There is a lot of hype surrounding the upcomingPokémon Trading Card Gameexpansion setPrismatic Evolutions, and although it might not entirely live up to it, it does still have some cards players will want to snag.Prismatic Evolutionswill usher inPokémon’s Year of Eevee by giving players newTera ex versions of all the Eeveelutions. There are also a few new Eevees for these Pokémon to evolve from.
Aside from the Eeveelutions, there are a few exciting new cards that are decent counters for the current meta. One new card may even end up being a staple as long as it is in Standard, given its general appeal for a variety of decks. Since it looks likePrismatic Evolutionsmay be difficult to find, players may want to focus on just grabbing these individual cards.
10Eevee Ex Is A Good Jumping Off Point
Many Of This Set’s Best Cards Evolve From Eevee Ex
On its own, Eevee ex is a somewhat underwhelming card. Its only attack requires three different types of energy, and even then it isn’t very strong. However, Eevee ex will likely be highly sought after thanks to its ability. Because this card can evolve into any of the exversions of the Eeveelutions, it can serve asa stronger starter card than a typical Eevee thanks to its higher HP.
Not all cards fromPrismatic Evolutionhave been previewed in English yet. Translations can be seen onPokéBeach.
Now, the regular Eevee fromPrismatic Evolutionsis also somewhat exciting. Its ability to evolve on the first turn - so long as it’s in the active spot - can help speed up any Eeveelution deck. That said, this would require drawing both an Eevee and a way to get an Eeveelution on the first turn. While not impossible, this is banking a bit more on luck than a lot of players are probably comfortable with. It seems more likely that a high HP Eevee ex could last longer while waiting to evolve.
9Sylveon Ex Can Get Rid Of Multiple Dangerous Pokémon
Sylveon Ex’s Attack Can Force Players To Shuffle Pokémon Back Into Their Deck
Sylveon ex is a good example ofhow the Tera Eeveelutions workinPrismatic Evolutions. They have an attack that requires their own type of energy, and a more powerful one with three types of energy. Although not the most powerful new Eeveelution,Sylveon ex can be a nice tool for a control deckthat is looking to slow down an opponent’s plays.
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Sylveon ex’s Magical Charm attack might be somewhat underwhelming for a three-energy attack, but it becomes a much better trade thanks to its damage reduction. Its Angelite attack can also be absolutely devastating to a player who has spent turns and resources setting up Pokémon on their bench. Alternatively, an active Pokémon could be switched to the bench with a card like Boss’s Orders, then shuffled away with Angelite. This combined with Sylveon ex’s damage reduction can help stall opponents while setting up a powerful, but slower board state.
8Espeon Ex Can Slow Down Opponents
Espeon Ex Can Devolve Opponent’s Pokémon
Espeon ex is similar to Sylveon ex in that it works well as a control card. This card can be a bit more powerful depending on the situation. For one thing, it could force an opponent to discard a very important card for their next turn with Psych Out, which could be more impactful than simply reducing the damage of the next incoming attack. Its Amethyst ability can also affect more than just two Pokémon on the opponent’s side of the field, though it won’t take care of attached cards like Sylveon ex does.
Another point in Espeon ex’s favor is its single-energy retreat cost. A Pokémon like this isn’t likely to be anyone’s finisher, but instead,a Pokémon that eats up time while working toward a heavy hitter. Having a cheap retreat cost is perfect for swapping it out as soon as needed to get the deck’s main win condition into play.
7Amarys Allows Players To Draw More Cards Than Usual
Amarys Is A Draw-Four Card With A Minor Downside
Amarys is a notable new Supporter card because of the number of cards it allows players to draw. A quick search on thePokémon TCGDatabaseshows that there are a ton of cards that allow players to draw three cards but less than half as many that allow players to draw four. Although Amarys has a built-in downside, it isn’t really that much of a drawback.
There are plenty of situations wheredrawing four cards will help players draw into the card they need, or at least a card that will search for the card that they need. So long as enough of the new cards are playable, Amarys’ downside can be avoided. Alternatively, if there isn’t enough plays in one’s hand to make a difference even after drawing four cards, Amarys probably isn’t forcing players to ditch anything too important.
6Sylveon Is An Effective Wall Against Meta Decks
Sylveon Can’t Take Damage From Pokémon Ex
Although it might not seem as powerful as its ex version,the standard version of Sylveon can actually be a more effective wall. Many decks inPokémon’s Standard format right now revolve around multiple Pokémon ex. By shutting down any damage from these commonly used Pokémon, Sylveon can throw a serious wrench into the works of a player’s deck. It can force them to attack with their weaker Pokémon, or even avoid evolving into a Pokémon ex until they have gotten Sylveon out of the way.
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Although this is not an ability that is unique to Sylveon, this card could be a good inclusion for a player looking to build around the new Eeveelutions. This is especially true since Sylveon doesn’t need to attack to be effective, so it could go into any Eevee build. It will also be in Standard longer than some older cards with similar abilities.
5Regigigas Can Counter Some Powerful Pokémon
Regigigas Deals Extra Damage To Tera Pokémon
Regigigas might not be the most exciting Pokémon in this set, but it could easily be slipped into a lot of decks. As a basic Pokémon that doesn’t need any specific type of energy, Regigigas doesn’t throw off a deck’s composition too much. Its ability is alsoa very effective counter to one of the more powerful types of Pokémonin recent sets.
Although not every viable deck inPokémon’s Standard rotation is using Tera Pokémon, many of them do. This makes Regigigas a decent counter for several powerful decks, and its attack is strong enough to take out some serious heavy hitters like Charizard ex fromObsidian Flames.IfPokémonallowed players to run a sideboard, this would easily be one of the best cards in the set. However, the chance that players slot this into their deck and don’t end up facing a Tera Pokémon does make it a little less optimal.
4Leafeon Ex Can Do Massive Damage For Little Energy
Lefeon Ex’s Attack Scales Based On Opponent’s Energy Use
Thanks to its Leaf Typhoon attack,Leafeon ex has the potential to do a lot of damage for a small amount of energy. Later in the game, this attack could even rival some of the most powerful inPokémon, and help take out a major late-game threat. Thanks to Leafeon ex’s Tera ability which allows it to avoid any damage while benched, it can be a nice weapon to have in waiting either to strike or as a deterrent for an opponent to stack too much energy on their Pokémon.
Leafeon ex’s Moss Agate attack can also be pretty effective. Not only does it hit relatively hard, but it can also be a huge positive swing for players who have a lot of injured Pokémon on the bench. Again, Lefeon ex could be swapped in when its healing is needed, then safely sit on the bench when it’s not.
3Jolteon Ex Can Unleash A Powerful Attack Early
Jolteon Ex Has The Option To Enhance Its Attack By Dumping Energy
Jolteon ex’s Flash Spear attack might not be able to reach the same upper limits as Leafeon ex’s Leaf Typhoon, but it is a lot more consistent. Any time this attack is used,players can choose to have it do up to 240 damage for only two energy, which is a pretty solid one-off attack. Though this will set Jolteon back a little bit, there are plenty of situations where this is worth it to take out an opponent’s Pokémon.
The ex versions of all three Eeveelutionsfrom the Kanto RegioninPrismatic Evolutionsalso share an energy requirement for their second attack. This means that Jolteon ex can be played alongside either Flareon ex or Vaporeon ex. Even though Jolteon ex is not the most powerful of the three, it can help fill slots in a deck built around the best Eeveelution from this set.
2Flareon Ex Gets Around The Eeveelution Energy Problem
Flareon Ex Can Search Energy And Attach It To A Pokémon
Flareon ex stands out as the best Eeveelution in this set by getting around the inherent downside that most have. Collecting three different types of energy can be a tough requirement to meet, and the Eeveelutions’ attacks can be a little underwhelming considering the effort needed to get them off. However, Flareon ex’s Burning Charge attack fixes this issue by allowing Flareon to give itself the energy required to do its more powerful Carnelian attack.
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Flareon ex also works well in tandem with any of the other Kanto Region Eeveelutions from this set. Because players can use the same three types of energy, Flareon ex could easily fuel another Flareon ex on the bench or a Jolteon ex. Alternatively, players can justuse Flareon ex’s first attack to stack energy on any powerful Pokémon, speeding up its ability to do its best attacks.
1Budew Stops Players From Using Items
Items Are Essential For Cutting Down On Variance In Pokémon
Perhaps the best card inPrismatic Evolutionsis not one of the set’s many Eeveelutions, but instead a humble Budew. Although this card may seem weak at first glance, its ability can actually be very powerful. By shutting down an opponent’s ability to play Item cards, Budew forces the opponent to play with the cards they have in their hand. This makes it much less likely that opponents will be able to get early evolutions for their Pokémon or search for important basic Pokémon that weren’t in their opening hands.
Because Budew’s attack doesn’t require any energy, it can be easily slotted into anyPokémon TCGdeck. This card could very easily become a staple of any deck that wants to slow down the pace of a game and counter popular cards like Ultra Ball or Rare Candy that players use to account for variance. Best of all, Budew will likely be one of the easier Pokémon in the set to find.
