Team Y2K

PokeChamp · Site Admin Joined: 03 Mar 2010 Posts: 946 Location: Gengar

If you've read the last three parts, this is it. The most boring review in the beginning, but as we move on, we'll review some awesome Pokemon Prime and LEGEND! Enjoy.

71. Pidgey
Another boring basic. Sad

Thankfully, "Messenger" is far from boring. it grabs you any Pokemon card in your entire deck. Then, as a slight drawback, you shuffle Pidgey back into your deck. "Messenger" is a cool attack, but the drawback prevents you from using it recklessly. Still a just if you want to play Pidgeot, so cool basic all-in-all. If Donphan doesn't draw an Expert Belt, you can survive the donk.

72. Ponyta
Generic but good for a basic... if only we had generic but good Rapidash. :/

73. Porygon
Average Porygon, you'll be using this if you want to use the Promo Porygon.

74. Psyduck
Why did they change the attack from "Stupid Head"? That was an awesome attack name! Awesome attack name, but awesome attack... nah, more like flippy attack. The Psyduck from Platinum is probably your best bet if you want to use some Golduck.

75. Shuppet
Decent Shuppet, but just doesn't compete with the free sleep and the 30-for-1 damage-to-Energy ratio that Shuppet PL has made us know and love.

76. Skorupi
Despite the higher retreat cost, Skorupi SF is your best bet in a Drapion-based deck. Unown Q will greatly increase your retreating capabilities, and with a bad attack, there's no reason to play this card.

77. Spoink
The Sleep is nice, but the switch not as much. But anywho, who's gonna play a Grumpig deck?

78. Swablu
Low HP, decent attack. But no usable Altarias, anyway.

79. Swinub
A good Swinub, higher retreat cost not as much. But Mamoswine currently isn't that hot and for good reasons.

80. Tentacool
If you're playing with Tentacruel, which is unlikely, this Tentacool has 10 more HP than the LA Tentacruel and a decent attack. It's worth your consideration if you're packing Tentacruels.

81. Venonat
DON'T REMIND ME OF VENOMOTH.

82. Volbeat
30-for-1 if you have Illumise? Not too shabby. But as I said, the deck has no late-game , so it's an unlikely deck unless you are incredibly lucky and donk every game you play.

83. Voltorb
40 HP and if you flip tails, it's only got 30? No thanks, I'd rather use the Stormfront Voltorbs.

84. Yanma
The Yanma from LA is so much better, 70 HP and much better attacks in general.

85. Black Belt
No more boring! Black Belt is one of three cards in the set designed to be used if you've lost a Pokemon. If you have lost one during your last turn, it increases your active Pokemon's attacks by 40. Yeah, you read right. An extra forty damage. With the high amounts of damage most decks pack nowadays, that basically reads, "if you lost a Pokemon during your last turn, take a prize card". This is a cool card, not as good as the other ones of the same nature, but it has very potent use against some of the faster decks in format, namely SPs and Donphan Prime.

86. Indigo Plateau
The LEGEND Pokemon have new support through Bronzong and this card, which gives them +30 HP. That's nothing to sneeze at. Although LEGENDs haven't seen any play yet, perhaps these new support cards will lead someone to build a LEGEND deck? There's nothing more that can be said; either they work, or they don't. Either way, I think any serious player should start testing with these new cards and see if this is anything serious or just a gimmick.

87. Junk Arm
You've probably already heard about this card. It discards Magikarps in Gyarados and gets you back a critical Trainer. It's a cool card in Gyarados, but in other decks, like SP and stage 2, it has potential, but I don't know if it's worth the one or two spaces it will probably occupy. Will this make the cut over VS Seeker? With Trainer lock so prominent in the format, I'd be inclined to think not. But Gyarados just so much more viable than it already is. if you thought Gyarados had died, it hasn't. It could be argued that it is, in fact, much better and faster than it ever was.

88. Seeker
More Gyarados support. This card is awesome with Gengar Prime, but it's also awesome in Sablelock and other decks that previously played SSU. It can be fetched with Cyrus, VS Seeker, etc. It also doesn't make you flip a coin. While it takes up your Supporter for the turn, if you're scooping up a huge Gyarados or one a Giratina PL, will you really need to have to have access to Supporter cards for that turn? Needless to say, this is a format-defining card. Pretty much any deck that uses a big Pokemon and has the ability to retreat that Pokemon easily can use Seeker. Like I said, format-defining. The question is whether or not that definition is Gyarados SF, or perhaps some new deck that no one gave a thought about before.

89. Twins
Say hello to a new staple in any stage 2 deck. Being a Supporter, it's immune to Trainer lock, and having to be behind in prizes means it can be used quite efficiently against SPs. Any two cards when you're behind in prizes... is a godsend, enough said. We needed something like this a long time ago.

90. Rescue Energy
The last of the "you lost a Pokemon, you can use this card" cards. Rescue Energy is, again, a new weapon in Gyarados. It's basically Combee SF... in an Energy card. Energy being so splashable in Gyarados and all... yeah, this card is pretty sick. If you just lost Gyarados, drop a Rescue on your active Sableye or Smeargle, grab Karp, drop BTS, evolve, retreat, maybe drop Black Belt, attach E-Belt, swing for 90-150, depending on what damage modifiers you pulled. That means that pretty much, if you kill a Gyarados, it will almost always kill you back. Like I said, Gyarados is better than it has been in years.

91. Absol (Prime)
80 HP and a low retreat cost make this a usable basic. "Eye of Disaster" is awesome paired with a bunch of Crobat Gs and Honchkrow Gs. It makes sniping benched basics fairly easy. "Vicious Claw" is a cool attack, two-for-70 or 90 with a Belt is awesome, but the cost is a little difficult to maintain in the long run. Run this with an Unown Q and Honchkrow G, draw a bunch of prize cards. Basically that's all that can be said with it. It also can be used in combination with Mew Prime to give it fodder for it's Poke-Body. But aside from that, Absol's uses are limited.

92. Celebi (Prime)
60 HP? You're kidding me. Celebi as a Prime and all we get is 60 HP? Yeah, I haven't even started the review and the card just died. 60 HP is way too low, talk about total food for Luxray GL Lv.X. "Forest Breath" is cool acceleration, sure, but "Time Circle" is absolutely gimmicky and otherwise unplayable thanks to "Warp Point". I wanted a cool Celebi, instead we get this nonsensical garbage of a rare. At least, being a Prime, you won't pull these too frequently.

93. Electrode (Prime)
As is typical for Electrode, it's only use is exploding in a fiery mass of suicidal energy, wiping out entire playing fields of bulky stage 2s and wimpy SPs... awesome. But this Electrode doesn't just Fade to Black for the sake of destruction; being a loyal Pokemon, he sacrifices himself to support your other Pokemon by giving them Energy. It's quite valiant sacrifice, actually. I'm sure there's some Energy-intensive combos you could use with this guy, but at the moment I'm not convinced that this isn't going to be another one of those "Interviewer's Questions + Feraligatr Prime" sort of dumb combos like those.

94. Gengar (Prime)
Like all Gengars in the history of the TCG, he has the best artwork in the set. Maybe I'm biased, but I think that Mr. Yamaguchi did a great job on this card. This card is cool if you can somehow try and make Cursegar work again. Imagine knocking out a Pokemon with Gengar AR, switching for this guy, and losting an entire stage 2 Pokemon. Then imagine spreading damage counters like Cursegar does, and dropping some "Cursed Droplets" on your opponent's bench. If you're not aiming for prizes then, you can spread their bench through and then just finish them off with Gengar lv.X's "Compound Pain". Though Gengar Prime is not the archetype that it would have been had Lost World been printed in the set, it still has plenty of potential in a Cursegar-based deck.

95. Machamp (Prime)
Am I the only one who Lol'd when I say he had the same HP as the Lv.X? "Fighting Tag" is what makes this guy so crazy. With Donphan Prime, just keep attaching Energy cards to it and spreading your own bench to where it looks like you're gonna kill yourself from that, then, just as you're about to lose that Donphan who did so much damage and tanked so much punishment, switching it out of the brink of defeat, attaching a DCE to your charged-up Machamp, and then taking a one-hit KO with "Champ Buster". Donphan Prime has an easy enough SP matchup, now it can kill absolutely any stage 2 deck? Say hello to the new archetype of the format, right up there alongside Gyarados.

96. Magnezone (Prime)
"Magnetic Draw" is nowhere near as good as "Cosmic Power" was. But that doesn't mean it is an awesome Poke-Power to have at your disposal. If you're playing Magnezone, which for your information is more than viable in this new format, the drawpower is absolutely great. "Lost Burn" is also awesome because it can one-hit KO a bunch of Pokemon by spamming multiple uses of the Electric SF Magnezone's Poke-Power.

97. Mew (Prime)
Again, 60 HP is sick. Admittedly the synergy it holds with it's Poke-Body and attack are cool, and mocking a whole huge stage 2 Pokemon like Machamp is really cool, in the current format with only 60 HP it isn't worth much more than a prize card for your opponent. But in the future, when we know donks from stage 1 and stage 2 Pokemon are impossible, but Trainer cards are allowed on the first turn of the game, Mew (Prime) suddenly becomes very scary. Not in the metagame yet, but mark my words, it will be seen eventually.

98. Yanmega (Prime)
Not much to say about this card. Play "Copycat", play Communications, play drawpower, get the same number of cards in your hand as your opponent, attach an E-belt when possible, swing for 70 to 90 damage for no Energy. Cool card, it really is, but Gyarados is so much better.

99 and 100. Cresselia and Darkrai LEGEND
"Moon's Invite" could be fun with Absol (Prime). "Lost Crisis" is cool, but charging it up will be difficult and taking a one-hit KO with it will be even harder. To add even more difficulty into the picture, the drawback is absolutely killer. It's just another LEGEND.

101 and 102. Palkia and Dialga LEGEND
Bitter disappointment. Absolutely useless. A cool concept, but too slow and no way to punish your opponent with those extra two prize cards.

FOUR (secret card; 103). Alpha Lithograph
Azelf LA is so much better.

And that's that. I've reviewed the entire set. In conclusion and summary, Gyarados and Donphan Prime became even bigger beasts than before, and Cursgar has a new weapon to throw at your opponent if it happens to show its face in competitive play ever again. Donphan Prime's weakness, however means that playing it will make Gyarados so much stronger. SPs themselves will struggle against Gyarados and its new toys.

Gyarados will be the king of City Championships. How are you going to stop it? Will you attempt to dismantle that mighty deck, or, if you can't beat it, will you give in and join the Atrocious revolution?
_________________
Florida State Champion; Seniors
I sacrificed my Queen because I wanted to play like Fischer.

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