Most cards inPokemon Pockethave strict conditions behind them. Pokemon can only evolve once per turn, and you cannot play evolved ones without their basic version on the board. Similarly, despite how strong Supporter cards are, they’re balanced around the fact that you can only use one every turn.
However, item cards are different. you’re able to empty an entire hand of items on a single turn or keep it hidden for that one decisive moment. Cards like the Pokeball are also staples of every deck, with no meta deck functioning without them. From card draws to discounted retreats to information advantages, here’s what all items in Pokemon TCG Pocket can do and which ones are worth putting in your deck.
Updated on Jun 22, 2025, by Asad Kashif:Pokemon TCG Pocket’s Mythical Islands expansion shifted the meta completely with cards like Serperior and Celebi ex dominating previously unbeaten decks such as Mewtwo ex. Along with the strong Pokemon, Mythical Islands also introduced some new item cards in Pokemon Pocket. We’ve reviewed every item in the game from scratch to evaluate whether the Pokemon Flute and Mythical Slab can be ranked among the best item cards in Pokemon Pocket.
9Pokedex
Look At Your Next Draw
Pokemon Pocket is much faster thanother TCG gameslike Hearthstone or Magic: The Gathering. With only 20 cards in each deck, it’s easier to figure out what your chances are at getting a card you desperately need in the next draw.
If you don’t like what you see in the Pokedex, you can use a Pokeball to reshuffle your next draw!
Still, if you’re unsure of your luck, putting a copy of the Pokedex lets you look at the top cards in your deck. This helps you plan ahead, letting you play more aggressively if you draw a Sabrina next or risk putting your main Pokemon on the field if you can top-deck a Potion or an evolution.
8Fossil Cards
Tech Against Specific Cards
Helix Fossil, Dome Fossil, and Old Amber function the same way. They’re more like special base Pokemon than actual items, being used primarily to evolve into stronger Pokemon. Not only are these evolved versions rarer than normal cards, but they’re also not nearly as good as some of the other Pokemon you can put in your deck.
Since these don’t count as Pokemon, Sabrina can’t forcefully make you switch to them. Similarly, you can’t draw them with Pokeballs.
However, these fossil cards also work as tech for a number of reasons. First, they’re an excellent counter to Sabrina, one of thebest cards in Pokemon Pocket. They’re also amazing tanks since you can Retreat them for free by discarding them. Additionally, they let you have an early-game Pokemon to start the game with and take damage without decreasing the consistency of your Pokeballs targeting your combo pieces.
7Pokemon Flute
Return Opposing Discarded Pokemon To Their Bench
Pokemon Flute is one of the most interesting cards released in Pokemon TCG Pocket. Instead of improving your chance of winning or harming your opponent in a direct manner, the Pokemon Flute takes a Pokemon from the enemy’s discard pile and puts it on the bench, seemingly helping them.
The Pokemon Flute synergizes with Pidgeot ex’s Scattering Cyclone ability since it deals 20 more damage for each Pokemon on the enemy’s bench.
This item card does have its uses in blocking out your opponent from putting in new, useful Pokemon on the bench, but that’s not a good enough reason to run this card instead of a better one in your deck.
6Hand Scope
Look At The Opponent’s Hand
Strategy card games are all about information. You can have all your combo pieces on board but still lose if you can’t figure out the opponent’s response. In games like Yu-Gi-Oh, knowing your opponent’s hand is essentially the same as winning the game. This information warfare is a lot less extreme in Pokemon Pocket, but that doesn’t mean it’s without value.
Similarly to the Pokedex, knowing what your opponent can do in the next few turns can greatly benefit your own game plan. If they have Potions, knowing that can tell you that whittling them down might not be a good idea, letting you invest your Energy better. It’s also one of the best counters against the Red Card, letting you protect your hand against it by dumping your important stuff the moment you see it in the enemy’s hand.
5Potion
Heal An Allied Pokemon
Regardless of how nuanced the combat in Pokemon Pocket is, thestrongest decks in the gameare the ones best at one-shotting you. Mewtwo ex, Charizard ex, and even less bursty cards like Pikachu ex want to make you faint in a single turn to stop your energy-invested Pokemon from doing anything.
For this, most early-game phases consist of lowering your opponent’s HP to get them within a comfortable hitting range. If the opponent’s ex cards can’t end you instantly, they risk giving out two points after their attacks. For this reason, Potions are a superb counter, letting your Pokemon stay alive just one turn longer, enough to turn the tides and gain two points while giving one or to simply stall while your own Mewtwo ex or Alakazam gets fed while on the bench.
4Red Card
Shuffle Opponent’s Hand Into Deck
Pokemon Pocket doesn’t have a lot of disruption. There are cards like Gengar ex that stop you from playing Supporters and attacks like Arbok’s Corner that force your opponent’s active Pokemon to stay on-field, but you need to have those cards active to make any use of them.
The Red Card directly ruins your foe’s plans by shuffling their hand into their deck. This can singlehandedly make you win games by using it when the opponent has a lot of cards in their hand or when it seems like they’re preparing for a game-ending turn.
3Mythical Slab
Increase Consistency Of Drawing Psychic Type Pokemon
We’ve already established cards like Professor’s Research and Pokeball to be among the best cards in the game, run in every Pokemon Pocket deck without exception. This is because the ability to draw more cards or target and draw specific cards is the best way to increase your combo consistency. With most Pokemon TCG Pocket decks being built on game-ending combos, getting your stuff a single turn sooner can turn the tide of battle.
If Mewtwo decks weren’t good enough already, the Mythical Slab provides another way to draw your Gardevoirs and Mewtwos. The item lets you see the top card of your deck. If it’s a Psychic Type Pokemon, you draw it, making the card serve as a targeted Pokeball for Psychic Pokemon. However, even if the top card isn’t Psychic Type, Mythical Slab puts the card at the bottom of your deck, increasing the chance of you drawing a Psychic Pokemon the next turn.
2X Speed
Discount Your Retreat Costs
Games in Pokemon Pocket are all about defeating cards. There’s no face or nexus to hit. As such, prioritizing your Pokemon is a bigger deal than in other card games. This stands twice as true for your ex Pokemon, especially those your opponent can target to end games quickly by scoring two points in one go.
you’re able to use multiple X Speed cards in the same turn, letting you use Retreat on certain Pokemon for free.
In Pokemon TCG Pocket, you can choose to bench your Pokemon by using Retreat and discarding a certain number of attached Energy. However, there are cases where you either don’t have enough Energy, or you need to save it. Playing two copies of X Speed is a necessity in nearly every deck for this reason, making it one of the best and most useful cards in Pokemon Pocket.
1Pokeball
Draw Basic Pokemon From Deck
The relatively small size of Pokemon Pocket decks makes it very easy to get your combos on board. As such, putting extra Pokemon is rarely ever better than only adding those that aid your game plan. This is largely due to the Pokeball item card, which lets you fish out for these specific basic Pokemon from your deck.
Furthermore, Pokeballs can be used to increase the consistency of your Professor Oak cards by thinning your deck of base Pokemon. This can be extremely powerful in decks that use evolved versions of their cards for their main combo, such as aVenusaur ex deck.
