One of the new cards coming in Pokemon TCG Pocket’s Mythical Island expansion is another Pikachu, but it’s not worth pulling, as its main attack is far too situational for the current meta.
The current Pokemon Pocket competitive scene has a few powerful decks, including Pikachu ex. When put in the Active spot, Pikachu ex’s Circle Circuit attack deals 30 damage times the number of Lightning Pokemon on the Bench, for a maximum of 90 for a full team.
A new Pikachu with a similar power is coming in the Mythical Island boosters, as revealed by a leak posted on the PTCGP Reddit. Unfortunately, this Pikachu is a letdown, as it only deals 10 damage per Lightning Pokemon on the bench, while having a paltry 60 HP.
Mythical Island Pikachu is way too situational for Pokemon Pocket
The issue with the new Pikachu is that it requires a full Bench to deal 30 points of damage, which is only 10 more than the current non-ex Pikachu in Genetic Apex, as well as Blitzle and Magnamite, which all deal 20 damage with their attacks.
This means that if the new Pikachu is drawn in an opening hand with no other Basic Pokemon, then it cannot deal damage. It also needs a nearly full Bench to accomplish what the regular Pikachu, Magnamite, and Blitzle can do on their own.
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It makes more sense to just pack some Giovanni Supporter cards instead, as these grant a +10 damage bonus for any Pokemon attack in a single turn.
The new Pikachu was close to greatness, as giving it a basic damage rate of 10 before the multiplier would have made it worth the risk. As it stands, the Pikachu EX decks are already loaded with decent Lightning Pokemon that don’t have the risk of being underpowered thanks to a weak opening hand.
Frankly, there are far better cards to chase in Mythical Island than a Pikachu so reliant on a packed Bench.