The most successful decks in Pokémon TCG Pocket almost always use one or more ex cards. There’s a reason for that. These mighty Pokémon extra (did you know that’s what it stands for?) boast the biggest HP totals and the strongest attacks. But, responding to their dominance, some players have devised their own format, arranging special tournaments where ex cards aren’t allowed to play. And I think more players need to give it a try.
Admittedly, the Pokémon Pocket meta is in a pretty exciting place right now. Cool and weird decks like Darkrai/Magnezone and Just Pachirisu crop up week after week as players experiment with the new cards. But it hasn’t always been so varied. Before Space-Time Smackdown arrived, we were in quite a stale spot, as the four biggest decks were always the same – each one led by a single ex which would take a turn at top monster, before the type matchup system naturally dragged them back down.
Obviously against the random queue, running zero-ex decks is quite tricky, as even though the newest Pokémon set produced some technology to deal with ex cards, almost all but the strongest regular ‘mons will be easily outclassed. But even so, it can still be a fun self-imposed challenge when you need a bit of a break from your tier 1 meta deck. Right now the format thrives only in private matches specially arranged tournaments.
First of all, removing exs from the game leads to a lot more variety. Banning most of the best Pokémon cards from the game naturally flattens the power level, allowing for more creativity and self expression when deck building.
Some of the best ex-less decks are the likely suspects: B-tier decks from the regular queue like the Lucario fighting type deck or the stupidly tanky combination of Golem and Druddigon. But perusing recent tournaments, some strange combinations appear in the top five: decks starring Pokémon I would never have even considered like Togekiss/Florges or Skarmory/Farfetch’d.
Even aside from the novelty-factor, banning exs can improve the game in other ways. Right now, too many matches of Pokémon Pocket are a race to get your powerful ex card powered up. The first to succeed at that goal will often ultimately be the victor.
But when each Pokémon KOd is only worth one prize card, games have a tendency to go longer, knockouts are less rapid, attacks are less energy intensive, and you’ll more often get the chance to use multiple Pokémon in a single match. This gives a better chance to trade blows and really test the mettle of a deck, allowing for slower-paced, slightly more strategic games.
Finally, playing without Pokémon ex lets everyone compete on an even footing. Ex cards are generally the rarest, and prohibitively expensive to craft for a F2P player. A format without them will be open for more fans to compete – as fewer players will have to put together half-formed decks, conspicuously absent of one or two copies of the best ex cards that are missing from their collection.
For these reasons, I want to champion the No-ex format. Pokémon Pocket should make it an official part of the game and experiment with, if not an entirely separate queue, then at the very least an event!
If you love the Pokémon TCG, you’ll probably enjoy our article on the most expensive rare Pokémon cards that have ever been purchased, and our guide to the best Pokémon packs you can buy.
Source: Wargamer
