Hello everybody, PikaPoster here, back with a look at the new expansion Cosmic Eclipse. This set contains some seriously good cards, as well as a ton of neat, janky ones that didn’t quite make the list. With that said, let’s hop right into it.
15. Steelix
Steelix is currently one of my favorite archetypes out there. For the measly price of two colorless energies, Thumping Fall has the potential to take OHKO’s on the likes of PikaRom and ReshiZard. It combos well with Excadrill, Alolan Exeggcutor, Aether Foundation Employee, and Poké Maniac.
14. Alolan Ninetales
For some reason, Alolan Ninetales always seems to secure a spot in the top cards of a set, whether one of the GX versions or a baby one. This version does not dissapoint, utilizing a zero energy cost attack to provide a beneficial prize trade. It seem difficult to get 25 or so tools in the discard to OHKO PikaRom, but remember, Tag-Teams are worth 3 prizes, and Alolan Ninetales is only worth 1. Add a zero energy requirement and you have a solid off-meta deck.
13. Rosa
Rosa is the first supporter card on this list, and she is powerful. Similar to Teammates from Primal Clash, you can only play Rosa if one of your Pokémon was knocked out the previous turn. This makes Rosa a great comeback card, allowing you to search your deck for not only a Pokémon, but a Trainer and an Energy as well. I have personally used this to great effect to get another Pokémon out and ready to fight right away.
12. Lillie’s Poké Doll
Remember Robo Substitute from Phantom Forces? Yeah, I still have nightmares. Well, now it’s back and better than ever, because this time there’s a full art version. In all seriousness, Lillie’s Poké Doll works in a great variety of decks, mainly ones that require few to no bench sitters, and can be very annoying in stall decks. Is it game-breaking? No, but is it annoying? Most definitely.
11. Charizard & Braxien-GX
We’ve finally come to the first Tag-Team Pokémon on this list, and I think we all knew it was going to be good. As if ReshiZard wasn’t enough broken Charizard for one meta, now we have a second Tag-Team version of it. 180 damage is respectable enough, but it also fetches any three cards from the deck at the same time. Welder and 2 fire Energy, anyone?
10. Blastoise & Piplup-GX
In a meta so dominated by fire types, a good water Pokémon is just what I like to see. It can deal 150 damage, not a small amount by any means, but attach 3 energy at the same time, and as if that weren’t enough, heal a total of 150 damage! It can basically fully heal anything on the field, as long as it has the energy. This card combos with itself, so all you need is a Viridian Forest and some draw support to fetch those energies out and get blasting.
9. Oricorio-GX
Oricorio-GX, like many other staple cards across the ages, allows you to draw additional cards without the use of a supporter card. Its Dance of Tribute, like Rosa, can only be used when one of your Pokémon was knocked out the turn before, but it allows you to draw 3 additional cards for free. I’m not sure if this card will become a staple, with cards like Dedenne-GX and Silvally-GX running rampant, but it certainly will find itself a place in the meta somewhere.
8. Mega Lopunny & Jigglypuff-GX
This is one of my all-time favorite cards from this set. For one, it features Jigglypuff, my favorite pink puffball (she’s better than Kirby), and it also serves as an excellent addition to any deck, with its colorless attack cost and high versatility. It works well against decks with a GX core, and works wonders against stall decks with Pokémon like Stakataka-GX. Puffy Smashers is also a great way to take 2 or 3 prizes unexpectedly, possibly ruining your opponent’s strategy in the process.
7. N’s Resolve
Before Cosmic Eclipse, this card may have seemed underwhelming, due to the severe lack of Dragon-type Pokémon in the meta. However, this set came bearing Arceus & Dialga & Palkia-GX, Reshiram & Zekrom-GX, and even Naganadel & Guzzlord-GX, making this card absurdly powerful. Being able to attach 3, maybe 4 energies per turn is insane.
6. Tag Call
Tag Call is what we refer to in the Pokémon business as a staple. With how powerful Tag-Team Pokémon have shown themselves to be, is it any wonder this card would be good? It is essentially a more specific but potent version of Cherish Ball, only selecting Tag-Team Pokémon rather than GX’s. The real clincher here is that it can pull Tag-Team supporters. Imagine a world where you could spend a single item card to pull the most powerful card in your deck, as well as a supporter to help it along. Yup, that’s now reality.
5. Great Catcher
We’re in the top 5 now, and the cards only get better. Great catcher is a staple in all situations, helping in almost every matchup, maybe with the exception of Lost March or Steelix. It’s has a Guzma effect, but as an item, making this card a must in most decks.
4. Volcarona-GX
Volcarona-GX was one of the most hyped cards from this set, expected to be completely insane. It seems to live up to that expectation, able to use cards like Welder and Fire Crystal as well as having an insane ability in Flaming Shot. In a perfect world you would have 3 Volcarona on the field, do 3 Flaming Shots and then hit with Backfire for some insane damage. The ability is really useful for hitting those thresholds, and Volcarona-GX is decidedly a great card.
3. Arceus & Dialga & Palkia-GX
This is possibly the most powerful card in the set. It has the same attack as Pikarom, with the minor exception of a mixed energy cost, a ridiculously fast setup with N’s Resolve, and a stupidly powerful GX attack that buffs each of your Pokémon for the entire rest of the match.
2. Reshiram & Zekrom-GX
This card is broken—there’s really no other way to put it. It has a damage output similar to Ultra Necrozma, it has 270HP, it can use N’s Resolve. With the ability to do 180 damage for 2 and 270 damage for 3 Energy, this will easily be one of the most powerful decks in the format, if not the BDIF.
1. Silvally-GX
You may be wondering why this Stage 1, less than powerful GX sits at the top of my list. You need look no further than its amazing ability, Disk Reload. It is a reusable source of draw support, taking after Zoroark-GX, arguably the best card in the previous format. Silvally-GX even keeps the 2 colorless for 120 damage attack, as well as a decent GX attack against Ultra Beasts. This card will likely have insane utility and will find a place in almost all decks.
Honourable Mentions:
Raichu
Raichu is a decent Stage 1 attacker that can tech into quite a few decks. It could be a good alternative to Zapdos in PikaRom, or a straight-up addition. It looks like it could also possibly create its own niche in the meta as a rogue deck.
Golurk
Golurk is one of my favorite cards in Cosmic Eclipse. It encourages an interesting new playstyle in exchange for a ridiculously powerful and low-cost attack. With the addition of Great Catcher to replace Guzma, and Silvally-GX or some other Pokémon as draw support, this deck could potentially be viable. I know I’m going to be trying it out.
Cottonee and Whimsicott
These cards are very obviously new additions to the Lost March archetype. Cottonee could easily replace Natu, and Whimsicott could maybe be viable? I don’t know, but I like them because they’re pink.