The latest expansion for Pokemon Pocket, Secluded Springs, was just released last week. Now that some time has passed and players have acclimated to these new additions to the card roster, we’ll be looking at the best cards from this set.
Notably, while there are some clear trends are strong showings so far, this list is by no means exhaustive, nor is it in any particular order.
The Legendary Beasts (Raikou ex, Entei ex, and Suicune ex)
We’re starting off with the crowning feature of this set, the Legendary Beasts, and for this list in particular, we’re putting all three of them in a single entry due to their very similar design package.
While not the most enduring Pokemon to put into the Active Zone, each Legendary Beast has their own flavor of an offensive package that can support or be supported by almost any deck build that shares the same focus on Energy or Pokemon type.
More importantly, with each Legendary Beast offering up a small but recurring draw engine in the form of their ‘Legendary Pulse’ ability, players no longer need to fully rely on the full Sylveon ex package to keep up with the insane draw power other decks running this Eeveelution have. This, in turn, frees up potential deck space for any sly tech choices against more difficult match-ups.
Mantyke
Mantyke’s inclusion on this list feels more like an obligation because of its overall design purpose. Joining the likes of Pichu and Magby, Mantyke is the energy accelerator Water-type decks have been asking for since a lot of their heavier-hitting Pokemon, like any of the Gyarados variants, tend to run attacks in the 3-4 energy range.
Optimistically, Mantyke’s creativity doesn’t end there, as this Baby Pokemon can enable any Pokemon that needs the odd Water-type energy without needing to rely on the random nature of the Energy Zone (e.g. any of the Dragonite variants).
Overall, Mantyke and its siblings will always have a spot in lists like these just because they can develop a space for players to express their deck-buildingWater deck creativity.
Milotic
Milotic manages to take a slot in this list because it pulls double-duty for any Water deck. While not the best counter to the Lightning-type Oricorio happily stonewalling any ex Pokemon, Milotic does function as a way to take out the small, yellow bird.
Additionally, if paired with other healing tools like Irida or Lillie, then a player can basically undo any damage down to their vanguard unit.
Milotic won’t be changing the competitive scene on its own, but the option of switching momentum and turning a game from a high-octane showdown into an attrition match may just favor certain Pokemon down the line, though this will be limited to Water-type decks for the time being.
Poliwrath ex
Poliwrath ex feels like a dark horse pick due to the setup required to make this ex Pokemon viable versus its rivals. That said, the one-shot potential for this Pokemon is the kind of firepower players like to wield.
With a skilled pilot, Poliwrath ex is already becoming a viable threat against most staple decks. Thanks to Mantyke, Poliwrath ex’s consistency issue of needing two different energy types is answered, elevating its damage potential.
Notably, if Fighting-type Pokemon recieve further support, just like Water-type decks, then Poliwrath ex may become one of the best Fighting-types in the future.
Miltank
Miltank is one of the funnier Pokemon cards from Secluded Springs. This Pokemon lacks the health pool to make it stand toe-to-toe against most common rivals for long, but there is potential for some player shenanigans.
While going second is definitely in Miltank’s favor to get its ‘Rolling Frenzy’ up to scale as soon as possible, going first is surprisingly more cerebral.
Miltank’s package lacks long-term survivability but offers a powerful late-game one-shot win condition. It becomes an exercise in creative puzzle solving as a player deck builds around both Miltank's faults and its strengths. With Miltank being a Colorless and Basic-Stage Pokemon, there’s a surprising amount of options available to players.