With the Temporal Forces prerelease season in full swing, Pokemon TCG players every where are getting their hands on some epic new cards from the latest set in Scarlet & Violet. But which of these cards are best? Which Temporal Forces Pokemon cards will have the biggest impact on the meta?

In many ways, it’s hard to narrow it down. This set is huge. It also feels a lot like Paradox Rift part two. Paradox Rift was also an incredible set, but it was really only the intro of the impact Future and Ancient Pokemon cards are going to have on the Pokemon TCG meta.

With Temporal Forces, it’s getting clearer just how powerful these Pokemon cards can be, with tons of added support.

Best Pokemon cards in Temporal Forces

Iron Crown ex

The first card we’ll highlight is Iron Crown ex. Iron Crown ex is deceptively good. It’s got an ability that grants extra attack power to your Future Pokemon in play. But that’s not even the best part. Iron Crown ex’s meta breaking advantage comes in an attack that can do fifty damage to any Pokemon regardless of any effects on those Pokemon.

That means this attack should get through Manaphy’s Wave Veil which has been borderline impossible to get through since it came out, with the only notable exception being Sableye’s Lost Mine attack which simply places damage counters.

In Japan, many decks are already being built around Iron Crown ex, and I expect him to be a staple in many decks post rotation.

Koraidon and Roaring Moon

Koraidon and Roaring Moon together make up the bulwark of the powerful new Ancient Box deck. Koraidon hits for 180 right off the bat as long as you have a full bench of Ancient Pokemon. Meanwhile, Roaring Moon has an impressive damage capacity, doing 70+ 10 more damage for every Ancient card in your discard.

Flutter Mane

Path to the Peak is a card that largely polarized the meta – either you played a deck with Pokemon that had abilities, or you ran Path to the Peak. With it rotating out, players are finding other ways to shut off abilities. Flutter Mane is the answer for many decks. As long as it is in the active spot, your opponent’s active has no abilities. This is good against a host of decks ranging from Lugia VSTAR to Chien-Pao ex, and will be the new Path to the Peak until another more versatile card comes out.

Best Item cards in Temporal Forces

Temporal Forces isn’t just all about the Pokemon, however. If any set was every focused primarily around Items, this would be it. And that’s thanks largely to ACE SPEC Pokemon cards. Temporal Forces brings back these powerful Items which you can only include one of in your entire deck. And while there are many powerful ones to choose from, several of them are specific to a few decks.

For example, Ancient Drum will be included in any Ancient Pokemon deck, while Reboot Pod will likely find its way into most Future Pokemon decks.

However, there are two ACE SPEC Items that can work well in any deck, and they have the potential to be meta defining cards.

Master Ball

Temporal Forces brings back the powerful Master Ball. While many are downplaying the effectiveness of this card right now, I think we have yet to see the wide appeal this powerful Poke Ball is going to have. Any deck can benefit from having it, giving them the versatility to produce any Pokemon they need at anytime.

In a meta soon to be free of powerful Pokemon card search options like Battle VIP Pass, Master Ball could be a welcome addition to many competitive decks.

Prime Catcher

If you remember the soon to be rotated out Cross Switcher card, Prime Catcher works just like that only you don’t need two Items in your hand to activate it. Prime Catcher is going to be a tempting card to include in decks especially those that are really reliant on playing supporters often like Giratina VSTAR or Chien Pao ex. We’ve really not seen anything like this recently – the closest thing being the Counter Catcher card released in Paradox Rift. While that card acted like a Boss’s Orders, it only works if you are behind in Prizes, making it considerably less potent than the Prime Catcher can be.

Buddy-Buddy Poffin

Buddy-Buddy Poffin is going to be used in any deck that relies on lower HP basic Pokemon to get their gears going – decks like Charizard ex or Gardevoir ex. For those decks that can use it, it’s going to be in some ways even more effective than Battle VIP Pass was, as you don’t have to pull it on the first turn in order to use it.

Mist Energy

Last but not least, we’re going to focus on Mist Energy on its own. Mist Energy brings back a powerful mechanic that really slowed decks like Giratina VSTAR down back in the day. Basically, Mist Energy makes Pokemon immune to the effects of attacks from Pokemon. This means that your Star Requiem attacks or Lost Mine attacks will have zero power. Not only will this inhibit Giratina VSTAR, but it will make any Lost Zone deck considerably less powerful as those decks very heavily rely on Sableye’s Lost Mine to spread damage around.

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