August 31, 2011

Emerging Powers Review


Hey guys! It's LuxrayMogul here to more or less rant about the new expansion that was released today - Black & White - Emerging Powers. Yes, the name sounds pretty cool, but I guess this expansion is more of a... collector's expansion than a competitive one. Most of the cards are not too appealing to competitive players. The full art Thundorus and Tornadus is great for collectors, but their attacks definitely aren't that good compared to cards from previous expansions.

The main hype? Well, I think there are mostly two cards from this expansion that is pretty much the only "hype" you would say; and probably one of the only reasons why someone would buy boosters from this expansion in the first place. The first one is Pokémon Catcher (Emerging Powers 95). This has the same effect as a pretty old card, Gust of Wind (Base Set 93), a similar effect to the more recent reprinted card, Pokémon Reversal (HGSS 99) [without the coin flip], and a similar effect to Pokémon Circulator (Unleashed 81) [opponent's choice, not yours]. This gives you the power to switch your opponent's Active Pokémon with a Benched, which can quickly give you a victory - perhaps this aspect adds to its popularity and demand. Definitely watch out for Catchers in the upcoming tournaments.

The second card hype, Beartic (Emerging Powers 30), is also a big hype, and also a nightmare to play against. I'm not going to do a review here, because that'll be saved for PikaCirculator's later reviews ;D But its staggering 130 HP for a Stage 1 and its deadly attack Sheer Cold builds to its popularity - although it only does a mere 50 damage, its additional effect prevents the defending Pokémon from attacking - which forces them to wait out a turn, or retreat to another Pokémon to do the attack. Definitely expect to see this Beartic in upcoming tournaments for sure.

Another new change in this expansion is the feature of energy symbols in the holographic design of the reverse holos - reverse holos in this set feature a holo design that includes a repeating pattern of that Pokémon's energy symbol on the card. If it's a Trainer, Supporter or (yet to be released) Stadium, the reverse holo features a background of Pokéballs instead. This is also great collector items and will definitely add to the popularity of this expansion.

But overall, the cards are not too great; the expansion only features a few good cards. The holographic treatment adds to its grading. I'll grade this expansion a probably-too-generous rating of 2.5/5.

Let's all look forward to Noble Victories coming out November! It will feature Japan's Red Collection cards, which should be more appealing in regards to competitiveness. So, this is LuxrayMogul signing off this first expansion review. Regular card reviews will be coming back this Sunday - however, because of the upcoming school workload, the Card of the Day Review will now, unfortunately be a Card of the Week Review. But nevertheless, stay tuned, and don't forget to check out our latest video on YouTube!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F9ONLR1zgdg

August 18, 2011

Card of the Day Review - Umbreon (Undaunted 10)


Hey everyone! LuxrayMogul here for another Card of the Day Review! Today I continue my Eeveelution reviews with the Moonlight Pokémon, Umbreon. Let's start with the basics. Umbreon is a Stage 1 Darkness-type Pokémon that evolves from the Evolution Pokémon, Eevee. (Eevee sure does have a lot of evolutions, haha!) It has 90 HP just like its 'opposite' Espeon. It has a double weakness to Fighting-types, which is actually not desirable at all, and a -20 resistance to Psychic-types, which is awesome. Finally, its retreat cost of one colourless is, of course, pretty average for a Stage 1 Pokémon. So, let's look at the attacks.

Umbreon's first attack, Moonlight Fang, needs one Darkness energy and does a decent damage of 30 (well, for one energy it's decent). Plus, any damage and effects done by your opponent's Pokémon that has Poké-Powers and Poké-Bodies are prevented during their next turn. Really? Cool! So... pretty much every single one of the Prime cards can't affect Umbreon, and neither can most regular Stage-2 Pokémon. It's pretty awesome, all for one energy. Unfortunately, this effect doesn't extend over to the new Black & White cards, which do not use Poké-Powers or Poké-Bodies any more, but use Abilities. Therefore, Moonlight Fang doesn't affect these Pokémon, like Ability Samurott, Serperior and Emboar. That sucks. You definitely should be watching when you play this card, especially later on when HGSS cards start to get rotated out - this card will become increasingly useless, unfortunately as the new cards don't get affected by it.

Its second attack, Quick Blow, needs a Darkness and a Colourless. It does 30 damage, but you get to add 30 more if you get heads on the coin flip. So a maximum of 60 damage... that's average for a Stage 1 I guess, but I generally don't like coin flip attacks (who does?! XD) because it's way too risky. If you're wanting to pack a punch, then I would use Quick Blow, but if you're facing a Prime that you obviously can't take out in one turn, I would stick with Moonlight Fang until things get easy, because honestly, Quick Blow is too risky of an attack, especially for a Pokémon that has a times to weakness to a very very very popular type right now.

The artwork is amazing. Of course. I love the Eeveelutions, haha!

Overall, I would give the card a 3/5 for its pretty powerful Moonlight Fang, and its pretty usefulness inside a deck that runs dark types or Eeveelutions. But it's attacks are only average, which makes it lose some ratings. But overall, it's a relatively good card.

August 17, 2011

Card of the Day Review - Xatu (Unleashed 11)


Hi everyone! It's GrassExplorer here again! This time we have Xatu! Like usually, we will begin with the artwork. I very much like the artwork of Xatu because it highlights Xatu's mysterious aspect.

To begin, we will look at its HP, Xatu has 90 HP, which I would say is a normal amount, nevertheless, nothing phenomenal. I am actually not too happy about its average HP and it would be difficult to employ in battle if you plan to use it to actually knock out stage 2 Pokémon.

Next, it's first attack is Psywave, which does 20 damage times the amount of energy cards attached to Xatu, I don't necessarily like this attack because the opponent can easily remove energy cards with the use of trainer cards and it uses up a lot of valuable energy cards.

However, I prefer its second attack, Confuse Ray, which does 50 damage and you flip a coin to see if the defending Pokémon is confused. But the part that I don't like about this attack is that it requires quite a large amount of energy cards and I would prefer a condition other than confused.

Xatu is weak to Electric-Type Pokémon, however also has resistance to Fighting-type Pokémon, so in some ways, it equals out.

Overall, I give Xatu a 3/5.
Although nothing fantastic, it is a good Pokémon to have in hand as a "buffer".

August 16, 2011

Card of the Day Review - Samurott (Black & White 32)


Hey ladies and gentlemen, this is Volcachu for another review on another fresh week. First of all, sorry for not posting on the weekend as our whole team was very busy. Today's card is the Ability Samurott from the Black & White set and my nickname for this big guy is "the tank."

Samurott is a Stage 2 Pokémon with 140 HP which is a lot for anyone. It is a Water-Type so it has the common double weakness to Electric-Types. The retreat cost is 2 energies which is not that bad for this big guy.

This Pokémon has only 1 attack. (Did you know that all three ability starters only have 1 attack?) Samurott's only attack is called Hydro Pump and we have heard this attack a lot in the video game. This attack costs 3 energy of any sort so attaching a Double Colourless Energy and a Water Energy is pretty effective. Hydro Pump does 70 damage and 10 more on top for every Water Energy attached to Samurott. This means, if you have 3 Water Energies on Samurott to use its attack, you would do 100 damage.

The reason I call Samurott "the tank" is because of its ability. Its ability is called Shell Armor and it reduces 20 damage done to Samurott from any attack. This ability is exactly the same as Donphan Prime's Exoskeleton. This allows Samurott to take a lot of hits and hard to knock out.

The rating that I would give this card is a 4/5. Samurott is almost like Donphan Prime but it takes a longer time to set up. I haven't really been seeing this in play often and lately. There may be better Stage 2 Water Pokémon out there like Blastoise. Samurott is a decent card with very few drawbacks, so you should try using this card in your deck today!

August 13, 2011

Card of the Day Review - Espeon (Undaunted 2)


Hey everyone! LuxrayMogul here for another Card of the Day Review! Today I will continue on my Eeveelution reviews and discuss the Sun Pokémon, Espeon. Espeon is a Stage 1 Psychic-type Pokémon that evolves from the Evolution Pokémon, Eevee. It has a decent 90 HP and a double weakness to Psychic-types. Its retreat cost of one is also average for a Stage-1 Pokémon. So, pretty average card so far. Let's look at the card text.

Solar Suggestion allows you to move (up to) 4 damage counters from any of your own Pokémon to any of your opponent's Pokémon and arrange it in any way you like - all for one Psychic energy. So essentially, you're doing a total of 40 damage. This attack can be quite useful in knocking out Pokémon that have retreated because of low HP left, and therefore this could allow you to knock out quite a few Pokémon in just one hit. As a bonus, your Pokémon get healed in the process. Here's the catch - if you don't have any damage counters on your Pokémon, then this attack does nothing. Just watch out for that.

Psybeam does a decent 30 damage for a Psychic and a Colourless energy. If the coin flip goes your way, the opponent is also confused, forcing it to flip a coin every time it tries to attack. (Doing 30 damage to itself if it's tails... but however the opponent can easily retreat, in which the confusion is healed). I much prefer paralysis in place of confusion, because it generally is more effective.

But other than that, Espeon's a decent card. I'll give Espeon a 4/5. It's only high because of its Solar Suggestion. Make good use of it! It is a great addition to any deck that runs Eevee.

August 12, 2011

Card of the Day Review - Musharna (Black and White 49)


Hi everyone! It's Grass Explorer here again! This time, we have one of my favourite Pokémon, Musharna! Now although it may look like a fetus, it can really pack a punch! It is a really useful Pokémon and is great for strategies.

First of all, it's weak to psychic, and most other psychic Pokémon are also weak to psychic, so there's no substantial disadvantage.

Looking at its first attack, Hypnotic Ray, which does 20 damage and makes the opponent fall asleep, this attack is great to stall and create a battle of attrition! I love this attack because it can really help you when you are in need of time; in helping you stall, it also slowly damages the opponent and gives you the opportunity to build up your bench. Best of all, it only requires one energy card!

Moreover, its second attack builds on Hypnotic Ray, Dream Eater, which does 90 damage if the defending Pokémon is asleep. 90 damage is an enormous amount of damage for a stage 1 Pokémon and can even knock out many basic or stage 1 Pokémon in one hit! Also, it only requires two energy cards! So if you finish stalling with Hypnotic Ray, you can just use this attack and finish off the defending Pokémon.

Overall, I give musharna a definite 5/5!

August 11, 2011

Card of the Day Review - Serperior (Black & White 6)


I am back. Volcachu here with another review and this time, it will be on another final evolution of one of the Black and White starter Pokémon. Today's card is Serperior, the evolved form of Servine and Snivy. I would nickname this Pokémon as the healer. I will explain more indepth about that later.

First of all, Serperior is a Stage 2 Pokémon with a total of 130 HP. The health is average among all Stage 2. It has a double weakness to Fire-Types so you should be careful against those decks that run Emboars. This Pokémon also has a resistance against Water-Types with 20 but not too many people are running Water decks these days except Blastoise decks. The retreat cost is very low at one, so this is an added bonus.

Serperior is getting a lot of hype because of its ability. The ability is called Royal Heal and it heals all of your Pokémon for 10 HP in between turns. That is 20 HP healed by the time it is your turn again. If you have more than 1 Serperiors on your bench, it will be hard for your opponent to kill your Active Pokémon. Especially if you have a Donphan Prime which already blocks 20 damage. Your opponent will most likely have to one hit your Pokémon to win. With this ability, Serperior is a healer and it keeps your side of the field very healthy.

Serperior has one single attack and it is called Leaf Tornado. This attack only needs a Grass Energy and any other Energy which is very little for an attack that does 60 damage. The added effect to this attack is that you can move the Grass Energies on your side of the field and rearrange them to other Pokémon however you like. The effect to the attack is not mandatory so it is really up to the user.

Serperior is a solid Pokémon with average health and a fairly good attack. It can heal you Pokémon for free and it is very effective. I give this card a solid 4.5 out of 5 and the reason for the missing .5 is because there is not a good variety in attacks. Serperior usually never seens combat and stays on the bench to heal. This is a very good tech card and it can be used in many decks. Try out this card and tell me how it goes. Enjoy the rest of your day!

August 10, 2011

Card of the Day Review - Flareon (Undaunted 26)


Hey everyone! LuxrayMogul here for another Card of the Day Review! Continuing on my Eeveelution Reviews, today we're going to discuss the Flame Pokémon, Flareon. Let's look at its stats. Flareon is a Fire-type Stage 1 Pokémon that evolves from the Evolution Pokémon, Eevee. It shares the same HP as its evolutionary relative, Vaporeon (Undaunted 41), which is decent for a Stage 1. It has a times two weakness to water, which is average for a Fire-Type, and a pretty average retreat cost of one Colourless energy; not as much as Vaporeon, and not as less as Jolteon (Undaunted 28) either. So, pretty decent so far.

Flareon's energy requirements parallel that of Jolteon and Vaporeon's (the ones from Undaunted). All three of them have two attacks; with the first one requiring one colourless and the second one requiring two of its type energy, and one colourless. I just had to point that out...

For one colourless energy, Flame Tail does 30 damage, which is decent. It isn't as hard-hitting as I'd like it to be, but for one colourless energy it's an average attack.

For FFC you can use Flamethrower, which does 90 damage. That's great, and discarding one energy is also not too bad of an attack, considering that most Fire-types these days require the discarding of energy. (I personally would discard the energy that's used to pay for the colourless, so you don't have to focus on getting fire energy next turn.) Just make sure you have some Energy Returner (Unleashed 74), Fisherman (HGSS 92), or Burned Tower (Undaunted 71) in your deck to make sure you can get those energy you discard back. Typhlosion Prime (HGSS 110) is also helpful in rescuing fire energy from your discard pile.

The artwork is amazing and Flareon is one of my favourite Eeveelutions which add to me liking this card even more, haha. As you can see, like all of the First-Generation Eeveelutions in Undaunted, a Fire Stone is seen in the artwork, which is the method used to evolve Eevee into Flareon. Many other evolutionary items can be seen on other artworks in the HGSS series. See if you can find them all!

I'm giving this card a 4/5 because of its consistent attacks and its easiness to get out into battle. The ratings drop because of the weakness, but ratings are still high because of its ability to work with many cards to get the energy it needs. I think it's a great addition to any fire deck that's needing an extra punch.

August 9, 2011

Card of the Day Review - Gengar Prime (Triumphant 94)


Hi everyone, it's Grass Explorer here again! Today, we are looking at Gengar, another psychic Pokémon. Once again, let's begin with the artwork, which is once again, incredibly stunning and beautiful! It really reveals Gengar's strength. The shine in its eye really accentuate its psychic "aura" and exhibits its cunning abilities to win battles!

We will start with its HP which is at 130. Gengar's 130HP is definitely a healthy amount and helps it carry on during battle! Looking at its weakness, Gengar is weak to dark type Pokémon, but this is somewhat compensated by its resistence to normal type Pokémon.

Furthermore, let's look at its Poké-Body, Catastrophe, which puts knocked out Pokémon in the Lost Zone and all cards attacked to that Pokémon are discarded. This is definitely useful since it doesn't allow the opponent to use any trainer cards to re-use that Pokémon; it also forces the opponent to discard all the cards attached to the Pokémon which prevents the opponent from using trainer cards to transfer energy cards.

Gengar's first attack allows it to put the opponent's Pokémon (ones that are in his/her hand) in the Lost Zone. This is a great attack because it completely eliminates the Pokémon with no chance of the opponent from "reviving" the Pokémon. And it only requires one energy card.

Next, Gengar's second attack is Cursed Drop which puts 4 damages counter on your opponent's Pokémon in any way you like. This attack speaks for itself and is incredibly useful! And again, it only requires two energy cards.
Most importantly, this card works in its optimal level with the "Lost World" stadium card from "Call of Legends" which allows once during your turn, if your opponent has 6 or more Pokémon in the Lost Zone, you may choose to win the game.

Overall, I give Gengar a 4/5!

August 8, 2011

Card of the Day Review - Muk (Undaunted 31)


Sup guys! Volcachu here and I will be featuring Muk from the Undaunted set as my Card of the Day. Muk is a sludge Pokémon who loves inflicting special conditions on others.

Muk is a Stage 1 Pokémon with 100 HP which is above average. It has a decent survivability so you can stall your opponent with this Pokémon. Muk Psychic-Type that has a double weakness to fellow Psychic-Types. You have to watch out for those Mew Primes and Gengar Primes. Muk has no resistance so that is kind of a bummer. It has a retreat cost of three so you shouldn't be expecting him in your bench anytime soon when he is your active.

Muk has two attacks where one gives a special condition and the other inflicts damage. Its first attack is called Sludge Drag which only costs one Psychic Energy. This attack allows you to switch your opponent's active Pokémon with a Benched Pokémon. The new Pokémon is then poisoned and confused. You can use this attack strategically by pulling out the weak Pokémon for an easy kill. The first attack can be used as part of a combo with the second attack which is called Pester. Pester hits for 50 damage and if the defending Pokémon has a special condition, it deals an extra 30 damage. This attack costs one Psychic Energy and two Colourless Energies. All you need is a Double Colourless Energy on top of the Psychic Energy you use for Sludge Drag to use Pester. Muk's attacks can be a deadly combo if used correctly. Your opponent will definitely regret setting up Benched Pokémon when Muk is out.

Muk has a huge potential in this game but I do not see him in a lot of gameplay. I give Muk a 3.5/5 for its great attacks but bad retreat cost. Muk may also take some time to set up so that my be bothersome if you don't draw the correct energies. I believe that Muk should be played more and it is a good card to have in Psychic and Grass decks.

August 7, 2011

Card of the Day Review - Jolteon (Undaunted 28)


Hey everyone! LuxrayMogul here again for another Card of the Day Review! Today I continue my Eeveelution review, this time with the Lightning Pokémon, Jolteon. (The 28th card from Undaunted). Let's have a look at its stats. Jolteon is a Stage 1 Lightning-Type Pokémon that evolves from the Evolution Pokémon, Eevee. It has a quite-the-normal-HP of 80 for a Stage 1, although obviously it isn't as high as I'd like. It has a times two weakness to Fighting-types (which is common to Lightning-Types), which means that a simple attack from a Donphan Prime or any Fighting-type that deals 40 damage makes Jolteon go bye-bye. It has a -20 resistance to Metal types, which is awesome, and a zero retreat cost, which, once again, is awesome.

Its first attack, Agility, requires a Colourless energy and does a decent 20. (For one energy... that's decent). As well, if you get heads on the coin flip, all effects of attacks including damage is prevented, which is also awesome - all for one energy. That's decent.

For LLC, you can use Mach Bolt which does a decent damage of 70. Now this is actually not bad; but compared to Raichu (HGSS 10) which does 100 damage for just LL. But the downside to that card is that you have to discard all the energy. Jolteon doesn't require you to do that which adds to its consistency.

The artwork is amazing. Like its evolutionary relatives Vaporeon and Flareon, (from Undaunted) you will also notice a Lightning Stone in Jolteon's picture; the method that is used to evolve Eevee into Jolteon. Like I said before, if you search through these cards you can find quite a few that have stones in the background of those who evolve by stones or items in general.

Overall I'd give this card a 4/5 for its consistency and free retreat cost. However, its times two weakness to Fightning makes it loose some marks as well as its HP. But overall, Jolteon is a great card.

August 6, 2011

Card of the Day Review - Crobat Prime (Unleashed 84)



Hello everyone! It's GrassExplorer here again with Crobat! We're doing another psychic Pokémon today. First of all, its artwork is fantastic! It really shows the darkness and strength that characterizes Crobat!

Looking at its HP, Crobat has a whopping 130 HP! This is a good amount of HP and can definitely be a crucial element in battle.

Next, it's first attack is severe poison, which does 4 damage per turn insead of 1! This attack is definitely deadly as it definitely does a large amount of damage in a short amount of time. The great thing about this attack is that it only requires one psychic energy card!

Its next attack is Skill Dive which does 30 damage to one of your opponent's Pokémon without applying weakness or resistence to Benched Pokémon. This attack only requires one energy card again which makes it fantastic!

Crobat is weak to electric, but it also has resistence to fighting type. And finally, its retreat cost is 0! This is definitely useful!

Overall, I give Crobat 3/5.

August 5, 2011

Card of the Day Review - Emboar (Black & White 20)


Hey guys, it is Volcachu for another card review. Today, I will be discussing about one of the hottest card out there and it is this Emboar card. It is from the latest set of Black and White and it has seen actions in many of the top decks.

Emboar is a Stage 2 Fire-Type Pokémon. It has 150 HP, which is a lot for any Pokémon. It has a double weakness to Water-Types and it has no resistance at all. It has a large retreat cost of 4 energies, so if he is your active Pokémon, don't bring him back unless you have the Trainer Card Switch.

Emboar has only 1 single attack and it is not the greatest. It is called Heat Crash and it deals out 80 damage. The bad thing of this attack is the amount of energies needed. You will need to attach 2 Fire Energies and 2 Colourless Energies. I would rather keep Emboar on the bench and use his ability.

Emboar is used a lot because of his Ability and not his attacks. Emboar's Ability is Inferno Fandango. This Ability is used to set up many combos. It allows the owner to attach as many Fire Energies as he/she wants. This can be used as a combo with cards like Reshiram's Blue Flare, Magnezone's Lost Burn, and Rayquaza and Deoxys Legend's Ozone Climax. This can be deadly and it will allow you to use hard hitting attacks that require lots and lots of energies.

This card may not be effective as your active Pokémon, but it is very good on your bench. I give Emboar a solid 4/5! Anyone would hate to see this card anytime soon on your opponent's bench.

August 4, 2011

Card of the Day Review - Vaporeon (Undaunted 41)


Hello everyone! LuxrayMogul here for your daily Card Review on PikaCirculator! Today we discuss Vaporeon, card number 41 from HS-Undaunted.

The basics - Vaporeon is a Stage 1 Water-Type Pokémon which evolves from the Evolution Pokémon, Eevee. It has 90 HP, which is average for Stage 1s (actually, Water-Types are known for their high HP). It has a double weakness to Lightning-types, which is average for most water Pokémon. It has no resistance and a double colourless retreat, which is more than I want to pay, but I guess it's considered average.

Vaporeon is a pretty simple card with simple attacks. Its first attack, Spiral Drain, needs one colourless energy and does 20 damage. As well, you get to remove two damage counters from Vaporeon. It's a great game starter because of the healing, but because most Pokémon nowadays do a lot of damage, this attack pretty much useless with the likes of Zekrom, Reshiram, and Blastoise. You should rely on the second attack.

Water-types are known for their damage dealing moves. But for WWC, Dual Splash is only average. It snipes pretty well, by doing 30 damage to any Pokémon on your opponent's side. (Instant kill for any Benched Baby Pokémon!) I guess this is an OK attack considering it's just a Stage 1 Pokémon. It would be great if it did more damage though.

The artwork is amazing. If you look closely, you can see a Water Stone in the picture, which is the method that evolves Eevee into Vaporeon. (Likewise, you can see a Fire Stone on Flareon's art and a Lightning Stone on Jolteon's art, as well as many other stones in other Pokémon cards that evolve with stones).

Overall, I rate this card 4/5 for its average HP and semi-useful sniping attack. It does require a lot more energy that I'd like to pay, and does too little damage (too slow). But overall, it's a useful addition to any water-type deck.

August 3, 2011

Card of the Day Review - Metagross (Unleashed 4)


Hi everyone! It's GrassExplorer here again with Metagross! We have a psychic Pokémon today, which is out of the usual for me since I focus on Grass Pokémon, but I also like to run psychic Pokémon. First of all, the artwork is fantastic on Metagross showing off its power and strength. Having a shiny Metagross card would definitely be fantastic!

First and foremost, it's Poké-Body, Psychic Float, which makes the active Pokémon's retreat cost 0, is incredibly useful not just for Metagross, but for other Pokemon. Considering that Metagross' retreat cost takes up 4 energy cards, this Poké-Body is definitely useful!

Looking at its first attack, Pulse Blast, which does 60 damage, this attack is great for the reason that although it requires 2 energy cards, they can be any energy cards and not necessarily psychic. Moreover, this is a great attack to use when you don't have enough energy cards since the two energy cards pack quite the punch in this attack.

Next, the second attack is Double Leg Hammer which does 40 damage to two of the opponent's benched Pokémon. The great thing about this attack is that you don't have to apply weakness or resistence to the opponent's Pokémon. In addition, it makes Metagross a perfect sniper and it can be used to kill off weak Pokémon in the opponent's bench.

Metagross' weakness is to psychic and I don't think that this poses too much of a problem considering that the other psychic Pokémon may also be weak to psychic.

Lastly, its retreat cost is very high, however, it most likely won't matter taking into account its Poké-Body.

Overall, I give Metagross a 3.5/5.

August 2, 2011

Card of the Day Review - Zoroark (Black & White 71)


Hey everyone! This is Volcachu with another card review. Today, I will be talking about a very versatile card names Zoroark. This card is from the latest expansion of Black and White and it is a great card.

Zoroark is a Dark-Type Pokémon with 100 HP which is average for a Stage 1 Pokémon. It has a double weakness to Fighting-Types so you have to be careful against DonChamp decks. One Earthquake from Donphan Prime will take Zoroark out instantly. This Pokémon also has a resistance to Psychic-Types, which is a big bonus.

Zoroark has two attacks, which is normal for most Pokémon. Its first attack is called Nasty Plot. This attack requires 1 Dark Energy and it allows you to search any card you want. This attack is good because it will give you anything you want, whether it is a bench Pokémon, energy, or trainer card. The bad thing about this attack is that it deals no damage at all. Zoroark's second attack is called Foul Play. This attack is nasty as you can use any attack of the defending Pokémon without having to play the cost for their move. All you need is a Double Colourless Energy as this attack only requires 2 colourless energy. Since you don't need a specific energy, it allows Zoroark to be used in any deck.

I give Zoroark a solid 4/5 because it can be used in any deck and it is very effective. Its attacks can be devastating and it may cause mayhem. The bad thing about this card is the survivability. Since a lot of people are using Donphan Prime these days, these Zoroarks are getting knocked out very easily. Nevertheless, Zoroark is a great card and it should find a place in you deck.

August 1, 2011

Card of the Day Review - Entei and Raikou LEGEND (Unleashed 90 & 91)


Hi everyone! It's LuxrayMogul here again for another card of the day review! This is PikaCirculator's first LEGEND review, and is one of the cards that I've been eyeing for a long time. It's Entei and Raikou LEGEND, card number 90 and 91 from HS-Unleashed.

Entei and Raikou LEGEND is a LEGEND card, which are two cards that can only be played when put together. It is not a Basic Pokémon; but rather, it is classified as its own type of card - LEGEND. In play, it counts as one card, but in the deck, discard pile, or any other places it is treated as two seperate cards. So unfortunately, cards like Poké Ball and Pokémon Communication can only find half of the card. This LEGEND card is also unique in that since it depicts two Legendary Pokémon, your opponent gets two prizes if this is knocked out, sort of similar to Pokémon-ex from the EX series.

Entei and Raikou LEGEND is a Fire and Lightning dual-type Pokémon and has 140 HP, which is lower than the other two LEGEND cards in this set - Raikou and Suicune LEGEND as well as Suicune and Entei LEGEND, which both have 160 HP. Its free retreat cost does help make this card better, compared to the other two LEGENDs which both have a one colourless energy retreat cost. It has a double weakness to Water-types as well as Fighting-types. That means, if there is a dual-type Fighting and Water type, its attacks would do four times the damage to E&R LEGEND (none so far, not that I believe.) E&R LEGEND also has no resistance, which is common for LEGEND cards.

E&R LEGEND has two attacks. The first one, Detonation Spin, does a powerhouse 90 damage for just a Fire and Colourless Energy. The downside is that you must discard one fire energy, which, if you have Typhlosion Prime (HGSS 110), can quickly be charged up again without much worry. Its second attack, called Thunder Fall, requires a Lightning and Colourless energy. You must discard all energy attached to E&R LEGEND for this attack though, so I wouldn't stack energies on it. It does 80 damage to all Pokémon in play that has Poké-Powers - including your own!!! So, that means it hits Kingdra Prime, Magnezone Prime, Typhlosion Prime, Meganium Prime, Celebi Prime (OHKO!) just to name a few. Poké-Bodies are safe though. If you are going to use this LEGEND card (it hasn't seen much play though) it'll be beneficial to use Detonation Spin instead of Thunder Fall, unless you don't have any Pokémon in play with Poké-Powers. Yes, it's quite a powerhouse!

The artwork is stunning, like all the LEGEND cards.

Overall, I'd rate this card 4.5/5 because of its OK HP, free retreat cost, and two powerhouse attacks. It only needs two energy to be active! The only drawback is that the attack hits all Pokémon with Poké-Powers, even your own (however, the new Pokémon from Black and White have Abilities, which are safe from this attack!!). Its weakness to two popular types right now is also a drawback. But overall, it's a great card and I'm surprised it hasn't seen too much play.