Top 6 Supporter Cards in Pokemon TCG Pocket’s Space-Time Smackdown Ranked!

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Summary

  • Team Galactic Grunt is too niche, relying on meta-irrelevant Pokemon.
  • Mars emphasizes disruption but may not be worth a deck slot.
  • Cynthia excels in Garchomp and Togekiss decks, but her future is uncertain due to niche effect.

The newest addition to the Pokemon Pocket series, named Space-Time Smackdown, has unveiled six fresh Supporter cards: Cyrus, Dawn, Cynthia, Volkner, Mars, and Team Galactic Grunt. As with every new launch, a recurring query is which of these cards warrant top priority. This list for the Pokemon Trading Card Game Pocket, ranking all the newly introduced Supporters from Space-Time Smackdown, is based on criteria that emphasize gameplay effectiveness.

Ranking Criteria Explained

The rankings of the Supporter cards in the newest Pokémon TCG Pocket expansion, Space-Time Smackdown, are determined using these specific standards:

By rephrasing some words and adding a bit more context, the new version aims to make the original text clearer and easier for readers to understand.

  • Meta performance: The primary factor for ranking these cards is their recent performance in global Pocket tournaments.
  • Synergies: Cards with stronger synergies are ranked higher, while those with overly niche or meta-irrelevant synergies are ranked lower.
  • Longevity: Supporter cards that are likely to fade from the metagame over time are ranked lower.

6. Team Galactic Grunt

Too Niche to Be Good

  • Text: Put one random Glameow, Stunky, or Croagunk from your deck into your hand.
  • Space-Time Smackdown Pack: Dialga

As a dedicated fan, I’ve been finding it challenging to make a substantial impact with Team Galactic Grunt in the current metagame. This Supporter card works well when paired with Glameow, Stunky, or Croagunk, but unfortunately, these Pokémon aren’t thriving in the present competitive landscape. The primary issue lies in the fact that Team Galactic Grunt is a highly specialized Supporter card that heavily depends on Pokémon that are currently out of favor in the meta, which significantly limits its effectiveness.

A broader impact, such as randomly selecting a Darkness-type Pokémon from the deck, could potentially benefit this card. Yet, given the present situation in the Pokémon TCG Pocket metagame, Team Galactic Grunt is the least advantageous Supporter among the six newly introduced Trainer cards.

5. Mars

Disruption May Not Be Worth It

  • Text: Your opponent shuffles their hand into their deck and draws a card for each of the remaining points needed to win.
  • Space-Time Smackdown Pack: Palkia

In simpler terms, Mars functions like an upgraded version of a card called Red Card. The unique feature of Mars is that it modifies the number of cards your opponent draws according to the score they’ve achieved during the game. After the effect of Mars is activated, your opponent will draw cards equal to the amount of points they need to win the match. For instance, if they have already scored two points, Mars compels them to reshuffle their cards back into the deck and then draw only one card.

In competitive Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket matches, although Mars’ disruptive powers can be beneficial in player-versus-player (PvP) and tournament scenarios, it doesn’t necessarily boost her position significantly on the rankings. Due to deck limitations of only 20 cards in this version, assigning one or two slots to Mars may not be optimal.

In essence, players who construct meme decks or favor strategies of disruption can derive advantages from Mars’s ability. Notably, some deck configurations that combine Mars and Purugly are gaining popularity. The underlying concept is that Mars diminishes the opponent’s hand, enabling Purugly to return those cards to their deck—resulting in an empty opponent’s hand.

4. Cynthia

The Goddess of the Deadly Kiss

  • Text: During this turn, attacks used by your Garchomp or Togekiss do +50 damage to your opponent’s Active Pokemon.
  • Space-Time Smackdown Pack: Palkia

In the world of meta gaming, Cynthia’s destiny remains unclear, yet she’s excelling in decks featuring Garchomp and Togekiss, which are rapidly increasing in prominence. Notably, Garchomp has seen a surge in popularity lately, leading to an uptick in Cynthia’s deployment as well. With Cynthia in play, Garchomp can deal 150 damage, a potent amount capable of defeating numerous meta Pokemon. On Togekiss, following its initial attack, Cynthia amplifies the subsequent move to a formidable 170 damage!

As a gamer, I’ve noticed a pattern with Cynthie that’s similar to Team Galactic Grunt: they both have a specialized role. It seems doubtful that Garchomp and Togekiss will consistently dominate the gameplay scene in the Pokemon TCG Pocket metagame, which means Cynthie might gradually lose relevance as new expansions roll out.

3. Dawn

A Pocket-Size Vaporeon

  • Text: Move an Energy from one of your Benched Pokemon to your Active Pokemon.
  • Space-Time Smackdown Pack: Dialga

On the mystical island, Vaporeon, the legendary Pokemon, made a substantial difference in the gameplay dynamics with its special move, Washed Out. This ability enabled players to shift Water-based Energy from one of their sidelined Pokemons to the active one. However, this unique Pokemon was only accessible to Water-type characters, sparking a desire for similar cards across other Energy types. With the arrival of Space-Time Smackdown expansion, that longing has been fulfilled, as Dawn now provides players the option to transfer Energy of any type.

One potential rephrasing could be: Dawn’s skill allows for only one transfer in a match, which means it can be utilized a maximum of twice per game. Although this might not be as potent as Vaporeon’s impact, her versatility to function with all Energy types makes her a pivotal Supporter that is expected to stay popular for an extended period within the meta-relevant scene.

2. Volkner

A Meta-Shaking Supporter

  • Text: Choose one of your Electivire or Luxray. Attach two Lightning Energy from your discard pile to that Pokemon.
  • Space-Time Smackdown Pack: Dialga

Volkner might be considered the most intricate backer of the Space-Time Smackdown augmentation. His talent lets gamers reactivate tossed Energies, a feat that wasn’t achievable prior to his introduction. At present, Volkner is one of the top preferred cards in the Pokemon TCG Pocket‘s competitive scene due to his potent collaboration with Lightning-type decks.

Instead of having Players partner Volkner with Electivire and Luxray, they are teaming these Pokemon together, along with self-charging ones such as the recently introduced Electabuzz (Space-Time Smackdown set) or Magneton from Genetic Apex. This setup enables multiple powerful attacks by Electivire and Luxray because Volkner can reinstate up to four discarded Energy cards for them.

If you’re wondering about the definition of discarded Energy in the Pokémon TCG Pocket game, let me clarify. Here are the ways to discard Energy:

1. Retreating a Pokémon from your Active Spot: When you move another Pokémon into the Active Spot, the one previously there is considered discarded. This action often requires discarding attached Energy cards as well.
2. Using a Supporter card with the “discard” effect: Some Supporter cards have an ability to force you or your opponent to discard specific cards, including Energy cards.
3. Drawing too many cards during your draw phase: If you exceed the maximum number of cards allowed in your hand (usually 6), you must discard excess cards, which may include Energy cards.
4. Using certain Pokémon abilities or attacks: Some Pokémon have abilities that cause you to discard Energy cards from your Active or Bench Pokémon as part of their effects. Similarly, some Pokémon attacks require you to discard Energy cards before they can be used.
5. Forced discard due to game mechanics: In certain situations, such as the Knock Out of a Pokémon with a large number of attached Energy cards, or when your hand is filled with Energy cards, you may be forced to discard them to comply with game rules.

  • Knockouts: When a Pokemon is knocked out, its Energy goes into the discard pile.
  • Attacks: Attacks that consume Energy discard those points (e.g., Luxray’s attack, which discards all its Energy).
  • Retreats: Undiscounted retreats will discard Energy.
  • Enemy Attacks: Cards like Gyarados (Basic) that remove Energy from the opponent add those discarded Energies to the discard pile.

Players can check how many discarded Energies they have by tapping their discard pile.

1. Cyrus

The Unfading New Supporter

  • Text: Switch in one of your opponent’s Benched Pokemon that has damage on it to the Active Spot.
  • Space-Time Smackdown Pack: Palkia

they have to choose one of their damaged Pokémon to replace their Active Pokémon, and if they have multiple damaged ones, you get to pick which one they need to bring out.

Cyrus introduces the idea of “targeting” in gameplay. Now, players can focus on attacking the opponent’s Pokemon that are hidden on the bench and defeat them – a significant change from the previous Sabrina-centric meta. Given that Cyrus has single-handedly brought about this alteration, he rightfully earns the title of the top Support card in Pokemon Pocket’s Space-Time Smackdown expansion and may well be one of the best across all expansions to date.

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2025-02-12 05:35