass-type with Water-type Synergy
Leafeon ex tookthe place of Exeggutor ex in Celebi ex setups. But there’s more to it: Leafeon ex’s Energy-generating ability actually led to the formation of a new Grass-type meta that’s surprisingly powered with Water-type Energy.
Currently,players are pairing up Leafeon ex with Celebi ex, but instead of the usual Grass-type Energy, they use Water-type. This is because both Leafeon ex and Celebi ex need only one Grass-type Energy to function, with the rest of their requirements being Colorless. Additionally, Leafeon ex can easily supplement this need by using its ability and freeing up the Energy Zone for another Energy type—in this case, Water.
Ramping Leafeon ex and Celebi ex with Water-type Energy allows the new healer, Irida, to synergize with them. Irida enhances the main Pokemon’s longevity, keeping them on the board long enough to outlast opponents.
1Arceus ex
The Destroyer of Darkrai
Unsurprisingly, the most meta-breaking card from the Triumphant Light has been the miniset’s face: Arceus ex. This Pokemon endedDarkrai ex and Magnezon’s reign overPokemon TCG Pocket’s meta in a few days, becoming the most popular deck with a 54% win rate.
Arceus ex owes its success to two factors. As a Colorless Pokemon, it has a broad range of synergies, andDialga ex’s Energy-generating abilityperfectly complements its ultimate attack. With the ability to discount retreats, Shaymin has also played a critical role in Arceus ex’s rise to the top. But the duo of Dialga ex and Arceus ex has proven effective even without this practical Pokemon.
Once the player puts Dialga ex in the Active Spot and places Arceus ex on the Bench, only two Steel-type Energies are needed to start dealing damage and ramping Arceus ex. Dialga ex’s ability, Metallic Turbo, allows the player to deal 30 damage and generate two Energies for another Pokemon—which is clearly going to be Arceus ex.
