New Water-Type Pokémon Card Sparks TCG Controversy

The initial release of Pokémon TCG Pocket saw a few dominant decks quickly emerge, with Misty's water-type strategy becoming particularly notorious. Its reliance on coin flips meant opponents could be overwhelmed early, leading to frustrating losses.

Three expansions later, rather than seeing Misty decks countered, the latest expansion, Triumphant Light, introduced a card that significantly boosts their power: Irida. This has left many players feeling disheartened. The issue isn't necessarily Misty's raw power, but the frustratingly luck-based nature of its wins. Misty, a Supporter card, lets players flip coins to attach water-type energy to a chosen Pokémon for each heads. This could result in nothing, or a massive energy advantage, leading to early game domination or overwhelming power spikes.

Previous expansions exacerbated the problem. Mythical Island added Vaporeon, enabling energy manipulation, while Space-Time Smackdown introduced Manaphy, further boosting energy. Powerful water-type Pokémon like Palkia ex and Gyarados ex further solidified the deck's dominance.

Irida, a new Supporter card in Triumphant Light, allows healing of 40 damage to each Pokémon with attached water energy. This gives water decks incredible resilience, effectively countering a weakness previously held by grass-type decks, which were the primary healing archetype. The combination of Misty, Manaphy, Vaporeon, and now Irida creates a nearly insurmountable advantage for skilled players.

Some TCG experts suggest DeNA, the developer, intended Irida to diversify deck choices by forcing players to choose between Misty and Irida due to the 20-card deck limit. However, many players have found ways to successfully incorporate both, maintaining the dominance of water decks.

An upcoming in-game event, offering rewards for win streaks, highlights the problem. Achieving the top reward requires five consecutive wins, a challenging feat made even more difficult by the prevalence of potentially overwhelming, luck-based water decks. The combination of high-powered water Pokémon and the healing capabilities of Irida makes consistent wins extremely challenging for players using other strategies. The current meta suggests that playing a water deck yourself might be the most effective strategy for this event and the foreseeable future.