Pokémon TCG: The 10 Most Powerful Dark-Type Cards | ScreenRant - Screen Rant

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The Pokémon franchise has grown and evolved over the years, encompassing a number of different ventures including an anime series, popular games, a manga series, a line of movies, brilliant toys, and outstanding gifts that are perfect for the loving fan. However, the franchise that had its inception in 1995 has also created an immersive trading card game, known as PTCG or Pokemon Trading Card Game, which has taken the world by storm with even official tournaments being held on the same.

The trading card game has a number of different archetypes associated with it, one amongst which is the powerful Dark-type Pokemon Cards. The dark type represents a group of pocket monsters who are not just powerful, but quite menacing and scary, as well. The highlights of this type of card includes quick setup, the flexibility to adapt, high potentials for damage, powerful attack effects, and abilities. While there are many pokemon that belong to this type, some can easily be regarded as the strongest.

10 Mega Sharpedo EX

Although not a hugely powerful pokemon, Mega Sharpedo EX is powerful enough to deal adequate damage if played in the correct setup. Capable of dealing 120 damage, this 210 HP pokémon can additionally deal extra damage of 10 to all of the opponent’s benched pokemon based on the retreat cost that they have.

Since most pokemon from the GX or EX series have a retreat cost of at least 2-3 energies, Mega Sharpedo EX can easily deal 20-30 damage to the opponent’s benched pokémon and weaken them enough to be finished using the card’s Torpedo Drive ability, when they come into active play.

9 Mandibuzz XY-Fates Collide

Belonging to the XY-Fates Collide expansion, Mandibuzz is a stage one pokémon with 110 HP that comes as hugely handy when dealing with particular situations. This dark pokemon is especially useful because of its ability Bone Drop, which is able to deal a damage of 60 to any one of the opponent’s pokémon if it has an Ability.

With that in mind, if the opponent is playing a Vileplume, Mandibuzz can three-shot it, Garbodor can be dealt with two-shot, and, for Decidueye GX, it would be four-shot. The card also has a helpful second ability by the name of Cutting Wind.

8 Yveltal XY-Steam Siege

A powerful starter, Yveltal is perfect for setting up, and, therefore, it proves to be a powerful addition to any Dark deck. Belonging to the XY-Steam Siege expansion, this Yveltal has an attack known as Oblivion Wing.

Although the damage counter dealt by this attack is little, landing only 30 damage to the opponent, it allows the player to attach one dark energy to any of his/her benched pokemon from the discard pile. The cost is also minimal at just one dark energy. It also has a secondary attack known as Darkness Blade, but it restricts Yveltal from attacking in the following turn and therefore should be avoided as it ruins the setup the player had made in the previous turn.

7 Mandibuzz BREAK

Trading Card Games are hugely popular, with many of Yu-Gi-Oh’s common monster cards, as well as the strongest cards belonging to Dartz, being all the rage. However, the Pokémon TCG is no different, providing to players its own range of powerful cards.

One such card belonging to the dark archetype is Mandibuzz BREAK, belonging to the BREAK-Evolution expansion. Having an HP of 140, this stage two pokemon is a master disrupter owing to its ability Wings of Disaster. This attack not only deals 20 damage to each of the opponent’s pokémon, but it also removes any tool cards that might be attached to them, thereby disrupting effective setups that the opponent might have made.

6 Yveltal EX

Yveltal EX is undoubtedly an extremely powerful Dark-type pokemon card, which works wonders when played alongside cards like Darkrai. The first advantage of playing this card complementing Darkrai is its resistance to Fighting-types, a type that weakens Darkrai.

Furthermore, this 170 HP Basic pokemon has an ability known as Evil Ball, which deals 20 damage but also multiplies with the number of energies that are attached to the player’s two active pokémon. While it is extremely powerful when combined with a card like Darkrai, Yveltal can hold its own, as well having a considerably powerful secondary attack by the name of Y Cyclone, which further allows it to move one energy from the pokemon to any one of the benched pokemon.

5 Zoroark XY-BREAKthrough

While it has only 100 HP, Zoroark should not be confused as a weak card. Instead, it is anything but, especially when things are going the player’s way. This pokémon is hardly costly, requiring only two colorless energies to use its primary ability Mind Jack, which has an outstanding damage potential and can obliterate decks that depend on benched pokemon.

While the base damage is only 10, Zoroark deals an extra 30 damage for each of the opponent’s benched pokemon. If the player uses another card such as Sky Field, the damage can go as high as 250, making everything become a one-shot prey following the attack. Furthermore, it has an ability called Stand-In which allows Zoroark to shift from the bench to the active slot at the cost of just 1DCE.

4 Umbreon GX

Umbreon GX belonging to the Sun and Moon expansion is a hugely versatile card with 200 HP, which can play with any deck and is capable of dealing considerable damage along with dire effects for the opponent. Its secondary attack, Shadow Bullet, deals as much as 90 damage along with an additional 30 damage to one of the benched pokémon of the opponent, making it a powerful card to enact bench sniping, all for the meager cost of 1DE and 1DCE.

Furthermore, it has other useful abilities like Strafe, allowing it to change places with a benched pokémon that has been perfectly setup, as well as a GX attack known as Dark Call, which allows the player to remove two energy cards from the opponent’s pokemon. However, this attack can only be used once in a game and also should be used cautiously as it may backfire.

3 Zoroark BREAK

This is the BREAK form of Zoroark from the XY-BREAKthrough expansion. While it is understandable that Zoroark BREAK, has a low HP, to begin with, standing at only 140, the attack ability it has, which costs only 1DE is worth using this card.

The attack is perfect for players who are using a non-GX deck, as this ability known as Foul Play, allows the player to use any of the attacks that the defending pokemon has, which includes GX attacks. Furthermore, the player only forfeits a single Prize Card to use Zoroark BREAK, making it hugely effective and economical.

2 Mega Tyranitar EX

Mega cards are usually not very powerful, but, when it comes to Mega Tyranitar EX, the story is absolutely different. This 240 HP pokémon is known to deal some of the highest damage counters in the history of PTCG. Its primary attack is Destroyer King, which has a base damage of 110 but deals additional damage of 60 for every damage counter that has been placed on the opponent’s active pokemon.

Using sniping techniques and cards like Team Magma’s Secret Base, Mega Tyranitar EX can easily deal damages exceeding 760 to the opponent, given there are adequate damage counters placed on the defending pokemon. Furthermore, it has an Ancient Trait known as Theta Double, which allows two Tool Cards to be attached to this pokémon. Using cards like Muscle Band, Lucky Helmet, or Float Stone, the player can initiate extra draws.

1 Darkrai EX XY-BREAKpoint

Probably the most powerful snowballing Dark-type card in the TCG, rivaled only by Yveltal EX and Vespiquen, Darkrai EX has found a place in myriad decks for its insane snowballing capabilities, which are further accentuated with the presence of Max Elixir.

Its primary attack, Dark Pulse, can deal an additional 20 damage for every Dark energy that has been attached to each of the player’s pokemon. If the player uses Max Elixir, the number of Dark energies in play can be as high as 8-9, allowing the player to deal 180 damage on the very first turn, which is borderline broken.

NEXT: The 10 Most Powerful Pokémon Cards, Ranked

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Arnab Rakshit (27 Articles Published)

Arnab Rakshit is an avid reader, writer, movie-buff, and comics fanatic residing in Kolkata, India. He is a graduate of Asutosh College, Calcutta University, with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English Literature. Having worked in the field of content development for myriad clients for the last three years, he is confident about creating meticulous and informative content for ScreenRant readers, He also enjoys a competitive game of Table Tennis once in a while.