Pokemon TCG Pocket’s Newest Legendary Will Be Impossible to Play

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In contrast to some player criticisms about the intensity of recent expansion launches in the Pokemon TCG Pocket, another pair of sets has been unveiled, focusing on Legendary Birds Ho-oh and Lugia. The collection titled “Wisdom of Sea and Sky” will offer a plethora of new Pokemon to amass, however, players have identified a significant issue with the Lugia ex card.

The much-anticipated game, “Wisdom of Sea and Sky,” is slated to drop on July 30, 2025, adhering to the swift four-week release schedule that’s common for the Pokemon TCG Pocket series. This upcoming set will feature Ho-oh ex, Lugia ex, along with exclusive artwork cards showcasing the Johto starters Chikorita, Cyndaquil, and Totodile.

Upon initial observation, the collection appears to present an engaging interaction between the two Legendary Birds. However, players of TCG Pocket are aware that the energy demands for Lugia EX will make the deck impractical to use due to its high energy requirements.

Pokemon TCG Pocket Encourages Players to Use Broken Mechanic

As a thrilled enthusiast, I’m sharing an exciting preview: The trailer for Sea and Sky Wisdom unveiled Ho-oh ex and Lugia ex! Ho-oh ex boasts the move Phoenix Turbo, dealing 80 damage and granting players the flexibility to attach a Fire, Water, or Electric Energy card to their basic Pokemon in any manner they prefer.

In order to use the move “Elemental Blast”, Lugia needs one energy card of Fire, Water, and Electric type respectively, providing a total of three different energy cards. This move will then deal 180 damage.

In the game of TCG Pocket, it might seem sensible to combine these two cards in a deck, but there are several problems with their performance. To begin with, depending on an earlier card with moderate HP and a weaker attack isn’t ideal for fast matches. The Ho-oh ex card is problematic because it needs three Energy cards of any type to use Phoenix Turbo, which makes it costly and vulnerable to be used as a first-turn play.

A commenter on social media highlighted an issue, asking, “Does Lugia require three Energies?” Meanwhile, others expressed their annoyance over the rapid release schedule of the expansion packs, arguing that they’re arriving too quickly for fans to manage effectively.

Another issue with this approach lies in its Energy demands. Due to their initial introduction, dual-type decks in the Pokemon TCG Pocket have been overpowered, without any adjustments to even out their performance. The Lugia ex card triggers the generation of Water, Fire, and Electric Energy cards at random within the Energy Zone, making it extremely challenging to foresee how the deck will behave during each game.

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— Pokémon TCG Pocket (@PokemonTCGP) July 24, 2025

Instead of opting to complete the deck with Colorless cards, players might find that these cards lack the powerful attackers compared to Typed cards. Consequently, they would mainly serve as expendable units while the player tries to amass Energy cards for Ho-oh. The intention is then to utilize Ho-oh to strengthen Lugia and subsequently play Lugia to attack. However, this strategy involves multiple steps and carries an excessive risk.

Furthermore, these vehicles can only function within the deck when they are both present. Given that players find it challenging to draw the necessary cards from new expansions and there’s a scarcity of methods to accrue currency amidst the flurry of updates, acquiring the required cards for this strategy will be tough.

To breathe some fresh air into competitive matches of Pokemon TCG Pocket, which have been somewhat repetitive since its release in October 2024, it’s crucial to introduce novel card concepts. But for these new strategies to be effective, they must be based on practical mechanics. Unfortunately, until the dual-type deck problems are sorted out, Ho-oh ex and Lugia ex from the Wisdom of Sea and Sky expansion may just serve as collector’s items rather than powerful cards in gameplay.

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2025-07-27 16:39