It’s never a drought inPokemon TCG Pocket. Water-type decks constantly get new support that makes the typing better than all the rest. There are 11 Water-type Pokemon that join the lineup in Triumphant Light, and while some stay floating around the kiddie pool, others make a bigger splash than you’d expect.
As strategies slowly become more complex, some cards find synergy with others outside their typings. Meanwhile, others offer cheaper alternatives to Moves that are attached to high rarity cards you might not be able to get your hands on as easily. So, where do all the Water-types manage to land?
11Marill
A Cute Budget Card
At the bottom of every ranking are the effectless Basic Pokemon. In Triumphant Light, Marill takes the place of budget Basic. It has simple stats and Evolves into just a basic Pokemon as you could expect.
Luckily,Pokemon card art is always cute, and Marill makes up for being weak by having a very calming rendition. This is a card for beginners or budget players. Just don’t get this line too close to the Electric-types.
10Azumarill
Pack Filler At Its Finest
When Evolving, Marill can become Azumarill and do 60 damage for two Energy. It also gets a Retreat Cost of two. Overall, it is not too impressive other than being pack filler for the Triumphant Light set.
On the bright side, it continues the same kind of budget consistency that can be expected from a stage one Evolution with no Abilities or Move effects. Azumarill will need to wait and see if it can get a more interesting printing.
9Snorunt
Interesting Potential
Snorunt is just a chill dude. While it has almost the exact same stats as Marill, what makes a difference is what it eventually becomes. It also has a Weakness to Steel, so it can go up against Electric-types without taking the extra damage.
Snorunt has a cute card art that even features a tiny Pikachu snowman on the right side. This card is common, so you will have an easy time getting it into your collection and taking advantage of its Evolution.
8Snover
A More Consistent Snover
With 70 HP, Snover can survive a few hits at the start of the match. However, it can be kind of bulky when compared to the other Basics. If you’re looking to use Arceus, then this is an interesting choice since it will result in you getting your hands on a tough Move later on.
Compared tothe printing that was released in Space-Time Smackdown, this Snover has a more consistent attack. It doesn’t need to be face-to-face with a Fighting-type to realize its full potential.
7Barboach
Big Things Start Small
Barboach may start small, but if you add it to your deck, you will eventually have access to a pretty heavy-hitting Evolution. In the meantime, Mud-Slap does 30 damage for two Energy.
Barboach is a decent Basic because out of all the baby Basics that don’t have any Abilities, it has one of the better Evolutions that isn’t reliant on Arceus. It also maintains a cheap Retreat Cost for getting it out of the way.
6Froslass
Smack The Entire Bench
If you don’t have Articuno ex in your collection, then Froslass can give you a budget option for hitting the entire Bench. With 90 HP and Blizzard hitting the Bench for only two Energy, Froslass can make other cards like Cyrus usable right away.
Blizzard also does 40 damage to your opponent’s Active Pokemon. This means Forslass is not going to be defenseless once it Evolves. Despite how little damage it does,the Bench damagecan come in handy.
5Phione
Just Go To Sleep Already
It’s no Manaphy, but Phione can be a troublesome card for your opponent if you love stun decks. For two Energy, Water Pulse will do 40 damage and put your opponent’s Pokemon to Sleep.
If this sounds familiar, it is because Phione is a somewhat faster version of Frosmoth from Genetic Apex. The only difference is that Phione has 30 less HP to work with and is a Basic Pokemon. So, only one card is needed to have the Move on the field.
4Whiscash
Gyarados From Temu
When you see a Move that costs four Energy, your first instinct is to chuck the card. The good thing about Water-type Pokemon is that it has plenty of ways to get Energy moving around. This is why Whiscash isn’t immediately unplayable.
Whiscash can do up to 140 damage with Thrash if you manage to land a coin flip. Without the coin flip, you are still doing 80 damage. This feels like a budget version of Gyarados ex that won’t score your opponent two points on knockout.
3Abomasnow
Water-Type’s Link To Arceus
Ideally, you want to use Abomasnow with one of the Arceus cards. This gives you access to an 80 damage Move for only two Energy instead of three. This is the closest you will get to dealing Starmie ex levels of damage while also beinga single-point card.
Replacing Starmie ex gives your opponent one less opportunity to score two points. The only downside is that Abomasnow needs Arceus on the field to work.
2Origin Forme Palkia
Basics Do It Better
Palkia gets its Origin Forme added in Triumphant Light. The card allows you to do 60 damage for three Energy with the chance to deal 120 on a coin flip. If you enjoy running Palkia and wish it had a non-ex form, then this is the closest you’ll get.
Despite doing less damage than Whiscash, being a Basic Pokemon means it has a better chance of hitting the field quickly. This makes it an easier package to run in a deck while conserving space.
