Pokémon TCG Pocket: 3 Great Non-Meta Decks, In Retrospect

Today, Pokémon TCG Pocket released Mythical Island, the “A1a” mini-set for Genetic Apex. Genetic Apex spawned a great variety of decks, but three or four actually saw the limelight for most of its current duration. This seems unkind to those other decks, and even a little unfair. Pokémon like Butterfree, Pidgeot, or Arbok all deserve more love, especially in the context of this game. So, with the first mini-set out just today, here are three non-meta decks from PTCGP that may deserve more love, in retrospect.

18-Trainer Articuno ex

From the beginning of PTCGP‘s time as a public app, players have tried to subvert and solve the game. Decks that used only a handful of Basic Pokémon and only Trainer cards besides were the subject of many of these player-driven trials. Of these, Articuno ex was the most egregious, and perhaps the most successful. Here is the list:

18-Trainer Articuno: 20 Cards

Pokémon: 2

• Articuno ex x2

Items: 10

• Potion x2
• Poké Ball x2
• Red Card x2
• Hand Scope x2
• X Speed x2

Supporters: 8

• Misty x2
• Professor’s Research x2
• Sabrina x2
• Giovanni x2

As you may infer, decks like the above proliferated early because Pokémon TCG Pocket matches assure each player a Basic Pokémon at the start of each game. Due to the sequence of the way games go early on, the first player also cannot attach Energy to their Pokémon… except in the case of Trainer card usage. Therefore, the Articuno ex deck relies on exploits such as starting with an automatic Articuno ex and basically praying that there’s a copy of Misty in their opening hand. From there, a few other big factors apply:

1. They need to be going first
2. The opponent’s Bench must be empty
3. The opponent’s Active Pokémon must either be unable to take Articuno’s Blizzard attack without fainting (or Ice Wing, though that requires the opponent to be playing Fire-types)
4. They need to flip three heads when they play Misty (or two, in the case of Ice Wing)

From there, Articuno ex delivers what we in the business call a “turn-zero win.” Normally, these decks are extremely inconsistent, and tend to forfeit when the dream isn’t realized. As such, this deck quickly fell by the wayside in favor of decks like Starmie ex or Greninja-plus-anything.

Dragonite & Weezing Control

Dragon-types in Pokémon TCG Pocket are relatively difficult to play due to the unpredictability of players’ Energy supplies. Generally speaking, a monotype PTCGP deck will be more consistent than one with two or more types of Energy available. Plus, a Stage 2 Pokémon like Dragonite, PTCGP‘s only Dragon-type at present, takes time to evolve and to apply its whopping four Energy. But what if we told you that all you had to do to achieve a Dragonite sweep was stall?

Fortunately for deck-builders, Weezing serves as the perfect control counterpoint to the time it takes Dragonite to achieve liftoff. Below is a good sample list for Dragonite and Weezing:

Puffing Dragon: 20 Cards

Pokémon: 11

• Mewtwo x1
• Koffing x2
• Weezing x2
• Dratini x2
• Dragonair x2
• Dragonite x2

Items: 4

• X Speed x2
• Poké Ball x2

Supporters: 5

• Professor’s Research x2
• Koga x2
• Sabrina x1

With the above list, players seek to stall the game with either Weezing or Mewtwo. Mewtwo in this context serves as a means to soak up damage. For either of the control pieces, you don’t put Energy on them, and there is no way (nor need) for them to attack. All Energy goes to your Dratini lines. That way, when it comes time for Dragonite to come out it’ll be ready to attack. Meanwhile, X Speed ensures a quick retreat, while Koga not only retreats your Weezing but also heals it by returning the whole Koffing line to your hand. The strategy as a whole is quite strong, as long as you don’t forget to have things on your Bench when you play Koga.

This deck still sees play in the No-EX format, accessible by going to Private Matches and inputting the code “NOEX” into the match code query. It falters to decks that power out an engine faster, but it’s among the top decks in that format, at least.

Arbok & Pidgeot Retreat Control

The last Pokémon TCG Pocket deck we’ll discuss in this article revolves around Arbok and Pidgeot. The premise for this deck is simple: get Arbok and Pidgeot online, then use Pidgeot to force a switch to an easy-to-defeat opposing Benched Pokémon. Then, use Arbok to attack that Pokémon and keep them unable to Retreat if it’s somehow not Knocked Out yet.

A sample deck list for this conceptual build is below:

Cobra & Eagle Retreat Control: 20 Cards

Pokémon: 10

• Ekans x2
• Arbok x2
• Pidgey x2
• Pidgeotto x2
• Pidgeot x2

Items: 4

• Potion x1
• Poké Ball x2
• X Speed x1

Supporters: 6

• Professor’s Research x2
• Sabrina x2
• Giovanni x2

This deck has a very linear game plan: evolve and control. However, the fact that it relies heavily on one Stage 2 Pokémon line as well as a Stage 1 Pokémon line makes the path to stabilization arduous. As such, this deck is outclassed by a few different types of decks, even outside of the “Big 3” (Charizard ex, Pikachu ex, and Mewtwo ex). Still, this deck’s plan is relatively formidable in No-EX format play. While it’s sort of weak to Greninja or Dragonite, it holds its own against a variety of other decks in that metagame.

Pokémon TCG Pocket Will Shake Things Up Soon

With the new mini-set release on December 17th, it is doubtless that new non-meta decks are brewing right now. This will, for sure, shake the Pokémon TCG Pocket metagame up. The shake-up is likely to be such that some of these decks will be boosted, deflated, or even stricken from use entirely. What an exciting time to be a PTCGP player!