As we’re working with a pool of 226 unique cards from Genetic Apex and 7 cards currently available from Promo-A, the deck building options are tight. This also gives opportunity for less obvious support cards and small engines to stand out. Instead of covering staples like Professor’s Research or Poké Ball or the best cards from Genetic Apex, we will focus on cards and engines that perform well in specific contexts, solving particular problems where some decks might otherwise struggle, and bringing them to relevance.
Meowth: the draw engine
There are only two draw effects in Pokémon TCG Pocket: Professor’s Research and Meowth’s Pay Day. Pay Day costs C : it can be played in every deck and can come online as early as turn 1. Meowth also has a body, meaning the draw power is repeatable.
Where it shines
Drawing cards is universally good in TCGs, but the best use case for Meowth is in decks with a Stage 2 evolution line. It improves the chance of getting the final evolution on curve by drawing and playing all the previous stages as quickly as possible. This is especially helpful in decks like Blastoise ex, which can attack with both 2 and 3 Energy. Since Meowth’s Pay Day requires an Energy, this might delay Blastoise ex’s attack by one turn unless Meowth drew Misty to help power up Blastoise faster.
Blastoise ex - Meowth variant
- Water
What it lacks
- Meowth’s low bulk makes it vulnerable, and Pay Day only deals 10 damage.
- If you haven’t set up enough, Meowth is an easy target to KO, leaving you behind by a point from the very start.
- As drawing a card from Pay Day is the last action before your opponent’s turn, you’re also more vulnerable to an opposing Red Card.
Weezing-Koga: the stalling engine
Weezing boasts a solid 110 HP, which allows it to withstand early attacks from Pokémon ex like Pikachu ex and Starmie ex. The poison from its Gas Leak ability deals chip damage, and if you run D Energy, it can also attack with Tackle for just 1 Energy, dealing a respectable 30 damage.
The real magic happens when Weezing is paired with Koga. Koga’s effect lets you return Weezing and all its attached cards back to your hand. This allows you to immediately bench Koffing again or even evolve an already benched Koffing that you promoted when Weezing went back to your hand, and rinse and repeat the process.
Where it shines
Weezing-Koga is arguably the best stall engine in the game. Thanks to Weezing’s bulk and Koga’s ability to deny your opponent a point when Weezing is about to be knocked out, it’s a favorite in decks that need time to set up their board. Decks like Venusaur ex or Dragonite benefit from Weezing stalling while they accumulate Energy for the late game. During this time, Weezing can chip away at your opponent’s Pokémon with Gas Leak. Best of all, you don’t even need to run D Energy to make this engine work efficiently.
Venusaur ex - Weezing variant
- Grass
What it lacks
Weezing is a Stage 1 Pokémon, and despite Koffing’s decent bulk for a Basic to stall for time, there’s always a risk of not drawing into Weezing in time.
Speaking of timing, Koga is a very specific card that only works when Weezing is in the active spot. This makes it function like a Stage 2 evolution line in terms of inconsistency—you need all the pieces in place for it to work best.
Another drawback is that Koga uses your Supporter activation for the turn, limiting your options for card draw or other key actions like using Sabrina or Giovanni.
Hypno: a chance for a Time Walk
Few Pokémon in the current card pool have abilities, and even fewer can affect your opponent’s Active Pokémon while staying safe on the bench. Hypno’s Sleep Pendulum ability is one of these, with a 50% chance to put the opponent’s Active Pokémon to sleep by flipping a coin.
Where it shines
Currently, the only ways to cure sleep are by winning the coin flip at the start of a turn (as part of the sleep status effect) or by evolving the affected Pokémon. If your opponent can’t do either, they effectively waste a turn, a complete shift in tempo that is game-changing in many matchups. In slow-paced games, if Hypno comes online by turn 2, Sleep Pendulum can stall your opponent enough to dictate the rest of the game in your favor. Gaining an extra turn also gives more opportunities to charge up Energy and evolve faster.
What it lacks
- Ultimately, Sleep Pendulum only has a 1-in-4 chance of succeeding —there’s a 50% chance to put the Defending Pokémon to sleep (on heads), and then a 50% chance that the Pokémon will wake up right away during the sleep check.
- The ability can be invalidated if the Defending Pokémon isn’t fully evolved, as they can evolve out of sleep.
- Hypno is best on the Bench. If brought to the front line, its unimpressive Psypunch attack (50 damage for PPC) isn’t gonna make the difference.
Fossils: Protecting your Pokémon
Fossils are unique in the TCG, acting as Basic Pokémon for fossil Pokémon like Kabuto, Omanyte, and Aerodactyl.
They are Item cards that can be played as Basic Pokémon, so they can’t be searched with Poké Ball, they have a low count of 40 HP, and they can be knocked out for a point. So, what makes them interesting as support cards? Exactly this: they don’t interfere with Poké Ball’s search for your more important Basic Pokémon. Fossils can also be discarded during your turn while on the field without giving your opponent a free point.
Where it shines
Fossils truly shine in protecting your Benched Pokémon from Sabrina. Most decks aim to play as few Basic Pokémon as possible to search them out quickly using Poké Ball—the most obvious example being Charizard ex as it only runs 1 evolution line. In turn, this leaves those decks vulnerable to Sabrina, as they often lack “intermediate” Pokémon to promote when Sabrina forces a switch.
Fossils are used as such, acting as pawns to protect your more important benched Pokémon. If a Fossil survived it—say your opponent used Sabrina just to disrupt your tempo—you can even discard it for a free retreat.
What it lacks
- Fossils only have 40 HP, one of the lowest values among Basic Pokémon. If you’re forced to bring one to the Active spot, it’s likely to become an easy point for your opponent.
- Fossil evolutions are rather lackluster, making it hard to justify using them beyond their role as a temporary decoy. They rarely warrant a splash, let alone an entire deck built around them.
Choosing an Engine when building a deck
All of these support cards and small engines fill specific niches in gameplay, and recognizing when to include them is key to improving your deck’s performance. They’re not must-play by any means, and currently mostly patch weaknesses of decks that are lacking of a built-in engine.
When building your deck, after selecting the core cards and obvious staples, consider these options if they fit with your deck’s overall strategy. For more inspiration, check out popular decks and their variants—many of these cards can be used to enhance core decks.
