Summary
Despite some early reports claiming thatPokemon TCG Pocket’s April 30 expansion was supposed to feature three booster pack variants and be based on Gen 3, today an official press release came out alongside a trailer showing the new Alola-based Celestial Guardians set.Gen 7 is the least represented inPokemon TCG Pocketat the moment, so it makes sense for the game to finally give Alola some deserved love, with the set including two booster variants based on Solgaleo and Lunala. Only a handful of cards have been officially revealed so far, but one of them stands out as a potential game-changer for the current meta.
Pokemon TCG Pocket’s Shining Revelry set dramatically changed the way the game is played by adding a rule-defying card in the form of Giratina Ex. This card not only has good stats and a 130-damage attack, not only is it a Basic Ex card, but it also has an ability that allows it to generate Psychic Energy for free once per turn at the cost of ending the turn immediately. This made several new decks rise to the top of the meta, and now that Celestial Guardians is about to be released, players will finally have a good, consistent counter to this.
Pokemon TCG Pocket’s Alolan Raichu Ex Counters The Current Meta
The next meta card fromCelestial Guardiansis likely to be the new Alolan Raichu Ex, which has 140 HP and Psychic as its attack, dealing 60 damage at base plus 30 more for every Energy attached to the opposing active Pokemon. This attack costs three Energy, which is not a small amount, but they can all be of any given type. The reason this is important is that not only can Alolan Raichu Ex counter many big threats in the format, but it can do so in any deck.
Cards likePokemon TCG Pocket’s Magnezoneor Druddigon are still incredibly popular due to the fact that they can virtually fit any deck, and Giratina Ex follows similar criteria thanks to its Broken-Space Hollow ability. As such, Alolan Raichu Ex can be placed in any deck as long as players also have a Pikachu in it, and it could even work with staple combos such as Dialga Ex’s Metallic Turbo attack. Having an attacker who can make short work of any “bench threats,” that is, Pokemon who need to be on the bench for a few turns for buildup, can dramatically increase a deck’s win rate, and Alolan Raichu Ex will do just that.
Alolan Raichu Ex can potentially one-shot most of the current meta, provided the opposing Pokemon have some or all Energy needed for their attacks attached. For example, Alolan Raichu Ex can KO in a single attack Giratina Ex if it has 3 or more Energy, and the same applies to Darkrai Ex.Pokemon TCG Pocket’s Gyarados Exis also unlikely to be viable after Celestial Guardians is released, as Alolan Raichu Ex is the perfect counter to it since it’s also weak to Electric types. Since Gyarados Ex needs 4 Energy to attack, Alolan Raichu Ex can KO it on the spot and potentially even live its attack with a Giant Cape.
How Celestial Guardians' Alolan Raichu Ex Will Change The Meta
What follows is that the meta will need to adapt, as many big hitters will have an automatic counter in Alolan Raichu Ex, so they may either see less play or adjust ratios and strategies to tackle this Gen 7 menace.Pokemon TCG Pocketdeckswill also need to address their Energy management, as having too much in the active spot can lead to sudden KOs. Still, Alolan Raichu Ex does have some counters, and Druddigon will most likely be one. Players will need to wait and see until the expansion is released, but this card has a lot of potential to become one of the best in the game.
