Begin your path along the Pokémon TCG: Scarlet & Violet—Surging Sparks Battle Pass with a new deck featuring Pikachu ex. Advance through the Battle Pass to unlock booster packs, Collector Crates, Crystals, Credits, and up to 17 additional cards that you can add to this deck!
Halfway through the Battle Pass, you’ll unlock a new deck centered around Archaludon ex. You can also earn 16 more cards that can be used to upgrade this deck, so try to collect them all!
Pikachu ex might only have 200 HP, but it can take almost any attack with its Resolute Heart Ability, leaving it at 10 remaining HP as long as it had full HP when it was attacked. And since it’s a Tera Pokémon, it also won’t take any damage from attacks while it’s on your Bench. But be careful of effects that place damage counters directly, since those will ignore this effect!
Pikachu ex isn’t only good at taking damage though. It can also launch a powerful Topaz Bolt for 300 damage but will need to discard 3 Energy in the process. Remember that you can load more than 3 Energy onto Pikachu ex to make this discard cost easier to manage, especially with its unique attack cost. Powerglass is a useful Pokémon Tool to attach to Pikachu ex, letting it recover one of the Energy it discarded off of Topaz Bolt.
Quaquaval is Pikachu ex’s best friend here. The two copies from the Scarlet & Violet expansion help attach extra Energy cards from your hand each turn with the Energy Carnival Ability, while the one from Scarlet & Violet—Surging Sparks will draw extra cards.
But Quaquaval’s not the only way to get extra Energy in play. Joltik can use its Jolting Charge attack to find up to 4 Energy cards—2 Grass and 2 Lightning—from your deck to attach to your Pokémon in any way you like. You can also use Crispin to search your deck for 2 different types of Basic Energy, attaching one of them and adding the other to your hand. Note that Crispin and your other Supporter cards can be found with Lumineon V’s Luminous Sign Ability, effectively turning Ultra Ball into any Supporter card in your deck!
Many of these cards can be added to your deck to provide more power and flexibility. But to add cards, you’ll also need to remove cards. We’ve highlighted some cards in the “Starting Deck” list that you might consider swapping out for the new ones, but feel free to mix and match!
With these new cards, your deck becomes much more streamlined and explosive. Rather than relying on a Stage 2 Pokémon like Quaquaval to fulfill your Energy needs, you can now use Magneton, whose Overvolt Discharge Ability attaches 3 Basic Energy cards to your Lightning Pokémon (like Pikachu ex!) at the cost of knocking itself out. This can also quickly power up an Iron Hands ex to take an additional Prize card with its Amp You Very Much attack. A good way to find these new Pokémon is with Miraidon ex, whose Tandem Unit Ability can search for 2 Basic Lightning Pokémon to put on your Bench every turn.
Your upgrades also focus a bit more on healing Pikachu ex to keep its Resolute Heart Ability working. Switch Cart can heal some damage from it while switching it out to your Bench, while Bianca’s Devotion can fully heal it if it has 30 HP or less remaining. Remember, Lumineon V’s Ability can be a good way to find Bianca’s Devotion in a pinch!
Make your way to tier 30 to unlock another special illustration rare version of Pikachu ex! Swap it into your deck to make it even more exciting.
In order to use Assemble Alloy, you’ll need Metal Energy in your discard pile to recur them onto your Pokémon. Revavroom can use its Rumbling Engine Ability to discard Energy cards from your hand to draw cards, while Trekking Shoes can help dig you deeper into your deck, hopefully discarding Energy cards along the way.
In addition to Archaludon ex itself, the regular Archaludon from Scarlet & Violet—Stellar Crown can lighten the load, turning any Pokémon with Metal Energy attached into a free retreat pivot. Even the bulky Copperajah can become light as a feather while hitting hard. Its Massive Body Ability will also help keep your Full Metal Lab from being replaced by an opposing Stadium card, letting you tank your way to victory.
Don’t forget your Trainer cards! Earthen Vessel is especially potent in this deck, not only grabbing 2 Basic Energy itself but also discarding a card—like a Metal Energy—as a cost to play it. These Energy cards can also help act as discard fodder for Ultra Ball, which can fetch any Pokémon in your deck. Finally, Night Stretcher can help recover a Pokémon in your discard pile to your hand, or retrieve an Energy card to fuel your Revavroom’s Rumbling Engine.
Moving into a more aggressive strategy, Origin Forme Dialga VSTAR has two powerful attacks. Its Metal Blast attack costs a single Colorless but scales its damage based on how many Metal Energy it has attached. And for 5 Energy (including 4 Metal), you can use its once-per-game VSTAR Power attack, Star Chronos, that does 220 damage and lets you take another turn! Try to use this to target down a multi-Prize Pokémon like Fezandipiti ex with the help of Boss’s Orders, and then take another Knock Out with Metal Blast on your extra turn for a huge four-Prize card swing.
Finally, while Archaludon ex’s Assemble Alloy is a powerful Ability, it only works when Archaludon ex is played from your hand. In order to use this effect again, you can use cards like Professor Turo’s Scenario or Scoop Up Cyclone to bring the Pokémon back into your hand, which also helps remove any damage counters or Special Conditions that might have put it at risk of getting Knocked Out. Make sure to have a Duraludon in play so you can make use of Assemble Alloy immediately after playing one of these cards!
Opening booster packs, growing your collection, and battling are all core aspects of Pokémon Trading Card Game (TCG) Pocket. Just remember that you’ll need to obtain enough experience to reach level 3 to unlock Pokémon TCG Pocket’s unique take on Pokémon TCG battling. We’re going to break down how to quickly reach level 3 so you can start battling to be the very best.
Everyone starts their Pokémon TCG Pocket experience the same way—at level 1 with no experience and no cards in your collection. You’ll be able to open a booster pack to jumpstart your collection right away though—and then stamina will be required to open any future packs.
After you’ve opened your first pack, you’ll be able to open more whenever your stamina bar is full. It takes twelve hours for the stamina bar to fill, so at least two booster packs can be opened each day. You can speed up the process by using pack hourglasses, which fill the stamina bar instantly. This allows you to open a booster pack on demand.
Opening booster packs is key because doing so is the primary way you’ll reach level 3 in Pokémon TCG Pocket. Each time you open a pack, you’ll grow your card collection and get closer to the next level. Experience can be earned by opening regular booster packs and by wonder picking, so you’ll need to open plenty of packs if you want to start battling as soon as possible. Once you’ve unlocked battles, you’ll also be able to earn experience by completing various battle challenges.
Pokemon UnboxingTo help you open enough booster packs to reach level 3, you should keep an eye on the Missions tab. Here, you’ll find various objectives related to the number of cards in your collection, the amount of booster packs you’ve opened, and much more. Many missions can be quickly completed on a brand-new account and will award pack hourglasses, which you can use to refill your stamina bar. Doing that will allow you to open even more booster packs and keep the experience coming.
Make sure to keep track of your mission progress and redeem any pack hourglasses you get your hands on, and you’ll be level 3 in no time—and ready for your first battles in Pokémon TCG Pocket.
Once unlocked, you'll have access to a variety of tasks that showcase how battling works in Pokémon TCG Pocket. If you’re a seasoned Pokémon TCG player, these initial tasks won’t be difficult—and if Pokémon TCG Pocket is your first experience with Pokémon TCG-style battling, you’ll get the hang of it quickly. Once you’ve finished the tasks, you’ll be fully prepared to undertake battles in both solo and versus mode using pre-built decks and your own creations!
Lightning-type Pokémon like Pikachu ex—appearing here as a Stellar Tera Pokémon ex—are the feature attraction in Scarlet & Violet—Surging Sparks. They’re joined in this latest Pokémon Trading Card Game expansion by a parade of draconic Pokémon, new ACE SPEC cards, and more. There are over 250 cards to be found in the expansion, which means there’s a bounty of incredible new artwork to enjoy. Let’s take a look at a few of these impressive pieces.
If we had to choose one word to describe these illustrations by artist miki kudo, it would have to be charming. Just look at their Helioptile card! How sweet is that little Pokémon? And that doe-eyed stare combined with a silly little V-shaped smile? It’s too much! When Helioptile’s frills are spread, it’s generating electrical power, but here that crackling energy just looks like cute sparkles. Dare we go in for a hug? A cuddle with kudo’s Spheal is probably a safer option, although we might have trouble navigating the ice floes that provide the setting for their frolicking. Still, these roly-poly friends seem worth the risk. The storybook illustration style that kudo uses to depict these Pokémon gives them a whimsical quality that is truly irresistible.
A new artist to the Pokémon TCG, Narano has immediately captivated us with their unique style. Their Togekiss card serves as a good example of their technique: Black lines separate the bold, bright colors used in the piece, gifting the illustration with an energetic feel. The technique is even more apparent on Narano’s Castform Sunny Form illustration rare card. The outlines make everything pop, from the different color tones on the Pokémon to every billow on the clouds to the many (many) tiny landmarks on the ground below. Even the blue sky overhead is transformed into a maze of intricate detail. We could stare at this card for hours!
Pokémon battles are awesome, but sometimes you need to take a moment to relax and center yourself. These Pokémon all seem to be tapping into that feeling, allowing all their worries to be whisked away. Alolan Dugtrio (illus. Dsuke) has (almost!) all its eyes closed, meditating as the breeze flows through its luxurious locks. This shockingly realistic Vivillon (illus. REND) illustration rare card instantly transports us into a dense forest. The delicate Pokémon throughout the serene scene imparts a sense of quiet—if we listen closely enough, we just might be able to hear Vivillon’s wings gently flapping. Sprawled out in a grassy field, Slakoth (illus. Mékayu) appears to be experiencing pure bliss on its illustration rare card. Maybe it’s not as contemplative as the others, but dang, does it ever look relaxed! Take It Easy, indeed!
These cards continue the feel-good vibes with settings and situations that are simply…cozy. Take, for instance, Indeedee (illus. Sekio), who’s investigating a bookshelf. Are we in a bookstore? Is this someone’s personal library? Whatever the case, the packed shelves and carved wooden supports create an environment that any bibliophile would love to get lost in. And if you have a Pokémon partner who can use its psychic powers to hand you the perfect book? Well, that’s just icing on the cake! It seems Eevee (illus. Naoyo Kimura) prefers an outdoor setting, and given the beauty of the flowery field and verdant mountains, who can blame it? We’d cozy up there too. Olivine City Gym Leader Jasmine seems to enjoy a cozy café aesthetic on her Jasmine’s Gaze (illus. Fujimoto Gold) special illustration rare card. It’s such a lovely little restaurant, and those piles of food look absolutely delish. Note how Jasmine is holding out her little finger as she shoves that big ol’ sandwich into her mouth. That’s how you know she’s elegant.
OK, we’ve seen a lot of sweet cards here—it’s time to grim things up a bit. Scarlet & Violet—Surging Sparks also includes cards that have a more foreboding tone to them. Wo-Chien (illus. danciao), the Ruinous Pokémon, is especially intimidating on its card. The dark, churning clouds combine with the dead leaves that comprise Wo-Chien’s body to create a mood befitting a Pokémon that can turn forests to withered husks. Volcarona (illus. matazo) looks rather fearsome on its card. We love the way its body acts as a barrier between the peaceful setting sun and the raging lighting storm. Eternatus (illus. AKIRA EGAWA) is also looming in the sky, but given the Legendary Pokémon’s immense size, it feels less fearsome and more “Oh, this is the end of the world, isn’t it?” The light above Eternatus gives the impression that the sky darkens as it approaches whatever unfortunate people or Pokémon are in its path.
Pokemon Trading Card Game Pocket is getting new booster packs at some point this month. At this time, we don’t have many details about those packs, but there’s one thing a lot of fans want before new cards are added: extra spots for decks. In the game, players can have a maximum of 15 decks at any given time. Once players have reached that cap, they have to delete decks if they want to build something new. More cards means more room for strategies, so players are hoping that the game will give players more room to experiment without abandoning what they’ve created.
No official reason has been provided for the 15 deck limit in Pokemon Trading Card Game Pocket, but users on the game’s subreddit have been speculating about it, and about potential solutions. Some fans think that it could be a memory issue, and that it would take up a lot of extra space if players could make an unlimited number of decks. Other players assume that the developers plan to offer additional slots, but players will have to pay for them, either through in-game currency or as an incentive in the Premium Pass. We don’t know if that will be the case, but it wouldn’t be all that surprising; after all, Pokemon Go similarly charges players to increase the number of Pokemon they can have at a given time, and as well as storage space for items.
It’s also possible the developers of Pokemon Trading Card Game Pocket have no intention of doing anything with the current limit. At the end of the day, 15 is actually a pretty steep deck limit, and most players probably aren’t using more than that on a regular basis. Counting the game’s Colorless-type, there are just 10 Pokemon types in TCG Pocket. That leaves players with room for at least one dedicated deck for every single type, plus 5 extra. That’s pretty substantial on its own, and only the most hardcore players are going to regularly rotate between that many decks.
It will be interesting to see how Pokemon Trading Card Game Pocket evolves once the game has been around a little bit longer. At this point, it’s only been a little over a month since the game became available, and we can definitely expect to see things change over time. After all, the TCG itself has greatly changed since the original Base Set launched back in 1996, and it stands to reason that we’ll see that happen with the digital version as well. Whether or not that means fans will get the option to build new decks, however, remains to be seen!
Pokémon TCG Pocket might be a highly simplified form of the Pokémon TCG, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t have a competitive meta. For the past five weeks, over 1,000 players have taken part in streamer Ursiiday’s weekly tournament, and that’s allowed us to see a noticeable shift in the meta. This week, Charizard ex is finally on top, and a surprising new Greninja deck has emerged to quench the flames.
In the first month of Pokémon TCG Pocket’s lifespan, Pikachu ex and Mewtwo ex have dominated the ‘competitive’ scene. These decks are obvious favorites, featuring some of the most powerful Pokémon cards on the platform.
Pikachu ex proved particularly troublesome, winning the first two tournaments thanks to its high level of consistency and powerful, low energy cost move. But Mewtwo ex took first place in tournaments three and four, powered by the strong synergy of Gardevoir fueling Mewtwo ex’s highly damaging attack.