Pokemon TCG Pocket's Extradimensional Crisis set has finally ended DarkTina's long-standing reign.

The feared Psychic-Darkness duo now sits in fourth place on the PvP ladder. It is behind a new deck built around a previously high-potential Pokemon: Solgaleo ex.

The new iteration of A3a Shiinotic in Pokemon TCG Pocket’s Extradimensional Crisis set has finally managed to pry open the top three of the PvP ladder and break free from Darkrai ex’s long-standing reign. The feared Psychic-Darkness duo now sits in fourth place. It is closely followed by a new Solgaleo ex deck that has risen in popularity rapidly.

After a brief period of dominance in Celestial Guardians Series, Darkrai ex and Giratina ex have finally stepped down from their third-place position in the PvP meta. Their spot has been taken by the new Solgaleo ex and Shiinotic combo, which has quickly risen in the ranks.

The latest Promo-A card, Ultra Necrozma ex, might open up possibilities for making mill a viable archetype in this new Solgaleo ex and Shiinotic composition.

Interestingly, the new Solgaleo ex deck doesn't include any Ultra Beast cards. It follows a fairly simple (but not simplistic) strategy that centers around setting up two main attackers as early as possible. This is achieved using the ability of another A3a Pokemon: Psychic-type Shiinotic.

Despite the alliance having a straightforward game plan, the Solgaleo ex and Shiinotic combo can be a bit confusing for beginner Pokemon TCG Pocket players. To help with that, this guide will break down everything you need to know about the pair and how to use it effectively in the metagame.

Solgaleo ex & Shiinotic Deck Overview

The currently popular variant of Solgaleo ex decks came about with the addition of A3a Shiinotic. This new Psychic-type Pokemon possesses the Illuminate ability, allowing you to draw one random Pokemon card from your deck each turn.

The combo works by having Shiinotic draw all the key cards required to evolve Solgaleo ex. This effectively eliminates the biggest drawback of earlier Solgaleo ex decks, which was their slow build-up. Furthermore, with Pokemon TCG Pocket’s Rare Candy added to the mix, the setup becomes one of the fastest in the game.

Solgaleo ex & Shiinotic Performance Report

The Solgaleo-Shiinotic duo is rapidly gaining traction. According to recent Pokemon TCG Pocket tournament data, it's now the third most used deck, boasting a meta share of around 8%. Only this season's top performers, Silvally Rampardos and Buzzwole ex Pheromosa, rank higher.

Solgaleo ex previously showed promise during Celestial Guardians Series, ranking as the seventh most used deck in PvP tournaments, with a win rate of about 48%. However, it was often criticized for its clunky and slow build-up. The addition of Shiinotic seems to have rectified this issue, propelling Solgaleo ex to the forefront of the metagame.

One indicator of the combo's presence is its performance in a major tournament. Out of 922 participants, nearly 4.5% chose to play Solgaleo ex & Shiinotic decks. Of those players, 9.5% (four contestants) managed to reach the top 30.

What Makes the Solgaleo-Shiinotic Duo Successful

There are three main reasons why the new Solgaleo ex & Shiinotic decks are performing well in the current metagame:

Shiinotic provides a constant card advantage to the Solgaleo ex user, allowing for faster setup and a higher chance of drawing key Trainer Cards.

The new Psychic-type Pokemon also brings the ability to search for any Basic Pokemon, which is useful for quickly setting up Solgaleo ex and its ally.

Finally, Shiinotic's presence naturally reduces the chances of encountering troublesome matchups like Oricorio or any other troublesome Special Condition-inducing Pokemon.

How to Counter the Solgaleo ex & Shiinotic Meta

Two decks have a clear advantage against Solgaleo ex & Shiinotic. These are the new Charizard ex & Silvally deck and the anti-meta Magnezone & Oricorio lineup. Charizard ex & Silvally holds about a 65% win rate against the Steel-Psychic duo, while Magnezone & Oricorio has won nearly 85% of their matches.

As Shiinotic has below-average damage output, it struggles to handle an Oricorio play. The nimble Lightning-type variant of Oricorio in Pokemon TCG Pocket can easily take out this tech card. And in most cases, that leaves Solgaleo ex with little choice but to concede.

Solgaleo ex is also weak to Fire-type Pokemon, making it especially vulnerable in Charizard ex matchups, particularly against the A2b variant. This Charizard ex can ramp itself up almost as quickly as Solgaleo ex, negating the early-game damage advantage.