Decks that improved from Mythic Island in Pokemon TCG Pocket

Mythical Island is a much needed expansion to revitalize the current meta before the next big set is released. Its theme focuses on lesser legendary Pokémon like Mew and Celebi, while offering solid support for a variety of decks.

Many decks have seen improvements to basic Pokemon that do more damage or have abilities that cut through the deck more effectively. While not all decks benefited equally, Mythical Island has made more decks viable in Pokemon Pocket overall.

10

Pikachu Ex

While Pikachu EX didn't see as many improvements as its top competitor, Mewtwo EX, it still received significant benefits from the new expansion. Pikachu EX now has access to Dedenne, a cheap electric type that can cause paralysis. While Pikachu EX decks don't rely heavily on staying, the ability to buy a turn and pivot to another strategy is a welcome improvement for a deck that was previously too weak to do so.

The addition of Trainer card Blue has also given Pikachu EX a fighting chance against the popular Arcanine EX. The extra ten defense now allows Pikachu EX to outplay Arcanine EX – a feat that was previously nearly impossible, as Arcanine EX was able to one-shot Pikachu EX in previous matches.

9

Dragonite

Dragon types received minimal support in Genetic Apex, with only three Dragon Pokémon and no cards that directly synergized with them. Although Mythical Island was also not very generous to Dragons, it did introduce a new Dragon Pokémon, Druddigon. Druddigon uses water and fire energy, which does not interact well with the lightning and water oriented Dragonite. However, it is a 100 HP basic Pokemon with an effect that deals 20 damage to all Pokemon that attack it.

Druddigon finds a place in many stall-focused decks. Pairing Druddigon with Leaf at least offers a stronger alternative to the Weezing-and-Koga combo commonly seen in Dragonite decks. Mew EX paired with Budding Expeditions also acts as a stable upgrade over Weezing, though it comes with a trade-off – you'll lose two points if Mew EX is knocked out, compared to just one with Weezing.

8

Pidgeot Workbook

One of the better midrange decks, Pidgeot and Arbok showed excellent synergy. Their combined effects provided strong board control by forcing weaker benched Pokemon into the active slot and trapping them there. However, the Pidgeot and Arbok combo suffered from one notable weakness: the lack of late-game offensive power.

Pidgeot EX greatly improves the Pidgey line and fits into many decks due to its colorless energy requirement. It deals 80 damage, which is modest, but its attack scales with your opponent's bench size, reaching up to 140 damage. A well-timed Pokeflute can provide the extra power that Pidgeot EX needs. Pairing Pidgeot EX with Pidgeot is also a flexible strategy that allows you to react effectively to different game scenarios.

7

Blastoise Ex

Water has the highest population of Pokemon and the best Pokemon cards of all types. Many good water monsters saw niche play due to the superiority of some of the best Genetic Apex cards like Starmie Ex and Articuno. Blastoise Ex has slowly seen better tournament results, carving out its niche.

A new and better version of Eevee and Vaporean exist, and Vaporean's effect allows you to redistribute your energy. One of Blastoise's biggest problems is its damage which can be resolved by putting 5 energy on it, a weakness Vaporean can easily fix.

6

Exeggutor Ex

In the early phases of Pokémon Pocket, Exeggutor EX caused problems for players due to its tankiness in early games. But Exeggutor EX and Grass types in general were limited by their lack of firepower. The new Exeggutor scales its damage based on your opponent's energy, giving Exeggutor EX decks a late-game answer to energy-heavy Pokémon like Mew EX.

In addition, Celebi is a common partner of Exeggutor. Celebi can rack up significant damage, especially when paired with the Serperior line. Another variation involves combining Exeggutor EX with Mew EX and Budding Expeditions to create a wall of defense, allowing Exeggutor to safely build up his necessary four energy.

5

Boil Weezing

Koga and Weezing was the most versatile combo from Genetic Apex, but it lacked a heavy hitter, as Grimer and Muk are too energy-hungry to be effective. Whirlipede and Scolipede offer superior stats compared to Muk and Grimer, along with a lower retreat cost. While Koga doesn't synergize with Whirlipede and Scolipede, the newly introduced Leaf card provides the ability to pull them back when needed.

Mythical Island also introduces new versions of Weezing and Koffing. The new Koffing can seek out another Koffing and shred your deck, while the updated Weezing deals more damage than the original but doesn't add poison. To upgrade your Weezing deck, it's best to stick with Genetic Apex Weezing, as it retains the valuable poison effect.

4

Arcanine Ex

Whether you play the niche Arcanine EX deck or the more common hybrid of Arcanine and Charizard, Arcanine EX will be a valuable card moving forward. This is largely due to the meta shift with Celebi EX emerging as one of the most popular and powerful cards. Fortunately, Celebi is weak to Fire, allowing Arcanine EX to defeat it in a single hit.

As Pokemon Pocket evolves, speed becomes an increasingly important factor. Arcanine EX's speed is significantly higher than Charizard EX's, making it a viable option to cut the Charizard EX line entirely. Also, including Giovanni in your deck allows Arcanine EX to knock out threats like the new Mew EX and other problematic cards from Genetic Apex, like Starmie EX.

3

Starmie Ex

The new Vaporeon is a significant boost to any water themed deck. Known as an early game powerhouse, Starmie EX can now effectively team up with a late game monster like Gyarados EX without the drawback of slowly building energy for Gyarados EX.

Vaporeon's ability to transfer energy works especially well with Starmie EX. Since Starmie EX has no retreat cost, it can effectively give two of its points to whichever Pokemon it tags out with, preventing it from being revenge-killed easily. Cards like Leaf further improve deck flexibility and provide more options for retreat tactics and overall board control.

2

Blaine

Ninetales and Rapidash were the backbone of the best deck that doesn't have an EX monster. Their ability to generate significant power while requiring minimal energy made them a nightmare for early game weak setup decks. With the rise of Celebi, Serperior, and Exeggutor, Ninetales becomes even more valuable, as it can easily defeat them all when paired with Blaine.

Additionally, Mythical Island offers unique versions of Ponyta and Rapidash that deal more damage on average than their Genetic Apex counterparts. Magmar, who also teams up with Blaine, has received an upgrade and deals over 30 more damage than its previous iteration at the cost of sacrificing its energy.

1

Mewtwo Ex

Arguably the best deck has only improved with Mythical Island. Mewtwo EX and Gardevoir offer the best combination of a consistent energy engine and high damage output. One of Mewtwo EX's major weaknesses is its lack of options in the early game, often forcing players to rely on defensive options like standard Mewtwo or the Hypno line.

Mew EX offers more HP and the ability to deal 20 damage, giving players additional strategic flexibility. Mythical Slab sizzles your deck, allowing you to access key Psychic Pokémon more efficiently while giving you insight into which trainer cards you may struggle to pull.