On 29th May 2025, Pokémon TCG Pocket launched its A3a "Extradimensional Crisis" mini-set, adding 103 new Pokémon cards forecasting the unique Pokémons from different regions of Alola. The cards are entirely centered around the Pokémon and mix strategic Trainer cards with sparkling artistic styles, including Crown Rare, Immersive Rares, and Shiny reprints. This essay will cover the entire Pokémon card list, spotlighting the ultimate card picks and deck-building them. We will discuss the impacts these cards have on both the competitive players and the enthusiastic card collectors.
A3a Card List
Extradimensional Crisis is an important mini-set of cards that features:
- Pokémon (Ultra Beasts, EX, basics, and evolution lines) - There are 103 cards in total.
- Trainer support - There are various items (Electrical Cord, Repelent), Tools (Beastite), and Supporters (Gladio, Looker, Lusamine).
Full Breakdown of the Cards
- Grass: Petilil Decidueye, Rowlet Art Rare, Pheromosa, Kartana, Buzzwole EX (Immersive Rare)
- Electric: Tapu Koko EX, Xurkitree, Zeraora
- Darkness: Nihilego Crown Rare, Guzzlord EX, Naganadel, Poipole
- Metal: Celesteela
- Fighting: Lycanroc EX, Bewear, Oranguru
- Psychic or Others: Blacephalon, Stakataka, Diglett and Dugtrio Alolan EX, Clefairy or Clefable Alolan
- Trainer: Electrical Cord (Tool), Repelent (Item), Domestic Supporters: Gladio, Looker, Lusamine
The EX Pokémon and Ultra Beast Cards
1. Tapu Koko EX - It has 130 HP, and early acceleration, which enables Mach Bolt and Energy plus tool synergy (Electrical Cord), which makes it versatile.
2. Alolan Dugtrio EX - The "Triple Headbutt" offers high-risk/high-reward RNG impact, which is a major deal in the A3a Pokémon cards.
3. Buzzwole EX - It is Immersive Rare and has 140 HP and ensures 120 damage “Big Beat,” which integrates well with the powerhouse combos like Celesteela and Lusamine for setups that are super-fast and efficient.
4. Guzzlord EX, Ultra Necrozma EX, Lycanroc EX - They provide tanky, burst, and disruption options that are super handy in different strategies.
Ultra Beast Cards (These are non-EX but are super impactful):
- Nihilego (Crown Rare): It poisons and adds 10 extra poison damage per turn through the “Veneno Plus”
- Celesteela: It is a free and active swapping ability that is very crucial for Ultra Beast mobility in decking.
- Pheromosa, Kartana, Xurkitree, Poipole, Naganadel: They provide us with abilities like chip damage, and early pressure, and also enable synergy.
Top 10 Meta-Cards
A recent MeriStation have picked the following cards as the Top 10 Meta Cards. You should have a look at them:
- Decidueye: Has accurate attacks with the Arrow Shot ability.
- Tapu Koko EX: It is a master of Lightning Acceleration.
- Zeraora: Ensures early game speed.
- Claydol: It has the abilities that can Anti-heal.
- Lycanroc EX: It fights consistently and honestly with the offense.
- Nihilego: It has the properties of enhanced poison synergy.
- Bewear: It has a high risk of knockout but compensates with a strong psychological factor.
- Silvally: It ensures reliable big hits and follows a supporter.
- Celesteela: It can bench-switch the Ultra Beast engine.
- Repelent: It forces the opponent's active-bench switches and disrupts opponent formations.
There is a very innovative aspect of this set, which is its multi-tiered rarity system. It is essential in the context of Pokémon TCG Pocket, which has been built for short 2-card duels, and collection is easy. The rarities can range from Common, Dual Rare, Triple Rare, Quad Rare, Art Rare, Immersive Visual, Crown Rare, to EX Cards. These rarities not only affect the collection value of the cards but also influence their gameplay. They are on the wishlist of the top collectors for the same reason. To refer to the buying of game currency and premium bundles of cards, go for Pokémon TCG Pocket Top Up. The best platform to make the top-up is LDShop, it lets players top up for less and it is a great way to save money.
Best Deck types using the A3a Cards
A3a not only brings power, but it also brings with it synergy. Here are some popular deck types that were released afterward:
Ultra Beast Control (Buzzwole EX, Nihilego, Celesteela)
- Focus: They are experts in board control, poison stacking, and energy denial.
- Key Trainers: Lusamine, Gladio, Electrical Cord.
Aggro Lightning (Tapu Koko EX, Zeraora)
- Focus: They primarily focus on early knockouts and fast switching.
- Key Trainers: Especially Looker, Electrical Cord.
Status and Stall (Bewear, Nihilego)
- Focus: Primarily on high HP, poison, or sleep-based styles.
- Key Tools: Beastite, Repelent.
Stage 2 Setup (Rowlet-Decidueye, Greninja, Lycanroc EX)
- Focus: They focus on combo plays with high-ceiling fighting styles.
- Needs: Rare Candy plus a looker engine, which are important for the setup.
Rare Card Tiers: Art, Immersive, and Crown
- Art Rares: They are illustrated beautifully with cinematic scenes or stylish poses. Cards are: Rowlet, Greninja, Pheromosa
- Immersive Rares: They feature a layered structure with animated backgrounds. The cards are: Buzzwole EX.
- Crown Rare: There is only one card in this set - Nihilego. It has a very high collector value.
Conclusion
The Pokémon TCG Pocket A3a Packet is one of the most revolutionary card releases. It introduces us to the Ultra Beasts with excellent Trainer support and emerges with detailed and collectible Rare artwork in the card world. From the perspective of gameplay, it perfectly balances aggression, control, and combat-based combo play, which makes it ideal for both new players and experienced ones. So, whether you are aiming to dominate the world of ranked gameplay, trade valuable rate cards, or simply just sit and appreciate the beauty of the art of the rare cards, A3a offers you incredible depth, which makes it a standout moment in 2025's TCG cycle.
