Perhaps it was to be expected that when Pokemon added the literal god of the Pokeverse, Arceus, to TCG Pocket, regular, lowly 'mons might struggle to compete. As it happens, yeah, that's sort of true, but we have two lone heroes here to save us from a total PvP takeover – a fake smiley tree and a big dinosaur.
At the time of writing, thanks to the release of the newest expansion, Triumphant Light, one of Pokemon TCG Pocket's best decks stars Pokegod Arceus and its draconic, ruler of time offspring Dialga. Dialga's Metallic Turbo move allows you to attach two Metal-type Energies to Arceus on top of any other Energy you might have given it that turn, allowing it to quickly deploy its Ultimate Force move. With 70 base power and the ability to go to 130 with three benched Pokemon, it's basically like a stronger Pikachu ex that dominated the meta back at the game's launch.
Thankfully though, Sudowoodo is here to save the day. While the sturdy, water-hating fella often looks like he doesn't have a single thought behind those eyes, he's packing a low-Energy move that can two-hit-KO the biggest threat in the game. Fighting Headbutt requires just one Fighting-type energy to use, and while it usually only does 20 damage, it does an extra 30 damage to any ex cards like Arceus.
On top of that, since Arceus is weak to Fighting-type attacks, it actually takes 70 damage from a single hit, dealing a clean half of its 140 health. That's nothing to be sniffed at, and the whole thing is incredibly easy to set up since Sudowoodo is a basic Pokemon (as in, doesn't need to evolve), and will be ready to start throwing hands (or heads, I suppose) in a single turn.
As Game8 explains, Sudowoodo works really well in a deck with the Space-Time Smackdown card Rampardos. The Fighting-type dino can be powered up with the Lucario card from the same expansion (thanks to its Fighting Coach ability), allowing the fossil 'mon to deal a maximum of 170 damage in a single Head Smash attack – another move that requires only one Energy to use. The drawback is that dealing a KO with this will make you take 50 damage yourself, but in the face of wiping out an Arceus or Dialga in one strike, it's a small price to pay. Kinda funny how both Rampardos and Sudowoodo deal with these deity-shaped problems by slamming their heads into them.
The Pokemon TCG Pocket meta is constantly evolving with each new expansion, but for now, I'm a huge fan of the fact that it's Sudowoodo's time to shine. Arceus and Dialga could do with equipping a Squirt Bottle.
While you're here, be sure to check out our guide to Pokemon TCG Pocket trading.
