Pokémon has been a favorite of TCG enthusiasts since the creation of the franchise back in 1995, inspiring further games, a manga, an anime series, brilliant toys, and even a trading card game, all of which have become immensely popular over the years. The trading card game, also known as Pokémon TCG, has sold more than 30.4 billion individual cards all over the world by the year 2020.
The trading card game also has many different types of cards that players can collect to create individual decks that they think they can best use to thwart their opponents. One amongst these various types of cards is the water type. While there are many water-type Pokémon cards that have been released over the years, with re-published and rare cards enriching the esteemed category, some can be regarded as the strongest. These are the most powerful water-type Pokémon cards that Pokémon TCG has to offer.
Octillery
Belonging to the XY-BREAKthrough expansion, Octillery is a stage 1 Pokémon with 90 HP and evolves itself from Remoraid. Having abilities such as Hug, which can stop the defending player from retreating at the cost of water-water-colorless energy cards, Octillery’s most powerful ability is Abyssal Hand, which allows the player to draw cards once during their turn and before they attack.
This ability became so lucrative that many decks used Octillery simply because of Abyssal Hand, which allowed players to refresh their hands and have an extra supporter.
Empoleon
Part of the Majestic Dawn expansion, Empoleon is a stage 2 Water-Type Pokémon Card, with 130 HP. Empoleon comes equipped with two extremely useful abilities, the first being Dual Splash, which requires one water and one colorless energy card to deal 30 damage to any two of the opponent’s pokémon.
The second ability is Surf Together, which requires two water and one colorless energy card and deals 50 damage, as well as 10 extra damage for every one of the player’s benched pokémon. Furthermore, after flipping a coin, if it lands on tails, there is an extra 10 damage to each of the player’s benched pokémon. All in all, it is a powerful attacker that works efficiently, and, therefore, has found its place in many successful decks on the world stage.
Kyurem
Kyurem is a Basic-type pokémon with 130 HP, which belongs to the Plasma Freeze expansion. Equipped with Frost Spear, Kyurem can deal 30 damage to one of the opponent's benched pokémon at the cost of one water and one colorless energy card. It also has the ability of Blizzard Burn, which deals 120 damage for two water and one colorless energy card, but it restricts Kyurem from attacking in the next round.
It is an extremely powerful attack-minded Pokémon card and has found great usage in decks like the Team Plasma, and combining it with an item card such as Hypnotoxic Laser and a Stadium Card like Virbank City Gym, Kyurem has the ability to knock out any EX pokémon having 180 HP with a single attack. Furthermore, it is a non-EX card, meaning that, once it is knocked out, only one prize card will be given up by the player.
Ludicolo
Ludicolo is a stage 2 100 HP pokémon that belongs to the EX Deoxys expansion and provides players with the unique ability to stack cards on the top of their decks as and when they please with the help of abilities such as Swing Dance and Healing Steps. The first allows a player to draw a card once during a turn and before their attack, but it cannot be used if Ludicolo was affected by any special condition.
The second allows players to discard as many cards as they liked from their hands while removing the same number of damage counters from Ludicolo. The final ability Circular Steps deals 10 damage multiplied by the total number of active pokémon in play including the player's and opponent's Pokemons and excluding the Ludicolo, therefore, making this card an absolute powerhouse.
Kingdra Prime
A card of Ultimate Rarity, Kingdra Prime has the Poke-powers of Spray Splash and the ability Dragon Steam. This 130 HP stage 2 pokémon, can deal one damage counter to one of the pokémon that the opponent has. However, it cannot be used if a Special Condition has been levied on Kingdra Prime.
Furthermore, the ability of Dragon Steam for the cost of one water energy card can deal 60 base damage to the opponent’s pokémon, but the value changes to 20 if the opponent has a fire pokémon in play. It is a card that allows players to boost their damage throughout the game, instead of focusing on a one-time hit, and provides consistency to the player’s gameplay, helping him/her to attack benched pokémon and knock out as many as possible.
Feraligatr
Feraligatr is a 120 HP stage 2 pokémon that belongs to the Neo Genesis expansion and boasts of astoundingly powerful abilities such as Downpour and Riptide, which are kind of complementary to each other. While Downpour allows the player to discard one water energy card from the deck, as many times as they like during their turn, before they attack, Riptide complements it by dealing 10 plus 10 damage multiplied by the number of water energy cards that the player has in the discard pile.
Furthermore, the player can reshuffle all discarded water energy cards from the discard pile into the playing deck after using Riptide. Along with cards such as Misty’s Wrath and Secret Mission from the Wizards Of The Coast Era, this card is extremely powerful.
Gyarados
Belonging to the Stormfront expansion, this stage 1 Water-type pokémon, has three unique abilities called Tail Revenge, Wreak Havoc, and Dragon Beat. Among these, the Tail Revenge ability, which requires zero damage is the most useful, allowing players to deal 30 damage multiplied by the number of Magikarp cards in his/her discard pile.
With assisting cards like Pokemon Rescue and Broken Time Space, as well as the introduction of Junk Arm in this respective format, players could device innovative ways to evolve their Magikarps, attack right away, and get Gyarados to use Tail Revenge by sending Magikarps into the discard pile as early as possible during a game.
Keldeo EX
A basic Pokemon with 170 HP, Keldeo EX is a brilliant Water-type pokémon that can be used to recycle the player’s active Pokemon with a Keldeo EX sitting on the bench, using its ability Rush In, which requires no energy. Combining the same with a Float Stone, this tactic becomes even more potent allowing the player to switch any attacking Pokemon as and when required.
The second ability Secret Sword is another useful attack that allows the player to deal 50 initial damage plus 20 extra for each water energy attached, all for the cost of three colorless energy cards.
Seismitoad EX
A basic Pokemon with 180 HP, Seismitoad EX was first launched as part of the XY Furious Fist Expansion and soon became a powerful controlling card, which is frequently played even today.
Both of Seismitoad’s abilities are quite powerful, with Quaking Punch restricting the opponent from using an item card during the next turn, and Grenade Hammer dealing 130 with an additional and negligible 30 damage to two benched Pokemons of the player. Complimentary cards that make it even more powerful include Hypnotoxic Laser, Muscle Band, and Virbank City Gym.
Blastoise
Blastoise has been an extremely potent Pokémon card, throughout its different publications, and has to be the most powerful TCG Water-type pokémon to exist. However, the Boundaries Crossed Blastoise is arguably the most powerful, with abilities like Deluge and Hydro Pump.
However, the reason that makes Blastoise so powerful is that it is able to make energies come into play continuously through the game and get the strong attackers powered up extremely quickly, allowing the player to win the game before the opponent has any clue.