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The new Chilling Reign expansion for the Pokemon Trading Card Game has a lot of new cards! So which ones should you check out? Here are some handy recommendations that should cover what you’re wanting, no matter what that happens to be!
The most interesting cards
They may not be particularly flashy, but the suite of Castform, well, forms make for an intriguing play style. Each has the “Weather Reading” ability, letting them attack without energy if you have eight or more discarded Stadium cards.
There’s a fun deck to play here, essentially leaving out energy and replacing them with fun Stadiums to cycle through. Like a new one, Old Cemetery! It damages non-Psychic Pokemon every time an energy is attached. That’s fun if you’re never attaching energy, yeah? Sure, you’re relying on a bunch of middling, 70 HP basics, but if you’re fast enough and use that energy deck space for some helpful effects? It might work.
The coolest cards
The Pokemon TCG’s alternate-art rares are always cool, but it definitely helps when the card’s also pretty good. Like Zeraora V! Sure, you have to run a Rapid Strike deck to make it work, but in the right mix, it can hit two targets hard.
Also, no matter what they do, the super-rare gold cards are cool to have. Even if they’re just energy? Especially if they’re just energy, perhaps, because you can run them in a lot of decks? But the gold treatment can fancy up any card, like the sort-of-situational Fan of Waves.
The most meta-relevant cards
It’s hard to break into the meta in the Pokemon Trading Card Game. Often players will end up using just a handful of cards from each set, as balancing the power curve isn’t necessarily The Pokemon Company’s top priority. Still, there’s some stuff here that could show up.
Like Celebi V, perhaps? It can accelerate energy card play for Grass-type decks, and anything that gets attacks powered up faster is handy. Zarude is another handy tool for Grass-types, letting you search for three creatures on your first turn and set up whatever combo you’re planning. And Fog Crystal is a straight-up upgrade to an energy card for any Psychic builds. It’s an Item card that lets you search for an energy or Basic Pokemon, giving you a bit of flexibility when you need it.
Whatever types you’re running, any Pokemon that uses a bench slot to essentially give you another Supporter effect tends to find some use. Liepard V’s Pokemon Tool removal is a bit situational, but it’s still useful.
The cutest cards
It’s Rockruff, hands down. There are some other cute illustrations in Chilling Reign, sure! Like Spheal and Slurpuff. But a happy puppy smiling and burrowing through the snow is just in its own league. Look at that little pal! Making a powerful Single Strike to my heartstrings.
A well-earned honorable mention to Inkay, though. They’re apparently prepping a whole feast and carrying a lot of food at once, and that’s both cute and… hey, I’ll admit it, I’m hungry. Inkay knows how to make people like them.
What do you think are the best Chilling Reign cards? Let us know in the comments! The Pokemon TCG Chilling Reign expansion will release on June 18, 2021. It follows the Battle Styles expansion, which launched in March.
