Crashing on through Ultra Wormholes, the Ultra Beasts arrive in the world ofPokemon Trading Card Game Pocketwith their own set in Extradimensional Crisis. With a strange group of Pokemon, this set brings some otherworldly powers to the table to shake the game up and make some noise.
This mini-set focuses on the creatures known as the Ultra Beasts and brings some out-of-this-world cards to improve some of the most beloved decks. From strong Pokemon that have formidable abilities or attacks to useful Items that help you create new strategies, this set has a ton of cards that make some of the best decks in the game even better with just a few changes.
Koga (x2)
Leaf (x1)
Red (x1)
Poison Barb (x2)
Poke Ball (x2)
One of the most fun cards that Genetic Apex introduced was the Dark-type Weezing (A1-177), which can Poison foes as long as they are in the Active Spot. This card is one of the easiest ways to get the Poison Status Condition consistently onto the opponent. Poison causing ten damage per turn often isn’t enough to deal with big threats, but by adding Nihilego (A3a-42), this can be increased by simply having it on your Bench.
Nihilego is a Basic Ultra Beast that has the supportive ability to buff Poison with ten extra damage. Since this ability stacks, with two Nihilego on the Bench, Poison can do up to 30 damage per turn. Poison is a strong Status, but with Nihilego, it becomes a powerful threat. Being able to keep the foe’s Active Pokemon Poisoned with Weezing while they take more damage through Nihilego’s ability is a combo that works brilliantly.
Sabrina (x1)
Cyrus (x1)
X Speed (x1)
Lightning-type decks have seen a large usage rate, and after Oricorio (A3-66) was added to the game, they only grew even more popular. One of the biggest debates about Lightning decks is the Ex choice, but none can compare to the Tapu Koko Ex (A3a-19) that was introduced in this set. Tapu Koko Ex is an attacker that can get Energy onto itself and can deal 90 damage for just three Energy. Bringing fast, consistent damage that other Lightning-type Ex Pokemon lack.
Outside of this, Lightning types also received an exclusive Pokemon Tool in this set, the Electrical Cord. When attached, this Tool allows your Lightning Pokemon, if Knocked Out, to take two Energy that were attached to them and attach them to two different Benched Pokemon. This is excellent for conserving Energy and makes knockouts less of a setback by redistributing some of your lost Energy, which is perfect for Oricorio and Tapu Koko Ex.
X Speed (x2)
Poison has been one of the most upgraded archetypes in Extradimensional Crisis thanks to excellent Pokemon that each bring even more power to decks. The Paldean Clodsire Ex (A2b-48) and Absol (A3-112) decks were a niche that can now shine thanks to Naganadel (A3a-45) and Nihilego’s (A3a-42) inclusion.
Naganadel is a wonderful option that, for a single Darkness Energy, Poisons the foe’s Active Pokemon while also doing a decent 40 damage. Combine this with Nihilego on your Bench, and your foe will fear your Poison’s Passive damage thanks to its ability, causing ten additional damage to Poisoned foes every turn.
Erika (x2)
Beastite (x2)
Poke Ball (x1)
Rare Candy (x2)
Grass-type decks have seen relative success but have always struggled to keep up with the best of the best. Even their strongest, such as Beedrill Ex (A2b-3), have struggled despite beinga disruptive attackerthat can discard Energy. Extradimensional Crisis has barged in with some incredible options for the type, with Buzzwole Ex (A3a-6) in particular being the answer to Grass decks' problems.
Buzzwole Ex is an Ultra Beast that packs a mean punch, being able to deal a massive 120 damage for three Energy at the cost of not being able to use the same attack next turn. With the Beastite Pokemon Tool attached, Buzzwole’s attacks do ten additional damage for each point you have taken, which makes it even more of a powerhouse. Combined with the plentiful Grass-type support, both Buzzwole Ex and Beedrill Ex can be tough for any foe to take down, as they have options for every situation.
Guzma (x1)
Lillie (x2)
Solgaleo Ex (A3-122) has been one of the most consistent decks since its introduction, with its power in both HP, damage, and useful ability being unmatched at the cost of it being a Stage Two Pokemon. This means it can be quite tricky to initially get up if you get unlucky with your hand, and even with Rare Candy, this can sometimes be a game-losing flaw.
With the addition of Shinotic (A3a-27), this problem with Solgaleo can be fixed with ease. Using Shinotic’s ability, you can search your deck for a random Pokemon, allowing you to find the pieces of the Solgaleo line much quicker. With few Pokemon in your deck, this can easily be manipulated to give you what you need early, meaning you don’t need to rely as much on luck.
Repel (x2)
This deck is notorious for being one of the strongest around, dominating the ranked battles with the use of the two powerful Pokemon, Darkrai Ex (A2-110) and Giratina Ex (A2b-35). However, whenCelestial Guardiansrolled around, this deck faced some new challenges with the introduction of Oricorio (A3-66) and its Safeguard ability.
This single card blocked out the best decks in the game because of its ability, negating damage from Ex Pokemon. Luckily, Extradimensional Crisis brought an Item card that can help force Oricorio to the Bench. The Repel Item card switches out your opponent’s Basic Pokemon from the Active Spot, meaning you can easily push any annoying Oricorio back to the Bench without much hassle. In a deck where the only attackers are Ex Pokemon like this one, that is an invaluable option to have access to.
Mars (x1)
Pikachu Ex (A2b-22) is one of the strongest Basic Ex Pokemon with its 150 damage, being able to take out other Basic opponents with ease. The only issue with this card is that it requires three Lightning Energy to attack, and since they are discarded when used, it is very slow and vulnerable. That’s where Tapu Koko Ex (A3a-19) comes in to help. This Basic Pokemon can accelerate Energy to itself for a single Lightning Energy, allowing it to use its second attack for only three Energy, dealing 90 damage and by proxy, giving Pikachu Ex more time to set up.
This isn’t all, however, as this set also introduced Zeraora (A3a-21), a great Basic Pokemon that has the ability to accelerate one Lightning Energy to itself at the end of your first turn. Since its attack only costs two Lightning Energy, it can start attacking fast in the early game for 50 damage, putting pressure on your foe before they can get anything set up.
Gladion (x2)
One of the more underrated types is the Fighting-type, which specializes in raw power and damage at the cost of usually lengthy setup times. One of the best is the mighty Rampardos (A2-89). This Stage Two Pokemon is able to deal 130 damage for a single Fighting Energy while also having a beefy HP amount at 150 making it one of the strongest non-Ex Pokemon.
Rampardos has appeared in many decks, but with this set, it may have found its best partner in Silvally (A3a-61). This Stage One Colorless Pokemon for just two Colorless Energy can deal 50 damage plus 50 more if a Supporter card has been used this turn. Combine this with Gladion, a Supporter that can get a random Type: Null or Silvally in your deck, and you can start hitting hard as early as turn two and, when paired up with Rampardos, the two make for one of the mostpowerful decksaround.
Poison is an archetype that has been struggling for a while to show a truly strong deck to combat all the other threats despite receiving plenty of support with fresh cards every set, such as with the Poison Barb Pokemon Tool or Toxicroak (A2a-52). Now, with the arrival of the Ultra Beasts, however, there is a powerful support Pokemon that makes Poison worth worrying about.
Nihilego (A3a-42) is an Ultra Beast that has the ability to increase Poison damage by an additional ten damage every turn. Combine two Nihilego with Toxicroak’s attack, and you can deal a whopping 40 Poison damage in between turns using Poison, Knocking Out nearly any Pokemon in just a couple of turns from a Status Condition alone.
