Pokémon TCG Pocket: 10 Cards That Desperately Need Upgrades

Some Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket cards have become instant staples, boasting high damage, solid HP, and strong abilities. Others, however, fall short. Whether due to weak attacks, low HP, or restrictive mechanics, some Pokémon rarely see play—despite their iconic status and the expectation that they should be far stronger. A sour taste is left after a fan-favorite Pokémon is not viable in battle and is overshadowed by other cards. This gap between expectation and performance can be highly disappointing, raising the question: which cards deserve an upgrade in a future update?

An upgrade could make these Pokémon far more competitive, shaking up the potentially over-saturated state of play. Whether given an increased HP, improved energy efficiency, or abilities that reflect the Pokémon better, the game developers would make the roster of cards far more interesting. Reworking these underwhelming cards may not be a necessity for the future of the game, but it would be a welcome improvement. With a potential new release coming at the end of February, now is the perfect time to change some cards.

10 Tangrowth's Energy Cost Holds It Back

A Stunning Card With A Frustratingly High Cost

Tangrowth is a Grass-type Pokémon with a breathtaking illustrated rare card in Pokémon TCG Pocket, but its gameplay potential falls somewhat short. As a Stage 2 Pokémon, it takes time to set up, and even then, its high energy cost makes it difficult to play effectively.

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Its main and only attack, "Mega Drain," deals a solid 90 damage and comes with the added perk of healing 30 HP when used. However, "Mega Drain" requires a whopping four Energy—three Grass Energy and one Colorless Energy—making it a costly move to execute.

Type	Grass
Stage	Stage 1
HP	130
Attacks + Abilities	Mega Drain: 90 Damage + Heal 30 damage from this Pokémon.

Due to its lengthy setup time and high energy demands, Tangrowth is challenging to play effectively and only fits into very specific decks and strategies. Without adjustments, it will continue to struggle in competitive play, making it a strong candidate for an upgrade.

9 Bibarel Deserves To Be Changed

A Fan-Favorite Pokémon That Falls Flat

Bibarel is an adorable Stage one, Colorless Pokémon that evolves from the much-loved Bidoof. While Bidoof is an entertaining card with a fun attack and an eye-catching illustrated rare card, Bibarel is disappointing. Bidoof’s “Super Fang” halves the opponent’s Active Pokémon’s remaining HP, rounded down. This mechanic was something we hadn’t seen before Bidoof, making it an impactful card.

Type	Colorless
Stage	Stage 1
HP	110
Attacks + Abilities	Rolling Tackle: 60 Damage

Bibarel, on the other hand, is the opposite—a boring and far-from-strong card. Yes, it does have a decent 110 HP, but its attack lets it down. The player can use “Rolling Tackle” for two Colorless Energy, which deals 60 damage—nothing more. This card should be upgraded to include a version of Bidoof’s attack, adopting the same interesting mechanic. This upgrade would make Bibarel a more universally worthwhile card in Pokémon TCG Pocket.

8 Rhyperior’s Power Comes At Too High A Price

A Strong Attacker With A Costly Drawback

Rhyperior, by esthetics, feels as if it should be one of the strongest cards in the game, and while its attack reflects its immense power, the card lacks some quality. Firstly, some of its features are strong for battles in Pokémon TCG Pocket, such as its 160 HP. This shows that the card doesn’t need a complete rework, but perhaps its attack could be slightly changed.

Type	Fighting
Stage	Stage 2
HP	160
Attacks + Abilities	Mountain Swing: 150 damage + Discard the top 3 cards of your deck.

Its “Mountain Swing” attack reflects the Pokémon’s raw power and unit-like look. It deals a huge 150 damage but costs four Energy, i.e., three Fighting Energy and one Colorless Energy. Additionally, the attack discards the top three cards of your deck, potentially sacrificing important cards needed for later rounds in the battle. To make this drawback worthwhile, the Energy cost of “Mountain Swing” may need to be revised.

7 Dedenne Needs More Than Just Luck To Survive

A Fragile Pokémon With An Unreliable Attack

Dedenne is a Lightning-type Basic card with just 60 HP, making it very fragile in battle. While its attack, “Thunder Shock,” has the chance to paralyze the opponent’s Active Pokémon, this heavily relies on the RNG of a coin flip.

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This level of unpredictability, combined with its low damage output and mediocre HP, makes Dedenne one of the weakest cards in Pokémon TCG Pocket. Most players include a card of this stature because it evolves into something stronger, but Dedenne does not evolve into any Stage 1 Pokémon.

Type	Lightning
Stage	Basic
HP	60
Attacks + Abilities	Thunder Shock: 10 Damage + Flip a coin. If heads, your opponent’s Active Pokémon is now Paralyzed.

To make Dedenne more viable, giving it a slight boost in HP—by 10, 20, or even 30—would make sense to help it hold up in competitive battles. Additionally, Dedenne could benefit from an ability to make it more dynamic and stand out beyond just its illustrated rare card. This would add more strategic depth to its gameplay, making it a more appealing choice in Pokémon TCG Pocket.

6 Salazzle Struggles To Make An Impact

A Fire-Type Card That’s Outclassed By Its Rivals

Salazzle, by design, looks as if it could be a strong Fire-type Pokémon, but in reality, it’s mediocre. It is a Stage One card that evolves from Salandit, with 90 HP, making it more resilient than most cards. Its attack, “Fire Claws,” deals 60 damage, which can be useful in mid-battle turns. While its damage output is okay, it is not enough to compete effectively with other Stage One cards.

Salazzle could benefit from a small boost in damage potential or an additional secondary ability or attack. This would make it more viable in the latter stages of battle and could be implemented into more Fire-type decks.

Salazzle could benefit from a small boost in damage potential or an additional secondary ability or attack. This would make it more viable in the latter stages of battle and could be implemented into more Fire-type decks. It fills an interesting niche, but without adjustments, it risks being overshadowed by other Fire-type cards.

5 Golduck Is Too Average To Stand Out

A Classic Pokémon That Needs A Competitive Edge

Golduck is a classic Generation 1 Pokémon that evolves from the iconic Psyduck, which might suggest that its Pokémon TCG Pocket card would be impressive. However, in reality, it proves to be nothing more than average. The Water-type card has 90 HP, making it fairly durable for its stage.

Pokemon TCG Pocket Giratina next to two other Pokemon.

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Its attack, “Aqua Edge,” deals 70 damage, which is decent but not enough to make it a standout choice for Water-type decks. This is particularly evident when compared to cards like Kingler and Poliwhirl, which offer more impactful effects and stronger performance.

Type	Water
Stage	Stage 1
HP	90
Attacks + Abilities	Aqua Edge: 70 Damage

To make Golduck a stronger and more worthwhile card in the mobile game, a boost to its damage potential would improve its application. Without any changes, this card remains a straightforward, average card that doesn’t live up to the expectations set by its status.

4 Arcanine Ex Falls Short Of Its Potential

A Strong Card With Too Many Weaknesses

Arcanine ex is evidently a strong card with a powerful attack. However, its attack’s caveat and its HP let the card down. The Stage One Pokémon slots well into a Charizard ex deck and is often featured in Fire-type decks, but it doesn’t match up to the strength of other ex cards available.

Type	Fire
Stage	Stage 1
HP	150
Attacks + Abilities	Inferno Onrush: 120 Damage + This Pokémon also does 20 damage to itself.

“Inferno Onrush” does 120 damage but also deals 20 damage to itself. Costing three energy—two Fire Energy and one Colorless Energy—it could be debated that this is not entirely worthwhile. Its HP stands at 150, which is strong, but an upgrade to either its attack or HP would be welcome, bringing it closer to the quality of other ex cards. Then, maybe it could have more appearances in competitive battles.

3 Hippowdon’s Retreat Cost Makes It A Liability

A Tanky Pokémon That’s Too Slow To Be Effective

Hippowden is a stage one Fighting-type Pokemon that evolves from Hippoptas, boasting a solid 140 HP, which makes it resilient in battles. Its attack, “Earthen Press,” deals a substantial 120 damage, making it a powerhouse and a threat to the opponent. Its high attack damage and substantial HP make it a strong option for some Fighting-type decks. However, there are obvious downfalls to using this card.

Type	Fighting
Stage	Stage 1
HP	140
Attacks + Abilities	Earthen Press: 120 Damage

Though “Earthen Press” has an impressive damage potential, its energy cost makes it slow and difficult to get online. The attack requires four energy, three Fighting Energy and one Colorless Energy. In addition, its Retreat Cost is four energy, meaning Hippowdon lacks fluidity. This could be reduced to a more favorable card.

2 Brock Is The Least Useful Supporter Card

A Trainer Card That Needs A Much Broader Effect

Brock is the worst supporter card players can use in Pokémon TCG Pocket. It allows the player to take a Fighting Energy and attach it to either Golem or Onix. This has improved in effectiveness since the Mythical Island expansion was released, as a fresh Golem card proved to be solid in battle. However, the Brock supporter card is still not all that useful, especially compared to the other supporter cards in the game.

Type	Supporter
Stage	N/A
HP	N/A
Attacks + Abilities	Take a Fighting Energy from your Energy Zone and attach it to Golem or Onix.

To bring Brock up to standard and closer to the effectiveness of other supporter cards, it could offer a less specific effect. Instead of just applying to Golem and Onix, this card could add energy to more or all Fighting-type cards. This would bridge the gap between Brock and cards like Misty, which is massively overpowered.

1 Torterra’s Best Attack Makes It Useless

A High-Damage Move That Comes With A Huge Drawback

Torterra is a well-loved Pokémon in the Pokémon universe, but its Pokémon TCG Pocket card doesn't quite reflect this. At first glance, the card looks solid with 160 HP and a huge 150 damage attack. However, after taking a closer look, it is massively underwhelming. Its attack, "Frenzy Plant," does 150 damage, but it can't be used again during the next turn. This is Torterra’s only attack, making the card useless for an entire turn.

Type	Grass
Stage	Stage 2
HP	160
Attacks + Abilities	Frenzy Plant: 150 Damage + During your next turn, this Pokémon can’t use Frenzy Plant.

The retreat cost for this card is also high, being four energy. This means the card is not fluid enough to make the attack worth it. This caveat should be removed and replaced with something else to bring closer to similar Stage Two cards. Additionally, the retreat cost could be adjusted to make it a better card in Pokémon TCG Pocket.

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