In effort to streamline my Card of the Days, I have written a some articles that cover many of the regularly repeated details I cram into those reviews. This is similar to how I decided to formalize the way I refer to different amounts of damage that an attack can do.
This article is specific to the post-Extradimensional Crisis (A3a) cardpool. I hope to post an updated article with each set released. Promos – or other non-standard releases – that aren’t revealed alongside the newest expansion won’t be addressed until the next set. Unless, of course, such a card proves sufficiently competitive that it needs to be addressed.
Up first, I decided to run through the different Pokémon Types. For the very new to the Pokémon TCG Pocket, I’ve listed the shorthand for the Types after their name. I will list how many cards there are in total for each Type, ignoring cards that are released multiple times but with different art and collector numbers.
E.G. The original Charizard ex (A1 036, 253, 280, 284) has four different iterations, but would only count as one Fire Pokémon. The other Charizard ex (A2b 010, 080, 108) has three iterations, but it too only counts as one.
Next, I’ll breakdown how many cards of that Type have a particular Weakness. After that, I’ll write it out as a sentence, because some of us are bad at reading raw numbers. I’ll also mention what Types are Weak to the Type being discussed. The exact numbers won’t be listed, as they’ll be listed as part of the Weakness breakdown of that Type.
Lastly, I’ll list any Type-specific support for the Pokémon and/or Energy of that Type, as well as any counters specific to that Pokémon Type. By counter, I mean the card has an effect that specifically punishes your opponent for running Pokémon of a certain Type or Types.
In all these cases, I am not going to explain how competitive (or not competitive) the cards are. While some cards have been good (or not good) for quite some time, card efficacy can vary quite a bit during the month between releases. This is also why the article is listing total cards, and not total competitive cards, for a given Type.
Colorless (C)
104 Total
070 (F) Weak
034 (L) Weak
Nothing in the Pokémon TCG Pocket is Weak to Colorless Pokémon, similar to Dragon Pokémon. Unlike Dragon Pokémon, all Colorless Pokémon have a Weakness. They’re mostly (F) Weak, with many (L) Weak.
The only support for (C) Pokémon is Ilima (A3 149, 191). This Supporter lets you bounce an injured (C) Pokémon from your side of the field to your hand. There are no (C) Pokémon that require a specific Energy Type. This makes them both highly splashable and more easily able to work together.
There is one example of (C) Energy support, as Delcatty (A3 130) has an attack for (C) that attaches a (C) Energy, from your Energy Zone, to one of your Benched Pokémon. Unlike with other Types, this isn’t really a good thing. (C) Energy requirements can be filled with Energy of any Type, but actual (C) Energy can only be used to meet (C) Energy requirements.
Darkness (D)
070 Total
047 (F) Weak
021 (G) Weak
002 (L) Weak
Most (P) Pokémon are (D) Weak. Darkness Pokémon are primarily (F) Weak, with many that are (G) Weak, and just two that are (L) Weak.
There are no true examples of (D) Pokémon support. There is one anti-(D) Pokémon card: Hawlucha (A3 132) is a Basic Pokémon with an attack for (C) Energy that does 50 damage to your opponent’s Active (D) Pokémon.
Darkrai ex (A2 110, 187, 202, 042; P-A 042) is the closest thing they have. It is a Basic, (D) Pokémon with the “Nightmare Aura” Ability. Nightmare Aura triggers when you attach a (D) Energy from your Energy Zone to this Darkrai ex; the Ability then does 20 damage to your opponent’s Active Pokémon.
Dragon (N)
013 Total
Nothing is Weak to the Dragon-Type, but no (N) Pokémon have Weaknesses, either. There’s neither Dragon-specific support nor counters.
There is no such thing as [N] Energy. The main shtick of the Dragon-Type is that most (N) Pokémon require two different Energy to attack, or to use the card’s big attack. This is one of the least released Types in the TCG.
Fighting (F)
099 Total
058 (G) Weak
001 (L) Weak
040 (P) Weak
Almost all (L) Pokémon, the majority of (C) Pokémon, and the majority of (D) Pokémon are (F) Weak. Most (F) Pokémon are (G) Weak, though (P) Weakness is almost as common. Aerodactyl ex (A1a 046, 078, 084; A3a 101) (F) Type is the one (L) Weak Fighting Type.
The only (F) Pokémon support is Lucario (A2 092, 170), a Stage 1 (F) Pokémon. It’s Ability increases the damage the attacks of your (F) Pokémon do to your opponent’s Active by 20 (40 if you have two of this Lucario in play).
There’s one piece of (F) Energy support: Passimian ex (A3 104, 187, 205). It is a basic (F) Pokémon. It’s Ability lets you take all (F) Energy attached to itself, when it is KO’d, and move it to one of your Benched Pokémon.
There are two anti-(F) cards in Pocket. Snover (A2 044) is a (W) Type, Basic Pokémon. It has an attack for (W) that does 40 damage to (F) Types. Staraptor (P-A 047) is a (C) Type, Stage 2 Pokémon. It’s Ability reduces the damage it takes from attacks by (F) Pokémon by 30.
Fire (R)
58 Total
54 (W) Weak
4 (L) Weak
The Fire Type is almost universally (W) Weak, with a few (L) Weak exceptions. Similarly, nearly all (G) and (M) Pokémon are (R) Weak.
The only piece of Fire Pokémon and Energy support is Moltres ex (A1 047, 255, 0274; P-A 025), a (R) Type Basic Pokémon. For (R), it’s first attack let’s you flip three coins; for each “heads”, you may select one of your Benched (R) Pokémon, and attach an (R) Energy from your Energy Zone.
There are two cards with anti-(R) effects: Piloswine (A2 032) and Mamoswine (A2 033, 160). They are the Stage 1 and Stage 2 (W) Pokémon of the same Evolution line. Both have an Ability that reduce the amount of damage (R) Pokémon – and (W) Pokémon – do to them, by 20 and 30, respectively.
Grass (G)
113 Total
110 (R) Weak
3 (L) Weak
The Grass-Type is almost universally (R) Weak, with a few (L) Weak exceptions. Many (D) Pokémon and the majority of (F) Pokémon are (G) Weak.
There are several cards that function as (G) Pokémon and/or Energy support: Caterpie (A 005), Erika (A1 219, 266), Leaf Cape (A3 147), Leafeon ex (A2a 010, 082, 091), Lilligant (A1 030), Serperior (A1a 006, 070), Sprigatito (A2b 005; P-A 052).
Caterpie and Sprigatito are Basic, (G) Pokémon that each have an attack for one Energy that does no damage, but adds a random (G) Pokémon from your deck into your hand. Erika is a Supporter that heals 50 damage from one of your injured (G) Pokémon. Leaf Cape is a Tool that gives (G) Pokémon +30 HP while equipped.
Leafeon ex is a (G) Type Stage 1 with an Ability that, while it is your Active, lets you attach one (G) Energy, from your Energy Zone, to one of your (G) Pokémon. Lilligant is a (G) Type Stage 1 with an attack that, for (G)(G), does 50 damage while attaching a (G) Energy from your Energy Zone, to one of your Benched (G) Pokémon. Serperior is a Stage 2 (G) Pokémon with an Ability that, while it is in play, causes (G) Energy attached to (G) Pokémon to provide (G)(G).
Lightning (L)
069 Total
066 (F) Weak
003 (L) Weak
The Lightning-Type is almost universally (F) Weak, with a few (L) Weak exceptions. Most (W) Pokémon and many (C) Pokémon are (L) Weak. Every other Type except Dragon has a fringe minority (one to four instances) of (L) Weak Pokémon.
Electrical Cord (A3a 065) and Pachirisu (A2b 025, 103; P-A 058) are (L) Pokémon/Energy support. Electrical Cord is a Tool that, if it is attached to a (L) Pokémon, and that Pokémon is KO’d, you can select two (L) Energy that were attached to that Pokémon, then attach one of them to two of your Benched Pokémon. Pachirisu is a (L) Type Basic Pokémon that, for (L), can attack to do 10 damage and attach an (L) Energy, from your Energy Zone, to one of your Benched Pokémon.
Metal (M)
045 Total
044 (R) Weak
001 (L) Weak
All Metal Pokémon except Skarmory (A2 111; P-A 039) are (R) Weak. Only some (P) and (W) Pokémon are (M) Weak.
The only (M) Pokémon support is Adaman (A2a 075, 090), a Supporter. Until the end of your opponent’s next turn, all your (M) Pokémon take 20 less damage from attacks made by your opponent’s Pokémon. Mawile (A2a 056) has an anti-(M) effect in its attack, letting the attack do 50 damage when used against an opposing (M) Pokémon, for one Energy.
Dialga ex (A2 119, 188, 205, 207) is a (M) Type, Basic Pokémon with an attack for (M)(M) that does 30 damage, while letting you attach two (M) Energy, from your Energy Zone, to one of your Benched Pokémon. This makes it our only example of (M) Energy support.
Psychic (P)
096 Total
074 (D) Weak
020 (M) Weak
002 (L) Weak
The vast majority of (P) Pokémon are (D) Weak, with some be (M) Weak and just two being (L) Weak. Many – but not the majority – of (F) Pokémon are (P) Weak.
Mythical Slab (A1a 065) is (P) Pokémon support. It is an Item that has you look at the top card of your deck. If it is a (P) Pokémon, it is added to your hand; otherwise, the card goes to the bottom of your deck.
Comfey (A3 080, 168) is (P) Energy support… I think? This (P) Type Basic Pokémon has an Ability that both prevents and cures Special Conditions for any and all of your Pokémon with (P) Energy attached.
Gardevoir (A1 132) and Lunala ex (A3 087, 186, 204, 238) are (P) Pokémon and Energy support. Both are (P) Type Stage 2 Pokémon with Abilities. Gardevoir’s lets you attach a (P) Energy, from your Energy Zone, to your Active (P) Type Pokémon. Lunala ex’s Ability let’s you select one of your Benched (P) Pokémon, then move all (P) Energy attached to it to your Active Pokémon.
Water (W)
112 Total
092 (L) Weak
020 (M) Weak
The vast majority of the (W) Type is (L) Weak, but some are (M) Weak. Almost all (R) Pokémon are (W) Weak.
There are many cards that act as (W) Pokémon and/or Energy support: Fishing Net (A3 143), Irida (A2a 072, 087), Manaphy (A2 050, 162; P-A 048), Misty (A1 220, 267), Primarina (A3 048), and Vaporeon (A1a 019, 072). There are also two cards with anti-(W) effect: Piloswine (A2 032) and Mamoswine (A2 033, 160).
Fishing Net is support for Basic (W) Pokémon, as this Item adds a random Basic (W) Pokémon from your discard pile to your hand. Primarina is a (W) Type, Stage 2 Pokémon. It’s Ability heals 30 damage from all your (W) Pokémon with any damage on them.
Misty and Vaporeon have effects that pertain to (W) Pokémon and (W) Energy. Misty is a Supporter that has you select one of your (W) Pokémon. Then you flip a coin until you get “tails”, attaching a (W) Energy for each “heads” you flip. Vaporeon is a (W) Type Stage 1 Pokémon. Its Ability lets you select a (W) Energy, attached to one of your Benched (W) Pokémon, and move it to your Active (W) Pokémon, as often as you like during your turn.
Irida and Manaphy have effects based around (W) Energy, but that work for Pokémon of any Type. Irida heals 40 damage from all of your damaged Pokémon that have at least one (W) Energy attached to them. Manaphy is a (W) Type Basic Pokémon, with a single Energy attack that does no damage, but attaches a (W) Energy to two of your Benched Pokémon.
There are two cards with anti-(W) effects: Piloswine (A2 032) and Mamoswine (A2 033, 160). They are the Stage 1 and Stage 2 (W) Pokémon of the same Evolution line. Both have an Ability that reduce the amount of damage (W) Pokémon – and (R) Pokémon – do to them, by 20 and 30, respectively.
