As many fans may have predicted after the launch of the Wisdom of Sea and Sky set, Pokemon TCG Pocket is about to release a new expansion based on the Legendary Beasts, titled Secluded Springs. This is a logical next step for Pokemon TCG Pocket, considering the focus on Gen 2 and the Johto region, with Secluded Springs being all about Suicune, Raikou, and Entei, which many fans wanted better cards for after Wisdom of Sea and Sky’s regular rares. Secluded Springs does add one Ex variant dedicated to each Legendary Beast, but it doesn’t do one old Pokemon game justice with them.
Most older games in the series are doubly beloved by fans because they not only added a plethora of new Pokemon, but they may also have started the whole journey for some players, giving those games an extra layer of nostalgia. This is particularly true for Gen 1, with Kanto Pokemon getting a lot of love in modern games with new regional forms, evolutions, and other variants. Gen 2 is not far behind in terms of nostalgic value for many players, so it may come as a surprise that Pokemon TCG Pocket‘s A4a set is “disrespecting” Pokemon Crystal more than it honors its memory.
Pokemon TCG Pocket’s Legendary Beasts Are a Mixed Bag
Pokemon TCG Pocket‘s next set is coming out in less than a week, on August 28, and its big draw is that it adds Ex cards for Suicune, Raikou, and Entei. However, as the mascot of Pokemon Crystal, Suicune Ex should have arguably gotten much more love than it did, and the same holds true for the other two Beasts. All three Ex variants of the Legendary Beasts share the same ability in the form of Legendary Pulse, which allows players to draw a card at the end of their turn if one of these critters is in the active spot.
However, they all have different attacks with the same Energy cost in Pokemon TCG Pocket. Raikou Ex has Voltaic Bullet, which deals 60 damage and also 10 damage to one benched Pokemon for two Lightning Energy. Entei Ex deals 60 damage with its Blazing Beatdown attack, which can deal up to 120 damage if the Pokemon has two extra Fire Energy, meaning four total. Finally, Suicune Ex has the Crystal Walz attack for two Water Energy, and it deals 20 damage for each benched Pokemon. None of these is game-changing, unfortunately, and with a retreat cost of 2 shared among these cards, they may be tough to play in competitive decks.
It’s worth noting that Suicune Ex’s attack counts both the user’s and the opponent’s benched Pokemon.
Pokemon TCG Pocket Suicune Ex Comes With a Big Asterisk Attached
This attack can deal up to 120 damage for just two Energy, which is pretty good, but the condition is that both the user and the opponent have to have their bench full. This is fairly uncommon, as competitive matches call for some moderation in filling the bench, as it may backfire based on the opponent’s strategy or cards in their deck, like Pokemon TCG Pocket‘s Cyrus, Sabrina, Greninja, etc. Likewise, playing multiple Pokemon cards in a deck thins the odds of getting Suicune Ex and all the other basic cards at once, meaning one may never really reach the ideal point where Crystal Walz deals the maximum amount of damage.
Furthermore, the opponent can also realize what’s going on when Pokemon TCG Pocket‘s Suicune Ex is played, and decide to avoid placing Pokemon cards on the bench to make Suicune’s attack deal less damage than it otherwise would. There are even instances where Suicune Ex’s damage may deal 0 damage, or just 20 or 40, which, for two Energy, is quite far from ideal. With just 140 HP, Suicune Ex is fairly squishy for a Pokemon Ex, and it may be hard to justify reserving two spots in a deck for it.
Raikou Ex may be the most playable of the bunch thanks to the faster playstyle of Lightning decks, and if that ends up being the case, it could defeat Suicune Ex in two hits while also damaging the bench. Cards like Zeraora and Tapu Koko Ex could also disrupt Suicune Ex, as well as the “new” Pikachu Ex decks in Pokemon TCG Pocket. This spells bad news for Suicune Ex, unfortunately, given its weakness to Lightning.
Why It’s Not All Doom and Gloom For Pokemon TCGP’s Suicune Ex
Still, there are some saving graces to Suicune Ex under the right conditions. Some decks like to play as many Pokemon as possible to build their board wide, with a rather relevant example being the current meta Sylveon Ex and Espeon Ex deck in Pokemon TCG Pocket, which benefits from having as many Eevee and Eeveelutions on the bench as possible due to attacking with Espeon Ex and drawing with Sylveon Ex. Against this type of deck, Suicune Ex and, to an extent, Raikou Ex too, can do some real damage – though the opponent can adjust their strategy accordingly.
Interestingly, the Secluded Springs set adds a Mantyke card to the mix, which is another Pokemon TCG Pocket baby Pokemon like those introduced with Wisdom of Sea and Sky, and it ramps Water Energy for Pokemon on the bench. This can make Suicune Ex ready to attack faster, or it can help with a backup plan should Suicune Ex not be good enough in a specific match. Ultimately, it remains to be seen whether the Legendary Beasts will see play in meta decks, but their attacks are not amazing, and Suicune Ex may be disappointing in some games.
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