Pokémon Pocket: Extradimensional Crisis Review

The new Pokémon Pocket set, Extradimensional Crisis, is here! It is a sequel to the last set, which was centered around gen 7, but it also includes Ultrabeasts, a few new Pokémon ex, trainers, and other support cards.

It is also relatively small, but the new cards are very interesting, and could change the meta, if only a bit. Today, we'll go through the main cards from the new set and rate them from ★☆☆☆☆ (one star) to ★★★★★ (five stars).

This is our rating:

★☆☆☆☆: A bad card that will probably not see any play.

★★☆☆☆: A good card for low tier decks.

★★★☆☆: A good card for mid to high tier decks.

★★★★☆: A great card that will see play in many meta decks.

★★★★★: An excellent, meta-defining card, or a game staple.

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Buzzswole ex -★★☆☆☆.

Buzzswole ex is an Ultrabeast as well as a Pokémon ex, but it might still struggle in this meta. Not because it's bad, but because other Grass Pokémon in the game are simply better. Currently, Grass Pokémon are incredibly strong because they have more support than other Pokémon types. They are also incredibly strong at healing and attaching energies, which are the most powerful mechanics in the meta.

That's why Buzzswole ex will most likely only be strong if, in the future, Ultrabeasts get more support. So far, the cards in this set don't seem enough to put Buzzswole ex in the meta.

Tapu Koko ex - ★★★★☆

Tapu Koko ex is one of the best Pokémon ex in this set. It could very well kickstart new Electric decks and make this Pokémon type popular again.

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Currently, Pikachu ex lists struggle against the rest of the meta because they are quite outdated. To make this type of list work, you need to put many Pokémon on your bench, which is currently not the best idea because the meta is full of "sniper" effects. The other Pokémon ex you can use in this type of list is Pachirisu ex, but it only really works in 18T strategies, and they have completely disappeared from the meta after Oricorio came along.

So, Tapu Koko ex is the new star of Electric Pokémon ex. It is more modern, so it fits the current meta a bit better than other Pokémon, and also complements any deck that uses Electric energies rather well. You can use it with Oricorio or even build an entire list around it. Actually, it is so versatile it's difficult to imagine all the ways you can play it. You can definitely create multiple strategies with it!

Lycanroc ex - ★★★★☆

Though it seems a bit slow, Lycanroc ex is extremely versatile and will be great with the current Fighting cards.

You can pair it with Passimian ex and/or Lucario to get the most out of its attack, which, despite forcing you to discard an energy from it, deals a lot of damage. Currently, only Rampardos deals more damage than Lycanroc ex.

This card's only problem is probably Giratina ex, the best card in the game right now, because it is strong against Fighting Pokémon.

Guzzlord ex - ★★★★★

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At a first glance, Guzzlord ex doesn't seem that strong because it is a basic Pokémon ex that only deals 120 damage for 4 energies. Other Pokémon in the meta, like Solgaelo ex, deal the same amount of damage for just 2 energies.

However, what makes this card so strong is its type (Darkness), which is strong against Giratina ex. Furthermore, its first attack deals 30 damage and may force your opponent to discard energies attached to their Pokémon if you manage to hit heads on your coin flips.

This makes Guzzlord ex excellent against Giratina ex. Now, it might be one of the best answers to the Psychic archetype alongside Darkrai ex.

Discarding enemy energies is extremely powerful, and Guzzlord ex has the best "discard" effect in the entire game. Cards like Team Rocket Grunt are much slower because they're Trainers, and you can only use one trainer per turn.

With Guzzlord ex, we'll be able to build Darkness decks we couldn't before, and this Pokémon type will start seeing play competitively once again. It will be one of the main answers for the last meta, which, in turn, was just an upgraded version of the previous meta.

This means we're all pretty tired of Giratina ex, so you can expect to see many Guzzlord ex in the ranked queue real soon!

Alolan Dugtrio ex - ★★★★☆

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This card deals more damage than all other Pokémon in the game for the energies you need to use it. In theory, Alolan Dugtrio ex deals 180 damage for just 2 energies, but you'll have to get 3 "heads" to do it.

Despite the RNG, this card should be strong because it doesn't need many energies, has a lot of HP, and is relatively easy to set up. Furthermore, in the game, there is some support for Metal Pokémon that helps you absorb some enemy damage throughout the match, so these Pokémon can get even tankier than usual.

If you're not a fan of Solgaleo ex and think Rare Candy strategies rely too much on RNG to draw cards, why not try a different kind of RNG?

Alolan Dugtrio ex and Solgaleo ex might be on the same level in the meta, and could even play the same support cards.

Ultrabeasts are Pokémon from another dimension, as well as one of the main themes in gen 7. They don't have an additional effect like Pokémon ex do, but, because a few other cards mention them by their tag, "Ultrabeast", they're an archetype of their own. Let's see what cards reference Ultrabeasts first.

Beast Wall - ★☆☆☆☆

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This card is too situational and not very powerful. It makes your Ultrabeast Pokémon take 20 less damage on the following turn, but only if your opponent hasn't gotten any points.

Because you'll have to meet pretty strict conditions to activate its effect, other items in the game, like Potion, will always be better than this card. You can simply use them without meeting any specific condition, so this card is just straight up obsolete.

Beastite - ★★★☆☆

This item is a bit complex. It is incredibly strong if you're winning, and useless if you're losing.

This item only makes a difference in certain matchups, and that's why three stars is quite reasonable.

Lusamine - ★★★★☆

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Lusamine is extremely conditional, but also very strong. You can only activate her effect if your opponent has gotten a point and you have at least one energy in your discard pile.

At a first glance, it seems a bit too conditional and weak, but, in practice, it is great, as it could be a lifesaver against opponents that lucked out early on.

It is great with Guzzlord ex and all the other Ultrabeasts we'll discuss next.

Pheromosa - ★★★★☆

This is a great card that really fits Decidueye ex archetypes. It is simple, incredibly strong, and easy to set up. It will be one of the best frontline Pokémon for "sniper" archetypes.

Kartana - ★★★☆☆

This is like Grass Farfetch'd, that is, an upgraded version of the Normal-type Farfetch'd, as it can access all Grass support cards that Normal Pokémon usually can't.

Blacephalon - ★☆☆☆☆

This is perhaps one of the worst cards in the game. It deals 70 damage to itself to deal 130 damage to the enemy Pokémon. It is simply not worth it, considering Blacephalon will lose 70% of its HP in the process, and you still need 3 energies to use it.

Xurkitree - ★★☆☆☆

Though Confusion is one of the strongest negative statuses in the game, spending 3 energies to attack with this Pokémon and only deal 60 damage is simply not worth it. It is a big investment for such a small return, and, on top of it all, it might not affect the match at all.

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Nihilego - ★★★★★

This card might be why the last few sets gave us all those anti-negative status cards. Now, we have a reason to use them.

Poison Barb is one of the most common cards in the game, and Poisoning your opponent has never been easier. Nihilego's effect makes Poisoned enemy Pokémon take more damage, so Poison/Darkness archetypes will become relevant in competitive settings again.

This card is also great against Giratina ex, the best card in the game right now.

Naganadel - ★★★★☆

Naganadel will complement the Ultrabeast/Poison archetype in the future. It is a great aggressive frontline Pokémon for this deck.

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Stakataka -★★★☆☆

This Pokémon is quite beefy, but it probably won't see a lot of play because there are better Metal Pokémon in the game that deal more damage and do the same, like Skarmory.

Celesteela - ★★★★☆

This is the last "Ultrabeast card". It is an engine and also an alternative win condition. You'll only use Celesteela because of its ability, which lets you swap an Ultrabeast from the active spot with an Ultrabeast on your Bench. It's a simple, yet extremely strong effect.

Repel - ★★★★★

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This might become a new staple in the game. Its effect is the same as Sabrina's, but it's an item. This means you can play this card and a trainer on the same turn. Sabrina was already one of the best cards in the game, so Repel will probably be one of the most popular and powerful cards in this meta too.

Electrical Cord - ★★★★☆

This equipment is interesting and should significantly improve Oricorio and Electric archetypes overall. It fixes one of the biggest issues these decks used to have: attaching energies to their Pokémon.

Currently, there aren't many effects in the game that attach energies efficiently or quickly to Electric Pokémon, so this item might become the best way to do this.

Gladion - ★★☆☆☆

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Gladion supports a specific archetype, but, historically, this type of Trainer hasn't been strong. Usually, only Trainers that interact with Pokémon ex or strong meta Pokémon, like Cynthia, are relevant.

Looker - ★☆☆☆☆

In TCGs, getting information is critical. But Pokémon Pocket decks are incredibly small, so knowing what your opponent plays and what they don't often doesn't make a difference. Most decks play the same support cards, and, usually, your opponent won't even play them in later turns. This means knowing what these cards are typically doesn't make a difference.

That's why Looker is also probably one of the "worst cards in the game".

Zearora - ★★★★☆

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We just mentioned how Electric archetypes don't attach energies with effects. Well, Zeraora does. However, it only does so at the end of the first turn, so you're forced to put it in play on turn 1.

This effect is conditional, but, in most matches, it will be more than enough to set up your Pokémon and get it ready to attack on turn 2.

Stoutland - ★★★★☆

This stage 2 Pokémon deals a fair amount of damage considering its effect and how many energies it uses.

This card's greatest strength is its passive ability. It makes enemy attacks cost 1 energy more, so it will definitely disrupt your opponent's game plan.

Krookodile - ★★★★☆

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This is another stage 2 Pokémon that will most likely be extremely annoying to play against. Its attack effect makes your opponent reveal and shuffle their cards back into their deck. You can do this 3 times if you get 3 heads. It can be incredibly strong and significantly delay your opponent's strategy.

Obviously, you'll have to rely a bit on luck to do it, but it is still quite strong and could win the game on the spot, just like Misty.

If you read this far, thank you. I hope you had fun and enjoyed reading this article.

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See you next time!