This Hilarious Pokémon TCG Pocket Deck Shows A Flaw With The Game's Programming

1 week ago 9

There is an amusing Pokémon TCG Pocket deck that isn’t affecting the meta all that much, but it may still have exposed a serious flaw in the game. For the most part, Pokémon TCG Pocket is a fun, streamlined version of the Pokémon TCG. Some Pokémon TCG rules have been removed to help make the game a more casual and quick experience for players.

While Pokémon TCG Pocket has mostly been successful in its streamlining of the game, it has potentially done away with one feature that is important for deck building. Now, a unique deck is shedding light on why this feature perhaps shouldn’t have been removed. It’s not a top-tier deck like Mewtwo ex, but it could lead to some problematic builds in future sets.

This Pokémon TCG Pocket Deck Only Runs One Pokémon

Players Run 18 Trainer Cards And Two Copies Of A Single Pokémon

Articuno ex card next to two Potions from Pokemon TCG Pocket

The deck in question is known as the 18 Trainers deck. This deck uses two copies of nine different Trainer cards including staples like Poké Ball, Professor’s Research, and X Speed. Some builds even run the rarely used Hand Scope just to round out the 18 cards needed. In addition to these Trainer cards, the deck also runs a single Pokémon: Articuno ex.

Articuno ex and Greninja from Pokemon TCG Pocket

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While there is a version of this deck that runs Zapdos ex instead, Articuno ex is the better choice for this type of build. For starters, it can use the Misty Supporter card to add additional energy and speed up the use of its more powerful attack. In contrast, there are no Trainer cards that give Zapdos extra energy, so Zapdos builds typically run the less-optimal Pokédex card instead of Misty. Having extra dead draws holds back a deck that already has spotty performance.

Traditional Pokémon TCG players may be wondering how a deck can get along with just two copies of one Pokémon. Typically, having so few chances to draw a Pokémon would be a serious disadvantage in the TCG where, every time a player doesn’t draw a basic Pokémon, they are forced to take a mulligan. This grants their opponent an extra card at the beginning of the game, which can be a big advantage. Well, this isn’t an issue in Pokémon TCG Pocket.

The 18 Trainers Deck Exposes An Exploit Of Pocket's Programming

Players Use Pokémon TCG Pocket’s Hand Smoothing To Fix Their Opening Draw

Full art trainer cards from Pokemon TCG Pocket over a blurred background

Pokémon TCG Pocket doesn’t have a mulligan rule. Instead, players are guaranteed to draw at least one basic Pokémon in their opening hand. This means that by including only a single basic Pokémon, players can guarantee they draw that card in their opening hand. While this hasn’t caused a huge issue yet — neither version of the 18 Trainers deck is all that competitive — it will likely pose an issue with future sets.

Pack Points Against a Phone background for Pokémon TCG Pocket

One Missing Pokémon TCG Pocket Feature Makes Using Pack Points Way Too Frustrating

There is a missing feature in Pokémon TCG Pocket that makes using Pack Points much more frustrating than it has to be, but one change would fix it.

Not only will Pokémon TCG Pocket be releasing new, potentially more powerful, basic Pokémon, but it will also presumably add new Trainer cards in upcoming sets. With more effective Trainer cards, players can abuse this exploit without having to run dead draws like Pokédex. Even if 18-Trainer builds don’t become the norm, there could be a serious shift away from running Pokémon and toward Trainer-heavy builds.

Not only would it be a shame to see an even smaller variety of Pokémon than is already present in the Pokémon TCG Pocket meta currently, but games where players are using a lot of Trainer cards each turn could also make the experience somewhat dull. Pokémon TCG Pocket should consider implementing the forced-mulligan rule from Pokémon TCG. This could help promote running at least a few basic Pokémon in each deck and avoid further manipulation of the game’s hand-smoothing program.