The online community has quickly unearthed the cards in the upcoming Wisdom of Sea and Sky expansion for Pokemon Pocket.
As a general preface, the cards for this set have yet to be officially revealed by TPCi (The Pokémon Company International). The information to be discussed was extrapolated by members of the community.
And while the community has been known for being accurate with reveals from time to time, it’s always prudent to take unofficial information with a good amount of skepticism.
Shuckle ex
As a Grass-type Pokemon, Shuckle has automatic access to Trainer card support from the likes of Leaf Cape and Erika.
This makes Shuckle ex a surprisingly good vanguard unit if it’s not your main win condition. What helps solidify Shuckle ex in this role is both its attack activation and retreat cost. While Triple Slap does have the potential to thoroughly whiff, a potential 20-40 damage on average isn’t bad for a single energy.
When things get too hairy, a player can easily shield their points by quickly retreating Shuckle ex to the bench.
Kingdra ex
Kingdra ex is a very plain ex Pokemon. But that’s not entirely a bad thing. Sporting a two energy cost activation makes Kingdra ex one of the faster ex Pokemon when it comes to attacking.
Its 170 health means it won’t go down to the first ex attack heading its way, and being a Stage-2 Pokemon means that Lillie can help keep its health in good condition
Kingdra ex may suffer depending on the match-up. But even some of the faster staples like Giratina ex or Charizard ex from Shining Revelry might be in danger from how fast Seadra ex can go on the offensive.
Lanturn ex
Without intervention from other tools in the game, like other Pokemon or Trainer cards, Lanturn ex seems to have been given the short straw in terms of the overall design package.
At 150 health, Lanturn ex is definitely in danger of being knocked out by most meta staples in a single hit, and there’s always the threat of the Lighting-type Oricorio.
Lanturn ex’s ability to cause either guaranteed Paralysis or Confusion, depending on the coin flip, is interesting and rather uncommon. Most of the time, attacks that cause a status condition usually come with a pretty good chance for outright failure.
That said, Lanturn ex’s utility is held back by its need for 3 energy in order to attack. Not to mention, its slightly lower than average damage output for its energy commitment might seem unappealing. That said, there is still hope for Lanturn ex in the form of Pichu.
The Baby-Stage Pokemon, Pichu, has been officially confirmed to be in the same set. Without any need for any energy investment, Pichu can start accelerating Lanturn ex’s activation. Pichu’s presence can turn Lanturn ex’s three-turn energy investment into a two-turn one.
Despite Lanturn ex’s fragile nature, the ability to either guarantee a temporary lock on the opponent’s offensive or at least give the opposing Pokemon a chance for failure might entice players who like coin flip effects to run this ex Pokemon.
Donphan ex
It seems like Fighting-type Pokemon have it rough, no matter if it's the physical or digital version of the Pokemon card game.
As a Stage-1 ex Pokemon, Donphan ex has enough health to withstand at least one strike from the stronger rivals in the game. It even comes with a single energy attack that becomes significantly stronger if the controlling player can get two more Fighting-type energy on Donphan ex.
The issue plaguing Donphan ex as a win condition is centered around its damage output.
For an ex Pokemon, even if the activation cost is limited to a single energy, Donphan ex’s base damage output is below average. By the time the third energy is given, there’s a pretty good chance this Pokemon is already well within lethal thresholds.
Thankfully, Fighting-type Pokemon can take advantage of Space-Time Smackdown’s Lucario and its ‘Fighting Coach’ ability.
Seventy damage off a single energy investment is a lot more respectable. Coupled with other damage boosters like Red or Giovanni and Donphan ex becomes a force to be reckoned with.
Crobat ex
Mr president, a second Crobat has hit the roster. This Crobat continues the trend of single energy activation.
Its simple design makes bridging lethal thresholds the only thing holding Crobat ex from being a true menace to its rivals, but that issue can easily be handled by anything that can even remotely boost Crobat ex’s attack power.
Aside from the usual suspects of Trainer cards, the combination of another Crobat (from Triumphant Light) and an Arceus (ex) can easily make Crobat ex into a dominating force.
Suffice it to say that this strategy would require copies of Rare Candy to smooth out the engine, but it wouldn’t be the first time a Stage-2 deck would need to revolve around the use of such a strategy.
Skarmory ex
This is a pretty different take on the usual Skarmory from Space-Time Smackdown. While Skarmory ex is slower to activate than its non-ex counterpart, it has a higher damage base without needing a tool and a higher base health for early game trading.
This version of the Metal-type Pokemon feels more like a side-grade. It has its own good points in comparison to its predecessor, but it also comes with the usual ex punishment of being worth two prize points.
The defensive function of Steel Wing is a nice addition to its staying power, but this may be easily circumvented with all the Steam Artillery Charizard exs, all the Flareons, and even indirect damage like Greninja or Darkrai ex running around the meta scene.
There is a place for Skarmory ex in Pokemon Pocket. Adaman exists, making Skarmory ex able to easily tank an extra 40 damage from direct damage. Seventy damage is a respectable amount of damage for just a cost two attack.
Skarmory ex feels like it would need proper piloting and the right deck list to make it work. But that’s always been part of the fun of card games like Pocket, being able to make a win condition obtainable despite the odds.