The Twilight Masquerade Pokémon TCG expansion will be available on May 24, with pre-releases beginning May 11 in the United States and the United Kingdom. It will be the first time Western players have hands-on experience with all of the new cards, but some are clearly superior to others.
Out of the 100 cards available, I’ve selected a few that could be meta-defining or otherwise useful, so you know what to look for if you open a booster pack soon.
Wellspring Mask, Ogerpon EX
Beginning with Wellspring Mask Ogerpon EX, the card is completely situational.
I believe it would work well in Chien Pao and Baxcalibur decks, where the goal is to use Baxicalburs effects to attach a large amount of Water Energy to Pokémon at once. You primarily use it to get rid of a benched Pokémon, such as Radiant Greninja, or to deal damage to Pidgeot ex.
It is a situational card, but it works well in some deck variants.
Dragapult EX
Dragapult ex is currently only available in Japanese, but to summarize what it does, it is a 320hp card with no weaknesses. With one Fire and Psychic Energy, you can deal 200 damage to your opponent’s active Pokémon while also adding six damage counters to their benched Pokémon in any way you want.
Dragapult EX has already proven successful in Japanese tournaments since its release at the end of April, and it is used in a variety of decks. This card, more than any other, has the potential to exit Twilight Masquerade.
Keiran
The Keiran card is extremely versatile. It has two abilities that you can choose from when you play it, making it useful in a variety of top-tier decks. When played, you can switch your Active Pokémon with one of your Benched Pokémon, which is ideal for Lost Zone decks, or use its secondary effect; during your turn, you can play Keiran to deal 30 more damage to your opponent’s Active ex or V Pokémon, which can mean the difference between winning and losing.
Its dual abilities make it useful in almost any deck and could be a game changer against and for Charizard ex decks right now. We’ll have to wait and see how it affects the metagame leading up to NAIC in early June, but it’s arguably the best Trainer card in the set.
Secret Box
Secret Box is an excellent addition to the Ace Spec series, allowing you to search your deck for an item card, Pokémon Tool, Supporter, or Stadium and place them in your hand as long as you discard three cards first. It’s the ultimate loot box, containing everything you need to turn a game around or set yourself up for victory.
Some decks, such as Chien Pao ex and Ancient decks, may also welcome the ability to discard dead cards in order to start a chain reaction and benefit from its additional effects.