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Mythical Island is a mini-set of only 68 unique cards, including a reprint (Old Amber) and 28 identical species from Genetic Apex. Compared to the 226 unique cards in Genetic Apex, it’s not designed to drastically alter the metagame. But it brought a lot more options to deck build so that players can power up what they got with the release of TCG Pocket.
Let’s explore which established archetypes received the most promising support from this new set.
Grass - Exeggutor deck
Exeggutor is usually more of an engine than the core of its own archetype, but it has performed well in several decks, using both Exeggutor and Exeggutor ex. Their outstanding bulk and ability to attack on turn 2 for up to 80 damage with just one energy notably make them a good counter to Pikachu ex decks.
The new Exeggcute/Exeggutor pair from Mythical Island differs significantly from the Genetic Apex versions. Exeggutor’s Psychic attack requires 4 Energy, dealing a base 80 damage with an additional 20 damage for each Energy attached to the opponent’s Active Pokémon. Fortunately, Exeggcute’s Growth Spurt helps charge it up efficiently.
In the new format, Exeggutor also serves as an engine in , paired with the new Celebi ex and the Serperior evolution line.
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This build leverages both Exeggutors as early-game sturdy tanks while Celebi ex accumulates Energy and Snivy evolves into Serperior. Exeggutor ex applies early pressure for just 1 , while the new Exeggutor becomes a potent late-game threat, costing only 2 Energy once Serperior is fully developed.
Fire - Blaine deck
While Mew ex could be considered the biggest addition to Fire decks, the budget Blaine deck actually got upgrades from Mythical Island. The Ponyta evolution line introduces two new cards, both featuring attacks with bonus damage based on coin flips. These aren’t typical coin-flip effects where the attack damage merely doubles. Instead, Ponyta’s Stomp quadruples in power, increasing from 10 to 40 damage, while Rapidash’s Rising Lunge sets a new record for the archetype, jumping from 40 to 100 damage.
In previous formats, Blaine decks struggled to find a convincing fifth Pokémon:
- Farfetch'd is a decent attacker needing only one Energy, in a deck where Ninetales’ Flamethrower constantly requires Energy discards. Its fair stats however felt underwhelming in a deck focused on closing out games quickly.
- Magmar from Genetic Apex, while benefiting to Blaine's effect, has a rather weak base damage output of 50 for , a 2-Energy retreat cost and medium bulk of 80 HP.
The new Magmar from Mythical Island, despite sharing the same stats as its predecessor, is a better fit for Blaine decks. Its Fire Blast attack deals 80 damage, boosted to 110 with Blaine—or even 130 against Celebi ex. While the discard cost limits its usability to one significant attack, this aligns well with the deck’s aggressive nature.
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The new Ponyta is a natural upgrade for Blaine decks, with a higher damage output than its previous counterpart. Similarly, the Mythical Island Magmar proved effective. However, the new Rapidash is less straightforward. Despite a better average damage, its extra cost is a drawback in such a fast-paced archetype. Blaine decks prioritize quick, impactful plays, and Rapidash from Genetic Apex is one of the only Pokémon capable of attacking for 1 Energy: ultimately, a turn-2 attacker that synergizes with Blaine’s effect more valuable than a higher-risk option that deals more damage later. The aggressive theme of the deck remains better served by consistent early-game pressure.
Water decks - A new paradigm
In Genetic Apex, Water decks often combined up to three different lines: Articuno ex, Starmie ex and Greninja. Each of these Pokémon offered unique strengths, with Misty able to create unfair situations of "turn-0" knockouts. But Water decks struggled with their most critical task: dealing enough damage to one-shot Pikachu ex, their greatest threat. Mythical Island changed this with Gyarados ex, a Pokémon capable of knocking out Pikachu ex and many more in one hit.
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To secure knockouts on bigger targets, Druddigon serves as a damaging tank, while Greninja attacks from the bench with Water Shuriken, adding chip damage and even acting as a cheap backup attacker until Gyarados ex is fully powered.
The Mythical Island Vaporeon is a notable new Pokémon with great potential. Its Wash Out ability allows you to transfer any amount of Energy from your Benched Pokémon to your Active Pokémon. This "water Lt. Surge" effect has a wide range of uses:
- It makes your deck less vulnerable to Sabrina, who could otherwise disrupt your board state by forcing a Pokémon without sufficient Energy into the Active spot.
- It makes retreating strategies much more powerful. For instance, if Articuno ex has used Blizzard on the previous turn but is now at risk of being knocked out (costing you two points), you can retreat it for free by using Leaf for Gyarados ex and use Wash Out to transfer all Energy instantly. This enables Gyarados ex to attack with Rampaging Whirlpool immediately.
Although Vaporeon doesn’t currently fit into the most successful Gyarados ex strategies, its unique utility makes it a card to watch for future Water deck innovations. Whether it becomes a staple or remains a tech option will depend on how the meta evolves.
Lightning - Pikachu ex deck
Pikachu ex decks were widely regarded as the best overall deck in the Genetic Apex format. Adding more support to an already dominant archetype might seem daunting, but the new tools introduced in Mythical Island are essential for keeping the deck competitive against the broader improvements across other archetypes. The new Pikachu, Electabuzz, and Dedenne have become staple additions, especially in the Raichu variant of the deck.
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The new Pikachu is a natural inclusion due to its Circle Circuit attack, which can reach up to 30 damage per benched Pokémon, outperforming the flat 20 damage of the Genetic Apex version.
Electabuzz functions as a bench sniper without requiring an evolution, providing flexibility similar to Zebstrika, with more Energy but less deck commitment. It can take out threats like a benched Magikarp before it evolves or finish off Celebi ex after a fully charged Circle Circuit from Pikachu ex. Electabuzz is also a possible target for Lt. Surge.
Dedenne is a cute yet deceptively powerful addition. For just one , its Thunder Shock can paralyze the Defending Pokémon, effectively shutting it down for a turn. It’s a versatile and energy-efficient replacement for the more costly Pincurchin and has quickly become a common feature in Pikachu ex decks.
Psychic - Mewtwo ex deck
Mewtwo ex was one of the most consistent top-tier decks in the Genetic Apex format, and it has gained two incredible tools from Mythical Island: Mythical Slab, a huge boon in consistency, and Mew ex, which synergizes perfectly with Gardevoir’s Psy Shadow ability.
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Mew ex has completely replaced the former baby Mewtwo thanks to its slightly higher HP, better utility, and the seldom inclusion of Budding Expeditioner, which acts like Koga does for Weezing. This allows Mew ex to retreat safely before it’s at risk of being knocked out.
Fighting - Brock deck
The standout sensation in the first week of Mythical Island was undoubtedly NinoLeo’s Brock deck, demonstrating the many improvements this archetype gained from the new set.
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With only cards from Genetic Apex, Brock decks suffered from many problems:
- Graveller wasn't good: it could only attack for 3 Energy.
- Golem is a powerhouse with its Double-Edge attack dealing 150 damage, enough to one-shot most threats in the format. But the 50 recoil damage left it vulnerable to a knock-out attack in retaliation, which is a shame given the heavy investment in Energy that it initially requires.
- The Geodude line and Onix had high retreat costs that couldn’t be mitigated by a single X Speed, leaving them stranded on the battlefield when in danger.
Mythical Island brought a Graveller able to attack on curve; a Golem that can one-shot most Pokémon, especially if Geodude and Graveller have started the work; Leaf, an enhanced X Speed that retreats Geodude for freee; and the new Druddigon. Adding a Marshadow to revenge knock out Pokémon as the icing on the cake, this no-EX deck was entirely made possible thanks to the improvements from Mythical Island.
Darkness - Koga deck
In base Koga decks, Arbok was the preferred option over the slower Muk. However, Mythical Island introduced a more efficient evolution line in Venipede – Whirlipede – Scolipede. Each member can attack on curve, with Venoshock dealing 120 damage when used immediately after Whirlipede's Poison Sting or Weezing’s Gas Leak.
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While Scolipede’s baseline damage is identical to Muk’s, the differences in attack cost and retreat cost make the Venipede line superior despite requiring an additional evolution:
- Muk’s Venoshock costs 3 Energy. For a Pokémon with "only" 130 HP and weak base damage, this Energy commitment is rather heavy.
- The Venipede line can attack without requiring extra Energy attachments ahead of time.
This low energy requirement opens up deck space for Pokémon like Tauros or Mew ex, which can retaliate effectively against stronger threats with their generic-cost attack.
The Impact of Mythical Island on the Metagame
Mythical Island generally has a positive impact to the previous format, enhancing both established and lesser-played decks to create a more varied and interesting playfield. It doesn't price out free-to-play players as budget decks like Koga, Brock, and Blaine have seen significant improvements and are performing beyond expectations. This is an encouraging sign of how Creatures Inc. is balancing power levels in Pokémon TCG Pocket. That said, once you got what you needed, it’s time to start saving your Pack Hourglasses for the next set—it’s a big one and will likely bring major changes!