Summary
Pokemon TCG Pocketfans were pleasantly surprised by the announcement of the Rare Candy item card in the game’s upcoming expansion. Since its launch, DeNA and The Pokemon Company’s digital trading card game has struggled with aspects of PvP combat, particularly deck setups and evolution speed balance. However, this new item card fromPokemon TCG Pocket’s A3 set looks poised to address those issues, sparking excitement about the metagame’s future.
TCG Pocket’sItem cardshave long been a core part of deckbuilding, with the potential to reshape PvP, as seen with the release of Pokemon Communication. That card quickly became a staple in competitive decks by offering a much-needed deck-search alternative. However, players have also noticed a trend of caution with item card releases, as DeNA and The Pokemon Company have kept their availability limited. With the developers being especially careful in this category, fans were doubtful that the next major expansion would introduce anything meta-shifting. However, the announcement of the A3 expansion proved otherwise.
Players were surprised to learn thatPokemon TCG Pocket’s Celestial Guardians setwill introduce Rare Candy. This item card allows players to skip Stage One evolution and go straight from a Basic Pokemon to a Stage Two, which is significant given the game’s long-standing criticism over clunky evolution lines. Now, with Rare Candy on the way, fans believe Stage Two Pokemon might finally get their chance to shine and potentially shake up the currently one-sided metagame.
Rare Candy Is Expected to Shake the Metagame
Before the Celestial Guardians announcement, many fans on Reddit had already been hoping for a card like Rare Candy. It was indeed one of the most requestedunreleased item cards inTCG Pocket, largely due to its popularity in the physicalPokemon Trading Card Game. Veteran players have pointed out that an evolution accelerator like Rare Candy could make several budget decks, such as the classic Charizard ex setup, viable again, which is especially promising news for free-to-play players.
Right now,Pocket’s metagame feels imbalanced, with nearly 20% of PvP matches dominated by a single deck: Giratina ex and Darkrai ex. At the very least, Rare Candy could introduce some much-needed variety to competitive play. However, some fans have noted that the item card will debut alongside Lunala ex, which is expected to strengthenTCG Pocket’s Giratina ex deckseven further. Lunala ex’s ability to move Psychic Energy from the Bench to the Active Spot could enable new variants of the current meta. Still, it’s too early for firm predictions. Players will have to wait until the end of April to see how the Celestial Guardians expansion truly shakes things up.
