Pitch Black Set Review - PokeBeach

What the report says

PokeBeach published a review of “Pitch Black,” a newly released Pokémon Trading Card Game set that the site says will make its first major showcase at the upcoming World Championships. The public portion of the article, written by longtime competitive player Grant Manley, frames the set as a notable addition to the format because it contains unusual card effects, possible future combo pieces, and several cards or archetypes that could matter immediately.

The main focus of the available review is Hide ’n’ Sneak, a new deck entering the metagame. Manley argues that some early discussion around the deck may overstate its role as a Dragapult ex counter. He notes that Lillie’s Clefairy ex can help Dhelmise take a one-hit knockout on Dragapult, but also creates a two-Prize target that Dragapult can exploit, making the matchup closer than some players may expect.

According to PokeBeach’s analysis, Hide ’n’ Sneak may have a broader matchup spread than its reputation suggests. Manley describes its games against two-Prize decks such as Raging Bolt ex and Hydrapple ex as roughly even, and says it can perform well into several single-Prize strategies. He identifies N’s Zoroark ex as its clearest bad matchup, while also pointing to consistency issues and a linear game plan as weaknesses.

The review highlights Dhelmise as one of the set’s strongest cards because of its efficiency as a single-Prize attacker. Banette is described mainly as support, while Sinistcha is viewed skeptically as too situational. The rest of the set review is behind PokeBeach’s premium membership, so the public article offers only a partial look at Pitch Black’s competitive impact.