Images courtesy of The Pokémon Company

The release of Journey Together, the Pokémon Trading Card Game’s (or TCG) latest set, has ushered in the rotation of beloved staples and has caused meta shifts and deck reconstructions across the metagame.

While the new set brought some staple cards to the forefront, some older cards have likewise jumped up in popularity as new format-defining staples going forward.

Let’s look at which cards we can pick up from old sets to flesh out our collection.

Poison Package

While Brute Bonnet, Pecharunt, Ancient Booster Energy Capsule, and Binding Mochi have been staples of the Poison Klawf Terapagos deck, they’re now joined by Perilous Jungle to still output eight damage counters on the first turn.

One of the best users of this package is Archaludon ex, but others are also trying it out with N’s Zoroark ex.

Jacq

The loss of Lance and the continued presence of Budew means players still need a way to fetch Pokémon from the deck without relying on Item cards. Jacq has become another staple some decks run multiple copies of to play around Itchy Pollen.

Dudunsparce

An engine on its own, Dudunsparce has become an interesting choice for some decks, such as Gholdengo ex, to draw more cards every turn. The printing of Dudunsparce ex has also provided some flexibility as an answer to Wall decks.

Crispin

Initially seen as binder fodder, Crispin has slowly crept up the metagame as a defining card due to the presence of Stellar Pokémon, which require different energy types to attack, or simply due to the loss of other energy acceleration options.

It was only initially played in the dreaded Iron Thorns ex – Dragapult ex deck, but is now an inclusion in several decks such as Tera Box and Raging Bolt ex.

Cornerstone Mask Ogerpon ex

The rotation of Pokémon V and VSTAR has narrowed down metagame threats, which positioned Walls as a legitimate tournament contender since the deck now has an easier time rendering the opponents’ attackers ineffective.

Cornerstone Mask Ogerpon ex has become the go-to answer for Tera decks, though other archetypes have also looked to other tech inclusions such as Scizor, Zarude, and Luxray.

If you see weird card in decks, it’s probably an answer to Walls or Cornerstone.

Munkidori

Ratio + Don’t care + Didn’t ask + Cry about it + Adrena-Brain for 30. Munkidori has started to see inclusion beyond just Gardevoir ex decks to fix damage math, deny KOs from opposing Pokémon, or even take several prizes in a turn.

We can even argue that the monkey seems to be one of the most meta-warping cards at the moment! If you don’t play it and your opponent does, you’re already at a severe disadvantage, and stops preemptive chip damage from building up. We’ve seen the card show up in Dragapult ex, Gholdengo ex and annoying Froslass decks; heck, even some Tera Box variants play the card now!

Tera Package

Noctowl has become one the most meta-defining support Pokémon of the format due to the prevalence of Tera Pokémon in decks. The Owl was predicted to increase in popularity when we discussed post-rotation staples in December. Alongside this, players should pick up copies of Area Zero Underdepths and Fan Rotom to fully flesh out this package.

Though these cards have only spiked in popularity now, newer players should of course grab copies of the most-played cards in the format. Fezandipiti ex is an auto-include in most decks, but it will see a reprint in the Dragapult ex League Battle Deck. The usual gang of supporters, such as Boss’s Orders, Iono, and Professor’s Research, should also be high priority.

Atlanta Regionals, the first major tournament in the Journey Together format, is scheduled for next weekend. We’ll have to see what other old cards start to surface as meta-defining staples for the format to come.

Curious to know how the Tera Box deck works? Read our deck breakdown here. Also check out our listing of the Top 5 Journey Together cards, or the Top 5 Journey Together decks.