Pokémon Pocket: Triumphant Light - Review and First Impressions

Today, let's explore the new Pokémon Pocket set, Triumphant Light!

We'll go through the best cards from this set, and, more specifically, Arceus ex, the main legendary Pokémon in this set, and its new mechanic. We'll also go through each Trainer and any notable cards that can become essential for new decks. Finally, we'll also show you a few lists with the new cards so you can play the new set straight away!

Above, you'll find all the new Pokémon ex included in Triumphant Light. Let's go through each of them and understand how they might impact the meta.

Ranking

Tier - S: these cards are incredibly strong, and will be meta-defining.

Tier - A: these cards are strong, and will probably be quite popular in certain decks.

Tier - B: these cards are decent, but won't show up a lot, and might be overshadowed by other cards.

Tier - C: these cards are weak, and most likely won't find any space in the meta.

Leafeon ex - Tier A

Leafeon ex is the newest Grass Pokémon in the game, and, straight away, we can say it will be great in the current Grass decks, as it fits their game style perfectly.

The main idea behind this card is to accelerate the game, as it lets you attach Grass energies to your benched Grass Pokémon. Your main targets for it can be Celebi ex or Yanmega ex, which are great cards that need 3 or more energies to work.

Currently, the best Grass deck, which is also one of the best decks in the game, is Exeggutor ex's strategy. It doesn't need a lot of energies to work, and doesn't really go with this card, as it doesn't need to attach energies with effects. So, because Leafeon ex will probably not see play in this deck, it might not be a tier-S Pokémon. Still, it is already one of the best cards in the game, and its deck is practically already built.

Here's a Leafeon ex list you can test out:

Glaceon ex - Tier S

Glaceon ex is perhaps one of the best additions to current Water lists, which are one of the best archetypes in the entire game. These decks will now have a great frontline Pokémon to play, as this Glaceon deals damage to the opponent's active Pokémon constantly. Furthermore, this game style fits the current meta really well, as it is full of these types of interactions.

In fact, Glaceon ex is a great card even in other decks, and might even see play with Darkrai ex in a list that deals damage to enemy Pokémon constantly.

This card is set to become one of the strongest cards in the entire game, and, without a question, it will be one of the most popular Pokémon from this set. It is extremely versatile and may go really well with many deck styles and current strategies.

Here's a Glaceon ex list you can test out:

Garchomp ex - Tier C

Unfortunately, Garchomp ex, a fan favorite, is not that strong. It doesn't work that well as a frontline Pokémon because you'll need to evolve Gible twice before you get to Garchomp ex, and this takes time. And, though its attack only costs 1 energy and can hit your opponent's Benched Pokémon, you'll rarely use it. The rhythm of the game doesn't fit what this attack wants to do, as you'll probably have to attach 3 energies to Garchomp ex to use its other attack, Dragon Claw.

Dragon Claw only deals 100 damage, which is not a lot considering the time and energy you'll need to invest in it. It is considerably less damage than other meta Pokémon deal for the same number of energies. For instance, Exeggutor ex deals 80 damage for just 1 energy, and only needs to evolve once.

Another factor that makes Garchomp ex worse is that you can't buff it with Cynthia because its name is Garchomp ex, and not Garchomp. That's why you can't use her to buff its attacks by 50 extra damage.

Here's a deck with Garchomp ex if you'd like to test it out:

Probopass ex - Tier A

Because of how much support Metal Pokémon are getting in this set, Probopass ex will probably be quite strong and interesting in this meta.

The only problem is that the current meta deals a lot of damage with effects, not attacks. As the main idea behind Metal Pokémon is to nerf enemy attacks, many times they won't be useful, particularly depending on the matchup.

In any case, Probopass ex will most likely perform well in the meta in tier-A decks - these decks usually show up in tournaments but don't win them. They often rank among the top 8 decks.

Here's a list with Probopass ex that might be really strong in this new metagame:

Arceus ex - Tier A+

Arceus ex is the new Pokémon Pocket star, and will introduce a new mechanic to the game. It has many followers, and these get bonus effects if Arceus ex is in play.

Arceus ex itself isn't a powerful card. In fact, it is average and can be a tank Pokémon in most of these decks. This card's true strength is its synergy with many other Pokémon, and, together, they can create a powerful list.

Here are Arceus ex's followers:

Carnivine - Tier A

As this is a basic card that deals 50 damage for just one energy, Carnivine can be a great aggro, frontline Pokémon in Grass lists.

Heatran - Tier A

Because this Pokémon has a lot of health and no retreat cost if you have an Arceus ex in play, it is often a great tank Pokémon in any list. You don't even have to use Fire energies to play it in your lists.

Abomasnow - Tier B

This Pokémon might deal 80 damage for two energies if Arceus ex is in play, but there are better Pokémon you can use nowadays that do the same and have more HP than Abomasnow. Exeggutor ex, for instance.

Raichu - Tier C

Taking 30 less damage from attacks is not a powerful effect, specially considering most Pokémon attacks nowadays can Knock Out Raichu even then. This card also doesn't fit what Electric decks do.

Rotom - Tier A+ or S

Because this is a basic Pokémon that deals 20 damage to your opponent's bench for only one energy of any color, and because it also has no retreat cost if you have an Arceus ex in play, this card is extremely powerful. Rotom will probably be a must in most Arceus decks, and should be one of the most versatile cards for this game style. It is a great aggro, frontline Pokémon that matches the current meta quite well.

Tyranitar - Tier B

This Pokémon has a lot of HP and is very powerful when Arceus ex is in play, but it is extremely slow and can struggle to find a place in the meta.

Crobat - Tier S

Crobat complements Arceus ex decks really well, and will probably be the most important follower in these lists. It deals 30 damage to the opponent's active Pokémon regardless if it is in your bench or the active position. Furthermore, it can attack with only one Darkness energy, which is great.

This type of effect fits the current meta really well, as it deals damage to enemy Pokémon with effects.

Magnezone - Tier C

Though it is an interesting Pokémon, as well as quite tanky, this Magnezone doesn't really go with last set's Magnezone, as that one lets you attach Electric energies to your Pokémon, and this might be a problem. We might simply ignore this card because we already have a great Magnezone in the game that is also quite popular.

Let's see the new Trainers from this set!

Irida - Tier S

This card will be great in all Water decks in the format, and will become a staple for this type of strategy. It is critical for these lists, and can make Water lists even more powerful.

Celestic Town Elder - Tier A

Currently, there aren't many decks that need this type of effect, but, because it is the only card in the game that can recycle any basic Pokémon from the discard pile, it can be interesting in a few very specific decks. However, we'll probably only need one copy of this card in these decks.

Barry - Tier C

Unfortunately, Snorlax, Heracross, and Staraptor don't get a lot from this Trainer. Furthermore, nowadays, there are much better decks that don't need Barry's slow setup to work.

Adaman - Tier S

Adaman can be the card we needed to finally make Metal decks work in the meta. Its main strategy is extremely solid and matches Metal decks really well.

With Adaman, your Metal Pokémon will get quite tanky, and you'll have a lot of time to setup, as well as get all the energies you need to win.

If you read this far, thank you! I hope you had fun, and enjoyed reading this article!

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See you next time!