Is Mega Evolution Unbalanced in Pokemon TCG Pocket?

With the reveal of Mega Evolution being added to Pokemon TCG Pocket, many fans have been wondering whether it will be an unbalanced mechanic.

The new Megas (Image via The Pokemon Company)

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Pokemon TCG Pocket recently confirmed Mega Evolutions for the digital trading card game. Naturally, this caused a lot of excitement among the community. There is further buzz, as the timing of this announcement comes two months before the launch of the Pokemon Legends Z-A title.

That game will also reintroduce the Mega Evolution mechanic to the Pokemon games. Although this mechanic is generating a lot of positive buzz, you might be aware of an imbalance that could be created in the meta, with certain cards becoming too strong. Therefore, it is important to analyze these cards and see whether they could upset the balance in TCG Pocket.

Mega Evolution Mechanic Overview in Pokemon TCG Pocket

Mega Evolution does not work as it does in the mainline Pokemon games. For instance, Mega Gyarados normally evolves from Gyarados. However, in TCG Pocket, Gyarados gets skipped entirely. Instead, Mega Gyarados evolves straight from Magikarp and is treated as a Stage 1 Pokemon.

This will naturally change deck-building strategies, as players will be able to run two copies of both Gyarados and Mega Gyarados in the same deck. However, at the same time, there are some disadvantages to be aware of as well.

If your Mega Evolved Pokemon is knocked out, the opponent will receive three points and win the game immediately. This is one of the main features meant to balance out the strength of these powerful cards.

Is Mega Evolution an Unbalanced Mechanic in Pokemon TCG Pocket?

MEGA news just landed on my plate. Figured I'd share with all of you! 💁 🍽️ pic.twitter.com/kTzGDcz8I4
— Pokémon TCG Pocket (@PokemonTCGP) August 18, 2025

For the moment, we have only seen three Mega Evolution Pokemon. These are:

Mega Altaria ex
Mega Gyarados ex
Mega Blaziken ex

There are some key points that highlight the strengths and weaknesses of these cards. Firstly, note that all three cards are ex cards. Therefore, they are defenseless against cards like Oricorio.

Moreover, you can use new cards like Mantyke (revealed in the trailer for Secluded Springs), to quickly get energy on your Magikarp, and set up Gyarados ex faster.

The three-point disadvantage can also be mitigated to an extent by sending the Mega card as your last battler. If you are already two points down, then it doesn’t matter if your last Pokemon is an ex, Mega, or a normal card.

Verdict

In the end, the overall strength of these cards will be determined by the strength of their surrounding cards. If they receive a strong arsenal of support cards, then they could become even stronger. However, if several “anti-Mega” cards are introduced, then the scales could balance out.

Moreover, there are many factors we still do not know regarding Mega Evolution and how it works. Namely, this revolves around Rare Candy and its interaction with Mega cards. Mega Blaziken was mentioned as a Stage 2 card. Therefore, theoretically, Rare Candy should work on it.

It will be interesting to see how these cards interact with existing and new cards. For now, Mega Pokemon do not seem too unbalanced (at least the ones we’ve seen so far). This is mainly due to Oricorio, which counters all the cards revealed so far.

We will have to wait until Mega Evolution is fully released in Pokemon TCG Pocket to see if it is truly unbalanced or not.

Thank you for reading this guide. We provide the latest news and create guides for Pokemon TCG Pocket. Also, watch Deltia play games on Twitch or visit the YouTube channel!