Summary
With every newPokemon Trading Card Gameexpansion, themeta shifts slightly, and new cards are introducedinto existing top-tier decks. Thus, it’s always interesting to look at what a new set has, as every single card could be game-changing.
Scarlet & Violet 151 is a set that has a card for each of the original Kanto Pokemon. These are some of the most beloved Pokemon out there and have been printed for the longest time as a result. Here are the most likely ones to be strong in the game.
10Ditto
Consistency is the name of the game for not only Pokemon but almost any TCG out there. Thus, any card that allows you to get to the position you want to be in is going to be strong. Thanks to its Ability Transformative Start, Ditto is the ultimate consistency booster.
The Ability basically allows you to swap out Ditto for another Basic Pokemon as your lead if it happens to be your active Pokemon during setup. This, in practice, means that you have double the chance to open with your ideal lead, which is appreciated in any deck. Ditto isn’t even a liability later on, asyou can discard it for your other cards' effectswithout remorse.
9Jynx Ex
Jynx ex is an exciting card for sure. It is a gimmicky Pokemon, with an instant knockout move being its only claim to glory. Heart-Stopping Kiss knocks out the opposing Active Pokemon, if they’re asleep, for a Water-type and two Colorless Energy.
This attack would be incredibly strong if you could build a deck around consistently putting the opposing Pokemon to sleep. Luckily, Hypno from this set does precisely that upon evolving into. While this sort of combo rarely takes the top spot in the Pokemon TCG, it’s always good to keep an eye out, as they are so powerful within the right deck.
8Alakazam Ex
Alakazam ex might have one of the most innovative Attacks in the game since its inception. It has the move Dimensional Hand, which hits for 120 for two Psychic Energies. However, the attack can be used even if Alakazam ex is in the Bench.
This opens up a whole new style of play, as you can set an Alakazam ex up in your Bench and throw a beefy Pokemon to the Active Zone to take incoming hits. It’s hard to gauge how strong this card will be or how it’ll affect the meta, but it’s very unique and could become a powerhouse.
7Zapdos Ex
Zapdos ex, alongside its counterparts Articuno ex and Moltres ex, has an ability that gives it free retreats if it has an elemental Energy attached to it. What makes Zapdos great is its typing and attacking move in Multishot Lightning.
Electric types are quite popular these days, thanks to the overwhelming power of Miraidon ex decks, which make Zapdos immediately pluggable to popular decks. Multishot Lightning is also a great move, as it does 120 damage and 90 more to a Benched Pokemon. Spreading damage is great, asproven by Lost Zone Box Sableye decks,and with V and VSTAR Pokemon on the way out, it’ll be even easier to knock out pre-evolved Pokemon before they become strong ex-Pokemon.
6Venusaur, Blastoise, And Charizard Ex
The original trio of starters have had varying success throughout the game’s history.Deluge Blastoise was amazing back in the day,and Charizard had afew highlights in its careerover the years. Luckily, all three of these iconic Pokemon are at least decent. Unfortunately, Venusaur will likely be the weakest of the three yet again.
Charizard ex from Scarlet & Violet 151 is your quintessential Charizard card, hitting hard for a lot of energy. Blastoise has a useful ability called Solid Shell, which reduces the damage it takes by 30. Venusaur’s Ability Tranquil Flower is also focused on defense, letting you heal 60 damage from one of your Pokemon once per turn. While it’s unlikely for any of the three to make a huge impact on the current meta, they’re all decent and well-thought-out, which is rare for the trio.
5Arbok Ex
Arbok ex might be one of the surprise hits of this set, thanks to a great disruption option. Its Menacing Fangs attack deals 150 damage and makes your opponent discard two cards from their hand. Hand disruption in the Pokemon TCG is not that common but is proven to be incredible, mainly thanks to cards like Judge, Sidney, and Trevenant & Dusknoir GX.
Only time will tell if Arbok ex’s disruption is good enough to make it viable. After all, Pokemon decks are the most consistent they’ve ever been, playing multiple copies of several draw cards. Regardless, though, a well-timed Menacing Fangs can absolutely lock your opponent out of options and could sway a whole game.
4Wigglytuff Ex
Wigglytuff ex is a simple card; its main job is to take hits and dish them out. Thanks to its Ability Expanding Body, Wigglytuff can go up to 350 HP, which is amazing already. It can also consistently deal 180 Damage with its move, Friend Tackle.
While Wifflytuff is not as bombastic or unique as some other cards in this set, it’s absolutely worth grabbing. This card will likely be even stronger as V and VSTAR Pokemon are rotated out, and the meta slows down quite a bit.
3Aerodactyl
Aerodactyl is by far the best Fossil Pokemon of this set, and it’s not even close. Sure, it has the annoyance of being a Fossil Pokemon, so you’re going to have to evolve it from the Antique Old Amber, but it might just be worth the time.
For two Colorless Energy, Aerodactyl can use Devolution Ray, which deals 100 Damage and also devolves your opponent’s Active Pokemon if applicable. Nowadays, turning a VSTAR into a Pokemon V might merely be a nuisance. However,as Pokemon V and VSTAR get rotated out,your opponent’s ex-Pokemon will be resting on top of very flimsy regular Pokemon. Aerodactyl will surely be a rogue deck option, as it can grant very easy KOs for little effort.
2Giovanni’s Charisma
While some interesting Trainer cards are in this set, such as Cycling Road and Rigid Band, Giovanni’s Charisma is the most likely candidate to be good. It simply bounced an Energy attached to your opponent’s Active Pokemon and let you attach one yourself for free.
The key thing here is the Energy doesn’t have to be basic, so you can attach Special Energy cards with it. Energy acceleration and Energy disruption have both been great by themselves before, and Giovanni’s Charisma combines them into one.Full art Supporters are also some of the most valuable cardsout there, so grab one if you’re more of a collector than a player.
1Mew Ex
Just like back in 1996 when Pokemon Red and Blue came out, Mew is arguably the most eye-catching of the original 151 Pokemon. Mew hasalways had amazing cards printed under its name both visually and strength-wise,and the trend continues with this Mew ex. Mew ex is incredibly versatile and will definitely see tons of play.
To begin with, the Ability Restart simply allows you to draw up to three cards once per turn. This effect was once on an Oranguru card with the name Instruct, which was played on a myriad of decks back then. On top of that, Mew ex has the move Genome Hacking, which simply lets you use one of your opponent’s Active Pokemon’s moves. This sort of copying has been on Mew cards before and was all used effectively. If you get to have only one card from this set, go for Mew ex; you won’t regret it.
