Summary
Despite its low new card number,Pokemon TCG Pocket’s Extradimensional Crisis has been one of the most influential sets in the game so far, reshaping the game with some new cards and reinventing strategies for decks that were already great to begin with. One good example is theDarkrai Ex and Giratina Ex deck, called Darktina by the community, which is being played with one copy of Nihilego and Poison Barbs to further add to the combo’s stall power. The new set also added enough cards to create a whole new core for a deck that has been dominating the charts since launch, and now, it’s evolving past its initial version to win even more consistently.
One of the best decks inPokemon TCG Pocketother than Darktina is the new Silvally plus Rampardos deck, which can effectively one-shot a lot of meta threats and win games this way, all while Silvally picks up other KOs. Another popular deck right now is Solgaleo Ex with Shiinotic, which is very consistent and aggressive, typically getting Solgaleo Ex online and ready to attack between turn two and three. Yet, it’s the new Buzzwole Ex that is winning most of all decks and getting a lot of representation in tournaments, and a recent change to the list makes it even more consistent.
Pokemon TCG Pocket’s Buzzwole Ex Deck is Now Even Stronger Than Before
One of the reasons whyPokemon TCG Pocket’s Buzzwole Ex deck is S-tieris that it can completely negate the game plan of Darktina decks, offering a powerful counter against the longest-running deck in the game since it came out. This is thanks to a combination of Pheromosa, Celesteela, and Buzzwole Ex, with the former dealing damage to the bench and the latter going in for the big attack via Celesteela’s Ultra Thrusters. Now, though, most tournament Buzzwole Ex decks are dropping one copy of Pheromosa and running two copies of Kartana.
This is because Kartana does very well in early phases of a match against otherwise unfavorable Fire matchups against the likes of Charizard Ex, Incineroar Ex, and Blacephalon, as it’s capable of dealing 40 damage to some threatening basic Pokemon. On top of that, Kartana is a great counter toOricorio decks inPokemon TCG Pocket, which would otherwise wall Buzzwole Ex entirely, much like it completely walls Darktina and Solgaleo Ex. Kartana can two-shot Oricorio and most basic Fire Pokemon that are played in the meta, such as Charmander or Litten. It does have less HP than Pheromosa, but the direct 40-damage hit is a great trade for it.
Kartana is comparable toGenetic Apex’s Farfetch’d, hitting for 40 with one Energy and having 60 HP, but its Grass type can be a blessing or a curse depending on the matchup.
Since all Pokemon cards in the Buzzwole Ex deck are weak to Fire, barring Celesteela, the first iteration of the deck would often lose againstPokemon TCG Pocket’s Charizard Ex, Incineroar Ex, and similar decks. Pheromosa mainly helps against Darktina and to have targets for Cyrus, so dropping one copy to run more copies of Kartana is a worthy tradeoff.
How Buzzwole Ex Decks in Pokemon TCGP Could Change in The Future
Buzzwole Ex decks retain one of the highest win rates in tournaments overall, and they mostly do great against all meta decks, with a few exceptions. Having those two copies of Kartana can make the deck all the more consistent and “safe” to play, and it gives players yet another tool to pull the Celesteela retreat strategy to let Buzzwole Ex use Big Beat repeatedly. As it stands, thenextPokemon TCG Pocketexpansionis bound to add more Fire cards after a measly one new card in Extradimensional Crisis, so it remains to be seen whether Buzzwole Ex will remain the top dog of the format for long.
