Pokemon TCG Pocket recently launched its Wisdom of Sea and Sky set, which is a love letter to Gen 2 fans and the region of Johto as a whole. Ho-Oh Ex and Lugia Ex in Pokemon TCG Pocket are just the tip of the iceberg, and the set includes a lot of great cards themed around Johtonian Pokemon or characters, such as the new Silver Supporter, which is a powerhouse in competitive matches. Although it may seem strange considering that it's far from one of the most popular Pokemon from Gen 2, let alone the entire series, one of the most interesting cards in set A4 is Magcargo.
Pokemon TCG Pocket is not new to introducing cards that have some peculiar gimmick to their attacks and abilities, even if it's just a quirk that makes them different from other cards with similar features. For example, Eevee Grove's Dragonite Ex has a very strong attack that makes it unable to attack on the next turn, which is similar to the previous expansion's Buzzwole Ex, which instead couldn't use Big Beat twice in a row. Magcargo is ironically a mini Dragonite, the one from Genetic Apex, as it has an attack that deals damage randomly thrice, but includes the user's own Pokemon.
One Fan-Favorite Pokemon TCG Pocket Wisdom of Sea and Sky Card is Dead on Arrival
Pokemon TCG Pocket will shortly release its Wisdom of Sea and Sky expansion, and while Gen 2 hype is very high, one Pokemon card is not great.
Pokemon TCG Pocket's Funnest Deck Can Also Shoot Itself in the Foot
Magcargo may be one of the most fun cards in Pokemon TCG Pocket's Wisdom of Sea and Sky set, as it can attack for just two Energy and deal 50 damage three times, but each time this happens, a target is picked randomly between all the opposing Pokemon and the user's too, excluding Magcargo itself. This can be a fast and effective way to win games very early on, especially if going second, as all it takes is for Slugma to live one attack from the opponent. The deck usually includes:
- 2x Slugma (Wisdom of Sea and Sky)
- 2x Magcargo (Wisdom of Sea and Sky)
- 2x Rescue Scarf (Wisdom of Sea and Sky) or Giant Cape (Space-Time Smackdown)
- 2x Professor's Research (Promo)
- 2x Poke Ball (Promo)
- 2x Silver (Wisdom of Sea and Sky)
If Magcargo KOs the user's own Pokemon, they still give points to the opponent, even if wearing the Rescue Scarf Pokemon Tool.
The rest of the cards vary, but good ones to run include Sabrina, Red Card, Mars, and Pokemon Communication, with several variants of the deck also running two copies of Gladion and one of Silvally in order to always have something to pull from the deck to thin it while also exchanging Silvally for Slugma or Magcargo with Pokemon Communication. Rescue Scarf is an interesting addition as it helps against S-tier decks in Pokemon TCG Pocket by getting back both Slugma and Magcargo if all else fails.
It's worth noting that cards like Pokemon TCG Pocket's Rayquaza Ex and Dragonite offer similar randomized attacks, and yet they are not meta picks.
While the strategy is virtually the same as that of Dragonite decks, considering it also deals 50 damage to random Pokemon multiple times, this only happens with opposing Pokemon. Magcargo is much faster to get online and attacking as it's a Stage 1 vs. Dragonite's Stage 2, and it needs 2 Energy compared to 4. However, it does come with the caveat that it hits any Pokemon, so part of the strategy is to make sure that the user's bench is empty unless it's strictly necessary to have a Slugma and Magcargo in it.
Pokemon TCG Pocket's New Magcargo Deck is High-Risk, High-Reward
As such, playing Magcargo can be some of the most fun to be had in the game, but if things go south and players have some bad luck, the deck becomes painful to use. Since Magcargo is called "the lava Pokemon," it makes perfect sense for it to be a volcano even in terms of gameplay, but Pokemon TCG Pocket's meta can be quite unforgiving. Magcargo decks are hardly consistent because it all comes down to RNG with cards drawn and where the damage dealt by Magcargo goes, so one should use this at their own risk - even if the lava Pokemon brings something fun and unique to the table.
- Released
- October 30, 2024
- Developer(s)
- DeNA, Creatures Inc.
- Publisher(s)
- The Pokemon Company
- Multiplayer
- Online Multiplayer
- Cross-Platform Play
- Yes
WHERE TO PLAY
- Genre(s)
- Digital Card Game
