Pokémon TCG Pocket's initial meta was quickly dominated by a few powerful decks, notably those centered around Misty and water-type Pokémon. The inherent randomness of Misty's coin-flip mechanic made these decks frustrating to play against, leading to significant player dissatisfaction. Even with three subsequent expansions, instead of countering Misty decks, the game has inadvertently strengthened them.
The core issue lies in Misty's unpredictable nature. As a Supporter card, Misty allows players to flip coins, attaching a Water-type energy to a chosen Pokémon for each heads. This could result in nothing, or a massive energy boost, potentially leading to first-turn victories or overwhelmingly powerful early-game plays. This inherent luck-based element makes losses to Misty decks feel particularly unfair.
Several expansions have exacerbated the problem. Mythical Island introduced Vaporeon, enabling energy manipulation between water-type Pokémon, while Space-Time Smackdown added Manaphy, further boosting energy generation. Both expansions also introduced powerful water-type Pokémon like Palkia ex and Gyarados ex, solidifying water decks' dominance.
Triumphant Light's addition of Irida, another Supporter card, only intensifies the issue. Irida heals 40 damage from each Pokémon with attached Water-type energy, giving water decks significant recovery capabilities. While grass decks previously held the healing advantage, Irida allows water decks to easily overcome setbacks, especially when combined with Misty's energy-generating potential.
Some TCG experts suggest Irida was intended to diversify the meta by forcing players to choose between Misty and Irida due to deck size limitations (20 cards). The theory is that by offering a powerful alternative, DeNA hoped to reduce Misty's prevalence. However, many players have found ways to successfully incorporate both cards, rendering this strategy ineffective.
The upcoming in-game event, offering rewards for winning streaks in competitive play, further highlights the problem. The difficulty of achieving a five-match win streak is amplified by the potential for swift defeats at the hands of well-played Misty decks, making water decks a dominant force in the upcoming event. Consequently, players are increasingly considering using water decks themselves to improve their chances of success.
