M Alzamora 
With nearly 70 cards to choose from, new Pokemon TCG Pocket expansion Mega Shine has some standouts that could be part of the best decks from the new set.
Mega Shine introduces several new mega Pokemon to the TCG Pocket meta, most notably Mega Gengar ex. Also, all five new mega Pokemon come to the game in shiny form for the first time. Competitive players, however, are less worried about the set theme and more concerned with ranked deck viability.
As players start to collect cards from the booster, here are some they should look out for and potential best decks from Mega Shine.
Best decks to build from Mega Shine
The competitive meta in Pokemon TCG Pocket usually settles after the first few weeks of players trial and erroring their way to success, as the best decks to build in the game take shape. For example, Bellibolt ex from Paldean Wonders has ended up dominating recent tournaments while Mega Altaria ex from Mega Rising has shone from its introduction.
Mega Scizor ex/Revaroom
A Mega Scizor ex/Revaroom deck relies on no-cost energy retreat. Mega Scizor ex deals 100 base damage for 3 energy, but deals another 50 if it moves from the bench during the active turn. Revaroom has the ability to switch the active steel Pokemon with a benched Pokemon.
Once loaded up, then, Mega Scizor ex is doing 150 damage every other turn.
Revaroom may end up being an even more important card than Mega Scizor ex, as it makes other steel decks viable in the same way Celesteela made Ultra Beast decks viable. Other partners could include Tinkaton or Tinkaton ex and Aggron.
Since Scyther is the only grass-type Pokemon in the set and only needs a colorless energy, players should make sure to turn off grass energy in the deck. Steel all the way.
- Scyther x2
- Mega Scizor ex x2
- Varoom x2
- Revaroom x2
- Orthoworm x2
- Metal Core Barrier x2
- Steel Apron x2
- Professor’s Research x2
- Pokeball x2
Mega Gengar ex/Morpeko
Gengar fans are clamoring for a way to make the mega Pokemon work competitively, so here’s one potential way: with Morpeko. Mega Gengar ex’s biggest problem is that it requires 4 energy for a 120 damage attack. Yet once it hits, it forces the opponent to not play trainer cards and could break most high trainer decks.
Enter Morpeko. The card’s attack deals 50 damage and moves both energy to a benched Pokemon. Those two energy could make the difference between Mega Gengar ex getting online or not.
A new card to help stall for time while Mega Gengar ex builds up is Nasty Notice. The item forces the opponent to discard cards from their hand until they have a maximum of 4. While the opponent gets to choose which cards, every one is important in a game with only 20.
One card can be the dividing line between victory and loss. If it works out consistently, it could be the basis for one of the best new decks in Pokemon TCG Pocket with the addition of Mega Shine.
- Gastly x2
- Haunter
- Gengar (Genetic Apex)
- Mega Gengar ex x2
- Morpeko x2
- Rare Candy x2
- Nasty Notice
- Lucky Ice Pop x2
- Dark Pendant x2
- Cyrus
- Professor’s Research x2
- Pokeball x2
A number of other cards from Mega Shine could end up making up the best and most influential decks from the set. Mega Charizard X ex is likely to see some play, especially with the new and improved Charmeleon energy ramp.
Mega Shine only has 69 unique Pokemon, so hopefully players can pull a Mega Gengar ex or Revaroom quickly. And with the plethora of shiny Pokemon in the set, they may even spice up their decks’ color splits along the way.
Featured image credit: Nintendo
