Summary
Shining Revelry is already the fifth set forPokemon TCG Pocketin almost six months, which can be quite problematic to keep up with for free-to-play gamers, and April 30 will allegedly add yet another expansion to the collection.Pokemon TCG Pocket’s Genetic Apex boosterswere a great way to start for the mobile game due to the nostalgia and widespread love for Kantonian critters and characters, including the three booster pack mascots Pikachu, Charizard, and Mewtwo. Genetic Apex did a lot of things right, such as the way it treated its Gen 1 roster, but it also arguably made one massive blunder that is still plaguing the game.
There are a lot of great cards that came out of Genetic Apex and still see use in competitive decks after all this time, with the likes of Mewtwo Ex and Sabrina being featured in multiple decks. This can be said about several cards, and while Genetic Apex is not the only set to get this treatment, it is one of the most remarkable due to its status asPokemon TCG Pocket’s first and biggest so far. Shining Revelry also made a name for itself with its shiny cards, yet it added one card that continues a controversial and problematic trend from Genetic Apex - flipping coins.
Pokemon TCG Pocket’s Misty and Team Grunt Rocket Are To Sides of the Same Coin
Shining Revelry increasedPokemon TCG Pocket’s revenueby a huge margin, according to reports, and that’s probably due to the popularity of shiny Pokemon and their first appearance in the mobile game. Yet, this expansion also added an infamous card by the name of Team Rocket Grunt, which allows players to flip coins until they get tails and remove one Energy from the opponent’s active Pokemon for each heads. This is technically the opposite of Misty from Genetic Apex, and while it’s far less problematic than Misty ever could be, it’s still not a good sign.
Misty was and still is one of themost broken cards inPokemon TCG Pocket. Theoretically, it can allow for turn-one KOs depending on the user’s setup and the opponent’s critters in play, which is often seen with Articuno Ex decks. Flipping coins until one gets tails is arguably a weak mechanic in terms of engagement, as players can win or lose solely based on this rather than strategy. It’s one of the main issues with Misty, and the fact that Team Rocket Grunt now exists means that it’s not impossible that future sets will keep on building on this mechanic.
Why Pokemon TCG Pocket’s Misty and Team Grunt Rocket Are Problematic
One could argue thatPokemon TCG Pocket’s Mistyis one of the reasons why decks like Articuno Ex exist and are successful in the first place, and that’s a problem because it means that any Water decks in the future will still want to use Misty. Team Rocket Grunt can easily disrupt some winning strategies or obtain Energy advantage to win, but likewise, it is also purely based on coin flips - it can go either way. It’s unclear if this type of card will be added to future expansions again, but they shouldn’t.
Misty and Team Rocket Gruntare far more problematic than coin-flipping cards like Gholdengo and Celebi Ex inPokemon TCG Pocketfor a simple reason: they require no buildup. They can be used as that turn’s Supporter card and immediately have their effects resolved any number of times, and in both cases, luck can determine who wins a given game. As such, it’s disappointing to see a card like Misty pop up in Shining Revelry, even if it’s less powerful than the original, but there is a chance this is not going to be a once-in-a-blue-moon occurrence.
