Pokémon TCG Pocket meta, finest decks for April 2025

The Pokémon TCG Pocket meta should’ve not too long ago turned 30 — as a result of it’s lastly settling down!

Launched in late 2024, Pokémon TCG Pocket is a card-collecting sport with a aggressive streak — a streamlined iteration on the traditional Pokémon buying and selling card sport. There’s incentive to play battles, as profitable earns you XP, which helps you degree up, which helps you open extra booster packs, which helps you construct higher decks to win extra battles. Ah, the nice cell sport suggestions loop.

What follows is a abstract of the Pokémon TCG Pocket meta as of April 2025, together with the perfect decks and the perfect playing cards within the wake of the Area-Time Smackdown enlargement and Triumphant Mild and Shining Revelry booster pack.

Replace (April 8): Defined the state of the meta in gentle of Shining Revelry’s arrival, which has added new ‘finest playing cards’ to think about for any deck.

What’s the Pokémon TCG Pocket meta proper now?

As soon as upon a time, for those who didn’t have the cardboard(s) of the second, you have been accomplished for. That’s now not the case. With eight enlargement packs to select from — the three Genetic Apex launch packs, two Area-Time Smackdown packs, and the singular Legendary Island, Triumphant Mild, and Shining Revelry boosters — there’s a wealth of choices to construct your decks.

The Pokémon TCG Pocket meta has developed to a degree the place it’s much less concerning the taste of month, and extra a couple of collection of stalwart archetypes that may be personalized primarily based on the playing cards in your assortment. The most up-to-date expansions, Triumphant Mild and Shining Revelry, didn’t upend the meta a lot as introduce a handful of versatile playing cards.

As an example, Arceus ex from Triumphant Mild is a well-liked one, not simply due to its sheer injury output (as much as 130!) but additionally as a result of it matches into many decks. Shining Revelry, in the meantime, added an alternate model of Charizard ex, but it surely doesn’t seem like rather more widespread than the unique. In the meantime, it’s the coach playing cards from Shining Revelry which have actually made the most important impression (which we additionally get into under).

In different phrases, for essentially the most half, the decks which were widespread this yr attained that recognition for a motive: They’re actually good, and proceed to be actually good to today. Anticipate to see a bunch of those whereas climbing the Ranked mode ladder. Learn on for particulars.

Pokémon TCG Pocket finest decks

Understanding the perfect playing cards of the second is one factor, however getting these playing cards is one other matter. Proper now, the Pokémon TCG Pocket meta is essentially outlined by ex playing cards — high-power playing cards which are additionally extraordinarily uncommon — however a variety of a playing cards that may enhance your power manufacturing are additionally fairly widespread.

Just about each deck that has been dominant up to now remains to be highly effective, although you don’t see them round as ceaselessly with the arrival of Area-Time Smackdown. To be clear, they’re no much less efficient — only a bit passé. With that in thoughts, we’re protecting them on this checklist of the perfect decks, and are including the three latest additions to the highest — which means the eight finest decks in Pokémon TCG Pocket as of April 2025 are:

You’ll see that the perfect decks are nonetheless constructed round a single power kind, to attenuate one more coin flip in battles. We’ll get into element about why these decks are so profitable under. And for those who’re on a foul luck streak with opening booster packs, you may also use pack factors or buying and selling the get the precise card(s) you’re in search of.

Listed below are the finest decks in Pokémon TCG Pocket, with the important thing playing cards for every deck highlighted in daring.

Darkrai ex is the stuff of nightmares. As an ex card, its stat line (140 HP and an assault that prices three power and offers 80 injury) isn’t notably wonderful. However its capability, Nightmare Aura, makes up for the deficit. Each time you connect a darkness power to Darkrai ex, you’ll mechanically deal 20 injury to your opponent’s lively Pokémon.

That additional 20 injury is commonly sufficient to eradicate an opponent’s lively Pokémon when mixed with an assault from yours. And for those who’re nervous about Darkrai ex hogging power from the remainder of your crew, you should use the Daybreak coach card, which lets you transfer power from a benched Pokémon to your lively Pokémon.

Whereas Darkrai ex has synergy with hottest darkness-type Pokémon (like Weezing, Toxicroak, Arbok, or the Nido evolution chains), the hack right here is unconventional: Magnezone, with its highly effective 110-damage assault, Thunder Blast. Its earlier-stage evolution, Magneton, has a capability that means that you can add one lightning-type power to it per flip — no matter what power kind you’ve set on your deck. The result’s one Pokémon that accrues power all by itself and one other Pokémon that constantly offers injury just by current.

The addition of Dialga ex to TCG Pocket has singlehandedly turned metal-type decks from laughable to aggressive. It has 150 HP. Considered one of its assaults offers 100 injury (albeit at the price of 4 power). However the secret weapon is its Metallic Turbo assault, which solely offers 30 injury however means that you can connect two metal-type power to any Pokémon in your bench.

This instantly lowers the beforehand prohibitively excessive power value for highly effective metal-type playing cards like Melmetal. However as a result of colorless-type Pokémon can use any kind of power, it’s additionally useful. In consequence, Dialga ex pairs simply as effectively with Pokémon like Regigigas (whose damage-scaling Raging Hammer assault requires 4 power), Wigglytuff ex (whose Sleep Music assault places lively Pokémon to sleep), and Pidgeot ex (whose Scattering Cyclone assault offers extra injury primarily based on how full your opponent’s bench is).

With the prevalence of dark-type decks nowadays, fighting-type decks have emerged as a pure counter. And Lucario is an important inclusion for fighting-type decks.

Lucario isn’t precisely nice by itself deserves. It solely has 100 HP and its assault, Submarine Blow, solely offers 40 injury. However its capability, Combating Coach, is arguably the strongest help capability within the sport proper now. When in play, Lucario will increase the injury output of your fighting-type playing cards by 20 — and it stacks, too! If the luck of the draw lands such that you may get two copies of Lucario in your bench, your whole fighting-type playing cards will deal an extra 40 injury per assault.

So whereas Lucario isn’t value constructing a deck round, it’s completely value slotting into any of your current fighting-type decks. Machamp ex, as an example, might deal as much as 160 injury per assault. Kabutops turns into nigh unstoppable with a 90-damage assault (that additionally heals 90 HP). Golem, already fairly evil when paired with Brock’s energy-ramping methods, turns into one of many hardest non-ex playing cards within the sport.

Celebi ex has held quick because the strongest grass-type deck within the sport. Celebi ex’s assault, Highly effective Bloom, prices two power. For each power hooked up to Celebi ex, you flip coin — and for each heads you get, you deal 50 injury. Stack sufficient power on Celebi ex and also you received’t even want luck in your aspect to take out actually any Pokémon within the sport with a single hit.

There are two playing cards that show you how to energy up Celebi ex. Lilligant’s (which evolves from Petilil) Leaf Provide assault means that you can connect a bonus grass-type power to any Pokémon in your bench. Serperior (the third-stage evolution of Snivy) has a passive capability, Jungle Totem, that causes any grass-type power hooked up to a grass-type Pokémon to rely twice. With each of these playing cards in play, you’ll be able to energy up your Celebi ex right into a monster that may predictably deal 250 injury (or extra) per flip.

You’ll additionally need to have an Erika or two on this deck. Erika, a supporter card, heals 50 HP for any grass-type Pokémon — far more than the 20 HP you’d get from a Potion card. Given Celebi ex’s glass cannon nature, protecting its well being full is essential.

Charizard ex and Moltres ex deck

Hearth-type decks are a pure affirmation to Celebi ex’s terror. And the Charizard ex deck stays TCG Pocket’s strongest fire-type deck.

The Charizard ex deck is contingent on utilizing one Pokémon to generate power for an additional. The important thing right here is to open with Moltres ex. With its Inferno Dance assault, you flip three cash, and for each heads you get, you’ll be able to apply one bonus hearth power to a Pokémon in your bench. You possibly can load up a Charmander or Charmeleon with with as much as three power per flip.

When your Charmeleon is able to evolve into Charizard ex, it’ll hopefully have sufficient power to make use of Charizard ex’s Crimson Storm assault, which prices 4 power and offers 200 injury, but additionally discards two power per use. Pull off this combo accurately, and your Charizard ex card ought to have sufficient power to persistently use Crimson Storm. Charizard ex additionally has 180 HP — sufficient to outlive a success from a few of the strongest assaults, like Mewtwo ex’s Psydrive.

Articuno ex and Lapras ex deck

Galaxy mind right here, however if you wish to counter the Celebi ex counter, run a water-type deck. The Articuno ex deck has confirmed powerful to beat, notably when it features a card like Lapras ex.

Lapras ex was launched through Pokémon TCG Pocket’s first battle occasion, and goes hand-in-hand with Articuno ex. Each playing cards are basic-stage, so you’ll be able to play them instantly, and each playing cards have highly effective assaults. Articuno ex’s Blizzard assault offers 80 injury to your opponent’s lively Pokémon and 10 injury to any playing cards on their bench, so you’ll be able to conceivably knock out any weakened Pokémon in your opponent’s again row. Lapras ex’s assault, Bubble Drain, offers 80 injury to your opponent however heals 20 HP to itself.

Each playing cards are highly effective in a vacuum, however to take advantage of this deck, you’ll need to use a Misty coach card. If you play Misty, you flip a coin repeatedly till you get tails. For nevertheless many heads you get, you’ll be able to connect that quantity of water power to certainly one of your Pokémon. If luck is in your aspect, you’ll be able to totally energy up Lapras ex or Articuno ex in a single flip.

Starmie ex, with its 90-damage assault and free retreat, is a strong card to run on this deck. However the secret weapon is the Legendary Island model of Vaporeon (which evolves from Eevee). Its Wash Out capability means that you can transfer water-type power out of your benched Pokémon to your lively Pokémon.

Gyrados ex, launched within the Legendary Island enlargement, has emerged alongside Articuno and Lapras as one other uber-powered water-type ex card. It has 180 HP — one of many highest within the sport — and its assault, Rampaging Whirlpool, offers 140 injury — sufficient to eradicate the overwhelming majority of playing cards in a single hit — plus removes one power from a randomly chosen card on the board, which might screw up your opponent’s technique.

Rampaging Whirlpool prices 4 power. However as with Articuno ex, you should use Misty or the Legendary Island Vaporeon to stack a Gyarados ex with power. (When you haven’t drawn Gyarados ex, Magikarp, its primary stage, has an assault that means that you can reteat with out spending power.) Sure, you want a number of issues of likelihood to tilt in your path to line up this technique. However for those who’re capable of get a powered-up Gyarados ex on the sector within the first few turns, you’re unstoppable.

Electrical-type decks are the strongest counters to Articuno ex decks. Proper now, the perfect one remains to be headlined by Pikachu ex, who would possibly as effectively be Ash Ketchum’s uncannily super-powered Pikachu.

Pikachu ex isn’t a part of an evolution chain, so for those who draw it, you’re immediately able to play it. Its assault, Circle Circuit, additionally solely prices two electrical power and offers 30 injury for each electric-type Pokémon in your bench. Stack all three slots in your bench with electric-type Pokémon, and also you’re dealing 90 injury per flip.

Electrical-type playing cards usually are likely to have decrease retreat prices (Electrode has a free retreat, as an example), permitting you to simply swap out playing cards as wanted, protecting your bench — and Pikachu ex’s assault energy — at full capability. This deck additionally works effectively with Zapdos ex or Jolteon as backup attackers; each have assaults that may deal as much as 200 or 160 injury respectively.

Mewtwo ex and Gardevoir deck

Mewtwo ex dominated the Pokémon TCG Pocket meta at launch — because of its Psydrive assault, which offers 150 injury — and continues to be an imposing and broadly used deck. Few Pokémon have 150 HP to outlive such a success, however the assault prices Mewtwo ex 4 power to make use of and additional discards two psychic-type power with every use.

The trick right here is to lean on Gardevoir. Gardevoir’s capability, Psy Shadow, means that you can add an additional power to no matter Pokémon you’ve within the lively spot — and you should use it even with Gardevoir in your bench. This combo means that you can recoup the 2 power you burn with every use of Psydrive (one out of your flip naturally and one Gardevoir’s capability), primarily guaranteeing 150-damage assaults with no drawbacks.

Finest playing cards to incorporate in any meta deck

Lastly, each meta-viable deck proper now options at the very least one copy of every of the next coach playing cards:

Cyrus is principally a laser-targeted model of Sabrina. The place Sabrina forces your opponent to modify out their lively card, Cyrus permits you some management over the selection: You possibly can swap in any Pokémon that’s not at full HP, successfully nullifying makes an attempt your opponent makes at retreating a broken card.

Workforce Rocket Grunt is one other card that may screw over your opponents. Consider it as a reverse-Misty, in that you just flip a coin till you get tails, with each heads you get eradicating one power out of your opponent’s lively Pokémon.

The Nice Cape Pokémon Software is only a stronger model of Potion. Moderately than therapeutic 20 HP, it will increase your card’s complete HP by 20, which in some circumstances can stop your Pokémon from getting knocked out in a single hit. Although for those who’re in search of a therapeutic card, Pokémon Middle Woman (a reputation that’s enormously disrespectful to Nurse Pleasure) not solely heals one Pokémon by 30 HP, but additionally removes any particular situations, like poison or sleep.

At launch, the X Velocity card (which reduces your retreat value by one power) was important for any deck, permitting you to tug a card with low HP again to your bench in a pinch. Leaf is principally a greater model of that card: It reduces the retreat value of your lively Pokémon by two during your flip.

Professor’s Analysis allows you to draw two playing cards, capitalizing on the common card sport concept that implies, the extra playing cards you draw, the higher your possibilities of victory. It’s one of many first playing cards you get, and one of many easiest. Doesn’t imply it’s not, to today, the most effective.