Image credit: The Pokémon Company
Every time a new set is revealed for Pokémon TCG Pocket, the competitive meta gets a significant shuffle. It doesn’t matter whether it’s a themed booster pack or an expansion set with multiple on offer, the addition of new cards is certain to flip things on their head.
Ruler of the Skies is no different; the set released on July 30, 2026, featuring Mega Rayquaza ex as the star of the show. There are some heavy-hitting cards in this set’s rankings. Here’s a full ranking of every Pokémon ex card in Ruler of the Skies, looking at how viable they are based on tournament data.
All Ruler of the Skies ex cards, ranked
While some Pokémon TCG Pocket sets have D Tier or even F Tier cards that are barely worth taking into battle, Ruler of the Skies is decently solid all around. There are some cards that stand out as much more powerful, but they’re all generally useful.
C Tier
The two cards in this tier aren’t bad by any means, but they’re rather niche and don’t stand out as exceptional in the competitive scene right now.
Rotom ex is an item-focused card, with Junk Spark having a measly 30 base damage that stacks for 10 extra damage per every Item in your discard pile.
Theoretically, this could stack quite high, but it’s a borderline useless move outside of Item-heavy deck lists, costing 2 Energy Tokens for relatively minimal damage output. If you had your heart set on a Rotom ex deck, you could make it work, but there are simply better Lightning type decks out there.
Swanna ex is another card that’s fine enough, but not overwhelmingly useful. It’s a Stage 2 with 150 HP, which is middling, and a move that deals 140 damage in return for 3 Energy Tokens.
Jet Wing does deal decent damage, sure, but it also requires a recovery turn where Swanna ex can’t attack. This makes it somewhat risky to use, and ultimately, an inconsistent source of damage, particularly when facing off against decks with quick set-up windows.
The one thing that Swanna ex does have going for it is that it’s a Colorless card, meaning Energy generation is a lot easier. Any Energy tech you have in your arsenal will work here; you could use Energy generating cards that usually target Water types, for example, and still get Jet Wing fuelled up decently quickly.
B Tier
Wailord ex is a card that holds potential, but will require a deck list that can generate Energy Tokens efficiently.
With 250 HP, this big lad is just as beefy as you might expect, able to soak up most of the highest-damage attacks in Pocket right now. Pairing this card with a HP-enhancing Item can make it almost impossible to get taken out in one hit.
Wondrous Waves is an expensive attack, costing 4 Energy Tokens, but it deals a respectable 100 damage, and, most importantly, helps Wailord ex recover from all Special Conditions. This means that statuses like Poison or Burn can’t chip away at HP in the background, adding much more survivability into the mix.
A Tier
This is the most densely populated tier of the list by far. Ruler of the Skies has a smattering of high-quality Pokémon ex cards, with these four in particular proving to be incredibly effective in battle.
Vespiquen ex is already making moves in the competitive scene as per Limitless TCG data, pulling in some top placements. When paired with Shuckle ex from Wisdom of Sea and Sky, this card can be a behemoth, especially if the deck list has tools to help with buffing HP.
Vespiquen ex has the attack Chase Order, which costs 2 Energy Tokens and deals 70 base damage. If a Benched Basic Grass type is discarded, 70 extra damage is stacked here. It’s somewhat risky to discard your own creatures, but 140 damage for 2 Energy Tokens on a Stage 1 cannot be overlooked.
Typhlosion ex is a simple but effective card; if you don’t mind a little luck-based gameplay with coin flips, it’s worth playing with. Destructive Inferno deals 110 damage for 3 Energy Tokens, but provided you have good luck with coin flips, you can discard enemy Energy, offering greater control over the battlefield.
One of the biggest strengths of Hoopa ex is that it’s a Basic, meaning you don’t need to evolve it to get it onto the field. It also has Bench sniping capabilities with Shadow Bullet, meaning you can make use of cards like Cyrus, along with a decent attack in the form of Dynamite Punch.
Mega Sharpedo ex has performed surprisingly well in tournaments at the time of writing this article. I’ll admit, I didn’t expect this as the Turbo Shark attack seems a little niche, focusing purely on Energy movement, but when paired with Gyarados ex or Mega Gyarados ex, it can be an unstoppable machine.
S Tier
Unsurprisingly, the S Tier is reserved for all Mega ‘mons, with Mega Metagross ex being an immovable behemoth on the battlefield. Gatling Slug deals 100 base damage, but pops up 10 more damage for every extra Energy Token attached to Mega Metagross ex, meaning you’ve got the ability to do some serious harm if your Energy movement is good.
On top of this, Mega Metagross ex has 230 HP, putting it in the upper echelon of tankier Pokémon and making it hard to knock out in one go.
Mega Rayquaza ex is just as good as I’d hoped it would be.180 HP is fine enough and the Dragon typing provides a nice lack of weaknesses, but Mega Burst’s ability to quickly stack up chunks of 50 damage in return for discarded Energy Tokens makes this card a beast.
The cherry on top of the cake here is that Mega Rayquaza ex only has a single Energy Token withdrawal requirement, meaning it’s easy to get out of harm’s way if needed.
Mega Gallade ex is one of the more interesting Fighting type Pokémon to be released in recent sets, with Resonating Blade stacking 50 damage onto its base 100 if a Supporter has been played by the user during that turn. Simple, but effective, and there’s a nice addition of a 220 HP pool to consider alongside this.
Is Ruler of the Skies a good Pocket set?
Yes, Ruler of the Skies is a good Pokémon TCG Pocket set. It’s got a solid line-up of Pokémon ex cards and Mega Pokémon to build decks with, but also a decent variety of Supporters and tech to help keep your key critters alive in battle.
From a collector’s standpoint, Ruler of the Skies is equally valuable. There are some striking full arts on display, like the Hoopa ex Special Art Rare, along with beautiful Shiny cards like Alolan Ninetales ex and Blacephalon ex.
While Ruler of the Skies might not be a one-stop shop for competitively viable decks – you’ll need to pick up cards from other sets, too – it is worth spending your Pack Hourglasses on. The expansion looks fantastic and packs plenty of punches, and it’s especially fun to rip packs from the set if you’re a fan of Mega Pokémon.
FAQs
Pokémon TCG Pocket came out on October 30, 2024.
No, Pokémon TCG Pocket is not available on Xbox Series X/S or other consoles in the family. It’s a mobile-exclusive title.
Yes, Pokémon TCG Pocket technically falls into the gacha category thanks to its pack opening mechanic, as do other digital TCGs. It’s not quite as gacha-heavy as a game like Infinity Nikki, but I’d argue that it still counts.
No, Pocket is not pay-to-win. I’ve been playing since day one and have never spent a penny on the game; sure, I’m not winning every tournament I enter, but I can access meta-changing decks easily and never feel like I’m missing out.
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