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Pokemon TCG Pocket’s Triumphant Light introduced four new Supporters, and many players consider Irida the best among them. She offers a powerful healing effect, restoring up to 160 HP across four Pokemon—each receiving 40 HP. Previously, Erika held the top spot for healing, but her effect only removed 50 damage. This makes Irida’s healing nearly 220% stronger in comparison.
Irida’s main rival in the new miniset is Celestic Town Elder—better known as Grandma—who can revive a Basic card. However, excluding her, Irida could easily be considered the strongest new Trainer card inPokemon TCG Pocket.
An Overview of Irida
TCG Pocket’s Irida shares a similar healing effect with Erika but differs in two key ways: it only applies to Pokemon with Water Energy attached and heals all eligible Pokemon rather than just one. For example, if you have three damaged Pokemon on the board, each with at least one Water Energy, Irida will heal 40 damage from each.
What makes Irida unique is that her effect depends on the attached Energy type rather than the Pokemon’s type. This means, in theory, she can heal any Pokemon as long as it has Water Energy, making her incredibly versatile. One deck, discussed below, has already leveraged this synergy by using Irida to healGrass-type Pokemon. And with upcoming expansions,TCG Pocket’s metagame is likely to see even more creative strategies built around her.
Irida has found an unexpected home inthe new Leafeon ex & Celebi ex deck. At first glance, pairing her with two Grass-type Pokemon seems counterintuitive, given that her effect only applies to cards with Water Energy.
However, Leafeon ex’s Energy-generating ability, combined with Celebi ex’s synergy with Colorless Energy, creates a clever workaround. By building the deck with Water Energy and using Leafeon ex’s ability to generate the necessary Grass Energy, both Pokemon become compatible with Irida’s healing effect, significantly boosting the deck’s durability.
A quick look atTCG Pocket’s current metaconfirms that this synergy has paid off, with Irid’s Leafeon ex & Celebi ex deck ranking among the top three competitors in PvP.
InTCG Pocket’s early days,Articuno ex was a dominant force in the 18-Trainer archetype. Players quickly realized that this critter didn’t need support from other Pokemon and could win matches solo, provided it was backed by synergizing Trainer Cards. For a time, Articuno ex’s 18-Trainer deck was a top-tier PvP option, though it eventually fell out of favor due to the rise of tanky setups with snipping capabilities.
Now, with Irida’s arrival, the 18-Trainer archetype has made a comeback, once again placing Articuno ex among the top ten meta decks. However, Irida isn’t the only factor in its resurgence—Pokemon Tools like Giant Cape and Rocky Helmetalso play a crucial role. When combined with Irida’s healing, these tools make Articuno ex incredibly durable, allowing it to withstand and counter high-damage decks effectively.
ThePalkia ex & Vaporeon setupis perhaps the most obvious fit for Irida. This Water-focused deck revolves around Palkia ex’s burst damage, which comes with the drawback of Energy discard after each attack, making it risky to leave in the Active Spot. Normally, this would force frequent switching, but Irida provides a perfect workaround: healing Palkia ex to keep it in play longer and allowing for multiple attacks.
Irida’s value in this deck extends beyond just Palkia ex.TCG Pocket’s meta still featuresdisruptive chip-damage decks like Magnezone & Darkrai ex, which can slow down Palkia ex’s setup and target Vaporeon, a key support piece. With Irida, not only can you sustain Palkia ex, but you may also keep Vaporeon healthy on the Bench, as her effect applies to all Pokemon with Water Energy.
