When Pokémon TCG Pocket first hit the scene, the meta was swiftly dominated by a select few decks. Among them, the Misty and water-type Pokémon deck became notorious early on due to its ability to overpower opponents right from the start, hinging on the luck of coin flips.

Fast forward through three expansions, and you might expect other cards to have emerged to challenge or counter the Misty decks. However, the latest expansion has only served to bolster Misty's dominance, much to the chagrin of many players.

Some variety would be appreciated
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To provide some context, it's not that Misty decks are the most powerful in the game. The issue lies in the luck-based mechanics of Misty, which can make losing to them feel particularly frustrating. Misty is a Supporter card with the ability to select a water-type Pokémon and flip coins until a tails is landed. For each heads flipped, a water-type energy is attached to the chosen Pokémon. This means a player could end up attaching zero energy, effectively wasting a card and a supporter play. Alternatively, they might attach one, two, three, five, ten, or more energies if luck favors them. A successful Misty flip could lead to a first-turn win in certain scenarios, or more commonly, it enables players to power up formidable cards before their opponents can establish a defense.

Why would they ever make a card like this?
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The situation has worsened with each new expansion introducing cards that amplify Misty's power. The Mythical Island expansion introduced Vaporeon, allowing players to freely distribute the bonus energy among their water-types. Space-Time Smackdown brought Manaphy into the mix, adding even more water energy to the board. Both expansions also introduced new, powerful water-type Pokémon like Palkia ex and Gyarados ex, capable of leveraging this energy. Consequently, water decks have remained at the top of the meta across multiple expansions.

DeNa, What the Heck are You Doing?
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The latest expansion, Triumphant Light, introduced another card that has intensified the dominance of Misty decks: Irida. Like Misty, Irida is a Supporter card, but it heals 40 damage from each Pokémon with any water-type energy attached. While grass-type decks were previously the healing specialists, Irida enables water-type decks to stage significant comebacks, especially with the energy distribution facilitated by Misty, Manaphy, and Vaporeon.

Some Pokémon TCG experts suggest a strategic rationale behind Irida's introduction. Given that decks in TCG Pocket are limited to 20 cards, adding Irida requires removing another card. Water decks have an abundance of strong cards, forcing players to make tough decisions about which Supporters to include. Some speculate that developer DeNA introduced Irida to encourage players to reconsider including Misty, though savvy deckbuilders have found ways to incorporate both.

Three days away… what will you all be playing?
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As the upcoming event in Pokémon TCG Pocket's online competitive mode approaches, where rewards like a gold profile badge for a five-match win streak are up for grabs, expect to see a prevalence of water decks. Achieving such a win streak is challenging, especially against decks that can potentially sweep opponents in the early turns with favorable coin flips and have backup options like Irida to recover from less fortunate flips.

Given the current state of the meta, it might be wise to consider playing a water deck yourself if you haven't already.