Although the overall competitive meta in Pokemon TCG Pocket continually changes, sometimes even multiple times within the lifespan of a single set, some staple cards or strategies remain key for various reasons. For example, Giratina Ex has been consistently used in meta decks since its inception, and it’s currently in one S-tier deck in Pokemon TCG Pocket using Greninja and Sylveon Ex alongside it. Likewise, drawing cards is often one of the best strategies in the game because it allows players to get all their core pieces onto the field as soon as possible. Another key part of most decks is the use of Ex cards, which offer more power and resilience at the cost of giving two points to the opponent on KO.
Most decks typically use at least one Pokemon Ex card due to how strong some of them can be, and sometimes, those cards are precisely the ones that can win a game. A great example comes from Solgaleo Ex and Shiinotic decks in Pokemon TCG Pocket, where Shiinotic is not capable of winning the game alone, but it speeds up the process of getting Solgaleo Ex fully evolved and ready to attack for 120 damage each turn. The problem with relying on Ex cards is that they are countered by Oricorio, but this shouldn’t be the case forever.
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Why Pokemon TCG Pocket’s Oricorio Counters Most Decks
Pokemon TCG Pocket‘s Oricorio counters many decks thanks to its Safeguard ability, which makes it immune to damage from all Ex cards in the game. This is an incredibly strong ability considering how common Ex cards are, even with Oricorio still alive and kicking in the meta, and it made for some considerations when it comes to deckbuilding. Now, most decks need to have a counter to Oriciorio or non-Ex, hard-hitting Pokemon to KO it, even if they are not the focus of a deck.
It’s worth noting that Safeguard doesn’t prevent secondary effects from Ex cards to work on Oricorio, like status conditions.
How Pokemon TCG Pocket Can Counter Oricorio in Future Sets
Oricorio has warped the meta significantly since its introduction, and this can be seen in most top-tier decks. For example, the new OP Charizard Ex and Sylveon Ex deck in Pokemon TCG Pocket runs one copy of Flareon from Genetic Apex just so it can hit Oricorio or one-shot Silvally. However, the game already has a clear way to counter Oricorio and make it less oppressive in future sets, and that’s by fighting fire with fire – a card that suppresses Pokemon’s abilities.
Such a card doesn’t exist yet in the game, but it would make sense considering how game-changing some abilities are, including Oricorio’s. This hypothetical card could be a Pokemon TCG Pocket Supporter, Item, or even Pokemon card, and it could either nullify the ability of the opposing active critter or maybe even all abilities for both players, including cards on the bench. There are many ways this could be implemented in the game, and it would be a very powerful card capable of changing games on the go or making some combos more playable (or less).
This is not too out there for the game, either, considering that Pokemon TCG Pocket‘s Gengar Ex and Bother Gengar both exist, negating the opponent the chance to play any Supporter cards on their turn with either an ability or an attack. Likewise, if Oricorio can negate an entire card archetype in Pokemon TCG Pocket, a different card capable of nullifying abilities seems like a logical progression. The mainline video game series does have several abilities capable of blocking other abilities, such as:
- Neutralizing Gas
- Mold Breaker
- Teravolt
- Turboblaze
The only ability in the games that truly negates all other abilities is Neutralizing Gas, so a future Weezing card would be the perfect candidate for this effect. It remains to be seen if Pokemon TCG Pocket‘s next set will add anything like it, but it would be a nice card to see, and it would put a stop to Oricorio’s dominance.