The first card set in Pokémon TCG Pocket, Genetic Apex was released in 2024. Since then, there have been over 15 card sets and well over 2000 cards added to the game. With all these cards that have been released it’s inevitable that some old cards are lost in the shuffle. We think that’s a waste though, so here are some cards you should consider using for your decks!
Moltres EX:
This is a Fire Type Pokémon and one of the Legendary Bird Pokémon in the original game. This is also one of 2 Legendary Bird Pokémon we’ll talk about in this article. Moltres EX comes with 2 attacks but its first one is more of a setup move. For 1 Fire Energy you get to flip 3 coins. For each coin that lands on heads you can take a Fire Energy and attach it to your Benched Pokémon in any way you like. This can be a huge bonus for setting up your Pokémon with high Energy requirement for attacks. But Moltres EX has an attack of its own. For 3 Energy it can deal 70 damage to its opponent. It might not have high attack power on its own but its setup power can be extremely useful. We would combo this Pokémon with high Energy cost like Emboar (Pulsing Aura) and Incineroar EX (Celestial Guardians).
Articuno EX:
This is a Water Type Pokémon and the second Legendary Bird Pokémon we’ll look at today. And similarly to Moltres EX, this Pokémon also has 2 attacks to choose from. But the difference here is that both Articuno EX’s attacks are purely offensive. For 2 Energy you can deal 40 damage to the opposing Active Pokémon. But for 3 Energy you can deal more damage to all your opponent’s Pokémon! It deals 80 damage to your opponent’s Active Pokémon and 10 damage to their Benched Pokémon. Attacks like these can be extremely useful for taking control of a game. For example, you can use the second attack to damage a Benched Pokémon, then use Cyrus to drag it to the Active spot. Also Supporter cards like Misty can get Energy to this Legendary Pokémon very quickly. This can be a great Pokémon for control and for dealing damage to all opposing Pokémon.
Gardevoir:
This is a Stage 2 Psychic Type Pokémon and the first of 2 regular Pokémon we’ll talk about in this article. Gardevior has evolved many times throughout the game, receiving an EX and Mega EX form. But sometimes the original version can also be useful. It can do 60 damage for 3 Energy but that’s not where it shines best. Like Moltres EX, this Pokémon can be very useful for Energy generation. Gardevior’s ability lets you take a Psychic Energy and attach it to your Active Pokémon once per turn. This can be useful in a couple of different ways. First you can use it to generate Energy for Pokémon that use lots of Energy to attack. Examples of these Pokémon are Giratina EX (Shining Revelry) and Mega Gengar EX (Mega Shine). You can also use this to generate Energy for new EX Pokémon like Terapegos EX (Paradox Drive).
Dragonite:
The final Pokémon we’ll look at today is a Stage 2 Dragon Type Pokémon. This is the second regular Pokémon we’ll look at, and the first Dragon Pokémon featured in TCG Pocket! Like Gardevoir, this Pokémon has evolved throughout the game, although it hasn’t got a Mega EX form yet. Like other Dragon Type Pokémon, its attack requires multiple Energy types to use. In this instance it needs at least 1 Water and 1 Electric Energy. But for 4 total Energy it has a potentially devastating attack. It chooses 1 random opposing Pokémon 4 times and it deals 50 damage each time. This deals 200 damage in total and although it’s randomized it can potentially be a game ender. This Pokémon works very well with other Pokémon that specialize in Energy generation. For example, Mantyke (Fantastical Parade) and Pichu create the energy that Dragonite needs!
While there are newer versions of these Pokémon that are out there, sometimes the originals are worth looking at. These versions could even be synergized with their newer forms, especially the ones with EX and Mega EX forms! The lesson of this article is that even though the game will evolve, never ignore the Pokémon that came before them!