The Pokémon TCG Shrouded Fable expansion set couldn’t have come at a worse time for players heading to the Pokémon World Championships 2024, with many cards from the set able to turn the metagame as we know it on its head.
While Shrouded Fable has seen many powerful cards added to the mix ahead of the Worlds tournament, some Pokémon TCG professionals have been left skeptical about which ones could make an impact at the top of the leaderboards. Each TCG player has differing options, with some sharing their thoughts with Dot Esports on which new cards they expect to overtake the metagame ahead of Hawaii on Aug. 16.
“I think Fezandipiti ex is the best card to come out of this set and will be a staple card in many decks for the whole time its legal,” Rose Gregon, a TCG player heading to Worlds from the U.K., told Dot Esports. “When you consider rotom ex, a card with less HP, and much heavier drawback, is a staple card in many decks, it becomes obvious why Fezandipiti is so broken.”
Fezandipiti makes the most sense and was a sentiment from all pros. By having it on your bench, if a Pokémon faints you get to draw three cards. Unless the opposing player can get rid of it, it’s a guaranteed draw every time a Pokémon falls.
In the opinion of Adam Hawkins, another Pokémon TCG pro player from the U.K., the Dusknoir line will be the best cards. Through Dusknoir’s unique ability, you can knock it out to deal damage to the opposing player, which in a Charizard deck is pretty game-changing.
“The Dusknoir evolution line in Shrouded Fable will have the most profound effect,” Hawkins told Dot Esports. “In previous formats, a lot of decks’ gameplan against Charizard revolved around their damage output being limited by how many prizes had been taken; this meant you could set up behind larger basic Pokémon until you’re ready to start the prize race. With Dusknoir, Charizard can now set the pace and initiate the prize race, forcing other decks to change their build to be able to respond to this aggressive style.”
Gregson had a differing opinion though, stating: “While Dusknoir is good, the format currently is not right for it, as it isn’t that good into big rule box Pokemon like Regidrago, and I think it will likely go untested for much of the Worlds format.”
Realistically, though, it’s hard to tell which cards will affect the Pokémon TCG World Championships until matches between Aug. 16 to 18, and we see who stakes an early claim from taking home the crown in Honolulu.
