For me Pokémon is pretty much in line with Magic as a design. Sure, lands now go on creatures and the goal has changed to better fit its theme, but the play is very similar. It's simpler, because it was made for kids, but it seems very in line with the original design.
I don't know much about the state Pokémon nowadays but energy-less decks seem less of a design choice and more of another example of the game's balance being completely out of whack.
Well, these are few and far between, but every once in a while a stall deck that focuses entirely on healing and energy removal cards, or a lock deck that runs only 4 special energy develops into something playable. These decks can be the most challenging to pilot or play against, because they change the typical Prize Card-racing paradigm of the game. Suddenly, resource management or engineering a specific board state becomes the primary goal of one or both players. The diversity that these decks create is often healthy for a format, preventing it from growing stale or being dominated by the most dedicated aggressive decks (aggro isn't really a term in Pokemon, but every format has a deck(s) that shapes the tempo by being quick and efficient).
It is a simpler game in many ways, this is true. Each individual card has far less complexity and mechanical themes are present only in one-off designs. But the decisions it produces with these simpler components are of a very different nature to Magic, and have surprising merit.
Regarding some decks not playing energy, small changes to Magic's balance could also result in more creatures that didn't cost mana to play. After all, there are already some that don't, like Ornithopter. One can imagine a Magic-like game where you had more creatures that didn't cost mana to play, because the balance was different or because the cost was more focused on cards.
But that's the thing. If Magic suddenly was tilted in the favor of zero-mana cards, card advantage would become the main source of currency and tempo. But in Pokemon, card advantage as a concept exists on a more turn-to-turn, inconstant basis. You can play a card for free that draws you a new 7-card hand, but it will use up your Supporter for the turn. Hell, Supporters are closer to mana than Energies, in terms of how they comprise the main cost one is worried about using each turn, stumbling and missing one or drawing too many is bad, etc.
Here are some cards that have been competitive in the game's history:
Both of these cards have attacks which require energy. But to actually use these attacks would be completely unheard of. These Pokemon are played for their static effects, and sit on the Bench, hence the term 'bench-sitter'. They are played independently of the 'color' (typing) of the deck's main attacker. They cannot block as in Magic, and instead can be prime targets for your opponent to 'gust' into the Active position and kill. They have nothing to do with mana. Instead, their cost lies in deck space, set-up time, and fragility. You pay these costs to either advance your strategy or disrupt your opponent, and use primarily powerful tutors (which are standard in every deck) to find them, which also can eat up deck space or utility. Essentialy, these are zero-cost Enchantments that are targetable by attacks, need to 'evolve' (similarly to a Meld card in MTG), have the ability to attack, are equipable, and you can attach lands to them. As you can see, I'm really having to reach to find an analogy. The game mechanics are just not comparable at all.
Also, if this is unbalanced, it has not changed as part of 'the state of Pokemon nowadays'. One of those cards was printed in the game's first expansion, in 1999. The other was printed only a few years ago and still sees play in Expanded.
One more case study:
If this were Magic, you might expect this to play like Standstill. This is such a huge amount of cards that you'd be a fool to do anything else, right? In Pokemon, attacking will end your turn, and you only get to attack with your singular Active Pokemon. But in plenty of matchups, the player who places this card into play will be the only one to ever activate it, while the other recognizes that they cannot afford to waste a turn, because their opponent is most vulnerable in this early set-up phase. This 'Stadium' card type is an zero-cost enchantment with an activated or static ability both players can use, that is sacrificed whenever another Stadium is played. So not as distant from the realm of Magic, but still a distinct departure.
