Hey everyone! LuxrayMogul here with your daily card of the day review! To push the button first, our One Year Anniversary Raffle and Show will take place on July 19th. To find out how you can enter, check out our YouTube video. Anyways, back to the review!
Today we're going to discuss one of the newer EXes, Entei EX from Dark Explorers (DE13, full art DE103). Let's just get started.
Entei EX is a Basic Fire type Pokémon EX, with 180HP, which means, like all EXes, that your opponent draws two prize cards when Entei EX is knocked out. Like Reshiram EX, it has a x2 Water-type weakness, which is predictable but again, not preferable. Luckily there aren't too many water-types that are in the metagame right now. It has no resistance and the same fat retreat cost of three as Reshiram EX, which again, sucks.
Entei EX has been receiving a little bit of hype recently, and let's look at the attacks and try to figure out why. Fire Fang, which requires a Fire and a Colorless, does 30 damage and burns the Defending Pokémon. This is decent attack, and the guaranteed burn makes it better. But because Burn itself doesn't guarantee damage, it isn't the best special condition there is out there. But, at least Burning the Defending Pokémon will prevent if from using most Abilities.
Its second attack, Grand Flame, needs to two Fire energy and a colourless energy. It does a decent 90 damage, but compared to Reshiram (BLW113) which deals 120 with the same costs, is meh. But its effect allows you to attach a fire energy card from your discard to one of your Benched Pokémon, so that completely makes up for the damage shortage. And plus, there is no need to discard an energy to use the attack so dealing 90 every turn is solid. It just means that most Pokémon will have to be hit with Grand Flame twice before it gets knocked out.
Interestingly though, this may present one of the new ways of energy acceleration. Technically, you are attaching two fire energies a turn once Entei attacks, although one is done after attacking so it's not really useful. But other than Emboar (BLW20), Entei EX may actually be one of the only available Fire energy acceleration methods in this format now as Fire's presence in the metagame is slowly fading away after Typhlosion Prime (HGSS110) leaves. Entei can rescue energies from the discard just like Typhlosion can, without the 10 damage penalty (which makes it useful for charging up other Entei EX or just other fire-types on the bench) even though it can only be done once a turn, after attacking. It's not much of an acceleration, but it's still better than nothing.
I enjoy the artwork on both the regular and full art. I mean, Entei is one of my favourite Pokémon so it's hard not to enjoy the artwork. It's splendidly done, so full marks for that!
Overall, I'll give Entei EX 4/5 for playability, energy acceleration possibility, high HP, and being a consistent attacker. It loses points for again, being a "fat" Pokémon (at least it's not flippy - refer to Reshiram EX) and having a low damage output that can be out-competed in this fast format. But overall, Entei EX is a very interesting card and I think it should be seeing a decent amount of play as we enter this new Black and White-on season.
Until next time, I'm LuxrayMogul signing out. Peace!
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