Pokémon Pocket: Meta Decks that Don't Need Coins!

In this article, we gathered the best meta decks that don't need coin tosses to win.

Coin tosses are a very common mechanic in Pokémon Pocket, and many powerful cards in this game force you to use them when you want to activate an effect or a bonus.

The problem is that this mechanic can be a bit frustrating at times. After all, letting fate decide whether you'll win or not is often not the best choice - for instance, it might just not be your day!

So, we decided to get a few meta lists that recently performed well in grassroot Pokémon Pocket tournaments and don't play any cards that force you to toss coins.

This variant, played by Kagero_17, managed to get a Top 4 at the ZeNith Cup.

It includes one copy of regular Mewtwo as an alternative tanker, or a pseudo-carry if you can't find your Mewtwo ex in time.

One of its weaknesses is that it is very vulnerable to attacks on the first few turns because there are no efficient tank Pokémon with cheap retreat costs in Pokémon Pocket yet.

Regular Mewtwo works just like Mewtwo ex, only a bit worse. They both need two energies to retreat, and, as a result, regular Mewtwo is a great alternative tank early on. You'll just need to attach one energy to it and use X Speed to retreat it.

Currently, this is one of the most popular decks for tournaments, and one of the most victorious as well. This list is extremely consistent, and might as well be the best list in the entire game.

This variant was created by RyckyMXII, which got 4th place at the German Mini Crown tournament.

Weezing is one of the most powerful cards in the entire game because it is great against Mewtwo decks. It is also one of the best tanks in the game.

This strategy centers around Poisoning the enemy Pokémon and locking them down in the active position with Arbok. It is a bit difficult to pilot because you'll need to get the timing just right when you retreat your own Pokémon from the active spot.

As these Pokémon don't deal a lot of damage all at once, you'll need to stay focused and know the right time to swap your opponent's active Pokémon with Sabrina. You'll also have to put your Arbok in the active spot at the right time.

The secret is swapping your opponent's active Pokémon when they don't have enough energies to attack. This way, next turn, your opponent will have to spend their resources to retreat their Poisoned Pokémon, and won't have enough time to answer your plays. Eventually, you'll be ahead. Even though you won't deal a lot of damage, you'll be able to knock out more Pokémon than your opponent.

If you're struggling to beat Misty, this deck might be perfect for you. This list was built by xTato, who got 7th place at the German Mini Crown tournament.

It has become more popular recently because it is great if you want to beat Misty decks. The main strategy includes Alakazam and Jynx, which deal more damage according to how many energies the enemy Pokémon has.

It is a very simple strategy that punishes players whenever they get lucky and manage to attach multiple Water energies to their Pokémon with Misty.

This deck could also be stronger if Misty were stronger as well. In reality, she often attaches 2, 1, or no energies to enemy Pokémon, which is not nearly enough. This makes Misty's strategy not that popular in tournaments, but, nonetheless, it is still one of the most popular strategies in ranked matches. Alakazam's deck, in turn, is a great option to play this type of format - instead of tournaments.

Against other decks, this list is usually not that powerful because, aside from Mewtwo ex, most popular Pokémon only need 2 or 1 energies to attack - like Pikachu ex and Primeape.

This simple Machamp ex list caught everyone by surprise at the Pocket Legends League. Lowbattz, the player who brought it to this tournament, got 4th place with it.

From the very first few days of the game, Machamp ex was considered one of the weakest Pokémon ex around, but Lowbattz showed us this isn't true.

The problem with these decks is that its Pokémon are weak against Psychic Pokémon, commonly found in Mewtwo ex lists, which, in turn, are very popular. However, against the rest of the meta, this list seems to perform well.

With Promo Mankey, Primeape is one of the best openings in the game, and can potentially deal a lot of damage early on. And Machamp ex is a simple and efficient Pokémon: it has a lot of HP and deals a lot of damage. Its energy cost is fair as well.

This combination creates a strong deck early on and at the end of the game, and with Pokémon that survive many attacks.

However, as we discussed, its only flaw is that it loses to the most popular, most powerful deck in the game.

Blaine lists currently complete the trio of the most powerful competitive decks in Pokémon Pocket. Mewtwo ex, Pikachu ex, and Blaine are the most popular decks around, and get the best results too.

However, Blaine's deck uses Vulpix, which forces you to toss a coin. As its effect is not the main focus of the deck, like Exeggutor ex's effect is in Misty lists and Zapdos' is in Pikachu ex decks, we decided to include it as an honorable mention.

Another reason why we decided to include it is because it is a "simple" list that doesn't rely too much on RNG. Unfortunately, it does a bit, but it still deserves an honorable mention.

This deck, in particular, was built by Wesley454, who got 5th place at the ZeNith Cup.

If you read this far, thank you! I hope you had fun and enjoyed reading this article.

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