Summary
- Celestial Guardians expansion for Pokemon TCG Pocket has 155 new cards and powerful combinations.
- Oricorio's Electric version can counter Darkrai Ex and Giratina Ex decks with its Safeguard ability.
- Oricorio may become a great anti-meta card in competitive decks due to immunity against attacks from Ex cards.
The newest expansion for Pokemon TCG Pocket is Celestial Guardians, and it has a similar size to that of Space-Time Smackdown, with the core set having 155 new cards and then a plethora of others between Illustration Rares, shiny critters, and more. There are already several powerful combinations one can achieve with Celestial Guardians cards, such as moving Psychic Energy around with Giratina Ex and Lunala Ex in Pokemon TCG Pocket's new meta, but more good cards are still waiting to be discovered for their true potential. One of them could be an unassuming Rare card (three-diamond rarity) that may be about to completely stop meta decks in their tracks.
So far, one of the most common and yet effective strategies in Pokemon TCG Pocket was to use Giratina Ex in combination with Darkrai Ex and possibly a "wall" Pokemon card like Druddigon from Mythical Island. This is because both Giratina Ex and Darkrai Ex can work wonders when used from the bench, as the former generates its own Energy supply, possibly even on turn one, and the latter deals damage whenever an Energy is attached to it. However, Celestial Guardians can finally give fans who didn't like this meta a little respite, and that's because of one of the new Oricorio forms.
One Pokemon TCG Pocket Celestial Guardians Card is Already Broken
Pokemon TCG Pocket may be introducing a card that's already broken from the get-go with Celestial Guardians, empowering meta decks.
Why Oricorio is a Great Anti-Meta Pick in Pokemon TCG Pocket
Oricorio in Pokemon games canonically has four different forms that determine its types, attacks, and even appearance, and the same holds true for the mobile game. Pokemon TCG Pocket's Celestial Guardians card list includes plenty of good picks to fight the meta up until Shining Revelry, but Oriocorio's Electric-type version, called Pom-Pom Style, is one of the most interesting. It has 70 HP, it's weak to Fighting, it has a 2-Energy attack for 50 damage, and it comes with the Safeguard ability, which prevents all damage done to this card by attacks from opposing Ex Pokemon.
This may seem like an underwhelming card at first, and it doesn't even stop the damage dealt by Darkrai Ex's Nightmare Aura ability when stacking Energy, but the core conceit of the Darkrai Ex/Giratina Ex deck is to stall the opponent and slowly defeat their Pokemon with passive damage or Giratina's attack. While Oricorio is susceptible to damage from Nightmare Aura, the typical Darkrai Ex and Giratina Ex deck only runs these two critters and Druddigon, with the latter not being able to attack. As such, Oricorio would be completely immune to the attacks of both Darkrai and Giratina, which is a great counter to these decks.
Oricorio can also counter Articuno Ex decks entirely since they only use two Articuno Ex cards and 18 Trainer cards, meaning Oricorio can never take damage.
Why Pokemon TCG Pocket Players Shouldn't Sleep on Oricorio
On top of that, considering that most competitive decks in Pokemon TCG Pocket run at least one or two copies of Ex cards, Pom-Pom Style Oricorio may be a great anti-meta call in many decks, not just to fend off Darkrai Ex and Giratina Ex. For example, the new Decidueye Ex has an attack that deals 100 damage to a Pokemon that already has damage on it, so Oricorio's Safeguard makes it immune to this type of attack even if it's not targeting the active spot.
Swapping Oricorio in at the right time can prevent the opponent from attacking with their Pokemon TCG Pocket Ex cards, as those attacks would have no effect, and either force them to skip the attack for the turn or possibly even retreat into a different non-Ex Pokemon. As such, Oricorio's Electric version can truly put a halt to some games or even strategies, broadly speaking, which can make for an interesting deckbuilding choice even for non-Electric decks, turning it into a new Druddigon of sorts. It remains to be seen how the new set will change the meta, but Oricorio is a unique card that should spark some interest in new defensive mechanics.
- Released
- October 30, 2024
- Developer(s)
- DeNA, Creatures Inc.
- Publisher(s)
- The Pokemon Company
- Multiplayer
- Online Multiplayer
- Cross-Platform Play
- Yes
WHERE TO PLAY
Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket lets you easily collect Pokémon cards. Creatures Inc. Has created exciting new visual effects for cards that are only possible digitally.
Pokémon cards, played with by people in 89 countries, are now closer to you than ever!
Enjoy Pokémon cards anytime, anywhere, on your mobile device!
■ You can open packs every day to get cards!
Collect cards every day! You can open two booster packs every day at no cost to collect Pokémon cards featuring heartwarming illustrations from the past as well as all-new cards exclusive to this game.
■ New Pokémon cards!
Immersive cards, a brand-new kind of card, make their debut here! With new illustrations that have a 3D feel, immersive cards will make you feel like you’ve leapt into the world of the card’s illustration!
■ Trade cards with friends!
You can trade certain cards with friends. Use the trade feature to collect even more cards!
■ Show off your collection!
You can use binders or display boards to showcase your cards and share them with the world!
■ Casual battles—alone or with friends!
You can enjoy casual battles during quick breaks in your day! Ranked matches are now available for players who'd like to battle even more.
- Genre(s)
- Digital Card Game
