A week has gone by since Crimson Blaze came out, and plenty of tournaments have now played out, giving us a much better idea of where the chips have fallen, and which decks are now the best. The results show that one Pokémon is the undeniable king, the clear top dog-goat thing: it's Mega Absol ex.
There are three Mega Absol variants you can try. Right now they all see a decent amount of play and have a win rate of more than 54%, which easily lands them in the top tier of the Pokémon Pocket meta.
First up, we have Greninja/Absol. Absol's ability to shut down supporters is super frustrating, and its only downside is a low damage output. But Greninja and Darkrai can help make up for that, and of course you can use the classic Greninja/Cyrus trick to pick off key targets. Greninja was a popular partner for Absol at the end of the previous meta, but now this is the least popular of the three.
Next up, Hydreigon/Absol, another holdover from the previous meta, which hasn't changed much except in how often it wins. This deck relies on Hydreigon, a one-trophy 'mon, to efficiently secure some knock-outs, and can fall back on Absol and Darkrai to finish softer targets. The main innovation in this deck is not a new Pokemon, it's just Indeedee, useful for reducing the impact of all that self-damage.
Finally, the only top deck using new Pokemon, it's Magneton/Absol. I knew the new Clemont would see play, but it turns out the new Magneton is replacing the old in most of these decklists. It may not do as much damage, but it also doesn't discard energy, and its ability to shut down attacks can win games with a lucky roll. Out of the three, this is probably the most interesting, but also the most frustrating archetype to face.
It's worth pointing out that while Giratina has been pushed out the meta by all these megas (for now) Darkrai is still going strong. It's the glue that holds all of these Absol decks together.
Come share your favorite Pokemon Pocket decks over on the Wargamer Discord!