Let's talk about Mars. No, not the planet. I’m talking about the Team Galactic Commander who has been causing a bit of a stir in the Pokemon TCG Pocket meta lately. If you’ve been opening packs in the Genetic Apex set or trying to fine-tune your deck for the latest events, you’ve probably stared at this Supporter card and wondered if she’s actually good or just filler.
Honestly? It depends on who you ask.
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The Mars card is a classic disruption tool. When you play her, you draw two cards and then your opponent discards a random card from their hand. Simple, right? But in a game as fast-paced as Pokemon TCG Pocket, where hand sizes are often small and resources are tight, that "random" discard can be a absolute game-changer or a total dud. It’s a gamble.
Why People Are Sleeping on Mars in Pokemon TCG Pocket
Most players are obsessed with Giovanni for that extra 10 damage or Misty for the high-roll energy acceleration. That makes sense. Those cards help you win faster. Mars, on the other hand, tries to make your opponent lose slower. It's a defensive mindset.
The "Draw 2" effect is objectively weaker than Professor's Research, which lets you draw two without the discard downside of the traditional tabletop version, but in Pocket, Professor's Research is a "Draw 2" staple anyway. So why run Mars? You run it for the salt. You run it because sniping a Sabrina or a Mewtwo ex out of an opponent's hand right before they play it is the most satisfying feeling in the game.
I’ve seen matches turn completely upside down because of a well-timed Mars. Imagine your opponent has been holding onto a Rare Candy or a Stage 2 evolution for three turns. They are ready to pop off. You play Mars. The RNG gods smile. That Charizard ex goes into the discard pile. Suddenly, their entire win condition is cooked.
The Math of Disruption
Let’s get into the nitty-gritty. In Pokemon TCG Pocket, you start with a 20-card deck. That is tiny. Because the decks are so thin, every single card carries more weight than it does in the standard 60-card physical game. When you force a random discard, you aren't just taking away an option; you are potentially removing 5% of their entire deck's utility.
However, Mars is a Supporter. You only get one Supporter per turn. This is the biggest hurdle for Mars. If you use your Supporter slot for Mars, you aren't using it for Brock to accelerate energy to a Golem, and you aren't using it for Blaine to boost your Magmar.
Mars vs. Other Supporters: The Hard Truth
If we look at the tier list of Supporters currently available in the Genetic Apex era, Mars usually sits comfortably in Tier B or C.
- Professor's Research: The undisputed king. You need cards. This gives cards.
- Giovanni: Essential for hitting those specific math numbers (like hitting 130 to one-shot certain ex Pokes).
- Sabrina: Game-winning utility by forcing a bench swap.
- Mars: The wildcard.
Is she better than Red Card? Red Card is an Item, not a Supporter. You can play Red Card and a Supporter in the same turn. Red Card forces your opponent to shuffle and draw three. While that disrupts, it doesn't actually reduce their hand size or permanently remove a resource. Mars actually puts a card in the trash. That’s a permanent loss for your opponent unless they have a way to fish it back out, which is currently very limited in the Pocket format.
Building a Deck Around the Galactic Commander
If you're going to use Mars, you have to commit to the "Control" archetype. You can't just splash one copy of Mars into a Mewtwo ex/Gardevoir deck and expect it to do much. You need to create a situation where your opponent is already struggling for resources.
Pairing Mars with Pokemon that have "Energy Crush" or "Paralysis" abilities creates a suffocating environment. Think about Arbok. Its "Tighten Up" attack prevents the opponent's Active Pokemon from retreating. If you trap a heavy-retreat Pokemon in the Active spot and then use Mars to discard their only Switch or Sabrina, you’ve essentially locked them out of the game. It’s mean. It’s effective. It’s Mars.
The Visual Appeal: Full Art and Rarity
We can't talk about Pokemon TCG Pocket without talking about the "Gacha" aspect. The Full Art (FA) Mars card is a beauty. The artwork by Ken Sugimori or the modern illustrators captures that Team Galactic vibe perfectly. From a collector's standpoint, hitting a high-rarity Mars is a win, even if you don't plan on playing it. The gold-border variants or the "Immersive" cards are what everyone is chasing, but the Full Art Supporters are the backbone of a stylish deck.
Where Mars Falls Short (The Limitations)
Let's be real for a second. Mars is a "win-more" card or a "desperation" card. If you are already behind on the board and your opponent has a powered-up Pikachu ex ready to blast you for 90 damage, playing Mars isn't going to save you. You need a Sabrina or a heavy hitter of your own.
The random nature of the discard is also a double-edged sword. Sometimes you play Mars and you discard a useless Basic Energy. You basically wasted your Supporter turn. That's the risk you take.
Also, in the current meta, many decks have high redundancy. If a Weezing/Arbok deck loses one card, they usually have another way to get what they need. Mars shines brightest against "Combo" decks—decks that need specific pieces like Koga or a particular Evolution line to function.
Expert Tips for Playing Mars
- Wait for the Hand to Shrink: Don't play Mars when your opponent has 6 cards in hand. The odds of hitting something vital are too low. Wait until they've played their Items and are sitting on 2 or 3 cards. That’s when Mars is lethal.
- Track the Discards: Pay attention to what your opponent has already played. If they’ve already used two Potions, and you use Mars to discard a third, you’ve effectively neutralized their healing for the rest of the match.
- Don't Over-Invest: Two copies of Mars in a deck is plenty. You never want to open a hand with two Mars and no way to set up your Bench.
Misconceptions About Discard Effects
A lot of players think discard effects are "bad" because they don't advance your own board state. This is a narrow way to look at TCGs. In Pokemon TCG Pocket, the game ends when one player gets 3 points. It is a sprint, not a marathon. If Mars slows your opponent down by just one turn, that is often enough to bridge the gap between a loss and a win.
People also mistake "Random Discard" for "Opponent Chooses." No. Mars is random. You, the player, don't choose, and they don't choose. The game logic picks a card. This is actually better than "Opponent Chooses" because they will always throw away their worst card. Mars has a decent chance of hitting their best one.
Actionable Strategy for Your Next Match
If you want to actually see if Mars works for you, stop reading and try this:
- Audit Your Current Deck: Look at your "flex" slots. These are usually the 18th, 19th, and 20th cards in your deck. Swap out a Pokedex or a Hand Scope for one copy of Mars.
- Test the Lock: Run a few matches with a focus on Arbok or Weezing. Use Mars specifically when the opponent is down to a small hand size after an evolution.
- Watch the Replays: Check if the card Mars discarded was actually played later in other games. Did you hit a key Supporter? Did you hit a Basic Energy?
The meta is constantly shifting as more people realize that pure damage isn't the only way to win. Disruption is a viable, albeit frustrating, path to victory. Mars might not be the queen of the format, but she's a tool that every serious player should at least understand before dismissing her as just another Team Galactic grunt.
Get out there, rip some packs, and start sniping hands. You'd be surprised how many games you can win just by being a little bit annoying.