The metagame is shaping up nicely in this 5th week of Pokémon TCG Pocket, with a more diversified field and even more creative brews making it big. Welcome to the 5th edition of the tournament analysis report!
Pocket Legends League #9
A solid 542 players joined the ninth edition of the longest-standing tournament series in Pokémon TCG Pocket, all competing for a $50 prize pool.
Mewtwo ex was the deck to beat, with more than one in three players choosing it. Pikachu ex’s shares took a dip, while Charizard ex climbed in popularity. About two-thirds of Charizard players opted for the Charizard ex + Arcanine ex variant, also known as “Arcazard,” a deck revealed three weeks ago by Tauros. Its strong recent performances convinced many competitive players to give it a shot…
Deck | Number in top 32 | Number in top 8 |
|---|---|---|
Mewtwo ex | 14 | 2 |
Charizard ex | 11 | 3 |
Pikachu ex | 3 | 1 |
Starmie ex | 1 | 1 |
Wigglytuff ex | 1 | 1 |
Articuno ex | 1 | 0 |
Arcanine ex | 1 | 0 |
And it paid off: both finalists, kytheon and Hayato, piloted the Arcazard deck. They even ran identical lists—Hayato’s list from last week, where he finished in the top 8 at the largest TCG Pocket event to date. This time, kytheon secured the win and took the trophy home.
Charizard ex Arcanine ex - kytheon & Hayato
Another standout in the tournament was the Wigglytuff ex deck. Boosted by the new Promo Jigglypuff card from the Venusaur drop event, Schrappschrapp demonstrated the deck’s viability by making it to the top 8. Their version ran Weezing and a one-of Meowth to improve consistency.
Wigglytuff ex Weezing - Schrappschrapp
Ursiiday's Pocket Weekly #5
For the first time, Ursiiday’s Pocket Weekly didn’t break a record for attendance—not due to lack of interest, but because of the shortage in judges. If you’re interested in supporting the community and helping large events like this run smoothly, consider reaching out to Ursiiday! The more manageable capped attendance of 1024 players still led to a competitive 9 swiss rounds and a top 32 cut, and for the unmatched prizepool of $400 thanks to XPCollect‘s sponsorship.
Charizard ex matched Pikachu ex in representation this week, confirming its growing place in the meta. Wigglytuff ex also made a big showing, with 37 players bringing the deck. However, it wasn’t enough to unseat the dominant Mewtwo ex.
Deck | Number in top 32 | Number in top 8 |
|---|---|---|
Mewtwo ex | 13 | 5 |
Charizard ex | 7 | 1 |
Pikachu ex | 5 | 1 |
Starmie ex | 5 | 0 |
Articuno ex | 1 | 1 |
Greninja | 1 | 0 |
Mewtwo ex continued to rule the top 8, but Manu04 clinched the victory with the same Arcazard list that kytheon and Hayato piloted in the Pocket Legends League.
Charizard ex Arcanine ex - kytheon & Hayato
The most surprising trend of the tournament was the resurgence of Water decks. Most ran Starmie ex paired with Articuno ex, taking advantage of the rising popularity of Fire decks and the declining presence of Pikachu ex. The best-performing W deck, an Articuno ex + Greninja variant, made it to the top 4 after an undefeated run in the swiss rounds by his pilot Obamna.
Pikaverse Pocket Cup #4
The fourth installment of the Pikaverse Pocket Cup drew 871 players on Sunday, competing for a $100 prize pool—a new attendance record for the series.
Is there a Pikachu bias in Pikaverse’s tournaments? While the deck recorded its worst performances so far in the two previous tournament series this week, Pikachu ex stood its ground here, emerging as the most-represented deck in the top 32. Mewtwo ex and Charizard ex followed closely behind, with a Wigglytuff (Weezing variant) also sneaking into the top cut.
Deck | Number in top 32 | Number in top 8 |
|---|---|---|
Pikachu ex | 10 | 2 |
Charizard ex | 9 | 2 |
Mewtwo ex | 9 | 2 |
Starmie ex | 2 | 2 |
Articuno ex | 1 | 0 |
Wigglytuff ex | 1 | 0 |
The event was won by KingBen, piloting a Pikachu ex deck with some interesting tech choices.
Pikachu ex Electrode - KingBen
Their build included Electrode and, more surprisingly, Electabuzz (without Lt. Surge). Electrode shines in matchups like Starmie ex and Zapdos ex, with Voltorb dealing 40 damage on turn 1 and Electrode hitting for 90 on turn 2. Electabuzz, meanwhile, provides guaranteed 40 damage with only a one-energy retreat, possibly edging out the more common one-of Pincurchin in this build.
Where is the Genetic Apex metagame at?
As we approach the late stage of this metagame, a third top-tier archetype has awaken: Charizard ex paired with Arcanine ex has shown results comparable to Mewtwo ex and Pikachu ex. This rise, combined with Pikachu ex’s slight decline, has created space for Water decks to thrive.
Mewtwo ex remains the deck to beat for its stability and accessibility. Some players are experimenting with tech cards like Jynx to handle the Dragon threat, but the tried-and-true version with baby Mewtwo is still the most common.
The new Jigglypuff has made Wigglytuff ex more competitive, and it’s already showing up in top tournaments. However, the deck is still limited because it seems to only work when paired with other Evolved Pokémon. Top-tier decks tend to include at least one very strong Basic Pokémon ex, which Wigglytuff ex decks currently lacks. Will the next set provide the support Wigglytuff ex needs? It would then have to be in the form of a support towards C Pokémon.
