Summary

  • Extradimensional Crisis set will feature Ultra Beasts, potentially shaking up the meta.
  • Guzzlord Ex is a powerful new card with the potential to disrupt opponents' strategies.
  • Guzzlord Ex provides energy removal and damage, potentially countering popular Giratina Ex decks.

Although Pokemon TCG Pocket's Celestial Guardians set came out less than a month ago, it's already time for another expansion in the form of Extradimensional Crisis, which will come out as early as May 29. This set is going to be all about Ultra Beasts, though other types of critters and cards will also be available, such as the new Lusamine Supporter that may very well make Ultra Beast decks OP in mid- to late-game. Several new cards have already been revealed, including what seems like an Ultra Necrozma Ex promo card with an interesting attack that mills both players' decks. Among these cards, one is very likely to sit at the top of the meta once Pokemon TCG Pocket's Extradimensional Crisis set comes out.

The current meta in Pokemon TCG Pocket is quite varied thanks to the introduction of Rare Candy in Celestial Guardians, though one of the very best decks in the entire game remains the tried and true Darkrai Ex and Giratina Ex combo. Despite the many counters to this specific combo that were released with Celestial Guardians, the meta has yet to evolve past these cards, but Extradimensional Crisis may finally change things with the release of Guzzlord Ex.

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A Pokemon TCG Pocket Extradimensional Crisis Card Can Finally Make One Strategy Good

Pokemon TCG Pocket's upcoming Extradimensional Crisis set is about to release Ultra Beasts, including one that may finally make one strategy good.

Pokemon TCG Pocket's Guzzlord Ex May Break Extradimensional Crisis' New Meta

Guzzlord Ex is one of the new Ex cards introduced with Pokemon TCG Pocket's new expansion, and it's canonically one of the strongest Ultra Beasts in the mainline series too. This card is a basic Pokemon with a whopping 170 HP, which is a ridiculous amount for a basic Ex card, and it also has two powerful attacks. The first is called Grindcore, and it costs two colorless Energy for 30 damage, whereas the second is called Tyrannical Hole for four Energy (3 Darkness and 1 colorless), dealing 120 damage. The main thing about Guzzlord Ex is that Grindcore also has a secondary effect, and that is to flip coins and remove one Energy from the opposing active Pokemon for each heads, until one gets tails.

This is basically Pokemon TCG Pocket's Team Rocket Grunt, but as a side effect of a 2-Energy attack on a very bulky basic Pokemon, and it doesn't even require any specific Energy types to work. What follows is that one can hypothetically play Guzzlord Ex alongside Team Rocket Grunt and make a deck that has four cards dedicated to removing Energy from the opposing active Pokemon, disrupting the opponent's strategy entirely.

Since Guzzlord Ex's Grindcore attack requires two Energy of any type, one could even play it alongside Beedril Ex from Shining Revelry, adding yet another method of removing Energy from the opponent's critters. This is not only a potentially problematic card on its own, considering how strong Energy manipulation is and has always been, but it could even act as a counter to Pokemon TCG Pocket's Giratina Ex on two different levels:

  • Guzzlord Ex is a Darkness Pokemon, meaning it deals 20 more damage to Giratina Ex
  • Giratina Ex needs four Energy to attack, so removing two or more in a single turn means it may never be able to set up again

Why Energy Removal is OP in Pokemon TCG Pocket

Even on its own and not counting the current Giratina Ex meta, Guzzlord Ex can be a very frustrating card to play against, as it will occasionally hit at least one or two heads on the coin flips, which can counter virtually any deck. On top of that, as Guzzlord ex removes Energy from its opponent's Pokemon, it also keeps building its own to then hit enemies with Tyrannical Hole for 120 damage. It may be too soon to tell if Guzzlord Ex will actually see play, but considering how powerful it is, it's quite likely that it will be popular and rise to the top of the meta in Pokemon TCG Pocket.

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Released
October 30, 2024
Developer(s)
DeNA, Creatures Inc.
Publisher(s)
The Pokemon Company
Multiplayer
Online Multiplayer
Cross-Platform Play
Yes
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WHERE TO PLAY

DIGITAL
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Genre(s)
Digital Card Game