M Alzamora 
Pokemon TCG Pocket players should get ready for Extradimensional Crisis and the new best decks that are about to dominate the game following the new release.
Every Pokemon TCG Pocket booster set shakes up the current competitive meta. From Charizard ex to Lunala ex, there’s a niche for every player and a fresh strategy behind every win. Each new strategy requires rigorous pack opening to get the needed cards and then meticulously try out combinations. Extradimensional Crisis is no exception to the rule, with new Pokemon, trainers, and items to put to the test
Following the May 29 release of Extradimensional Crisis, some card lists stand out as the best new decks to experiment with.
Best new decks to try from Extradimensional Crisis
Celesteela/Naganadel/Guzzlord ex deck
With the addition of Ultra Beasts in Extradimensional Crisis, its worth exploring how Ultra Beast decks can work against the best decks in the game. Most of the new Ultra Beast cards have lower HP compared to the top cards in other decks and many deal less damage, damage themselves significantly, or take a lot of energy to turn on. Extradimensional Crisis also introduces a new item called Beast Wall that damages any Ultra Beast on the line. But the cards’ synergy can still make them work together at a high level.
Celesteela is the card that will ultimately make an Ultra Beast deck viable. It’s one of the higher HP cards and can take some hits while potentially dealing 100 damage. More importantly, its ability allows it to switch the Active Ultra Beast out once per turn so long as its on the bench. This makes it significantly easier to withstand attacks while building up energy for the heavy-hitting Beasts. As a neutral card, it also fits into many deck.
The other core cards that make up this deck are Naganadel and Guzzlord ex. Though a Stage 1 Pokemon, Naganadel only needs one energy to deal 40 damage and poison the opposing Pokemon. Combined with Celesteela’s switching ability, players now have enough time to set up Guzzlord ex’s Tyrannical Hole. If not, it can at least use its first attack to make the opposite Pokemon discard energy.
- Celesteela x2
- Poipole x2
- Naganadel x2
- Guzzlord ex x2
- Lusamine x2
- Cyrus
- Sabrina
- Beastite x2
- Pokeball x2
- Professor’s Research x2
- Potion x2
Celesteela/Buzzwole ex
Celesteela also makes an Extradimensional Crisis Buzzwole deck more viable because of the quick swapping between Ultra Beast cards. Buzzwole ex takes three energy to charge and can’t use its main move twice in a row. Celesteela gives more time to charge and lets the player still use a move every turn by changing the Active Pokemon, provided they have enough energy.
If using Lusamine to stack up energy, a sacrificial Pokemon or two are essential to round out the deck. She lets the player attach two discard energy to a benched Pokemon, but only if the opponent has scored at least one point. Pheromosa stands out because its attack also deals damage to a benched Pokemon, while Kartana deals more damage per turn for the same energy cost.
- Celesteela x2
- Buzzwole ex x2
- Pheromosa x2
- Kartana x2
- Lusamine
- Giovanni
- Beastite x2
- Repel x2
- Pokeball x2
- Professor’s Research x2
- Potion x2
Whether the best decks from Extradimensional Crisis end up besting the best decks in the Pokemon TCG meta remains to be seen, though it’s clear that they will need to be played very strategically due to the strengths of competing builds. Players fortunately have a whole new batch of new AI battles to test their decks on to see what works best for them.
