Basic Pokemon are essential for anyPokemon TCG Pocketstrategy. At the start of every match, you are guaranteed at least one Basic Pokemon in your hand to get you going. While some Basics are necessary to climb into stronger Evolutions, others can hold their own by themselves.
These cards are incredibly useful since many of them can be used to start attacking as soon as possible. In a game where the first person to land a blow can gain an immediate advantage, it is good to have an idea of which Basic Pokemon are going to put in the most legwork toward acquiring points.
Updated July 31, 2025, by Alexander Pinera:Pokemon TCG Pocket’s Mythical Island makes it easier than ever to get a powerful strategy going using only Basic Pokemon. This can mean getting a head start with some swift Moves, or even having versatile Pokemon that only get stronger the longer the game drags on. Don’t let the term Basic fool you into thinking these Pokemon are weak. They are not to be messed with and can make any deck stronger. With a good mix of powerful ex Pokemon, non-evolution Basics, and amazing starts to an Evolution line, here are some of the most useful Basic Pokemon to start using.
15Celebi Ex
Maximize Your Power
Celebi ex is one ofthe strongest ex Pokemon in the gameand a fantastic Basic one to boot. For two Energy it can deal up to 100 damage in the early game, making it perfect for taking down many Basic Pokemon on your opponent’s side of the field.
Celebi ex gets better with time since you’re able to flip an additional coin for each Grass Energy attached to it. If you have enough coin flips to land on heads four times, that will wipe out any Pokemon in the game.
14Ponyta
A Powerful Horse Kick
If you’re running a Fire deck, then Ponyta is the perfect Evolution line to add some aggression. Ponyta can start attacking with only one Energy, but unlike the one found in Genetic Apex, it has the potential to hit for 40 with a good coin flip.
This is a great Pokemon to have in your Active Spot since you’re able to easily get into Rapidash one turn after you play it. It also has the benefit of being able to hit weaknesses, unlike Farfetch’d, which is a Colorless.
13Eevee
A Lucky Eevee
If you’re willing to flip some coins, Eevee is an aggressive choice for any deck, especially those that have something for Eevee to evolve into. Eevee is great at flipping coins since it can start doing so for only one Energy and deal 20 damage each time you land on heads.
This is much more economical than a card like Lickitung since it is not only cheaper to use, but easier to set up, and can be upgraded through Evolution. In some cases, Eevee can wipe out Basic Pokemon in only one hit, giving you a neat head start early in the game.
12Marshadow
The Comeback King
Marshadow is the perfect comeback Pokemon. You can have it sitting on your Bench while your other Pokemon start punching at your opponent. This can force your opponent to start striking back. If they manage to get rid of your aggressive Pokemon, Marshadow can swoop in and deal a whopping 100 damage using Revenge.
This makes Marshadow an excellent support Pokemon since it can intimidate your opponent just by being on the Bench. While 40 base damage isn’t much for two Energy, it has a Retreat Cost of one, making it easy to put back on the Bench to wait its turn.
11Tauros
The Ex Killer
Tauros is a menace against ex Pokemon. As a Basic Pokemon, it doesn’t need to Evolve to unleash some devastating power. Instead, all it needs is to stand face-to-face with an ex Pokemon.
Asa Colorless Pokemon, Tauros is easy to slide into any deck as long as you have room for it. For three Energy, Fighting tackle does a base 40 damage. However, this damage goes up to 120 when used against an ex Pokemon. With the help of Giovanni, this can be an effective way of one-shotting Pokemon such as Celebi ex, Mew ex, Starmie ex, and more.
10Lickitung
Just Keep Hitting
Lickitung is a strong Basic Pokemon since it has the potential to knock out any Pokemon in one hit. Like Misty, this card is a coin flip card with no cap. This means you don’t stop flipping until you hit tails.
Of course, this also means that the ceiling for how much damage you can do is through the roof. At 60 damage per head, four is all you need to knock out the most powerful Pokemon in the game. However, with no base damage, you also run the risk of doing nothing.
9Jinx
Punish Energy Hoarders
Believe it or not, Jinx has the potential to be one of the strongest basic Pokemon in Pokemon TCG Pocket. This is because this card’s damage output scales with the amount of Energy your opponent has on their Pokemon plus 30 for the base damage.
With a Retreat Cost of one and Psychic only costing two Energy to perform, this Move can be set up quicklyif your opponent is trying to use Energy acceleration. So, if they end up overstepping or getting too many good coin flips on Moltres or Misty, this greed will prove their undoing.
8Pinsir
The Basic Pokemon Killer
Pinsir follows the same rules as Marowak ex. You get two coin flips, and each time, it does major damage. Pinsir is sucha good Grass Pokemonbecause you don’t need to Evolve it to get this effect.
For two Energy, Double Horn has the potential to do up to 100 damage. This will knock out most Basic Pokemon that don’t have the HP of an ex card. This card also has 90 HP and can benefit from Erika and Butterfree for extra healing.
7Kangaskhan
The Old One Two
Kangaskhan is a beefy Basic Pokemon with a strong punch. While technically weaker than Pinsir, it has more HP and only requires one Energy to start throwing punches around. Dizzy Punch lets you flip two coins, and for each head, you do 30 damage.
This can do a maximum of 60 damage and, with a few lucky flips, gains you a lead in the game early on. Kangaskhan is also Colorless, so it can be splashed around into any deck that you want to try running it in.
6Magmar
Stoke The Flames
Magmar does 50 damage for two Energy, which is a nightmare for Grass-types and will deal with most of the Steel-types in one hit due to weakness. However, what makes Magmar suchan aggressive Fire-typeis that it is compatible with Blaine.
This gives Magmar 30 extra damage, and it’s the only Basic Pokemon that can take advantage of this effect without having to Evolve first. Even without using Blaine, Magmar is capable of sending many other Basic Pokemon to the discard pile before they can reach their final form.
