The new Pokémon Pocket set releases on July 30, and with it comes a frightening new Eeveelution. This set is themed around Johto and gives new ex cards to the psychic type Espeon and dark type Umbreon, two Pokémon which made their debut in the Gold and Silver games.
While Espeon's healing ability seems strong, we're more immediately drawn to Umbreon ex. That's because its ability, Dark Chase, is an exact copy of Cyrus, the trainer card that lets you pull damaged Pokémon from the bench into the active zone to be KOd without mercy.
The last set, Eevee Grove, already showed us how powerful it is to transplant one of the best supporter cards onto a Pokémon. Sylveon ex is incredibly strong, and now sees play in just as many decks as it's missing from, alongside everything from Charizard to Giratina.
However, Umbreon won't be as ubiquitous as Sylveon because it can't operate from the bench. It has to be in the active zone when you use its ability, which means it more or less needs to be your main attacker. And Umbreon ex's attack only does 80 damage, so you'll need to do some work to make this function.
Still, how many games have you ended with a Cyrus you drew just at the right time? Having reliable access to that ability could be a gamechanger with the right support. Just imagine a deck where Umbreon teams up with Greninja. Your opponent won't know what's hit 'em.
Pokémon Pocket: Wisdom of Sea and Sky arrives in just two days time, bringing all kinds of Gen 2 Pokémon to the game. While the full card list hasn't yet been revealed, we know the Johto Legendary Pokémon Ho-Oh and Lugia feature as ex cards, and that the game gets its first Baby Pokémon, which can attack without energy.
While the meta was actually pretty balanced during the last set, I'm excited to see how Sea and Sky can shake things up. If there's a deck or a card you're particularly keen to try out, let me know on the Wargamer Discord. You can also read more about the most expensive rare Pokémon cards in the world.