Hello everyone! The Pokemon Pocket community tournaments are thriving, with hundreds of players joining from around the world! Participants bring their favorite decks—or the latest meta choices—for a chance to win it all.
In this article, I'll break down the three largest tournaments held on November 23-24 (Ursiiday's Pocket Weekly #4, Pocket Legends League #8, and Pikaverse Pocket Cup #3), analyzing the meta distribution, the top performers, and the underdogs!
The Data
Deck Distribution:
Ursiiday's Pocket Weekly #4 (1691 Players)
Pocket Legends League #8 (634 Players)
Pikaverse Pocket Cup #3 (810 Players)
a1-129-mewtwoex a1-132-gardevoir remains the best deck for tournaments, and we see its meta representation continue to increase. This deck is crushing tournaments and has become an auto-pick for many players joining these events. The only deck that is still rivaling a1-129-mewtwoex a1-132-gardevoir is a1-96-pikachuex.
However, there are 4 different versions of a1-96-pikachuex being brought to these tournaments. They're technically all similar decks, but for analysis, I will separate their stats so we can see which version is performing best. In the previous two weeks, if we summed up all 4 versions of a1-96-pikachuex, they'd have a higher meta representation than a1-129-mewtwoex a1-132-gardevoir. However, this is not the case anymore. a1-129-mewtwoex a1-132-gardevoir remains the most-played deck in all three tournaments, solidifying its spot as the best deck in the Pokemon Pocket meta.
When it comes to the a1-96-pikachuex variants, the a1-106-zebstrika version was the most popular among players. However, things have changed when and players are now favoring the a1-95-raichu version. As for the a1-100-electrode and a1-104-zapdosex are the least popular versions but still are in the top 10 most-played decks.
We'll usually see a1-36-charizardex a1-47-moltresex in the fourth place in these tournaments, rivaling the second popular a1-96-pikachuex variant.
With a1-41-arcanineex a1-47-moltresex, a1-165-arbok a1-177-weezing, a1-76-starmieex, and a1-38-ninetales a1-43-rapidash are less popular choices but still can go far into the top 32.
Top 32 Decks
Ursiiday's Pocket Weekly #4
| Deck Name | No. Decks |
| Mewtwo ex Gardevoir | 14 |
| Pikachu ex Raichu | 4 |
| Pikachu ex Zebstrika | 4 |
| Arcanine ex Moltres ex | 3 |
| Charizard ex Moltres ex | 2 |
| Articuno ex Greninja | 2 |
| Starmie ex Articuno ex | 1 |
| Mewtwo ex Greninja | 1 |
| Charizard ex Arcanine ex | 1 |
Pocket Legends League #8
| Deck Name | No. Decks |
| Mewtwo ex Gardevoir | 13 |
| Pikachu ex Raichu | 7 |
| Charizard ex Moltres ex | 6 |
| Pikachu ex Zebstrika | 1 |
| Pikachu ex Zapdos ex | 1 |
| Marowak ex Primeape | 1 |
| Starmie ex Articuno ex | 1 |
| Arbok Weezing | 1 |
| Starmie ex Greninja | 1 |
Pikaverse Pocket Cup #3
| Deck Name | No. Decks |
| Mewtwo ex Gardevoir | 13 |
| Arcanine ex Moltres ex | 5 |
| Pikachu ex Electrode | 4 |
| Charizard ex Moltres ex | 3 |
| Pikachu ex Raichu | 3 |
| Pikachu ex Zapdos ex | 1 |
| Starmie ex Greninja | 1 |
| Blastoise ex Mewtwo ex | 1 |
| Pikachu ex Zebstrika | 1 |
- With the high number of a1-129-mewtwoex a1-132-gardevoir decks in these tournaments, it makes sense the deck is dominating the top 32 in terms of representation. This is one of the most consistent choices for players to pick and has proven its power in the current meta.
- Although a1-95-raichu had more players in the Ursiiday tournament than a1-106-zebstrika, they both ended up having the same number of players in the top 32.
- a1-41-arcanineex a1-47-moltresex had a great performance this past week, showing up in the top 32 in Ursiiday and Pikaverse tournaments. It even had the second spot in the Pikaverse tournament, overtaking Charizard and Pikachu decks.
- Off-meta decks also made it far in these tournaments. Mewtwo ex Greninja, Marowak ex Primeape, and Blastoise ex Mewtwo climbed their way to the top 32.
- No a1-38-ninetales a1-43-rapidash decks made it into the top 32 in all three tournaments.
Top 4 Decks
| Tournament | First Place | Second Place | Third Place | Fourth Place |
| Ursiiday's Pocket Weekly #4 | Mewtwo ex Gardevoir | Mewtwo ex Gardevoir | Mewtwo ex Gardevoir | Charizard ex Moltres ex |
| Pocket Legends League #8 | Pikachu ex Raichu | Pikachu ex Zapdos ex | Mewtwo ex Gardevoir | Pikachu ex Zebstrika |
| Pikaverse Pocket Cup #3 | Arcanine ex Charizard ex Moltres ex | Mewtwo ex Gardevoir | Mewtwo ex Gardevoir | Pikachu ex Electrolde |
Alright, it's time to look at the real winners of these three tournaments!
- a1-129-mewtwoex a1-132-gardevoir took the top 3 spots in the Ursiiday's Pocket tournament. It also ended up in 3rd place in the Pocket Legends League and finished 2nd and 3rd place in the Pikaverse Pocket Cup.
- a1-36-charizardex a1-47-moltresex finished 4th place in Ursiiday's Pocket. Also, another version of a1-36-charizardex a1-47-moltresex running a1-41-arcanineex won Pikaverse Pocket.
- Pikachu decks crushed the Pocket Legends League, Raichu, Zapdos, and Zebstrika finished 1st, 2nd, and 4th place, respectively.
Ursiiday's Pocket First Place
The first place a1-129-mewtwoex in the Ursiiday's Pocket. This deck relies on a1-129-mewtwoex as a win condition, using Psydrive to deal 150 damage to the opponent's Active Pokemon. This should be enough to knock out most targets in your path. Psydrive requires 4 Energy to activate and will discard 2 Psychic Energy every time you use Psydrive. This is why a1-132-gardevoir is a must in this list, accelerating your strategy by giving your a1-129-mewtwoex an extra Psychic Energy.
Although this list doesn't include them, many lists include a1-127-jynx instead of a1-128-mewtwo. They can act as early plays before you switch to the a1-129-mewtwoex win condition or to tank hits if opponents play Sabrina.
Pocket Legends League First Place
The a1-95-raichu version saw an increase in representation this week, overtaking all other Pikachu variants. The a1-96-pikachuex a1-95-raichu deck won first place in the Pocket Legends League, beating Pikachu ex Zapdos ex in the finals.
This deck heavily relies on a1-96-pikachuex to win games, dealing up to 90 damage with only 2 Lightning Energy. a1-95-raichu can go for the game-winning attack, using a1-226-lt-surge to move Lightning Energy from Benched Pokemon to a1-95-raichu and go for Thunderbolt for 140 damage.
Pikaverse Pocket Cup First Place
The first-place deck in the Pikaverse Pocket Cup is an a1-41-arcanineex a1-36-charizardex a1-47-moltresex deck.
This deck uses a1-47-moltresex for the early game, attaching Fire Energy on our benched Pokemon with Inferno Dance. This speeds up our game plan and we'll have a1-36-charizardex ready to start attacking with Crimson Storm, knocking out anything in its path. Since Crimson Storm discards 2 Fire Energy from a1-36-charizardex, you want to have at least 5 Energy on him to activate Crimson Storm twice in a row.
Since this list has a1-41-arcanineex, it can act as an early attacker in the case you don't have a1-47-moltresex or a1-36-charizardex ready. a1-41-arcanineex is faster than a1-36-charizardex since it's a Stage 1 Pokemon that only needs 3 Energy to attack. Inferno Onrush is less threatening than Crimson Storm, but 120 damage is still enough to present an early threat. The downside of activating Inferno Onrush is that a1-41-arcanineex will damage itself by 20, making it more vulnerable to opponents' attacks.
Underdog Inclusions
13th Place Ursiiday's Pocket Articuno Greninja
This deck has a1-84-articunoex as a damage dealer with a1-89-greninja to deal backup damage through Water Shuriken. a1-84-articunoex's Blizzard deals 80 damage to the opponent's Active Pokemon and 10 damage to their Bench. This makes it easier to knock out low-health or damaged Pokemon, especially with Water Shuriken dealing 20 damage to one of the opponent's Pokemon once per turn.
17th Place Pikaverse Pocket Cup Blastoise Mewtwo
Alright, this is a weird one. This list has a1-203-kangaskhan for the early game, capable of acting as a tank and can push damage with Dizzy Punch. You are running a1-56-blastoiseex as the main win condition, so it makes sense you need an early Pokemon to buy you time until you get the Stage 2 Pokemon in play.
what we don't usually see is a1-128-mewtwo in this list, which seems to be a tank choice to stall out the game. a1-128-mewtwo's 120 HP can take early hits until a1-56-blastoiseex joins the battle. You can attach one Energy to a1-128-mewtwo and use X-Speed to retreat it to safety.
a1-56-blastoiseex's Hydro Bazooka deals 100 damage to the opponent's Active Pokemon. If you have an extra 2 Water Energy attached to a1-56-blastoiseex, Hydro Bazooka deals 60 extra damage, now pushing 160 damage to knock out most of the targets in your way.
a1-220-misty is the main reason why this deck works, potentially attaching Water Energy on a1-56-blastoiseex and making it easier for you to pump Hydro Bazooka's damage.
17th Place Ursiiday's Pocket Mewtwo ex Greninja
Another Water Pokemon decided to add Mewtwo to the list, this one has the ex version. You are working on evolving a1-87-froakie to get a1-89-greninja as early as possible. a1-89-greninja's Mist Slash deals only 60 damage, but with Water Shuriken, you're dealing 80 damage with Greninja.
The weird thing in this list is the 1 copy of a1-129-mewtwoex, which doesn't synergize at all with this list but seems to have worked for the player in this tournament.
7th Place Pocket League Legends Marowk ex Primeape
The a1-153-marowakex promo-17-mankey went far in the Pocket League Legends tournament, one game away from making the op 4. This deck can play aggressively, using a1-153-marowakex's Bonemerang to potentially deal 160 damage. You'll flip 2 coins, each heads a1-153-marowakex will deal 80 damage. So there will be three outcomes here, 0,80,160 damage. Hitting 160 damage on Mewtwo ex is a game changer, putting you ahead of the opponent and possibly winning you the game on the spot.
a1-142-primeape is another attacker that deals 100 damage if it's damaged. promo-17-mankey can self-damage itself with Reckless Charge, setting you up for a high-damage attack with a1-142-primeape.
The list has 1 copy of a1-154-hitmonlee, a Pokemon that can use Stretch Kick for only 1 Fighting Energy, dealing 30 damage to any Pokemon you choose. This means you can target the opponent's Bench, knocking out low-health Pokemon.
14th Place Pocket League Legends Arbok Weezing
The a1-165-arbok a1-177-weezing didn't perform as I'd hoped this week. Only one list managed to sneak into the top 32 out of all three tournaments. This list made the top 16 in the Pocket League Legends.
This is a budget deck using a1-177-weezing for his Gas Leak ability, poisoning opponent's Active Pokemon and slowly damaging them, eventually putting them the threat of getting knocked out. This might force opponents to retreat their Pokemon to remove the Poison effect. a1-177-weezing's Tackle attack can push things faster, it's only 30 damage, but combined with the Poison from Gas Leak, it will stack the pressure.
Since a1-177-weezing has a high retreat cost, you'll use a1-222-koga to put a1-177-weezing back into your hand and prevent the opponent from knocking it out.
a1-165-arbok deals more immediate damage with Corner's 60 damage. Additionally, Corner locks the opponent's Pokemon in the Active spot, preventing them from retreating it. If the Pokemon is Poisoned, they're stuck there getting their health chipped away. a1-165-arbok also works with Sabrina, forcing opponents to move a less threatening Pokemon to the Active spot and locking it there with a1-165-arbok's Corner.
24th Place Pikaverse Pocket Cup Starmie ex Greninja
a1-76-starmieex can play aggressively, dealing 90 damage with Hydro Splash. a1-76-starmieex has no retreat cost, so you can move it back to the safety of the bench without having to discard any of your Energy.
This list has a1-89-greninja for the extra damage from Water Shuriken, giving you a method to knock out low-health Pokemon hiding in the opponent's Bench.
Closing Words
Mewtwo ex is crushing tournaments along with the Pikachu decks, so it can't be difficult for other decks to push their way through. However, we still see off-meta choices make it far in these tournaments, proving you can beat the best decks in the meta.
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