A newPokémon Trading Card Game Pocketcard is set to transform the game completely next week. This week, The Pokémon Company announcedCelestial Guardians, thenext full expansionforPokémon Trading Card Game Pocket.The new set will bring in Pokémon and characters fromPokémon Sun and Moon.However, the announcement that a popular card from thePokémon TCGwould also be making its way over to the mobile app is what’s most exciting.
The announcement also revealed that a version of the Rare Candy item card would appear inCelestial Guardians. While Rare Candy increases the level of a Pokémon in the base Pokémon games, it serves as an evolutionary item of sorts in thePokémon TCG.Rare Candy allows players to skip over a Stage 1 Pokémon and evolve a Pokémon directly from a Basic Pokémon to a Stage 2 Pokémon. The new card should help revolutionizePokémon TCG Pocket,giving new viability to dozens of deck builds.
Rare Candy Is One Of The Most Powerful Pokémon TCG Cards
Rare Candy Allows For Quicker Evolutions Of Stage 2 Pokémon
Rare Candy is a powerful card because it allows players to bring out Stage 2 Pokémon like Charizard or Venusaur much more quickly. Instead of having an intermediate step, you can use Rare Candy to skip over the Stage 1 Pokémon entirely,meaning that Pokémon like Charizard ex can enter play one turn quicker than usual.Rare Candy also grants more consistency to a deck, as a player has two more cards they can use to evolve their strongest Pokémon and get them onto the Bench (or in the Active Spot) very quickly.
Players can use Rare Candy as early as the second turn of a game, with only a few limitations. First, you can’t use Rare Candy on a Basic Pokémon that entered play on the same turn. You also can’t use Rare Candy on the first turn,meaning that Pokémon cards like Giratina ex still have an advantage over Stage 2 Pokémon.Finally, Rare Candy remains attached to a Pokémon card after it’s evolved, meaning that you can’t use items like Rocky Helmet to further augment a Pokémon’s power.
What Decks Could See The Most Play Due To Rare Candy
Any Stage 2 Pokémon Deck Became A Lot More Powerful
Any deck that requires Stage 2 Pokémon should see a big boost due to Rare Candy. Some immediate standouts include the newCharizard ex from Shining Revelry, which can now hop into play as early as turn two and hypothetically be ready to attack as early as turn three.Some older Stage 2 cards could also see some more play,including Venusaur ex (which also pairs well with the new Lillie supporter card) or Blastoise ex. Another strong contender is any deck thatuses Beedrill ex,as its energy deletion ability can be crippling at early stages of the game.
Rare Candy can also be paired with Pokémon Communication to help pull out Stage 2 Pokémon a bit more quickly.Using Pokémon Combination to pull a necessary Stage 2 Pokémon card out of a deck and then using Rare Candy to evolve itwill be a potent combo that should help improve consistency. However, expect to see a lot of Stage 2 Pokémon return to the forefront inPokémon TCG Pocketas players continue to test out the potency of various Pokémon cards now that they can come out more consistently.
