TCG Pocket emulates the experience of opening booster packs, and with that comes some baggage. Just like with the real-life card game, you never know what you’re going to get, so some online worry that the gacha-like mechanics — or gambling — can be addictive. In my experience, it’s definitely something to be aware of, but I was pleasantly surprised that the free-to-play aspects were enough to keep me playing.
In the large-scale gacha RPGs I’ve played, you need to grind quests and daily tasks to earn the in-game currency you cash in for gacha pulls. But in TCG Pocket, the ability to open a card pack automatically refreshes every 12 hours, so you aren’t forced to grind the game at all to get your two packs a day. Additionally, it’s easier to collect specific cards with features like Wonder Pick, which allows players to pick one card from another pack that a friend or stranger has already opened. The card pull is random, but you can see what the pack contains before you choose.
I played a couple hours the first two days the game came out, but after that, my time spent playing decreased. I can play this game for five minutes, open some packs, and close the app feeling like I got something out of it. That doesn’t make the game necessarily special — I found the sterile UI and soundtrack contrast poorly with the brilliant card art — but the game still has its enjoyable moments. One night, I got dinner with friends, so we all opened our packs together and shared our pulls.
TCG Pocket is not the be-all, end-all way to experience Pokémon. It doesn’t replace the social elements of other mobile games, like Pokémon Go, nor the joy of physical card media. However, for now, TCG Pocket makes sense for my life. It has served both as a much-needed replacement for some social media scrolling time, and a chill activity to start my day as I lay in bed. So for now, I feel perfectly content to jump in and build a new collection of cards one pack at a time — so long as the developers keep up with all the daily freebies.
All the best cards in Pokemon TCG Pocket can make a huge difference in any deck, whether you're building one around them or just out to make a particular splash in a certain type. Often referred to in the community as "chase cards", the best Pokemon TCGP cards aren't necessarily the same thing as the rare ones - there's some overlap, but it's not necessarily one-to-one.
With that in mind, having played a lot of Pokemon TCGP over the last few weeks, we've got all the best cards from the Genetic Apex set listed below, so you know what you're looking for and what will really fill the gaps in your deck with the greatest effect.
Below we've catalogued some of the best cards we've seen for every type of deck, so players who have holes in their line-up (or want new ideas on deck formation) have something to work with, or to know what you should be looking out for when it comes to the time to use the Pokemon TCG Pocket Wonder Pick system to get a card from another player's deck.
If you want a precis on the best cards across all types though, here are 10 cards you should definitely try to get (ideally two of each).
Keep in mind that while there is some overlap between the best cards and all the Pokemon TCG Pocket rare cards, there are still powerful cards that are easy to obtain or at least somewhat common, that we've included. Yes, the "ex" cards tend to be the central point in a deck, but they're often supported by other cards around them that are far less noteworthy, and certain decks (especially Dark-types) can flourish with basic, common cards.
Fire-type cards normally focus on high damage and high energy use, with many of those cards involving discarding energy in the process. The best fire-type cards will either make that sacrifice worth it, or help mitigate it in some way.
Charizard ex: The most damaging card in the game for raw power, this upgraded Charizard can do 200 damage in a single attack, but discards 2 energy each time. Find out how you can get the most out of this ability with the best build for the Pokemon TCG Pocket Charizard ex deck.
Moltres ex: This is most notable for the Inferno Dance, which lets you put up to 3 energy on your benched Pokemon - a great early ability.
Ninetales: A decent mid-game option, Ninetales does 90 damage at the cost of 1 discarded energy. You'll have to evolve Vulpix to get it on the field though.
Water-type cards are diverse and often sturdy, with high health pools and some more surprising abilities. The Pokemon TCG Pocket Lapras ex event is focused on fighting water-types, with some Pokemon you'll see in those decks reflected below.
Articuno ex: The icy legendary bird can be deployed relatively quickly, and has a three-energy Blizzard attack that does minor damage to all the enemy's benched Pokemon too.
Starmie ex: Two energy for 90 damage is already good, but Starmie's secret power is a zero retreat cost, which allows you amazing battlefield control and reaction.
Greninja: Levelling up Froakie twice is a pain, but Greninja's Water Shuriken is a free ability that lets you snipe any opponent Pokemon - even the benched ones - for 20 damage.
Venusaur ex: While it's not the most powerful in terms of damage, Venusaur's ability to heal itself while attacking gives it near unrivalled durability. You can even build a deck around it - the sturdy Pokemon TCG Pocket Venusaur ex deck build has a strong place in the meta.
Exeggutor/Exeggutor ex: Both the "ex" and regular versions of Exeggutor are cheap tanks with single-energy attacks, who double their power if you win a coin flip. Both versions are very valid in Grass decks.
Pokemon TCGElectric cards are generally focused on speed and striking early, often with low health pools, making a lot of these decks into "Glass Cannon" options. One of the two S-tier options of the Pokemon TCG Pocket best decks is a electric deck, with cards reflected in the list below.
Pikachu ex: The Poke-mascot couldn't avoid being treated well, as Pikachu's attack is a two-energy strike that does 30 damage for every benched Pokemon you have - meaning you can start doing a reliable 90 damage on turn two of any match. It's become the backbone of the S-tier electric build, and you can make your own Pokemon TCG Pocket Pikachu ex deck here.
Zapdos ex: Zapdos is probably the most powerful of the three legendary bird "ex" cards, with a cheap 1 energy attack and a 3 energy option that does 50 damage per coin flip… and you flip four coins. That's potentially drawing with Charizard for the game's most powerful attack.
Pincurchin: A cheap 2 energy attack that has a 50% chance to paralyse each time? That's a good card, especially if you're buying time to power up other cards on your bench.
Electrode: No special abilities, but two energy for 70 damage is always respectable, plus it's a little tankier than most cards that do that damage. It's also got a free retreat option, so it's very versatile on the field.
The Psychic-type cards are a mixed bunch with a certain amount of control abilities in there, as well as a general propensity towards defence and negation. However, it also holds one of the most powerful cards in the game - arguably the most iconic legendary of all time.
Mewtwo ex: The card that shares the top meta spot with Pikachu, we've actually put together a guide on how to build the knockout Pokemon TCG Pocket Mewtwo ex deck.
Hypno: Hypno's active power has a 50% chance to put the enemy card to sleep. Even on average, it means your opponent is going to lose about half their chances to attack.
Fighting-type cards lean towards the chaotic, with a lot of random elements, but many are simply based around raw damage - no frills, and hard to overthink. Amidst that duality are some very good cards.
Marowak ex: Marowak ex has one attack, a 2 energy strike that does 80 damage for each successful coin flip in a pair. So you might do 160 damage! Or maybe 0. Like we said, random, but very powerful if you're lucky.
Machamp ex: A third-stage evolution, Machamp ex is rewarded with 180 health and a simple 120 damage attack. Straightforward enough, and its two pre-volutions aren't pushovers.
Dugtrio: Dugtrio is an amazing mid-game option - with a 1 energy, 40 damage attack that has a 50% chance to leave you immune to all attacks and negative effects for the next turn. I've won whole matches by having Dugtrio evade enemy attacks while I charged benched Pokemon in the process.
Grapploct: A little pricey in terms of energy (3) and its pre-volution isn't great, but its attack forces opponents to bench their opponent, which can easily throw off a strategy.
Dark-type cards are also focused on control, but more status effects, negative qualities and negation of opponent's powers, effectively limiting your foe's options. This is also the deck choice for budget players, who haven't found many rare cards yet and haven't really milked the various Pokemon TCG Pocket currencies for hundreds of pack draws.
Weezing: It's tanky, it's cheap with a 1 mana attack, it synergises with Koga, and its free ability lets you poison people. There's a strong case for Weezing being the best Dark card in the game.
Arbok: Comes with a 2 energy attack that prevents your opponent from retreating. If you have the active Pokemon at a disadvantage when you send it out, Arbok all but guarantees it'll end with a defeat. Combine it with Sabrina and Pidgeot for unrivalled board control.
