Twilight Masquerade Set Review

The Scarlet & Violet era of the Pokémon TCG keeps coming with banger after banger of sets for Gym Leader Challenge. As with Temporal Forces, Twilight Masquerade includes some exciting new cards for pretty much every type. So take a look at some of the standouts and see if you’ll include some of the legends of Kitakami in your decks!

Thwackey

Most Grass-type Gym Leader Challenge decks already run Rillaboom for its insane Energy acceleration. So upgrading the Stage 1 form feels like a no brainer for most decks. This Thwackey has the Boom Boom Groove ability, which gives you a free Computer Search effect every turn… if you can satisfy its requirement. Your active Pokémon must have the Festival Lead ability, a new ability seen on a few Pokémon in Twilight Masquerade. Only one of them is a Grass-type, but luckily it packs quite a punch.

Dipplin

Dipplin is a new Applin evolution who makes its debut in Twilight Masquerade. It has the aforementioned Festival Lead ability, which is sneakily powerful. Besides enabling Thwackey’s Boom Boom Groove ability, it can enable Dipplin to attack twice a turn, an insanely powerful buff in the Pokémon TCG. This ability also has a condition however, which is the Festival Grounds stadium being in play. Unfortunately, this card is quite weak, but its synergy with these Grass-type festival Pokémon might make it worth running. With a full bench, Dipplin can do 120 damage twice a turn with its Do the Wave attack. This can easily create two-prize turns with some damage buffs or gust effects, which Thwackey can conveniently find with its ability. Playing these party animals seems like a big puzzle to unravel, but skilled trainers will surely be able to leverage these new cards well.

Infernape

Something that Fire-type decks in Gym Leader Challenge lack is decent Energy acceleration. There are Supporters like Welder and Mela that can accelerate Energy once or maybe twice a game, but many decks might prefer on-board, repeatable acceleration. Enter Infernape. Its Pyro Dance Ability accelerates two Energy from hand per turn, albeit of different Basic types. While this is no Super Cold, it can work in concert with Charizard to spring strong attacks out of nowhere. This acceleration might be what Fire decks need to start running some more powerful but Energy-hungry attackers.

Cramorant

A staple of the Gym Leader Challenge since the start is the “Hydro Pump” Water deck, which uses Energy acceleration to launch powerful attacks from Pokémon with an infinite damage ceiling. These decks have plenty of options for blasting the active Pokémon, which pairs well with gust effects like Boss’s Orders, but what if you can’t gust around your opponent’s board every turn? Hitting them right on the Bench could be the move. Cramorant’s Spit Shot attack does a huge chunk of damage to any target. While discarding all your Energy might be a hefty cost for some decks to pay, Hydro Pump decks are great at accelerating and recycling this Energy to keep up the pressure.

Zapdos

In Lightning-type Gym Leader Challenge decks, Team Up Zapdos has been a long-time staple, applying early pressure for these decks that are often fast-paced and lean on Energy requirements. Because of the singleton rule, Gym Leader Challenge players will have to consider cutting this Zapdos to run a different one. Twilight Masquerade Zapdos is the first one in a while that actually makes a strong case for itself. One of the biggest weaknesses of Lightning-type Pokémon is their general inability to deal a huge amount of damage at once, often relying on chipping away with spread damage like Tapu Koko’s Flying Flip attack to set up knockouts. But TWM Zapdos offers a more direct alternative, blasting whatever is sitting in the opponent’s Active Spot without asking questions. And the Energy cost can be satisfied with support from Dynamotor Pokémon like Flaaffy and Eelektrik, who can also make use of these Energy that’ve just been discarded. Really, the only reason not to run this Zapdos is the cost of having to cut the original Zapdos from Team Up.

Fezandipiti

Part of the “Loyal Three” from the Scarlet & Violet Teal Mask DLC, Fezandipiti has the defensive Adrena-Pheremones ability. It gives this Pokémon an Infiltrator-like immunity to damage on a coin flip, as long as this Pokémon has any Darkness Energy attached. Note that this Darkness Energy can be fulfilled by Special Energy that provide multiple types of Energy, so the right Blend Energy would activate Adrena-Pheromones as well as power up any of your attacks. This Pokémon seems perfect for sitting in the active and dishing out some solid damage while you take time to set up your board behind a good coin flip or two.

Okidogi

Another member of the Loyal Three, Okidogi takes a more direct, offensive approach than Fezandipiti. Adrena-Power gives this Basic Pokémon a huge stats boost, with the same condition that can be satisfied by multi-type Special Energy. So long as Okidogi has one of these attached, it’ll be a 230 HP Pokémon that will One-Hit KO most Pokémon for only two Energy and no downside. So long as you can find your Special Energy with cards like Guzma & Hala and your opponent hasn’t turned off Adrena-Power, Okidogi will be a must-answer threat that gives Fighting-type decks some much-needed pressure.

Hisuian Arcanine

While Okidogi presents itself as a Fighting-type option based on raw damage, Hisuian Arcanine gets by on synergy with common Fighting attackers instead. Its Proud Fangs attack is free, a great benefit to a type that often struggles with Energy acceleration. And to do 120 damage, you only need to have used one of the many “Earthquake”-style attacks that Fighting already tends to run for their efficient cost. Hisuian Arcanine can be a great option for attacking in the midgame when you’re busy setting up your finishers on the bench.

Heatran

Heatran is a great “Energy sink” for Metal-type decks that need a way to dish out huge damage. Steel Burst has a great rate at 50 damage per Metal Energy attached, which can ramp up with cards like Bronzong and Metal Saucer. And notably, non-Metal energy are not discarded with this attack, so you can attach other types of Basic Energy, or perhaps Special Energy with utility such as Capture Energy in cases where you don’t need to do maximum damage. And Heatran’s Incandescent Body Ability is a nice cherry on top, adding a slight effective damage boost for any Pokémon brave enough to attack Heatran.

Applin

What’s this? A new Dragon-type Pokémon? Applin doesn’t look like the most fearsome dragon out there, and its card reflects that. But what’s important is the fact that this Applin is the first ever Dragon-type Applin, meaning that trainers can evolve it into Flapple from Evolving Skies, an attacker so strong it’s almost unfair. Many of the best Pokémon in GLC, whether supporting or attacking, have Abilities, each of which powers up Acidic Mucus. And the single Colorless Energy attack cost is super important for a deck that often needs to attach 2-3 different types of Energy to each attacker. So while your Applin may not do much more than sit on the bench and evolve, it’s what Applin evolves into that your opponents will need to look out for.

Drakloak

What’s this? A second new Dragon-type Pokémon? If there’s something Dragon decks could desperately need, it’s draw support Pokémon. Drakloak is the long-awaited answer to these prayers. Recon Directive is a cooler-named version of Pidgeotto’s Air Mail, a staple in many Colorless decks. Seeing two additional cards per turn at the cost of setting up a Stage 1 is a trade any Dragon trainer would gladly make. Although there are no single-prize Dragon Dragapult for Drakloak to evolve into (yet…), Drakloak doesn’t need to evolve to make the roster in almost any Dragon-type GLC deck.

Tatsugiri

What’s this? A third new Dragon-type Pokémon? When it rains, it might as well pour. Tatsugiri is yet another support option for Dragon decks. Attract Customers is reminiscent of Mysterious Tail or Stellar Wish, offering Tatsugiri as a consistency booster as well as a pivot. The Supporter search is also redundant with Dragonite, so trainers may replace that Stage 2 line entirely or double up to find these key supporters at any point in the game. Increasing the Basic count in the deck will also feel good to make use of cards like Buddy-Buddy Poffin or Nest Ball all throughout the game.