Celestial Guardians is a set that focuses heavily on making Stage 2 Pokemon better. Previously, Basic Pokemon have been some of the stronger options inPokemon Pocketdue to many legendary ex’s being Basics, but now there are cards that directly counter this archetype.
The Basic Pokemon in Celestial Guardians do not have a lot of HP or explosive attack power. They are more niche, well-thought-out cards that require creativity to use effectively. The Basics of Celestial Guardians may be underappreciated at first, but they will grow in value over time. Many of them focus less on knocking out your opponent in one turn and more on controlling the board.
10Sensu Oricorio
One of the two Psychic variants of Oricorio in Celestial Guardians, Sensu Oricorio works similarly to Marshadow as a revenge kill type of Pokemon. It doesn’t hit as hard as Marshadow, dealing only 80 damage, but it only requires one energy, giving your deck a deceptive amount of explosiveness.
Psychic types typically rely more on building up a lot of energy and unleashing big attacks, so Oricorio is held back by not having strong synergy with the most powerful Psychic types. It is a great tech choice for players who want to use Psychics in a faster, more aggressive way, and many opponents will be caught off guard due to unfamiliarity with that style of play.
9Komala
For only two energy, Komala has big stats, despitenot being a rare card. A 70 attack means it can one-shot most Basic Pokemon that are not ex, including Oricorio. Komala’s drawback messes up its timing, causing it to take three turns instead of two due to falling asleep.
Komala’s weakness can be bypassed with items that cure Special Conditions or with Comfey’s ability. Komala can also build energy on the bench and switch into attack with the use of X Speeds, Leafs, and low-retreat-cost Pokemon.
8Tapu Koko
The master of hit-and-run tactics, Tapu Koko could be the missing piece thatone-point Electric deckshave been lacking for a long time. Tapu Koko can evade damage by essentially sacrificing other Pokemon instead of getting revenge killed.
The three-energy cost makes Tapu Koko’s tactic harder to pull off, but Pachirisu’s attack that generates energy can be a good way to bypass it. Mixing Tapu Koko with low-retreat-cost Pokemon, a common trait among Electrics, and X Speeds is a strong strategy. Alternatively, you can swap normal Pokemon into the active spot, then call them back to your hand with Llima.
7Comfey
One of the better abilities in the set, Comfey prevents any Special Condition from affecting any Pokemon with Psychic energy. With Poison Barb becoming prominent, Comfey can already save you damage in many matches.
A better niche for Comfey is in decks that use Pokemon that put themselves to sleep. TL Snorlax and CG Komala are powerful Basic Pokemon that have the drawback of falling asleep. Comfey bypasses this completely, allowing you to deal 70–100 damage with your Basic Pokemon in the early game.
6Passimian ex
Although Passimian is an ex Pokemon, it’s more of a supporting card than a core piece. 60 damage for two energy is nothing game-changing on its own. Passimian ex is meant to be knocked out, and when that happens, you can offload a large surplus of energy to your other Fighting types.
Traditionally, the best Fighting types are low-energy one-pointers, so many of them are not ideal targets. Digging deeper into the Fighting-type roster, you may find high-energy Pokemon like GA Golem, MI Golem, Lucario ex, and Garchomp ex. These Pokemon have struggled in the past due to a lack of speed, but cards like Rare Candy, Brock, and Passimian ex’s ability can give you a surplus of energy to work with.
5Dhelmise ex
One of the strangest-looking Pokemon has a rather mundane effect. Similar to GA Arbok and Houndoom, Dhelmise ex prevents Pokemon from retreating. Previous Pokemon with this effect were not ex Pokemon, so they could be outmuscled more easily if they locked a Pokemon in place—something Dhelmise ex can do more effectively.
Its stats are fairly standard for an ex Basic. The Grass typing makes it more durable than many other Basic ex Pokemon. Leaf Cape will boost it up to 170 HP, making it nearly impossible to one-shot. Two Erika’s will give it 100 more HP of longevity.
4Wishiwashi
By itself, Wishiwashi can’t mount any offense. But it summons its win condition, Wishiwashi ex, and thins your deck. Wishiwashi is an ideal support card and a core piece of one of the better Water-based decks.
The more Wishiwashi Pokemon you have on your bench, the more damage you’ll do with Wishiwashi ex. The main drawback to Wishiwashi is that it only has 30 HP, so it can be knocked out before it gets the chance to summon other Pokemon - especially if you go first.
3Wishiwashi ex
This goes hand in hand with baby Wishiwashi. Wishiwashi ex can be searched by Wishiwashi’s ability as well as Poké Balls. More importantly, as long as you have one Wishiwashi, it will do 70 damage, which is already pretty efficient for three energy.
A max-bench Wishiwashi ex can do 140 damage, so it can one-shot Darkrai ex, Arceus ex, Alolan Raichu ex, and plenty of other pivotal Pokemon. Due to being a Water type, getting to three energy will be easy thanks to Misty and Manaphy. Wishiwashi ex also has more healing options than other Basic Pokemon in this set thanks to Irida.
2Tapu Lele
This is a card that will likely be overlooked, but it can catch a lot of players off guard. Tapu Lele is possibly one of the best bench attackers in Pokemon Pocket. Traditionally, good players build up their bench with energy, and Tapu Lele, at the cost of only one energy, can hit them for a ton of damage.
Because Tapu Lele scales off your opponent’s energy, Pokemon on the bench, like Gyarados ex and Giratina ex, can take 60–80 damage easily from Tapu Lele. Tapu Lele only has one retreat cost, so you can get it out of there as soon as it does its damage.
1Pom-Pom Oricorio
There’s a chance thatOricorio becomes the most game-defining Pokemonin Celestial Guardians. It’s totally immune to any attacks from ex Pokemon, which means many decks that run nothing but ex Pokemon have zero way of getting past it.
Oricorio could lead to a shift in the Pokemon meta, where ex decks now mix in non-ex Pokemon for the sole purpose of having a contingency plan against Oricorio. Its 50 damage means it can beat Stage 1 Pokemon in evolutionary lines like Charmander, so to fight it, you’ll need a Pokemon that can stand on its own, not just an evolutionary piece.
