When Pokémon TCG Pocket first launched, the meta quickly became dominated by a select few decks, with one centered around Misty and water-type Pokémon gaining notoriety early on. This deck's ability to overpower opponents early in the game, largely dependent on coin flips, led to widespread frustration among players.

Despite the release of three expansions since then, the dominance of Misty decks has not waned. Instead, the latest expansion has introduced a new card that further strengthens these decks, leaving many players feeling disillusioned with the lack of variety in the game's meta.

The issue with Misty decks isn't necessarily their overwhelming power, but rather the luck-based nature of their strategy. Misty, a Supporter card, allows players to select a water-type Pokémon and flip coins until they land on tails, attaching a water-type energy to the chosen Pokémon for each heads flipped. This mechanic can result in anywhere from zero to numerous energy attachments, potentially enabling a first-turn win or powering up strong cards before opponents can respond effectively.

Subsequent expansions have only exacerbated the problem. Mythical Island introduced Vaporeon, which can freely move the bonus energy among water-type Pokémon. Space-Time Smackdown added Manaphy, further increasing the water energy on the board. Both expansions also brought powerful water-type Pokémon like Palkia ex and Gyarados ex, cementing water decks' position at the top of the meta.

The latest expansion, Triumphant Light, has introduced Irida, another Supporter card that can heal 40 damage from each Pokémon with water-type energy attached. This addition allows water decks to stage significant comebacks, leveraging the energy amassed through Misty, Manaphy, and Vaporeon.

Some Pokémon TCG experts suggest that Irida's introduction might be an attempt by developer DeNA to force players to make strategic choices about which Supporters to include in their limited 20-card decks. However, many players have found ways to incorporate both Misty and Irida, maintaining the deck's formidable strength.

With a regularly-scheduled event approaching, where rewards such as a gold profile badge are up for grabs for winning five matches in a row, the prevalence of water decks is expected to be even more pronounced. Given the difficulty of achieving such a win streak, especially against decks capable of early sweeps and comebacks, many players are considering joining the water deck trend to compete effectively.