How to properly use Mythical Slab?

Hello Pokémon TCG Pocketeers!

It’s been about a week since we’ve had the new set Mythical Island and while I’m sure we’re all enjoying our new Druddigon and Gyarados overlords, allow me to bring your attention to a new addition to everyone’s favorite Psychic kitty decks... but not the usual. See, while everyone was focused on Mew ex being a perfect compliment to Mewtwo (and it is), one card that has been even more impactful that a lot of folks may have glossed over is Mystery Slab. Most players will tend to miss out on the true power level of such cards because it seemingly has a "drawback" attached to it. What those players don't realize though is that there is no actual drawback to the card if you understand it correctly.

How to play Mythical Slab correctly?

Let's go to the most important part first, what order should I play Mythical Slab, Poké Ball, or Professor's Research if I have them in my hand? The answer is it depends on what you're searching for the most:

You need a non-Basic Pokémon:

The correct order is:

1. Poké Ball
2. Mythical Slab
3. Professor's Research

You need a particular Basic Pokémon*:

The correct order is:

1. Professor's Research
2. Poké Ball
3. Mythical Slab

*and there's more than 1 Basic still in your deck

You're looking for a non-Pokémon card:

The correct order is:

1. Mythical Slab
2. Poké Ball
3. Professor's Research

Note: If you’re missing one of the 3 cards, then just follow the order listed above and ignore the card you’re missing EXCEPT for when you lack Poké Ball. In that case, it’s always correct to play Slab before Prof.

Guiding principles & Explanations

• Before playing your cards, make sure you know what you're looking for first! Most of the time, you'll be going after a Pokémon to complete your combo.
• You want to thin out the possible bad draws first which is why most of the time, Professor's Research goes last. The lone exception is when you're trying to draw a Basic, in which case playing Prof first gives you a higher chance of drawing a Basic before playing Ball which is guaranteed to draw a Basic.
• Mythical Slab putting any non-Pokémon draw at the bottom is very relevant and is the most complicated concept here. By playing Mythical Slab AFTER you play Poké Ball, you effectively remove the "bad" card by putting it at the bottom even if you don't hit a Pokémon. Therefore, you don't need to worry about possibly drawing it again unless you do a shuffle effect. This makes your next draws more likely to give you what you want.

Playing Mythical Slab is always good

Let’s go deeper into it since this is the trickiest thing for newer players to grasp:

• If you imagine that you have an equal chance of drawing every card remaining in the deck, then all that matters is trying to thin your deck as much as possible by playing Slab and making your next draws better.
• Don't feel bad about Mythical Slab even if it puts a powerful non-Pokémon card that you were looking for at the bottom. Thinking Slab costs you to not to draw the item / supporter you wanted is a fallacy. What you must remember is that unless you know exactly what your next card is before playing Slab, then it might as well be at the bottom of your deck. If you imagine that you have an equal chance of drawing every card remaining in the deck, then all that matters is trying to thin your deck.
• So, even if you "unluckily" hit your Professor's Research and put it at the bottom of your deck, it didn't actually hurt to play Slab. Professor's Research could have just as easily already been the last card in your deck. You weren't actually "unlucky" at all: it's just the game trying to make you think that you were. By not playing Slab, you just decrease the probability of drawing the card you want since you don't try for the chance to draw a Pokémon with Slab and thin your deck. At least now you know what IS the last card in your deck so you can play around that knowledge.
• You never hurt your odds to draw the card you want by playing Slab so there’s no use holding it. Go ahead and play it to simplify your decisions and focus on other aspects of the game instead.
• In line with the previous points, go ahead and play Slab even if you're looking for an item / supporter if you still have Pokémon in your deck since there's still a chance it thins it out and makes you more likely to draw the card you’re looking for in the future.
• Lastly, I’m aware that there are a few janky Red Card scenarios, but there are so many permutations of those since it depends on the number of cards you have in hand. Most people cut it from their random battle lists anyway so I just play like they don't have it unless I can afford not to.

That was quite a bit, so I appreciate you if you took the time to read and learn everything. Understanding this will ultimately help you evaluate cards and improve your deckbuilding in the future though. Hope this helps someone, and may the slab and the coins be ever in your favor!

Thanks to MM for the infographics.