Pokemon TCG Pocket just got a new expansion, bringing with it loads of new Alola region 'mons to collect and battle with, but its biggest threat might not be a heavy hitter like the legendary Solgaleo and Lunala, but a cute, cheerleading bird that's totally impervious to attacks from the game's strongest cards.
Introduced with the Celestial Guardians expansion, say hi to Pom-Pom style Oricorio – an Electric-type dancing bird with pom-poms on its wings and nary a thought behind its eyes. But what could possibly make a cute dancing bird quite so deadly?
With only 70 health and just one 50-damage attack, it doesn't immediately seem incredibly strong, but then you look at its Safeguard ability, which prevents "all damage done to this Pokemon by attacks from your opponent's Pokemon ex." Oh.
Generally speaking, ex cards are the most powerful cards in the game, with some devastating moves and large pools of health. It's entirely possible to run decks containing only ex cards – one popular recent one has relied solely on two Giratina ex and Darkrai ex cards, for example (with loads of item and supporter cards on the side).
If you do so now, however, there's a real risk of running into a bird that has the power to absorb every attack thrown its way while it gradually chips away at its opponents, cheerleading for itself all the way. In the hours that the new expansion has been out, some players have already found themselves in this position.
"This one card has just swept my whole team," one player on Reddit shares, sharing a screenshot of their deck of Dialga and Solgaleo ex cards, powerless against a single Oricorio.
This one card has just swept my whole team from r/PTCGP
"Oricorio clowned on me," says another, their solo Blastoise deck no match for the dancing bird.
While the obvious way to deal with Oricorio is simply to make sure you don't solely include ex cards in your deck, it's worth noting that defeating it even with a full ex team isn't totally impossible. Darkrai ex's Nightmare Aura ability deals 20 damage to opponents as long as you have a Dark-type energy attached to it, and because that doesn't count as attack, Oricorio is still vulnerable to it.
Stack that with the Rocky Helmet item, which deals 20 damage to opponents if they attack you, and you could deal with the bird fairly effectively. Unless, of course, the Oricorio-wielding player comes prepared with plenty of ways to heal their Pokemon.
It's not even been a full day since Celestial Guardians was launched, so Oricorio's overall impact on the meta still remains to be seen, but it seems pretty likely to have a significant impact.
The situation feels somewhat reminiscent of the rise of Sudowoodo, which proved to be an incredible counter to Pokemon god Arceus when Triumphant Light was released. Even the smiley fake tree wasn't immune to attacks like this, though, so the creator of the Pokemon universe is facing an even greater threat now.
Be sure to check out our guide to Pokemon TCG Pocket's best decks, and how to get Shiny cards in Pokemon TCG Pocket.
