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Sleep has struggled to climb the metagame inPokemon TCG Pocket, despite its potential for disruptive lineups. However, the addition of Promo-A Jigglypuff during the Venusaur ex Drop Event gave this archetype another shot at PvP success. The good news is that the win rates for the sleep archetype are improving. The bad news is that these numbers still aren’t enough to convince more players to embrace sleep decks.
For those of you tired of the same repetitive metagame decks and looking for something new, here are four sleep decks inPokemon TCG Pocketworth trying. While most won’t fare well against the Pikachu ex and Mewtwo ex META, they’re fun to play, can create clever synergies, and are sure to annoy your opponents.
2
Can Poison the enemy
Jigglypuff (PA)
1
Wigglytuff ex
Deals 80 DMG and applies Asleep
Draws two cards
Puts Active Weezing back in hand
Draws a Basic card
One of the few sleep decks with a chance againstMETA decks inPokemon Pocketis the Wigglytuff ex & Arbok lineup. This flexible setup allows you to apply both Poison and Asleep effects, slowly draining your opponent’s HP without using too much Energy. The strategy is to lock your opponent in the Active Spot while they’re Poisoned and Asleep, causing passive damage. Meanwhile, you can use Koga to swap out Weezing without consuming Energy, adding flexibility to the deck.
The downside of this sleep deck is that it’s not as lethal as some of the top-tier META decks. While it deals impressive damage, it often struggles to take out enemy Pokemon quickly enough.
Serves as a tank
50 DMG, can apply Asleep from Bench (requires coin flip)
Before the release of Promo-A Jigglypuff, Hypno was the main card in most sleep decks. He remains a staple in the archetype, though his power is now enhanced by the Jigglypuff-Wigglytuff Evolution line.
In the Jigglypuff-Hypno deck, you’re able to extend the Asleep effect—or, more accurately, increase your chances of applying it—by combining Jigglypuff’s Sing attack with Hypno’s Sleep Pendulum ability. Sleep Pendulum is unique because it allows you to apply Asleep from the Bench, a utility that can turn the game’s tide.
The downside of this deck is that it can extend the match in favor of the opponent. If your enemy runs a slow-build setup, they can feed a tanky card to your Asleep appliers while preparing a high-DMG card in the back. This is because the Jigglypuff-Hypno deck struggles to deal satisfying damage in the early game.
50 DMG, 100 HP
Sends enemy’s Active Pokemon to Bench
The advantage of this deck is its ability to deal considerable damage throughout the game. If you manage to play Lilligant early, you’ll have a tanky unit with 50 DMG, which isn’t bad. Then, you canprepare Wigglytuff exand Vileplume in the background, both capable of applying the Asleep effect while dealing 80 to 100 DMG.
The main drawback of this deck is Vileplume being a Stage 2 Pokemon. Its two-step Evolution slows down the deck’s aggressiveness and makes it overly reliant on Promo-A Jigglypuff’s luck. If that card can buy you more time, however, you’ll be able to unleash the deck’s full potential.
Deals 60 DMG and applies Palayzed (requires a coil flip)
Deals 40 DMG and applies Asleep
Can give extra Water Energy to one Pokemon
Playing this sleep deck is a bit risky because it’s slow to build. You have Articuno, which requires three Energy to start attacking, and Frosmoth, a Stage 1 Pokemon that needs an Evolution plus two Energies. Then, there’s Wigglytuff ex, your primary damage dealer, but it takes time to build up.
Despite this deck’s slow speed, the addition of Promo-A Jigglypuff can help balance the build-up. If the RNG is in your favor with Jigglypuff early on, you’ll have enough time to prepare at least two attack lines (preferably with Articuno and Wigglytuff ex) to steal some points in the late game.
Sleep Decks’ Position in the Current Metagame
Therelease of Promo-A Jigglypuffdid indeed elevate sleep decks’ position in the metagame, but it’s still insufficient for this archetype to become a staple. Currently, most sleep lineups focus on toxicity and disruption, while top-tier META decks are built for speed and damage. As a result, it’s difficult to see the sleep archetype making it into the higher tiers of the metagame—at least in the near future.
One reason many sleep decks struggle is their lack of damage. This could change with the release of high-damage cards that synergize well with the archetype’s current pillars—Promo-A Jigglypuff, Wigglytuff, and Hypno.
