XY—Phantom Forces

Status: Released (November 2014)

The Shadows Strike Back in XY—Phantom Forces

Darkness descended once more with XY—Phantom Forces , released on November 5, 2014. This spooky expansion gave Ghost-type and Psychic-type Pokémon their time in the limelight, featuring the terrifying Mega Gengar-EX. XY—Phantom Forces was pivotal for introducing "Spirit Link" cards, tools that allowed players to Mega Evolve without ending their turn. This single mechanic fixed the biggest drawback of Mega Evolution, instantly making Mega Pokémon viable in high-level play.

Night March and VS Seeker

While the Mega Pokémon were the stars, a lowly common strategy defined the XY—Phantom Forces meta: "Night March." Using Joltik, Pumpkaboo, and Lampent to discard Pokémon and deal massive damage for very little energy, Night March became one of the most dominant (and hated) budget decks in history. The set also saw the return of "VS Seeker," an item that lets players recover Supporter cards from the discard pile. This card became so essential that it appeared in virtually every competitive deck for years, solidifying XY—Phantom Forces as one of the most impactful sets of the XY era.