Mega Zygarde ex: A new durability standard for Basics
The reveal of the set's main star made the biggest splash in the community. Mega Zygarde ex breaks existing patterns, arriving as a Basic Pokémon with an impressive 310 HP. That is a record value for a standard Basic Pokémon (one that is not, for example, a VMAX), making it an extremely hard-to-knock-out tank.
The card offers an interesting set of attacks and a dedicated tool:
Gaia Wave [F][F][F]: 200 damage, plus a 30-point reduction in damage taken during the next turn.
Nihil Zero [F][F][F][F][F]: An area attack based on a coin flip for each of the opponent's Pokémon (150 damage for each heads).
Core Memory (Pokémon Tool): A special card that, when attached to Zygarde, unlocks the Geobuster attack, dealing as much as 350 damage at the cost of discarding all energy.
A renaissance for the Fighting type
Looking at the revealed cards, there is a clear trend of strengthening the Fighting-type archetype. Despite its powerful stats, Zygarde requires a lot of energy. The answer to this problem is the new Binacle / Barbaracle evolution line.
Barbaracle (Stage 1) has the Stone Arms Ability, which lets you attach a Basic Fighting Energy from your hand to one of your Fighting Pokémon once per turn. This is key energy acceleration, essential for getting Zygarde going quickly.
Typed Special Energy also returns to the game. Rock Fighting Energy not only provides [F] energy but also grants immunity to all effects of the opponent's attacks (such as devolving or applying Special Conditions).
Meowth ex and the new Trump Card mechanic
A particularly important addition from the perspective of tournament players is Meowth ex. This card acts as universal support (a so-called consistency booster).
Its Ability, Trump Card Catch, lets you search your deck for any Supporter card when you play it from your hand onto the Bench. This mechanic is familiar from cards such as Tapu Lele GX and Lumineon V, which historically were staples of most decks.
There is, however, an important balancing element: the Ability has a restriction, you can only use one Ability with Trump Card in its name per turn. This suggests we will see more strong cards from this series in the future, but the game will force a strategic choice of which effect to use at any given moment.
Release calendar and the English-language outlook
Alongside Nihil Zero, a special set featuring Mega Gallade ex was also announced. Based on the Japanese schedule, we can expect the following release order:
January 23: Nihil Zero and Mega Gallade ex Special Set.
March 13: Ninja Spinner (with Mega Greninja ex).
For players using English-language cards, this means the March set (probably named Perfect Order, releasing around March 27) will most likely combine cards from the Japanese sets Nihil Zero and Ninja Spinner.
Conclusions
Nihil Zero looks set to have a strong impact on the metagame. The introduction of Basics with more than 300 HP will push players to look for ways to deal huge one-shot damage. Meanwhile, the return of strong support for specific types (Special Energy) and a new category of limited Abilities (Trump Card) show that the designers are looking for ways to balance gameplay while increasing the power of individual cards.