Upon the launch of Pokémon TCG Pocket, a select few decks quickly dominated the meta. Among them, Misty's water-type deck became notorious for its ability to overwhelm opponents early on, largely dependent on the outcome of coin flips.
Three expansions later, one might expect counters or replacements for Misty decks to emerge. Instead, the latest expansion, Triumphant Light, introduced a card that significantly boosts Misty decks' power, leaving many players frustrated. The issue isn't necessarily Misty decks' raw power, but the intensely frustrating experience of losing due to sheer luck. Misty, a Supporter card, allows the player to choose a Water-type Pokémon and flip coins until tails appears. For each heads, a Water-type energy is attached. This can result in anything from zero energy (wasting a card and a turn) to an overwhelming amount, potentially leading to turn-one victories or rapid, insurmountable advantages.
Subsequent expansions exacerbated the problem. Mythical Island's Vaporeon allows for easy energy transfer between Water-type Pokémon, while Space-Time Smackdown's Manaphy adds even more energy. Powerful Water-type Pokémon like Palkia ex and Gyarados ex further solidified Water decks' dominance.
Triumphant Light adds another layer to the frustration: Irida. This Supporter card heals 40 damage from each Pokémon with a Water-type energy attached, giving Water decks strong comeback potential. While Grass-type decks previously held the healing advantage, Irida allows Water decks to recover significantly, especially given the energy surplus generated by Misty, Manaphy, and Vaporeon.
Some TCG experts suggest a strategic rationale behind Irida. With deck size limited to 20 cards, including Irida necessitates removing another card. The abundance of strong Water-type cards forces players to choose between Misty and Irida. Developer DeNA may have intended Irida to diversify deck choices, but skilled players readily incorporate both cards.
An upcoming in-game event further highlights the problem. The event rewards players for winning consecutive matches, a challenging feat made even harder by the potential for swift defeats at the hands of well-timed Misty decks, especially those utilizing Irida for recovery. The prevalence of Water decks during this event is almost guaranteed. In fact, at this point, using a Water deck yourself might be the most effective strategy.
