My Journey with Darkness Decks in Pokémon TCG Pocket's Eevee Grove Era

As a longtime Pokémon TCG Pocket player, I've always had a soft spot for Darkness-type Pokémon. There's something about that dark, mysterious aesthetic that just clicks with me, you know? But let's be real—Darkness archetypes have been kinda underwhelming in the competitive scene. Like, aside from Darkrai ex having its moment in the sun, Darkness Pokémon have mostly been sitting on the bench when it comes to serious PvP action.

When Eevee Grove dropped in June 2025, I was hyped! Finally, some new Darkness support, especially with that slick new Umbreon card. But after grinding with these decks for weeks, I gotta say—it's complicated. The expansion brings some fresh synergies to the table, but Darkness still isn't exactly meta-defining. It's like getting a shiny new toy that's fun to play with but doesn't really change the game.

The Eevee Grove Darkness Roster: What's New?

Eevee Grove introduced seven Darkness-type Pokémon, and I've been experimenting with all of them. Four are brand-new cards with unique stats and abilities, while three are fancy full-art and shiny variants. Here's the complete lineup I've been working with:

My Top Darkness Deck: Umbreon & Darkrai ex Poison Combo

After testing various combinations, I found that Umbreon teaming up with Darkrai ex is where the magic happens. This deck leverages poison effects and passive damage in a way that's honestly pretty savage when it works. The synergy between Poison Barb and Nihilego's ability can deal up to 30 passive damage, which is no joke!

Here's how I make this deck work:

• Umbreon takes the Active Spot, blocking enemy Basic Pokémon attacks while dealing 40 damage

• Nihilego chills on the bench, boosting poison damage by 10 per card (up to 30 total!)

• Darkrai ex serves as secondary damage, dealing 20 damage each time I attach Energy

My Step-by-Step Play Strategy

1. Start with Eevee and evolve into Umbreon ASAP

2. Attach Poison Barb to Umbreon for that sweet poison effect

3. Bench two Nihilego cards (no need to charge them up)

4. Add Darkrai ex to the board

5. Allocate first Energy to Umbreon and start attacking

6. Feed remaining Energy to Darkrai ex for chip damage

7. Let enemies hit Umbreon to trigger poison effects

When everything clicks, this combo deals 90 damage per turn with just one Energy! That's 40 from Umbreon's attack, 30 from poison, and 20 from Darkrai ex's Nightmare Aura. If the opponent is weak to Darkness, we're looking at 110 damage—absolute madness!

Alternative Build: Umbreon & Crobat Link Combo

For those looking for something different, I've been experimenting with Umbreon paired with Crobat from Triumphant Light. This deck requires Arceus ex to activate Crobat's link ability, but the payoff can be huge.

The synergy breakdown:

• Umbreon leads the charge with its attack-blocking ability

• Crobat handles chip damage (30 per turn with Arceus ex on board)

• Arceus ex activates links and serves as backup attacker

With two benched Crobats, Umbreon's damage jumps to 100 per turn! However, this deck is trickier to set up since Crobat is a Stage Two Pokémon. It's a high-risk, high-reward situation that requires careful planning.

The Reality Check: Darkness in Today's Meta

Let's keep it 100—Darkness decks currently make up less than 1% of the competitive meta. Their win rates aren't exactly setting the world on fire either. The main counters I've encountered are Buzzwole ex Celesteela decks, which can bypass Umbreon's attack restrictions by retreating and reactivating in the same turn.

Why I still play Darkness decks:

• ✅ Creative combos with new Eevee Grove cards

• ✅ Umbreon enables unique strategies

• ✅ Fun to experiment with different synergies

• ✅ Great for casual play and creative deck building

The drawbacks:

• ❌ Low competitive viability

• ❌ Difficult setup requirements

• ❌ Strong counters in current meta

• ❌ Inconsistent performance against top-tier decks

Final Thoughts: Is Darkness Worth It in 2025?

After weeks of testing, I can confidently say that Darkness decks are more about the journey than the destination. They're fun to play and offer some really creative combinations, especially with the new Eevee Grove cards. But if you're looking to climb the PvP ladder efficiently, you might want to look elsewhere.

The Eevee Grove expansion gave Darkness archetypes some much-needed love, but it didn't completely revive them. Umbreon brings fresh strategies to the table, but Darkness still faces an uphill battle against more established archetypes.

Will future expansions finally push Darkness into the spotlight? Only time will tell. For now, I'll keep experimenting and having fun with these underdog decks. After all, sometimes it's not about winning—it's about playing the cards you love!