Summary
Well, that didn’t take long, did it? After months of dominating thePokemon Trading Card Game Pocketmetaalongside Darkrai ex, Giratina ex was unceremoniously dumped out of the game’s top ten most successful decks. It had shownsigns of wobbling before, but it remained defiant through multiple expansion releases.
The release ofExtradimensional Crisis, however, spelled the end of Giratina’s long-standing dominance, as the release of the Ultra Beast cards saw its combination with Darkraidrop out of the top ten for the first time in its existence.
A little less than a week later, though, the card is right back at the top of the leaderboard, this time, alongside a very surprising partner.
Giratina ex and Stoutland Are Currently Pokemon Trading Card Game Pocket’s Most Successful Deck
For a brief window, Pokemon Trading Card Game Pocket’s meta was dominated by cards from Extradimensional Crisis andCelestial Guardians. Tapu Koko ex held the top spot, Solgaleo ex was in second, and Silvally was in third. Giratina ex did hold the fourth spot, but not with Darkrai ex, and was instead partnered with Arceus ex.
Following the weekend’s tournaments, however, according toLimitless TCG, Giratina ex has reclaimed its spot atop the Pokemon TCG Pocket throne, as a deck combined with Stoutland has seen it earn a win rate of almost 62 percent.
Looking in detail, it appears Stoutland pairs perfectly with Giratina ex. It has a really solid 140 HP, or 160 with a giant cape, and only takes two energy to deal 70 damage, making it a great wall. Its Guard Dog Visage ability also really helps to slow things down, ensuring attacks by an opponent’s Active Pokemon cost an additional energy to use.
While Stoutland is in the Active spot, causing a nuisance, Giratina can be on the bench using its Broken-Space Bellow ability to load up its own energies. The deck also pairs up with Tapu Lele, who can hit cards like Charizard ex for massive damage.
Last week’s top deck, Magnezone and Tapu Koko ex, has slipped down to the second spot with a 58.44 percent win rate, and Silvally and Zeraora have climbed into third, with a 56.29 percent win rate. It is worth noting that all three of these decks have exceptionally low usage, so be prepared for them to step into the limelight a little more as the Extradimensional Crisis meta evolves.
you may see the full standings below (correct as of 4 am ET, Monday, June 9):
1
Giratina ex and Stoutland
61.97
2
Magnezone and Tapu Koko ex
58.44
3
Silvally and Zeraora
56.29
4
Guzzlord ex and Celesteela
54.55
5
Tapu Koko ex and Oricorio
54.32
6
Silvally and Rampardos
53.75
7
Buzzwole ex and Celesteela
53.71
8
Buzzwole ex and Pheromosa
53.68
9
Guzzlord ex and Nihilego
53.29
10
Giratina ex and Arceus ex
52.99
Giratina ex really does stay winning. Maybe the next expansion will reveal a Giratina killer.
