Psyduck is set to warp the Pokémon TCG, if players can actually find a copy…
The Damp Psyduck Pokémon card is finally arriving in the English version of the TCG, but fans fear that copies will be hard to find. That’s because it won’t be found in a main set but a supplementary blister pack product.
Psyduck may not typically be a Pokémon associated with immense strength, but this version of the migraine mallard has a gamechanging effect. It’s the ability Damp. In the video games, Damp is an ability that stops opposing Pokémon from using moves like Self Destruct and Explosion. Similarly, in the TCG, it removes all abilities that require a Pokémon to KO itself.
The difference is that whereas Explosion is not that relevant in competitive play (ever since it was nerfed in Generation V) there are several very competitive Pokémon with self-KOing abilities. Indeed, just as Budew shifted the meta by taking items to task, Psyduck was poised to make key Pokémon lines such as Dusknoir and the energy accelerating Magneton, redundant.
But whereas Psyduck came out in Glory of Team Rocket promo packs in Japan, it was conspicuously missing from one of the newest Pokémon sets, Destined Rivals.
That means the Japanese metagame, always a few months ahead of us, has diverged pretty sharply from the English version of the game. They’re playing in a version of the game where Dragapult/Dusknoir isn’t such an important deck.
We’ve gone two Pokémon sets without Psyduck showing its face. Now it’s revealed to be coming in Mega Evolution, which means it’s too late for Worlds 2025. But it’s not in the main set. Instead, Damp Psyduck features as a promo card in one of the Mega Evolution additional products, a 3-pack blister box.
What that probably means is that it’ll be hard to get hold of a copy of the card, as physical products like these blister packs are ripe for scalping. It’s a less-than-ideal situation, where a scarce promo card ends up being incredibly meta-relevant.
Still, at least the card will soon be legal in the English language version of the game. It would’ve been pretty weird if we never got the new Psyduck and the two versions of the card game diverged permanently.
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