Pokémon TCG Pocket has brought back a long-forgotten card from the Pokémon TCG: Red Card. It’s an Item that forces your opponent to shuffle their hand into their deck and draw 3 cards. In the TCG, it’s easy to see why a hand disruption effect that can be played before your opponent’s first turn hasn’t been printed in years.
But in TCG Pocket, things are a bit different: players start with a 5-card hand, minus 1 Basic Pokémon in their Active Spot. Suddenly, Red Card doesn’t seem so crazy. But is it actually good?
When is Red Card good?
Red Card is often played as a filler in decks that have space to spare, mainly because the Trainer pool isn’t very deep at the moment. Some players see it as a gimmick since opponents can play their hand down to 3 cards every turn (by benching Pokémon or playing Trainers), making it feel almost useless.
Regardless, it shines in multiple scenarios:
- On your turn 1, when your opponent has no benched Pokémon. The most obvious case. In specific matchups, like 18 Trainers decks with very few Basics to bench, Red Card is undeniably a good option.
- Against decks with multiple evolution stages, especially Stage 2. These decks rely on pulling off multi-step evolutions—getting the Basic Pokémon, then Stage 1, then Stage 2—all in sequence. Red Card can mess that up by shuffling away those pieces just when they need them. This makes it a good tech card against decks like Dragonite and Venusaur ex.
- In combination with Sabrina. The threat of Red Card forces players to over-bench Pokémon so they’re not at risk of losing value. This is the perfect opportunity to bring one of those “forced” Benched Pokémon to the Active Spot with Sabrina’s effect for a potential KO.
But a big part of successfully playing Red Card relies on the timing to play it.
When to use Red Card?
Alright, so Red Card made it into your deck—now what? Knowing when to actually play it during the game is where the card goes from “decent” to “game-changing.” Here’s how to play it right once it’s in your hand:
- Don’t shotgun Red Card. It’s tempting to drop Red Card as soon as your opponent has 4 cards in hand, but hold off. You’re only helping them out if they swapped out a 4+ card brick for a playable hand of 3 cards. Card advantage isn’t everything.
- Pay attention to the game state. From your opponent’s deck to what they did and didn’t do so far, you can get a general idea of what they have and don’t have in hand. Now ask yourself: will their current hand cause problems for me soon, or can I leave them with it a bit longer?
- When they struggle to find a Basic Pokémon in a deck with evolutions. If your opponent’s running an evolution-heavy deck and just played a Basic Pokémon after several turns of not playing anything, it’s likely they’ve got the evolutions in hand, ready to go. Force them to reshuffle, and you’ll likely set them back a few turns.
- Limit their resources. Some decks draw their power from having multiple trainers in hand, such as 18 Trainers deck. In these situations, reducing their hand size cuts their options, slowing down their momentum.
- After Hand Scope revealed a strong hand. Some decks with too much space to spare can run both Hand Scope and Red Card. That certainly helps to figure out whether you should mess with your opponent’s hand or leave them with middling cards for a while.
So, is Red Card worth playing?
Whether Red Card is worth it depends on your deck, the matchups you’re likely to face, and the ones you want to disrupt. In a meta filled with aggressive decks that tend to empty their hand quickly—like Pikachu ex—it might not be your best call. But in a slower, evolution-heavy environment, it becomes a feared tool for hand disruption. Just remember: it’s not an all-purpose solution. You might need some hands-on practice to figure out the best moments to use it.
