Not a lot is known about the future of Pokemon TCG Pocket at the moment, but with Eevee Grove out on June 26 and rumors of another set dropping at the end of July, the pattern of one expansion per month seems cemented. Every set, even the small mini expansions like Eevee Grove and Extradimensional Crisis, ends up being good for the meta, thanks to new and powerful cards shifting things around. The new Flareon Ex and Sylveon Ex popped right into the meta, Hau is a top-tier Supporter for Incineroar Ex, and Darktina decks are down in usage. Yet, all this may change with Pokemon TCG Pocket‘s rumored Mega Evolutions.
Pokemon TCG‘s new Mega Brave and Mega Symphonia sets, releasing in Japan on August 1, will mark the end of the Scarlet & Violet era for the game, and they will instead start the MEGA block ahead of Pokemon Legends: Z-A‘s release in October. Since Pokemon Legends: Z-A will be the only big mainline series game this year, it would make sense for Pokemon TCG Pocket to also add Mega Evolutions to the game, with one feature supporting this theory. However, doing so may create a huge problem for the meta and future sets.
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Why Pokemon TCG Pocket May Feature Mega Evolutions
Pokemon TCG Pocket‘s filters hint at Mega Evolutions because players can insert data while searching for cards, and one of the filters is HP, for which the cap is 300. As it stands, the highest HP value in the game belongs to Venusaur Ex from Genetic Apex, which has a whopping total of 190 HP. Still, 190 is a far cry from the 300 HP cap built in the filter, which seems to indicate that cards with much higher HP values are coming. Mega Evolutions would fit perfectly if added in the near future, but this may be a bad idea.
Why Mega Evolution Cards Would Be Bad For Pokemon TCG Pocket
Pokemon Legends: Z-A will feature 26 new Mega Evolutions and most past ones, if leaks are true, and with Mega Evolution being a fan-favorite mechanic, it’s bound to resonate with many fans. Pokemon TCG is wasting no time by adding Mega Evolution Ex cards to its upcoming sets, so it would be a logical progression for Pokemon TCG Pocket to do the same. However, with each expansion already powercreeping cards out of the meta, a Mega Evolution-dedicated set would set a bad precedent for power in the game, with Mega Ex Pokemon presumably hitting harder and having more HP than regular Ex cards.
While this may be balanced by making possible Mega Ex cards provide three points to the opponent when defeated, essentially ending the game on the spot, they would also create a never-before-seen level of power in the game. Attacks could deal 200 or even 250 damage with little drawback, if any, and without massive Energy costs. For example, Charizard Ex from Genetic Apex already hits for 200 damage, and it’s the only card in the game to be able to do so, but it needs to discard Fire Energy in the process.
Likewise, adding cards with HP values that range between 250 and 300 (or more), combined with new damage “requirements” for cards to be meta, would mean that Mega Evolutions would always need to be in the meta in some way. Pokemon TCG Pocket‘s future sets wouldn’t be able to suddenly stop adding overpowered cards like Mega Evolutions, as the existing ones would still most likely be the best ones in the entire game. There would be no escaping this, and it would be much more problematic for the game’s future than it would be a positive gain in the short term.