Counting over ten million downloads in its first three days, Pokémon TCG Pocket has taken over app stores worldwide.
So, it’s only right that Its first expansion – Genetic Apex – includes plenty of cards that’ll equally entice collectors and battlers alike.
Here’s the ten best chase cards in Genetic Apex you should look out for:
10 – Secret Rare Full Art Golbat #242
Immediately, this expressionist Golbat catches the eye. Seemingly inspired by Edvard Munch’s ‘The Scream’, it brings a nightmarish quality to a Pokémon we’ve seen depicted more tamely in the past.
9 – Secret Rare Alakazam #236
With similarly trippy artwork, this Alakazam card is visually in keeping with the mind (and spoon) bending powers of the psychic Pokémon it stars.
8 – Secret Rare Snorlax #250
A throwback to a classic moment from the original games, when trainers had to find a way to wake up a sleeping Snorlax that blocks their path. It’s nostalgic, funny, and a great option for soaking up battle damage.
7 – Secret Rare Gengar EX #277
Just six cards with multicoloured trim are on offer here, but the rainbow border effect is most striking when contrasted against the gothic Gengar as it hides from a ghost hunter in a haunted house.
6 – Special Rare Supporter Misty #267
Supporters are a vital part of the TCG, and this Misty is a must-have for any water deck. It’s a bubbly illustration of an anime favourite, and its water-generating battle ability is just as energetic.
5 – Secret Rare Starmie EX #257
There are 15 other sparkling EX cards like this across the set. But when it comes to battling, Starmie’s 130 HP, 90 damage move, and free retreat cost all make it too overpowered to overlook.
4 – Immersive Art Special Rare Pikachu EX #281
For good reason, this animated Pikachu was used to tease the release of TCG Pocket’s release earlier in 2024. It was a sign of things to come, with the addition of immersive designs like this promising to bring cards to life like never before.
3 – Immersive Art Special Rare Mewtwo EX #282
Case in point: this immersive design that tracks the aftermath of Mewtwo breaking free from the shackles of the lab it was made in. Partner this with the energy-generating ability of Gardevoir in battle, and you’ll be equally as unstoppable.
2 – Immersive Art Secret Rare Charizard #280
Clearly, this app intends to elevate card design as we know it. And there’s no more perfect showcase of this potential than when this card’s animation pans towards this anime-style Charizard, battling mid-air against an army of Pokémon from the Kanto region.
1 – Gold Secret Rare Pikachu #285
Just like real-life packs, there’s nothing rarer than a Gold card. This set has three – including a Charizard and a Mewtwo – but this vintage smile of Pikachu feels like an appropriate flagbearer for the TCG’s new venture into a digital future.
Given the fact that Genetic Apex primarily features the original 151 Pokémon, there’s still so much ground for the TCG Pocket app to explore.
If they keep playing their cards right (pardon the pun), the game designers might have created something with a fanbase and lifespan capable of matching the traditional trading cards.
