Summary
It’s not uncommon forPokemon TCG Pocketexpansions to deliver powerful cards that either create new meta options for players to toy with or improve existing playstyles. For example,Rare Candy decks inPokemon TCG Pocketare much more versatile and quicker to set up compared to any Stage 2 critter from before Celestial Guardians. At the same time, new cards can power-creep existing ones out of the meta, with a good example being Solgaleo Ex’s lower Energy requirements, which made Dialga Ex not very useful anymore, if not straight-up slower and ineffective. Something similar happened with the addition of a new Supporter card in Celestial Guardians, making another from Genetic Apex pale in comparison.
Supporter cards are arguably even easier to make redundant with new sets, as they don’t rely on an evolution chain, and they are always needed in any deck. When Red came out, a lot of decks running Giovanni switched to the new card for dealing increased damage, as Ex cards are very common in most decks, and the extra 10 points of damage can make the difference between a victory and a loss.Pokemon TCG Pocket’s new set also does something similar with a Supporter card called Ilima, which essentially makes Koga outdated.
Why Koga Doesn’t Hold a Candle to Ilima in Pokemon TCG Pocket
Pokemon TCG Pocket’s Koga is one of the eight Kantonian Gym Leader-inspiredcards from Genetic Apex, and while some of them are still used in today’s meta (mainly Sabrina), others only ever had niche uses. Koga is one such card, as it allows the user to return a Muk or Weezing card from the active spot to the hand, which can be great strategically for either preventing the opponent from gaining a point or having a no-cost retreat option. The new Ilima Supporter card arguably does what Koga was always meant to, but better.
It’s rare forPokemon TCG PocketSupporter cardsto stand the test of time if they are only dedicated to a couple of specific critters, as they are prone to being power-crept in the future. Koga is no exception, and while it maintains its niche even in the current competitive landscape, it is no match for Ilima from a mechanical standpoint. Ilima allows the user to return a Normal Pokemon card that has damage on it to the hand, which is what Koga does, but with three notable caveats:
The Best Ilima Decks in Pokemon TCG Pocket Explained
The reason this is a big step up in terms of mechanics is that it can virtually be used in any deck that uses one or more Normal cards, but more importantly, it acts as a counter of sorts toCyrus decks inPokemon TCG Pocket. For example, the new Greninja and Tapu Lele deck relies on taking out big threats on the bench and/or luring them out with a copy of Cyrus, but Ilima can return any Normal Pokemon to the hand if it has damage, preventing a Cyrus scenario and simultaneously countering bench-targeted attacks.
This applies perfectly to decks using powerful Normal cards likePokemon TCG Pocket’s Snorlaxor Arceus Ex, though in different ways. In the case of Snorlax, players will want to use it alongside Barry to maximize the number of attacks it can perform and how quickly it does this, so it will likely be in the active spot and take incoming damage. With a 4-Energy cost to retreat, Ilima can be an awesome way to retreat Snorlax for free and also prevent the opponent from scoring points.
Arceus Ex decks inPokemon TCG Pocketmay be a different beast, as one of the strongest around uses Arceus Ex paired with Crobat and Carnivine to trigger their Link abilities for free extra damage per turn, all while building Arceus Ex on the bench. This makes Arceus Ex vulnerable to the likes of Greninja, Tapu Lele, Decidueye Ex, etc, so it may be beneficial to use Ilima to make sure the opponent doesn’t score two points.
Why Pokemon TCG Pocket Should Change Its Supporter Card Design
Koga applying to only Muk and Weezing and limiting its use to the active spot makes it a comparably worse card from the get-go, and it may be power-crept out of the meta even further in the future. This makes the case for future Supporter cards to avoid effects that are specific to just a couple of critters, as they could be victims of power creep just one month after release, assumingPokemon TCG Pocket’s release scheduleremains the same in the near future.
However, this doesn’t seem very likely to happen, as Celestial Guardians introduced multiple Supporters that only work with specific Pokemon. Predictably, not many of them are actually played in the game, with the most notable exception being Kiawe, which can allow players to attack with Turtonator as soon as turn one or turn two, making it reliable and still very powerful. These remain exceptions, though, and as Ilima vs. Koga proves, it would be much better fordeckbuilding inPokemon TCG Pocketto only have Supporter cards that work with a wider range of Pokemon.
It remains to be seen whether something like this will truly happen, but it would make sense and simultaneously pave the way for better and more varied strategies. Still, sometimes, cards become more relevant much after their introduction, likePokemon TCG Pocket’s Red Card and Marsare now played more frequently due to the many Rare Candy decks in the meta.
