Mega Altaria Leads Pocket’s First Full Paradox Drive Week
Mega Altaria ex / Espeon leads Pocket’s first full Paradox Drive week, while Magnezone decks remain a major part of the field.
Paradox Drive has had a full week to settle into Pokémon TCG Pocket tournaments, and the latest Play Limitless data gives us a much bigger look at the format.
Across 42 tournaments from May 29 to June 5, the sample included 4,733 players and almost every decklist was public. The most-played archetype was Mega Altaria ex / Espeon, with 488 players, taking 10.3% of the field.
Card previewMega AltariaPokémon / Double Rare / Mega Rising / #102Illustrated by PLANETA Igarashi
That is a large shift from the first Paradox Drive day, where Miraidon ex / Magnezone was the early headline. Which makes sense, right? Everybody wanted to try the new cards. Unlike me, who haven't pulled a single one. Still, electric is still very much around, though. Miraidon ex / Magnezone and Magnezone / Miraidon ex were the second and third most-played labels, combining for more than 600 players, while Magnezone ex / Magnezone also picked up a major win.
The strongest numbers under Altaria came from a few different places. Mega Altaria ex / Gourgeist had a strong week with a 53.7% win rate and multiple tournament wins, while Mega Blaziken ex / Greninja posted an even higher 54.7% win rate. Suicune ex / Baxcalibur also stood out, converting 17 Top 8s from 133 players.
So, one week in, Pocket’s Paradox Drive format is quite varied. Mega Altaria is back at the top by usage, Magnezone decks are still everywhere, and others like Sceptile, Blaziken/Greninja, Suicune/Baxcalibur, and Absol/Zoroark are all fighting for win.