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Pokemon TCG Pocket’s Extradimensional Crisis set has finally ended DarkTina’s long-standing reign. The feared Psychic-Darkness duo now sits in fourth place on the PvP ladder. It is behind a new deck built around a previously high-potential Pokemon: Solgaleo ex.
Interestingly, the new Solgaleo ex deck doesn’t use any Ultra Beast cards. It follows a fairly simple (but not simplistic) strategy that focuses on setting up two main attackers as early as possible. This is done using the ability of another A3a Pokemon: Psychic-type Shiinotic.
Even though the alliance has a simple game plan, the Solgaleo ex and Shiinotic setup can be confusing for some beginnerPokemon TCG Pocketplayers. To help with that, the following guide breaks down everything you need to know about the pair and how to use it effectively in the metagame.
Solgaleo ex & Shiinotic Deck Overview
The currently popular variant of Solgaleo ex decks emerged with the addition of A3a Shiinotic. This new Psychic-type Pokemon has the Illuminate ability, letting you draw one random Pokemon card from your deck each turn.
The combo works by having Shiinotic draw all the key cards needed to evolve Solgaleo ex. This effectively removes the biggest drawback of earlier decks: slow build-up. Moreover, withPokemon TCG Pocket’s Rare Candy added to the mix, the setup becomes one of the fastest in the game.
you’re able to swap out some of the Trainer Cards in the Solgaleo ex & Shiinotic deck shell for Guzma, Iono, or Repel. Repel, in particular, is especiallyeffective againstPokemon TCG Pocket’s Oricorio meta.
Solgaleo ex & Shiinotic Performance Report
The Solgaleo-Shiinotic duo is rapidly rising in popularity. According torecentPokemon TCG Pockettournament data, it’s now the third most used deck, holding a meta share of around 8%. The only decks ahead of it are this season’s top performers: Silvally Rampardos and Buzzwole ex Pheromosa.
Solgaleo ex showed potential duringPokemon TCG Pocket’s Celestial Guardians era. It ranked as the seventh most used deck in PvP tournaments, with a win rate of around 48%. However, it was often criticized for its clunky and slow build-up. The addition of Shiinotic appears to have solved this issue, propelling Solgaleo ex to the top of the metagame.
One reason theSolgaleo ex and Shiinotic combo has gained attentionis its recent success in a major tournament. Out of 922 participants, nearly 4.5% played Solgaleo ex & Shiinotic decks. Of those players, 9.5% (four contestants) reached the top 30.
What Makes the Solgaleo-Shiinotic Duo Successful
There are three key reasons why the new Solgaleo ex & Shiinotic decks are strong in the current metagame:
How to Counter the Solgaleo ex & Shiinotic Meta
Two decks have the upper hand against Solgaleo ex & Shiinotic. These are the newCharizard ex & Silvallydeck and the anti-metaMagnezone & Oricoriolineup. Charizard ex & Silvally holds about a 65% win rate against the Steel-Psychic duo, while Magnezone & Oricorio has won nearly 85% of their matches.
Since Shiinotic has below-average damage, it can’t handle an Oricorio play. Thenimble Lightning-type variant of Oricorio inPokemon TCG Pocketcan easily take out this tech card. And in most cases, that leaves Solgaleo ex with little choice but to concede. Solgaleo ex is also weak to Fire-type Pokemon, making it especially vulnerable in Charizard ex matchups, particularly against the A2b variant. This Charizard ex can ramp itself up almost as quickly as Solgaleo ex, negating the early-game damage advantage. It can also deal up to 170 damage, enough to one-shot Solgaleo ex with support from Red or Giovanni.
The Future of Solgaleo ex & Shiinotic in Pokemon TCG Pocket’s Meta
Solgaleo ex doesn’t seem likely to enjoy along reign like Darkrai ex or Giratina ex. Most Solgaleo ex decks lack a tactical edge to keep them relevant over time. For now, it’s one of the fastest setups and ranks at the top. However, future expansions could boost other strong lineups, making the Solgaleo ex and Shiinotic combo less unique.
As for the Psychic-type Shiinotic, this new Pokemon is likely to stick around for a long time. Its universal synergy has made A3a Shiinotic a more practical alternative to Pokemon Communication. For the record, the latter has been a popular Trainer Card since its debut.
In theforeseeable future ofPokemon TCG Pocket, Shiinotic will likely find more fitting deck shells and step out of Solgaleo ex’s shadow. It may also find ideal synergies with upcoming Psychic-type Pokemon, potentially extending its presence in the metagame. Yet, the same cannot be said about its ally, Solegaleo ex.
