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Discover the mechanics and strategies to hinder any deck in Pokémon in these 5 best cards to Counter Any Deck in Pokemon TCG.
In this Pokemon TCG: The 5 Best Cards to Counter Any Deck article, we’ll explore five of the most effective cards in Pokémon TCG that can disrupt your opponent’s plans, regardless of their deck. These cards offer a variety of disruption methods, from hand manipulation to ability negation and more. We hope to provide you with the tools to counter any deck and gain a strategic advantage.
What Are The 5 Best Cards to Counter Any Deck in Pokemon TCG
These 5 best counter cards, Path to Peak, Mimikyu, Judge, Grabber, and Mr. Mime are designed to thwart incoming damage, nullify crucial abilities, or disrupt the opposition’s hand. Below are the 5 best cards in counter any deck in Pokemon TCG:
These five cards, each with unique disruptive capabilities, can be invaluable assets in your Pokémon TCG deck, enabling you to counter any strategy and emerge victorious.
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5 Mr. Mime
Mr. Mime features in Pokemon TCG:
- Basic Pokémon
- Type: Psychic
- HP: 90
- Mimic Barrier (ability): If this Pokémon and your opponent’s Active Pokémon have the same amount of Energy attached, prevent all damage done to this Pokémon by attacks from your opponent’s Pokémon.
- Psypower (attack): Put 3 damage counters on your opponent’s Pokémon in any way you like.
- Weakness: Darkness x2
- Resistance: Fighting -30
- Retreat Cost: 1 Colorless Energy
- Set: 151 – 122/165 Rare
Introduced in the 151 series, Mr. Mime is a Basic Pokémon with a powerful Ability that can counter big damage dealers like Charizard Ex and Roaring Moon Ex. Its Mimic Barrier Ability prevents all damage to Mr. Mime if you have the same amount of energy attached to your Pokémon. This Ability is not limited to V, VSTAR, Ex, Rule Boxes, etc.
Mr. Mime is straightforward to find and use, making it a valuable counter to high-damage Pokémon. However, its drawback is its weak offensive potential, with only a 3-damage counterattack. This means that you will likely only use Mr. Mime in the Active Spot until your Bench Pokémon is powered up.
Overall, Mr. Mime is one of the best counters in TCG if you are playing against opposing high-damage, low-energy Pokémon.
4 Grabber
Grabber features in Pokemon TCG:
- Trainer: Item
- Usage: Your opponent reveals their hand, and you put a Pokémon you find there on the bottom of their deck.
- Set: 151 – 162/165 Uncommon
If you are aware that your opponent has a powerful Pokémon in their hand but are unable to evolve it, consider using Grabber. Introduced in the Pokémon 151 set, this Item Trainer allows you to not only reveal your opponent’s hand but also place a Pokémon at the bottom of their deck. This card is an excellent tool for delaying decks that rely on Stage 2 Pokémon such as Charizard EX, Bexcaliber, and others.
Another advantage of this card is that it is an Item, allowing it to be used in conjunction with a Supporter. Furthermore, you gain insight into your opponent’s hand, revealing their strategy and potentially their next move. However, a drawback of this card is that it shuffles the Pokémon into the deck rather than discarding it. Many decks can utilize Supporters or Nest Ball Item cards to swiftly retrieve the Pokémon. Nevertheless, it can disrupt and counter the opponent’s strategy, granting you an advantage, particularly by revealing their hand.
3 Judge
Judge features in Pokemon TCG:
- Trainer: Supporter
- Usage: Each player shuffles their hand into their deck and draws 4 cards.
- Set: Fusion Strike – 235/264 Uncommon
When it comes to hand disruption, Judge Supporter Trainer reigns supreme. By forcing both players to shuffle their hands and draw four cards, Judge Supporter effectively disrupts the opponent’s strategy while providing you with the opportunity to replenish your hand. Judge Supporter is best used when your opponent has a hand of more than four cards or when your hand is running low.
This card is particularly useful when an opponent utilizes Ultra Ball to locate a powerful card but is unable to evolve it. In such a scenario, forcing a shuffle with Judge Supporter nullifies the effect of Ultra Ball, potentially delaying the entry of their powerful Pokémon onto the bench. However, Judge Supporter can be detrimental if your hand exceeds four cards, and you require a specific card to counter the opponent’s strategy. Use this card sparingly, opting for it when you suspect the opponent is holding onto a powerful card or when you need to draw up to four cards.
2 Mimikyu
Mimikyu features in Pokemon TCG:
- Basic Pokémon
- Type: Psychic
- HP: 70
- Safeguard (ability): Prevent all damage done to this Pokémon by attacks from your opponent’s Pokémon ex and Pokémon V.
- Ghost Eye (attack): Put 7 damage counters on your opponent’s Active Pokémon.
- Weakness: Metal x2
- Resistance: none
- Retreat Cost: 1 Colorless Energy
- Set: Paldea Evolved – 97/193 Rare
If you’re seeking a single card to neutralize incoming damage from Meta decks, Mimikyu is your answer. Introduced in Paldea Evolved, this Basic Pokémon possesses the powerful Safeguard ability. Safeguard renders it impervious to damage inflicted by attacks from your opponent’s Pokémon ex and Pokémon V. Considering the meta’s heavy favoritism towards ex Pokémon and V’s, there are very few viable workarounds. One workaround is Boss’s Orders, but most players will find this card hard to counter.
Mimikyu’s offensive potential further enhances its value. Unlike Mr. Mime, Mimikyu possesses Ghost Eye, which enables it to place 7 damage counters on your opponent’s Active Pokémon. Witnessing your Charizard ex dwindle to a mere 70 HP against a lowly Mimikyu is a disheartening sight indeed. This quality makes Mimikyu a formidable opponent and a must-have in any deck.
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1 Path to the Peak
Path to the Peak features in Pokemon TCG:
- Trainer: Stadium
- Usage: Pokémon with a Rule Box in play (both yours and your opponent’s) have no Abilities. (Pokémon V, Pokémon-GX, etc. have Rule Boxes.)
- Set: Chilling Reign – 148/198 Uncommon
The most powerful card to counter any deck in Pokémon TCG is none other than Path to the Peak. This Stadium Trainer nullifies the abilities of Pokémon with a rule box, like Ex, Gx, V, and Radiant. However, the key to utilizing this card effectively lies in ensuring your deck doesn’t rely heavily on abilities.
Strategic timing is essential when deploying Path to the Peak. Ideally, you’ll want to play it when your opponent’s bench is teeming with ability-laden Pokémon. This effectively halts their strategy and puts you at an advantage.
The ideal scenario involves not only playing this Stadium card but being able to remove it on demand. This way, Path to the Peak serves as a temporary countermeasure to hinder your opponent’s progress.
Consider the Roaring Moon Ex deck as an example. After the initial few turns, the abilities of your bench Pokémon gradually diminish in importance. Once you’ve powered up one or more Roaring Moon Ex with Darkness Energy, you can transition into a damage-dealing mode. This presents the perfect opportunity to lay down Path to the Peak, effectively stifling your opponent’s catch-up tactics, such as drawing additional cards, accelerating energy acquisition, or retrieving discarded cards.
While mastering Path to the Peak may require some practice, its ability to counter decks across the Pokémon TCG spectrum makes it an invaluable addition to any strategist’s arsenal.
Additional Counter Cards in Pokemon TCG
While the Pokémon TCG offers a vast array of cards, strategies, and decks, there are additional cards that can prove invaluable in your battles. Here’s a list of honorable mention counter cards that can enhance your deck and combat various strategies.
Item Trainers
Canceling Cologne: In a pinch, Canceling Cologne acts as a temporary Path to the Peak, serving as a counter to ability-heavy Pokémon. This Item Trainer deftly negates Pokémon abilities until the end of your turn, disrupting your opponent’s strategy and giving you a tactical advantage.
Crushing Hammer: When you need to eliminate a single energy from your opponent’s Pokémon, Crushing Hammer comes to the rescue. This Item Trainer requires a successful coin flip to discard one energy of your choice from your opponent’s Pokémon, effectively weakening their attacks and opening up opportunities for you to gain control of the battle.
Supporter Trainers
Avery: When facing decks that rely on bench Pokémon for damage or utilize multiple bench Pokémon abilities, Avery emerges as a formidable countermeasure. This Supporter Trainer allows you to draw three cards and, if any cards were drawn in this manner, forces your opponent to discard Pokémon from their Bench until they only have three remaining.
Boss’s Orders: When you have a powerful Pokémon with a high prize card value target on the bench, unleash the power of Boss’s Orders. This Supporter Trainer allows you to forcefully switch your opponent’s bench Pokémon into the active spot, making them vulnerable to your attacks.
Giovanni’s Charisma: Unleash the disruptive power of Giovanni’s Charisma, a Supporter Trainer that not only disrupts enemy Pokémon but also fuels your own attacks. This card lets you detach an Energy attached to your opponent’s Active Pokémon and place it into their hand. As a bonus, you can attach an Energy card from your hand to your Active Pokémon, powering up your attacks and gaining a significant advantage.
Iono: If you seek further hand disruption, Iono is the Supporter Trainer for you. This card forces both players to shuffle their hands into the bottom of their decks, effectively resetting the playing field. Additionally, if either player placed any cards on the bottom of their deck in this way, each player draws a card for each of their remaining Prize cards, ensuring that both players have a chance to recover from the disruption.
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