Oh wow, where do I even begin with this whole Pokémon TCG Pocket thing? It’s been like, what, just about two weeks and a bit since the Eevee Grove set hit the shelves, and suddenly everyone’s buzzing about saving Hourglasses—because, who knows, some other expansion’s gonna roll out by the end of July. And, uh, honestly, nobody really knows what it’s gonna bring. You hear whispers about Gen 2 or 3 characters or whatever. Yeah, those fellas have been kinda missing, haven’t they?
Anyway—not sure why I’m rambling—but the game desperately needs some solid Fighting cards. Ever since, oh, I don’t know, Triumphant Light, the type’s been feeling a little neglected.
Not that you can’t find a decent Fighting deck here and there, but they’re just… kinda stuck, you know? I mean, there are just two. That’s right—two decks that people actually bother using in competitions, and they’re leaning on cards from Space-Time Smackdown or Triumphant Light. It’s like those were the last times anyone had a bright idea. Come on!
Lucario Ex from Shining Revelry had a moment, not a long one but a moment. Since then? Just Passimian Ex and Lycanroc Ex. Yawn. So right now, if you’re in the game, you’re probably banking on Rampardos or Garchomp Ex. Those are your go-tos.
Rampardos? That beast has been quite the talk since Space-Time Smackdown—January 2025, I think? Time flies. Basically, it’s like your best bet for a Fighting type, rocking 150 HP without even being an Ex card. And the smash? A sweet 130 damage for just one Fighting Energy. Sure, you get a little backlash with that 50 recoil damage if you knock something out, but what’s life without a little drama, eh?
This card just nails what Fighting Pokémon are all about: quick and fierce. It’s a Stage 2 card, which sounds like a drag because you need the Skull Fossil, of all things. But, like, thanks to Rare Candy in Celestial Guardians, you can have Rampardos doing its thing by turn two. That’s bonkers, right? Silvally pairs up with it nicely—it’s like peanut butter and jelly, or something from Extradimensional Crisis, but you get my point.
The catch? Well, the deck’s kinda half-Fighting, ’cause Silvally’s a Normal-type, but it works!
Moving on. Opening boosters from Space-Time Smackdown just to snag Rampardos and friends? Worth it. But let’s be real, if Pokémon TCG Pocket wants to keep Fighting interesting, they need another Rampardos-level card in the upcoming set. Fingers crossed, folks.
Jumping over to the second-best Fighting deck? Yeah, it’s still hanging onto good ol’ Rampardos, but let’s give Garchomp Ex its moment. Oldie from Triumphant Light, but still kicking. It’s got, like, 170 HP, which isn’t anything to scoff at for a Stage 2 Ex Pokémon. Two attacks here:
1. Linear Attack, for 1 Fighting Energy: It throws 50 damage at any opposing Pokémon—bench and all.
2. Dragon Claw, for 2 Fighting and 1 Colorless: A nice round 100 damage.
Together with Rampardos? It’s a combo that’s just, well, powerful. Healing comes in with Lillie, and with Cyrus, you can sneakily KO benched Pokémon by yanking them into the spotlight. Gutsy, right?
So that’s that—I mean, who knew cardboard could be so thrilling?
