"What the hell were the devs thinking": Pokemon TCG Pocket player discusses broken Supporter card causing meta imbalance

In the fast-paced world of Pokemon TCG Pocket, balance is key. Every deck relies on a mix of strategy, synergy, and a bit of luck to win matches. However, when a card is too strong, it can completely shift the meta — often in an unfair way. This is exactly what happened with Irida, a Supporter card, leaving many players scratching their heads.

The issue? Irida provides healing to Water-type Pokemon far beyond what other types receive, effectively breaking the game’s balance. The Pokemon TCG Pocket community has been vocal about their frustrations, with some questioning whether the developers even considered the consequences of releasing this card.

A Reddit discussion led by u/Strong_Yam_8978 perfectly captures the outrage surrounding Irida and why many players see it as an overpowered mistake.

"In all seriousness, what the HELL were the devs thinking when they released this card?"

In all seriousness, what the HELL were the devs thinking when they released this card? byu/Strong_Yam_8978 inPTCGP

The Pokemon TCG Pocket community has been quick to voice their concerns, with some offering theories as to why the developers might have made this decision.

u/yadenenem suggests that the developers may simply favor Water-types, as they are already one of the strongest types in the current meta.

"I suspect the devs just really like water"

u/Glass_Cannon_Acadia speculates that this is an attempt to push Misty’s card out of relevance.

"I believe the reason is as simple as "Misty is fundamentally terribly designed but we don't want to admit it so let's give Water as much support as possible to try and squeeze Misty out people's decks""

Instead of addressing Misty’s flawed design, the devs may have chosen to introduce Irida as an alternative, stacking even more advantages onto Water-type decks.

u/EfficientTrainer3206 echoes these concerns, pointing out that Water decks were originally designed to have strong energy generation, while Grass was meant to be the primary healing type.

Comment byu/Strong_Yam_8978 from discussion inPTCGP

With Irida’s release, Water decks now have both, effectively encroaching on Grass-type’s niche and making them less relevant in competitive play.

u/Acceptable-Bug-2717 acknowledges that while the card is undeniably powerful, achieving its maximum healing potential of 40 damage across four Pokemon requires specific conditions.

Comment byu/Strong_Yam_8978 from discussion inPTCGP

However, even healing just two Pokemon still outperforms Erika, making Irida an objectively superior choice.

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Why is Pokemon TCG Pocket Irida considered overpowered?

Irida's cards as seen in the game (Image via The Pokemon Company)

Irida has the ability to heal 40 damage for all cards in play that hold a single Water energy. This is an absurd level of utility compared to Erika, the only other healing Supporter that only heals 50 HP on a single Grass-type Pokemon.

Given that healing is supposed to be Grass-type’s specialty, this discrepancy makes little sense. The supposed downside — only healing 40 instead of 50 — hardly justifies the sheer versatility Irida brings to any deck using Water energy.

Additionally, there are Grass-type cards that use Colorless energy giving the flexibility of using Water energy, essentially letting them use both Irida and Erika.

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What this means for the Pokemon TCG Pocket meta

The introduction of Irida has caused an imbalance in deck-building strategies, leading to a shift where Water-type decks now dominate even more than before. While some players argue that the card’s full effect may not always be easy to trigger, its overall value is still significantly higher than comparable Supporter cards.

As discussions rage on, it remains to be seen whether the developers will acknowledge the issue or continue to let Irida shape the competitive landscape. One thing is certain: the community is watching closely, and many are still wondering, What the hell were the devs thinking?

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