Mars – Space-Time Smackdown
Date Reviewed: February 22, 2025
Ratings Summary:
Ratings are based on a 1 to 5 scale. 1 is horrible. 3 is average. 5 is great.
Reviews Below:
Otaku
We close out the week with Mars (A2 155, 195)! She’s a Trainer-Supporter that forces the opposing player to shuffle their hand back into their deck, then to draw a number of cards equal to the number of points they currently require to win. Mars is available at the ♦♦ and ★★ rarities.
There are no card effects – good or bad – that reference Trainers in general. Unfortunately, we cannot say the same about Supporters, because there are three and they’re all Supporter counters. Psyduck (A1 057) and Gengar (A1 122) both have single Energy attacks that do only a little damage, but also prevent your opponent from playing Supporter cards during their next turn. Gengar ex (A1 123, 261, 277) has an always-on Ability that blocks also your opponent from playing Supporters.1
Unlike Item cards, Supporters have a universal cost to their use; you’re only allowed to play one Supporter during each of your turns. You can have others in hand, but they’ll be dead cards until your next turn. In exchange for this, Supporter cards are intended to be more powerful, both in general, and when compared to their closest equivalent Item cards.
Mars’ effect is an example of hand control, as you force your opponent to shuffle their hand into their deck, then to draw one, two, or three cards – whatever amount is equal to the amount of points they need to take to win by points. Hand “disruption” or “manipulation” are also apt descriptors. While this is a powerful effect, it can also backfire. Whether your opponent draws more, the same amount, or fewer cards, there’s almost2 always a risk they’ll get a better hand.
No card requires zero forethought to its use, but Mars requires more than the norm. You’ll need to consider both players:
- Decks
- Hands
- Fields
- Discard Piles
- Strategies
to determine if you should play a copy of Mars now, or wait until later. It can help if another card effect let you see your opponent’s hand before you decided whether or not to play Mars, but none available have proven worthwhile.
Turn 13, there is a good chance you’ll catch your opponent with a four card hand. Besides reducing your opponent’s hand size by one, you have the added bonus of forcing them to rethink their plans for their own first turn. Turn 2 is similar, but there’s a greater chance your opponent used some cards without any draw or search effects to replenish their hand. It is also worth noting that most Supporters aren’t all that good Turn 1.
One of the best uses for Mars, that I have both seen and done, is to use her on an opponent who just KO’d a Pokémon ex… assuming they have at least two cards in their hand, or have done something that leads you to conclude even a one-card hand contains something they’re planning to use next turn. Better still if they have several cards left in their deck, to reduce the odds of drawing or redrawing something they need to further advance their win-state.
There aren’t many other forms of hand control in Pocket, but there’s one I must compare and contrast with Mars: Red Card (P-A 006). This Trainer-Item forces your opponent to shuffle their hand into their deck, then draw three cards. You don’t have to burn your Supporter usage for the turn on Red Card, but it’ll only otherwise perform as well as Mars when your opponent has earned no points. Especially as the game progresses, Mars just has better odds of actually being disruptive.
Rating: 3/5
Though I enjoy using Mars, I haven’t been able to justify her presence in most of my decks. Nor can I guarantee she should be run instead of Red Card. I will guarantee Mars is at least worth consideration in most, if not all, decks. Especially as I find myself and my opponent heading towards end game with multiple, potentially game-winning Supporters built up in hand, waiting to be let loose.
1While worth mentioning, I am unaware of any proven, competitive decks that make use of any of these three cards.
2Technically, there are scenarios where there is zero chance your opponent’s hand will be worse after Mars.
3The app uses absolute turn counts, and so do I.
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