The new Pokémon Pocket set Crimson Blaze came out on December 17 and promptly threw the meta into chaos. In the few tournaments that have taken place in the days since the set launched, there is a huge variety of decks at the top.
This is my favorite time in Pocket, at the very outset of a brand new set, when it's not yet clear which decks will dominate. Let's take a look at the decks doing well currently.
First up we have a deck that's more intriguing than it is successful. Whimsicott ex has been boosted by the new Ariados card, which makes retreat costs higher and therefore ups the damage of Grass Knot. If you have two spiders on the bench the attack gets particularly lethal. Because the deck relies on two Stage 1s, it's the perfect place for a Quick-Grow Extract.
Next, we have a deck that's been putting in the work for months: Magnezone/Oricorio. It's always there to punish players for relying too heavily on ex cards, and the new Clemont supporter just makes it that much more consistent. But wait, that's not my Magnezone! There's a new version in town, and it makes this an even more frustrating, controll-y deck to face.
Then there are decks that rely on the new Megas, like Mega Lopunny ex. People are pairing this Pokémon with everything, but it seems to be working best on its own, with perhaps a few baby Pokémon like Chinling or Tyrogue to lead the charge. A Lucario variant is also super strong.
This Pokémon didn't look like anything special when it was first revealed, but perhaps that's because we underestimated how strong the Confused condition is. Being able to dodge half the attacks that come your way, and guarantee some of your damage lands thanks to Will, puts you in a pretty good spot.
Mega Steelix ex is also seeing some surprising play, coming fifth in one of these early contests. This deck uses Brock to get energy onto your Onix before you evolve, and once Mega Steelix is in play he's a crazy good tank.
You'll notice that none of the Kanto starters, which are supposed to be the face of this set, feature in this list of the best decks and that's because… well they're not doing great. Mega Charizard Y/Entei decks are the most popular thing to play right now, but I've not seen one come above 10th place yet. They are just getting wrecked.
Perhaps that's because, despite the massive damage potential, they're simply too slow to make use of that massive attack. Or perhaps Pocket plans to bring in some additional support in later sets. Either way, I'm very glad to see so much variety on display right now.
What decks are you excited to play right now? Let us know on the Wargamer Discord.