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

Pokémon TCG Pocket's initial meta was quickly dominated by a few powerful decks, notably those centered around Misty and water-type Pokémon. The inherent randomness of Misty's ability—flipping coins to determine energy attachment—made victories feel frustratingly luck-based for opponents. Despite the introduction of three subsequent expansions, not only has Misty's dominance persisted, but it's been amplified.

The issue isn't necessarily Misty's raw power, but the intensely negative experience of losing to a deck so heavily reliant on chance. Misty, a Supporter card, allows players to flip coins, attaching a Water-type Energy to a chosen Pokémon for each heads. This could result in zero energy, rendering Misty a wasted card, or a massive energy boost leading to early-game victories or overwhelming advantages.

Subsequent expansions exacerbated the problem. Mythical Island introduced Vaporeon, enabling easy energy manipulation between water-type Pokémon. Space-Time Smackdown added Manaphy, further boosting energy count, and both expansions introduced powerful water-type Pokémon like Palkia ex and Gyarados ex, solidifying water decks' meta dominance.

Triumphant Light introduced Irida, another Supporter card that heals 40 damage from each Pokémon with attached Water-type Energy. This allows water decks, already energy-rich thanks to Misty, Manaphy, and Vaporeon, significant recovery capabilities, previously a strength of grass-type decks. While some TCG experts suggest Irida was intended to diversify deck choices by forcing players to choose between it and Misty within the 20-card deck limit, many players have found ways to incorporate both.

The upcoming scheduled event, rewarding players for win streaks in competitive play, is likely to be heavily influenced by this meta. The difficulty of achieving a five-match win streak is significantly increased when facing decks capable of swift, luck-based victories, particularly those employing Misty and Irida. The prevalence of water decks is expected to continue, potentially making playing one yourself a strategic choice.