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

When Pokémon TCG Pocket first launched, the meta was quickly dominated by a select few decks. Among them, the Misty and water-type Pokémon deck became infamous early on due to its potential to overpower opponents early in the game, largely depending on the outcome of coin flips.

Even after three expansions, the meta hasn't shifted away from Misty decks as one might expect. Instead, the latest expansion has introduced a card that further strengthens these decks, much to the frustration of many players.

Some variety would be appreciated
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It's not that Misty decks are necessarily the most powerful in the game. The issue is that their luck-based nature makes losing to them feel particularly frustrating. Misty, a Supporter card, allows players to select a water-type Pokémon and flip coins until they land on tails. For every heads flipped, a water-type energy is attached to that Pokémon. This could mean attaching anywhere from zero to numerous energies, depending on luck. A fortunate flip could enable a player to win on the first turn or bring powerful cards into play before the opponent can react effectively.

Why would they ever make a card like this?
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The situation has worsened with subsequent expansions introducing cards that enhance Misty's effectiveness. Mythical Island introduced Vaporeon, allowing players to redistribute the bonus energy among their water-types. Space-Time Smackdown added Manaphy, which further increases the water energy on the board. Both expansions also brought in powerful water-type Pokémon like Palkia ex and Gyarados ex, ensuring water decks remained dominant across multiple expansions.

DeNa, What the Heck are You Doing?
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The latest expansion, Triumphant Light, introduces Irida, another Supporter card that can heal 40 damage from each Pokémon with water-type energy attached. This addition shifts the healing advantage from grass-type decks to water-type decks, allowing them to stage comebacks more easily, especially with the abundance of energy provided by cards like Misty, Manaphy, and Vaporeon.

Some Pokémon TCG experts suggest that DeNA introduced Irida to force players to make tough decisions about deck composition, given the 20-card limit in TCG Pocket. The idea is that players might have to choose between Misty and Irida, though many have found ways to include both in their decks.

Three days away… what will you all be playing?
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With a scheduled event approaching, where rewards are given for win streaks in the game's competitive mode, including a coveted gold profile badge for five consecutive wins, water decks are expected to be prevalent. The challenge of achieving such a streak is intensified by the dominance of these decks, which can secure early victories with favorable coin flips and recover from setbacks with cards like Irida.

Given the current state of the meta, it may be advantageous for players to consider using a water deck themselves during this event and beyond.