Mega Evolutions Are Coming To Pokémon TCG Pocket - How Will They Work?

Pokémon TCG Pocket just announced in a trailer that Mega Evolution Pokémon cards will soon be coming to the game. They haven’t given an exact release date for it yet, but they did mention that it’ll be coming this fall, along with a whole new season for Pokémon TCG Pocket. This, in all likelihood, is meant to coincide with the new Mega Evolution series for the physical TCG coming this September.

The trailer only featured three Mega Evolution Pokémon cards: Mega Altaria, Mega Blaziken, and Mega Gyarados. So, it’s unclear if it’s only those three arriving as a first phase of Mega Evolution cards, or if more cards will join them in the update.

Regardless, it’s pretty exciting to finally get Blaziken and Altaria’s entire evolution lines in Pokémon TCG Pocket. Here’s to hoping the other missing Pokémon are coming soon.

How Do Mega Evolutions Work In Pokémon TCG Pocket?

The biggest difference you’ll notice between Mega Evolution Pokémon and other Pokémon is the fact that defeating a Mega Evolution Pokémon wins you three points. You can clearly see their point value on the cards on the trailer. It’s higher than regular Pokémon, which only gives you one point, or other EX Pokémon, which give you two. So if you defeat an opponent’s Mega Evolution Pokémon, you win, full stop. That alone is pretty massive, and makes Mega Evolution Pokémon incredibly high-risk, high-reward cards.

Something else you might have noticed is that their HPs are all massive. Currently, the Pokémon with the highest natural HP in Pokémon TCG Pocket is Venosaur EX with 190 HP. But the trailer shows Mega Blaziken and Mega Gyarados with a whopping 210 HP, making them incredibly tanky picks for your deck.

Not all the details about their rulings are out though. Presumably, they’ll be copying the rulings of the new Mega Evolution EX cards in the physical TCG’s new Mega Evolution series. If that’s the case, then you can use these new Mega Evolution Pokémon by playing them on top of their pre-evolution cards. It’s not like with the M Pokémon EX card from the days of XY, where you can only evolve them using other EX cards. So, sadly, we’re not likely to get a Magikarp EX anytime soon.

How and When Should You Use Mega Evolution Pokémon?

There are ways to leverage the fact that Mega Evolution Pokémon are worth three points. The first is to never play them first. Or if you do, only do so if you’re almost 100% sure the opponent has no way to quickly knock it out. Although that, of course, is a real tough call to make. If you use regular or other EX cards first, you can soften up the enemy first without the risk of immediately losing.

Another thing to consider is to really limit the amount of Mega Evolution cards in your deck. They’re Evolution Pokémon, so they’re essentially bricks in the first turn. Plus, you can only lose one of them, so having more than one in play is approaching diminishing returns. In conclusion, you’re probably better off having only one or two Mega Evolution cards in your deck.