The brand new Pokémon Pocket release, Shining Revelry, brings exciting shiny rares, a disturbing new immersive treatment, and of course a whole host of new cards to shake up the meta. Can anything here disrupt the supremacy of the Arceus-Dialga duo? If it can, you’ll likely find it here, as our list picks out the very best Shining Revelry cards in the set.
From brand new ex Pokémon to handy supporters, you’ll find. Anyone interested in the physical trading card game can check out our list of the best Pokémon cards.
Lucario ex
While the energy cost holds it back a bit, Lucario ex has a great attack that deals solid damage and can hit the bench for an additional 30. This lets you pick off weakened or low-HP Pokémon, or set up for a killer Cyrus turn to close out the game.
Lucario ex is likely to make a great finisher, and since it evolves from any Riolu, it can go in a deck with regular Lucario to give you more evolutionary options.
Pokémon Center Lady
Extra healing can’t be a bad thing and the 30 HP from Pokémon Center Lady (surely she has a name?) keeps things alive, but more importantly gives you more of a chance at regaining to full.
The potential to help you avoid Cyrus is why this card might see some play despite only healing a little more than a Potion and simultaneously using up your supporter for the turn. That said, with the 20-card deck limit and so many great supporters, it’s getting harder and harder to find room for cards like this.
Charizard ex
The new version of Charizard ex is good but it’s probably not the top card in the set. The big advantage of this Charizard is it can make its own energy. This avoids the need for Moltres ex and massively expands the number of decks you can play Charizard within – it no longer needs to be pure fire type.
However, because it’s a stage 2, there’s some awkwardness here. You need time to evolve to Charizard and then use its attack to gain energy. In the process you’re bound to take at least one solid hit, leaving you at risk of being taken out as soon as you use Steam Artillery.
Since this Pokémon is such a crowdpleaser, there are bound to be lots of fans trying it out. So it could be a good time to play a water deck to take advantage.
Beedrill ex
While it doesn’t do a ton of damage, Beedrill’s attack is guaranteed to remove energy from your opponent’s active Pokémon, which has the potential to be extremely frustrating in the right circumstances. It also has a hefty 170 HP, helping it to tank the first hit from even the strongest of attacks.
You could play this card with Team Rocket’s Grunt too for the ultimate frustrating energy denial deck. The new Kakuna is neat too, with an attack that can paralyze the opponent’s Active Pokémon, stopping them from making an attack, and forcing them to face Beedrill’s giant stinger on the following turn.
Iono
I have a feeling this Supporter card is going to be somewhat underrated. Yes, it’ll sometimes help out your opponent just as much as you, but the fact is you can pick your moment, using it after unloading your hand to get the most value from it.
Not every deck is going to want Ionoa, but those that do will really want her. She’s especially good if your deck is dependent on Stage 2s, helping you to avoid those non-games where you can’t make it to your final evolution.
Red
A 20 damage bonus is great, cancelling out the effects of a Giant Cape which so often leave Pokémon alive with a sliver of health. While it only works against Pokémon ex, these are found in almost every single deck, to the point where Red is likely to be better than Giovanni in a lot of circumstances.
Clodsire ex
Oh yes, poison decks are so back. Clodsire has a simple and aggressive playstyle. Paldean Wooper poisons your opponent’s active Pokémon, then Clodsire deals 120 damage to them. That’s a massive amount for only two energy, and the hurt will only be compounded by the incremental poison damage.
Take a look at this card’s best friend Grafaiai while you’re at it. At first this just looks like a worse Weezing, but it can be used from the bench, giving you a second source of poison – even if it’s not super reliable.
The big problem for Clodsire ex, however, is that the most popular Pokémon in the meta right now, Arceus ex, is immune to all status effects. That by itself could be enough to kick poor Clodsire down a tier or two.
Giratina ex
A Legendary Pokémon that can pull energy onto itself, and with an ability at that, is almost bound to be good. There’s a big downside to Giratina Ex’s Broken Space Bellow, however: it ends the turn, preventing you from making an attack.
For some, that’s going to disqualify it from contention, but we’ve seen stall decks in the past that don’t mind sitting back behind a Druddigon and letting your opponent’s Pokémon tire themselves out while they build up. This is likely the newest inclusion to that archetype, and a very strong one at that.
For more Pokémon news check out our guides to the newest Pokémon set and the most expensive rare Pokémon cards.
Source: Wargamer
