Meta Analysis and Top Strategies

Hello everyone!

The latest edition of our weekly tournament, Ursiday’s Pocket Weekly #29, has just concluded, drawing an impressive participation of 922 players. This week was particularly exciting due to the diverse and dynamic meta, with a surge of innovative decks emerging from the newest expansion. Classic strategies have also gained strength thanks to recent support cards, shaking up the usual lineup.

In this report, we’ll analyze the most popular deck types, highlight the players who advanced to the top cut, and discuss the implications for ranked gameplay. Whether you're aiming to reach Master Ball or just exploring upcoming trends, this overview will keep you informed. Let’s dive into the details!

The current meta is dominated by a few standout decks, with the A3A-061 and A2-089 leading the charge, comprising over a fifth of the overall field. This substantial presence indicates a widespread belief among players that these are the top-tier choices at the moment. Personally, I agree and have even crafted a comprehensive guide to mastering this deck, which we'll explore in detail later because its capabilities are truly impressive.

Following closely behind is the set including A3A-006 and A3A-062, which has gained significant traction among players. These versions typically incorporate either A3A-007 or A3A-008 as core components, with variations mainly differing in auxiliary cards that offer flexibility, but the fundamental strategy remains consistent.

The deck featuring A2-110 and A2B-035 also continues to perform strongly. Having proven its reliability in previous expansions, it remains a safe and proven choice for many. Recently, innovative tech options like A3A-042 and A3-146 have emerged, enhancing the deck’s offensive potential while also providing effective counters to A3-066.

Another notable build involves pairing A3-122 with A3A-027. In this configuration, A3-122 acts as the primary win condition, while A3A-027 ensures consistent access to necessary pieces. This approach has attracted a good number of players and appears to be quite effective.

Additionally, decks featuring A3-084, A2B-035, and A2-053 have made their debut this week. These combinations blend disruption with power, although it remains to be seen if they will rise to the top tier in the current competitive landscape.

There’s also considerable activity around builds utilizing A3A-043 and A3A-042, indicating ongoing experimentation. Outside of these, the field is largely composed of familiar archetypes from the last expansion, such as various A2B-010 variants, including the intriguing A2B-061 build. Decks centered on A3-012, along with new additions like A3A-005, continue to see play, along with a handful of other recurring themes like A2A-071, A2A-050, and A2A-009 that occasionally appear in tournaments.

This week’s meta showcased a variety of top-performing decks, with some emerging as clear favorites among players. Notably, the archetype featuring a3-122 and a3a-027 demonstrated exceptional consistency, with nearly 20% of participants successfully advancing to the top cut—highlighting its strength in the current environment. Its ability to leverage 120 damage lines effectively counters decks like a3a-061 and a2-089, especially when they have recoil mechanics.

Another hidden gem is the combination of a2b-035, a2a-071, a2a-050, and a2-110. Despite fewer players adopting this build—only eight—three of them made it into the top cut, resulting in a remarkable 25% conversion rate. This indicates its potential as a high-impact strategy, even if some list recordings may lack full details.

Meanwhile, the deck comprising a3a-006 and a3a-062 maintained a strong presence, with over a dozen players reaching the top 64 out of 137 entries. Its versatility and consistent results suggest it remains a viable choice, particularly the a3a-007 variant, which excels in one-hit knockouts against prominent archetypes like a2b-035 and a2-110. The deck’s flexibility is further evidenced by its tech choices, such as running a3-151 to counter specific threats.

The well-established a3a-061 and a2-089 build also performed admirably, with 17 players reaching the top 64—about 9% of the field—affirming its status as a core meta contender. However, the rising popularity of a3a-122 and a3a-027 could pose new challenges for this archetype moving forward.

Steady as ever, a2-110 combined with a2b-035 continued to show resilience, maintaining nearly 10% of the top cut placements. Additionally, variants featuring a2b-010 and a3-033 demonstrated notable success, with three players reaching the top from a field of 41, outperforming other builds like the Turtonator-focused strategies, especially as some of those fell out of favor.

In the tournament, the top placements were dominated by diverse strategies. The event was won by a2-110 and a2b-035, underscoring their continued dominance and consistency. This list notably excluded newer techs like a3a-042 but still secured victory by defeating multiple top decks, including three instances of a3a-061 and a2-089, and overcoming two of the a3a-006 lists in the top cut.

The winning build was streamlined, featuring only two tools—likely to account for prevalent threats like a3a-151—and incorporating two copies of Pokémon Center Lady to extend survivability against poison and other disruptive effects. An intriguing inclusion was two promo-006 cards, which, while unconventional, provided strategic disruption against top decks and even in mirror matches, by forcing undesirable hands or bricky starts.

Focusing on a specific archetype, the second-place deck primarily ran a3a-007, with only one copy of a3a-069—though running two might offer better stability. It also included two a1-219 for sustain and a strategic combo of promo-006 and a2-155 to enhance disruption. This build, finishing fifth, exemplifies a balanced approach, with adjustments like adding a2b-071 to counter prevalent threats such as a2-110, a2b-035, and a3a-006.

The most popular deck overall was the a3a-061 and a2-089 combination, with tailored tech choices like replacing a2-155 with a2-150 to better handle meta threats. Its proven reliability makes it a staple for competitive play.

Finally, an innovative and aggressive strategy centered around a3a-043, a3a-042, and a3a-045 showcased a poison-focused game plan. Starting with poison-inducing cards early, supported by a3a-062’s pivoting capabilities, this deck aims to chip away at opponents through persistent grindcore and poison damage. The inclusion of multiple a3a-146 and a3a-069 ensures continuous pressure, with a2-150 serving as a key tool to punish retreats and clear the board, making it a formidable and disruptive presence in the current meta landscape.

Meta Analysis and Strategies

After reviewing recent tournament results, players can now better identify the most effective decks for ranked play and anticipate common opponents. Understanding the metagame's current diversity is crucial, as players continue to experiment and refine their strategies. This period offers an excellent opportunity to test new builds, adapt existing ones, and advance your ranking.

For a dependable choice right now, consider deploying a deck built around cards A3A-006 and A3A-062. Known for its versatility, this deck performs well against many popular archetypes. It generally has favorable matchups against decks featuring A2-110 and A2B-035, while maintaining a solid position against others like A3A-061 and A2-089. However, it faces challenges against decks centered around A3A-027, A3-122, and those utilizing A2B-010, which can be tough to overcome.

The typical strategy involves initiating with A3A-007 or A3A-008 to chip away at the opponent’s health, setting up A3A-006 to deliver powerful hits—often 120 damage. Cards like A3A-069 can accelerate this process when necessary. Once you've launched an attack, switching A3A-006 out for A3A-062 allows for repeated assaults, with the option to retreat back to A3A-006 to continue pressuring the opponent. A3A-062 also provides strategic flexibility, enabling you to replace it or A3A-006 early in the game, facilitating smooth transitions into other key setups.

Another reliable option is the classic A2-110 and A2B-035 deck, especially for players without access to newer cards. For those seeking to innovate, the A3A-042 version offers a promising upgrade. It leverages A3A-042 to enhance chip damage, with A3-146 adding 20 damage each turn and stacking with A2-110’s pings, resulting in up to 40 damage per turn before the main attacker strikes. This passive pressure can be overwhelming, prompting many decks to include A3-151 to break through such defenses.

In the top-tier arena, decks centered around A3A-061 and A2-089 are particularly threatening due to their speed and consistency. A guide is in the works to help players master this archetype. A strategic tweak involves adding A2-147 to counter the damage range of 120, especially against decks featuring A3A-027 and A3-122, though A2-089 still falls short after recoil damage.

Additionally, there's a deck designed to counter both A3A-061, A2-089, and A3A-006—another guide is available for in-depth understanding. Be prepared for tough matchups against decks like A2-110, A2B-035, and A2B-010, and expect some losses as part of the learning curve.

Currently, A2B-035 combined with A2A-071 is quite popular for its strength and its immunity to poison decks, making it a reliable pick. Details on this build were discussed in a previous guide, highlighting its enhancements—like running two copies each of A2B-035 and A2-154 to maintain offensive pressure and transfer energy efficiently. These small changes significantly boost its damage output and speed.

Finally, a versatile yet resilient deck pairing—A2B-010 with A3-033—offers good matchup potential against top-tier threats such as A3A-122, A3A-006, and A2-110. Interestingly, A3-033 is making a comeback over Turtonator, as A3A-061 and A2-089 have pushed A3-066 out of the meta. A dedicated guide is available for this deck as well.

While not as dominant, the A2B-035 and A2-053 combo remains worth mentioning due to its adaptability across various matchups. Powered solely by Psychic energy, it quickly charges A2B-035, and with A2-051 evolving into A1-098, it can deliver 110 damage with minimal setup. Support cards like A3-084 help weaken opponents’ boards and open opportunities for key attackers, while A2-150 enables the clearance of critical threats.

The current meta is highly fluid. Leading decks like A3A-061/A2-089 and A3A-006/A3A-062 are dominant, but counters such as A3A-027/A3-122 and A2B-035/A2A-071 are gaining ground. This is an ideal time to climb, whether by sticking with proven top contenders or experimenting with rogue strategies. Staying flexible, testing different builds, and preparing for various matchups will give you the edge. Remember, innovation and thoughtful matchup planning are key to success. Good luck and enjoy the journey!

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