Pokémon TCG Pocket: the Giratina and Darkrai deck dominates the competitive scene

With the arrival of the Brilliant Festival expansion, Giratina establishes itself as the key piece in the competitive scene of Pokémon TCG Pocket. Its versatility and power make it one of the most sought-after cards both in the game and in collecting. However, the true secret of its success lies in its synergy with other Pokémon, especially Darkrai, forming a devastating deck.

"Darkrai and Giratina is the most powerful combo since the arrival of the shiny ones," highlight members of the TCG community.

The most effective strategy revolves around a deck of dark energies.  Giratina, which generates psychic energies by itself, allows the focus to be on empowering Darkrai, feeding it with one energy per turn to maintain constant damage. It is common for Darkrai to be the active Pokémon while Giratina remains on the bench, although this formation is flexible depending on the game situation.

Deck keys: speed, pressure, and adaptability

The base combo between Darkrai and Giratina is enhanced with support cards like Potion, Joy, and Leaf, which facilitate healing and repositioning without resource loss. The use of the Rocky Helmet on the main Pokémon allows for additional initial damage, quickly opening the game.

In a more defensive and complete version of the deck,  Druddigon and Shaymin join as supports. Druddigon offers combat resistance, while Shaymin acts as a healer from the bench, creating a perfect balance between attack and recovery.

"It's the hardest deck to stop due to the diversity of attacks and the ease of returning hits," note experts in the current meta.

Mewtwo bursts into the competitive scene with force

One of the big surprises of the meta is the return of Mewtwo. Its inclusion transforms the deck into a purely psychic variant, where Maya plays a key role as a generator and distributor of energies among the Pokémon.

Giratina's ability to deal 140 damage in just two turns, while Mewtwo prepares from the bench, is devastating.

Counters: how to stop the dominant combo?

In an environment where this deck is dominant,  counters are scarce, but a Team Rocket card that removes energies can be one of the few effective tools. By removing Giratina's psychic energies, its ability to attack in tandem with Darkrai is significantly reduced.

In conclusion, the Giratina and Darkrai deck in its various variants—whether aggressive, healing, or psychic—sets the pace of the current competitive scene of Pokémon TCG Pocket. Its flexibility, speed, and power make it a Tier S deck, hard to overcome without a precise strategy and very specific tools.