Pokemon TCG Live: 10 Most Played Phantasmal Flames Cards
We don’t often get data directly from the Pokemon TCG Live game, so when we do it’s always interesting breaking down what it means. Shared via an infographic on the official Pokemon TCG Live X account, the below data breaks down the top 10 cards from Phantasmal Flames based on how many games they were played in.
Below, we’ll be breaking down each of these top 10 cards from Phantasmal Flames and exploring why they would be so popular with Pokemon TCG Live players.
#1 Dawn
In the number one spot for most played card is Dawn. Actually, that’s not a huge surprise. Being a Supporter card as strong as she is means she is likely to be used in a broad range of decks – as long as they are Stage 2 decks. Being able to essentially bring an entire evolution line for any given Pokemon into your hand from your deck is a powerful play for evolution decks, and I don’t think we’ll see this card going anywhere given what the 2026 rotation is looking like.
What’s arguably most startling about Dawn taking the number one spot isn’t just that she’s number one – it’s that she was played in more than 2000+ games than the next most popular card on this list, showing some pretty insane hype for this powerful Supporter.
#2 Battle Cage
Again, another card that we really shouldn’t be surprised to rank so highly on this list is the powerful Battle Cage. Battle Cage is an interesting card, however, given the fact it shuts down damage counter placing abilities for both players. While you would think that would limit its playshare more given how many decks love to place damage counters these days, apparently players have been more worried about shutting down these effects (from the likes of Munkidori and Dragapult ex) than they have been with dishing the effects out themselves.
#3 Mega Charizard X ex is the top played Pokemon
Now we get to the data point that is really telling: the top played Pokemon card from Phantasmal Flames. And to perhaps nobody’s surprise, it’s Mega Charizard X ex. While the Mega Charizard X ex deck hasn’t made a huge splash on the in-person tournament scene, it’s a massively popular on the Pokemon TCG Live where players are more likely to take chances on off-meta picks.
In Japan’s format, Mega Charizard X ex is considerably more popular than what we see stateside, however, and it could be with the rotation of Charizard X, Mega Charizard X ex might be able to step into the spotlight.
#4 Mega Lopunny ex
Who knew but Mega Lopunny ex is actually a very strong attacker when paired with Dusknoir and Cursed Blast. It’s one of the few top tier Pokemon decks based around a Mega Pokemon right now – a reality which will quickly change with rotation coming up soon.
#5 Firebreather
Firebreather is a pretty underrated card. Being able to search up to 7 basic fire energy cards and then add them to your hand may not feel like a big deal right now, but just wait until after standard rotation. You’ll look at this Supporter differently, then.
#6 Toxtricity
Toxtricity is vital to the Dark type Pokemon decks that have been getting a solid buff in recent sets, enabling you to not only search out dar energies from your deck but then attach them to your benched dark type Pokemon. Hopefully we’ll also see dark type Pokemon decks getting a bit more popular post rotation, outside of the popular Mega Absol ex.
It also makes sense that this Pokemon would be so popular. Toxtricity’s Sinister Surge can make up the backbone of just about any dark type Pokemon deck out there, with the most popular from Phantasmal Flames being Mega Sharpedo ex and Mega Gengar ex.
#7 Oricorio ex
Oricorio ex is another new Pokemon card that feels underrated. While it’s more niche in comparison than a card like Toxtricity, Oricorio ex fills a void powerfully in fire type decks leveraging Mega Pokemon ex by easily letting you attach as many basic fire energies from your hand to your Pokemon each turn.
In Ascended Heroes with the likes of Mega Charizard Y ex joining the fray, we could see this Pokemon’s popularity increase even more as players begin to look for an alternate option from Tera Charizard ex to power up their Charizard-themed decks.
#8 Mega Sharpedo ex
Although far from a force in the meta, Mega Sharpedo ex does get popularity points for being the new kid on the block. Under the right circumstances it can do a lot – attacking for 270 damage as only a Stage 1 attacker. Unfortunately, that’s not enough to cut it in this current, hyper competitive playing field, but it still gets points for trying!
#9 Mega Diance ex
Mega Diance ex is on this list for one reason, and one reason only: Gardevoir ex. Despite being years since the deck first came out, many consider Gardevoir ex the defnitive best deck in format today. And Mega Diancie ex brings yet another powerful attacker into Gardevoir ex’s domain, one easily enhanced with the power of Psychic Embrace to enable a favorable prize trade. The fact that Diance ex is as popular on this list as it is just shows how vastly dominant Gardevoir ex remains in the current Pokemon TCG meta.
#10 Mega Gengar ex
Last on this list is Mega Gengar ex. Another attacker who failed to make a big splash competitively, many players will still tech this guy into decks like Mega Sharpedo ex in order to attempt to take advantage of its Shadowy Concealment ability that lets you deny your opponent a prize card. Clearly Mega Gengar ex isn’t a strong competitor in the Pokemon TCG meta (with virtually no representation in the competitive Pokemon TCG environment). But players are still willing to run this fan favorite in their decks for the funnies.
While lists like these act as more of an insight into popularity than competitive viability, it’s still very interesting to see where players are at when it comes to a new set release, and which cards speak out to them. Hopefully we get more insightful data like this in the future from Pokemon TCG Live!
