It wasn’t that long ago that the Pokemon Company International (TPCi) announced Eevee Grove for Pokemon Pocket.
With a Twitch celebration planned for its launch weekend, we’ve been graced by the expansion’s full card list. So we’ll be going over some of the more interesting cards that caught our eyes.
More Sweets Relay:
Back during the initial announcement, we were given a peek at some cards that made use of the attack, Sweets Relay.
Any Pokemon using Sweets Relay boosts the next use of it, and with enough uses, Sweets Relay could possibly boost the attack power of Alcremie’s Sweets Overload to one-shot level.
Aplletun, Vanillite, Vanillish, and Slurpuff probably won’t break the meta of Pokemon Pocket. With the main backbone of this strategy (Slurpuff and Alcremie) needing only basic energy for their damage output, however, these Sweet Relay Pokemon can allow players to express their creativity when it comes to deck building.
New ex Pokemon:
The initial announcement for Eevee Grove showed us new ex Pokemon in the form of some new eeveelutions, but they’re not the only new ex Pokemon coming in the set.
Snorlax ex
Snorlax ex comes in as the only Basic-stage ex Pokemon. Its 160 health pool makes it one of the most robust Pokemon in the game for its stage. Snorlax is only outclassed (for its Stage) by the likes of Guzzlord ex and Wishiwashi ex, who both have a health level of 170.
Snorlax ex also comes with the uncommon ability to self-heal. This extends Snorlax’s longevity in combat.
Speaking of combat capabilities, Snorlax’s attack does a respectable 130 damage, and while its downsides are in its cost and it falling asleep afterwards, it can be circumvented.
Snorlax ex’s energy cost is colorless, which allows a lot of freedom for players to run the gamut of energy acceleration available. Between Misty, Dialga ex, Manaphy, a creative deck builder can work around that 4 energy cost.
As for Snorlax’s narcolepsy, Comfey, Pokemon Center Lady, Big Malasada, and Lum Berry are available. We don’t exactly know how well Snorlax ex will do once live testing occurs, but there is potential here.
Dragonite ex and Primarina ex
Two new Stage-2 ex Pokemon grace the roster, both of which have substantial one-shot potential.
Dragonite ex’s Giga Impact is a lot faster than the normal Dragonite’s Draco Meteor, but it comes at the cost of consistency. Being unable to continuously attack with Dragonite ex might be its biggest turn-off.
Sharing the same evolutionary line as the Draco Meteor Dragonite could allow a player some flexibility during a match. If anything, Giga Impact can make for a powerful game closer. Without either Big or Leaf Cape, none of the current bigger-bodied Pokemon on the roster can survive that 180 damage.
As for Primarina ex, it’s a Water-type Pokemon, and Water-types enjoy some of the best energy acceleration in Pokemon Pocket.
Never mind the fact Primarina ex can heal itself for added longevity. With Manaphy and Misty able to help in energy acceleration, Primarina ex can start one-shotting anything as early as the second turn with a little bit of luck and some Rare Candy.
New Trainer Cards
Rounding out these new cards, Hau can offer any player using its listed Pokemon an extra +30 damage. An extra 30 damage isn’t a lot in the grand scheme of things, but usually, Pokemon need that extra boost to bridge lethal threshold numbers.
With Hau, Incineroar ex can potentially do 170 damage if all parameters are met. This is a very good counter to any of the cape or healing Trainer cards that are unable to undo all of the damage done to a Pokemon.
Decidueye ex already has the benefit of only using two energy for either of its attacks. Hau can easily allow Decidueye ex to go lethal on its second attack regardless of where the target is.
As for Leftovers, it may not give a lot of value at first glance, but a lot of matches in Pokemon Pocket are decided by quickly bridging lethal threshold numbers.
Paired with Pokemon who have natural healing capabilities like Venusaur ex and other healing Trainer cards like Lillie or Erika, and that recursive healing from Leftovers may end up being the moving goal post.
Opponents may find it a lot harder to knock out your Pokemon if you’re able to undo their work just as quickly as they’re able to dish it out.
For those interested in looking at all the cards from Eevee Grove, you can find them here.