Summary
Ever since the Celestial Guardians expansion came out,Pokemon TCG Pocket’s meta when it comes to powerful decks has constantly changed in many ways, to the point that it may be the most diverse the mobile game has ever had. One of the reasons for this is the addition of Rare Candy, a card that allows players to evolve a basic Pokemon they have in play into its Stage 2 card immediately, provided it was not played that turn and that it’s not the first turn of the game. Much likePokemon TCG Pocket’s Greninja became metathanks to Rare Candy, it’s finally a good time to play a Gengar deck.
There was a time when Gengar was playable inPokemon TCG Pocket, albeit quite inconsistently due to the lack of Rare Candy and the dominance of basic Ex cards, but that time quickly came to an end when more expansions for the mobile game were released. Gengar and Gengar Ex from Genetic Apex were mostly power-crept out of the meta with new additions, and when Shining Revelry came out, the Psychic meta shifted almost entirely toward Giratina Ex. However, players can now build good and well-performing Gengar decks, but they may not be what they expect.
Pokemon TCG Pocket’s New Gengar Deck is a Great Meta Counter
WhilePokemon TCG Pocket’s Gengar Exfrom Genetic Apex is still not optimal to play given the current meta, Celestial Guardians introduced a new Gengar card. This version of the popular Kantonian Pokemon has 140 HP, no ability, and it has a single 2-Energy attack that deals 70 damage, but it also puts the opposing Pokemon to sleep. This single effect is what makes this specific version of Gengar good enough competitively, as putting opposing Pokemon to sleep can prevent them from attacking on the next turn if they flip tails on their sleep check.
Gengar from Celestial Guardians may not deal a lot of damage, but it is fairly bulky, and in a deck that supports it with various cards, it can shine quite bright. Controlling the battlefield and potentially negating the opposing Pokemon’s attack or forcing it to retreat and waste Energy to substitute it with another attacker is very powerful, even if it comes down to a coin flip. On top of that, this deck uses two copies of Tapu Lele to counterPokemon TCG Pocket’s Giratina Ex, as it deals 20 damage per Energy attached to the target, which can also be on the bench.
Tapu Lele can also counterDarkrai Ex decks, despite its weakness to Dark attacks, and it can be generally effective against several meta cards, especially if paired with Gengar to keep opposing Pokemon asleep or forcing them to switch out. Finally, the deck typically runs one copy of Oricorio Sensu Style because it can go in the active slot after Gengar or Tapu Lele are KOed and possibly score a point by defeating the opposing Pokemon. This is because it knows the attack Spiteful Dance, which deals 20 damage and another 60 if one of the user’s Pokemon was knocked out in the previous turn.
Pokemon TCG Pocket Supporter Cards For The Meta Gengar Deck Explained
Pokemon TCG PocketSupporter cardslike Lillie, Sabrina, and Cyrus are perfect fits for this deck, too. Lillie helps Gengar stay alive for longer, while Sabrina is an evergreen strategic pick, and Cyrus can either help snipe targets hit by Tapu Lele or let Gengar finish the job if the opponent retreats. Cards like Professor’s Research and Poke Ball remain awesome staples to have, with the addition of either Iono or Pokemon Communication to help with RNG if players don’t draw their Gengar or Gastly. Overall, this is a fantastic deck to play, and its success in recent online tournaments cements this feeling.
