The initial meta of Pokémon TCG Pocket was quickly dominated by a few powerful decks, notably those centered around Misty and water-type Pokémon. Early on, Misty decks earned a reputation for being frustrating due to their reliance on coin flips, which could lead to overwhelming early game advantages.
Three expansions later, instead of seeing Misty decks countered or replaced, the latest expansion, Triumphant Light, introduced a card that significantly boosts their strength: Irida. This has left many players feeling exasperated. The issue isn't necessarily Misty's raw power, but rather the intensely frustrating experience of losing to a deck heavily reliant on chance. Misty, a Supporter card, allows players to flip coins repeatedly, attaching a Water-type Energy to a chosen Pokémon for each heads. This could result in nothing, or a massive energy advantage, leading to potentially game-ending turn one victories or overwhelmingly powerful early game plays.
Previous expansions exacerbated the problem. Mythical Island's Vaporeon allows easy energy movement between water-type Pokémon, while Space-Time Smackdown's Manaphy adds even more Water Energy to the board. These additions, combined with powerful new water-type Pokémon like Palkia ex and Gyarados ex, have cemented water decks at the top of the meta for multiple expansions.
Now, Irida, another Supporter card, allows water decks to heal 40 damage from each Pokémon with attached Water-type Energy. This previously belonged to grass-type decks, but now water decks possess significant healing capabilities, further strengthening their comeback potential, especially when combined with the energy generation from Misty, Manaphy, and Vaporeon.
Some TCG experts suggest that Irida's inclusion was a deliberate attempt by developer DeNA to diversify deckbuilding by forcing players to choose between Misty and Irida, given the 20-card deck limit. However, many players have found ways to effectively incorporate both cards, negating this intended effect.
The upcoming regularly scheduled event in Pokémon TCG Pocket, featuring rewards for win streaks in online competitive play, will likely see a surge in Misty decks. The difficulty of achieving a five-match win streak is significantly increased when facing decks capable of overwhelming early game dominance, and the healing capabilities of Irida make them even harder to defeat. Considering this, many players might find it advantageous to use a water deck themselves during this event.
