Monday, April 30, 2012

Carnivine -- Dark Explorers Pokemon Card Review

Carnivine Dark Explorers Pokemon Card
Pokemon Card Overview:
Today's Pokemon Card Review is of Carnivine from the Dark Explorers Pokemon Card Set.  This is a basic, grass type Pokemon card with an hp of 90.  It has a x2 weakness to fire type Pokemon, a -20 resistance to water type Pokemon, and a two colorless energy card retreat cost.  Carnivine doesn't have an Ability but it does have two moves, the first move is called Lure Poison and for one grass energy card this move allows you to switch the defending Pokemon with one of your opponent's benched Pokemon and that new active Pokemon is now poisoned.  Carnivine's second move is called Spit Squall which takes three energy cards, two grass and one colorlress, and this move makes your opponent put the defending Pokemon and all cards attached to it back into their hand.

Pokemon Card Strategy:
So as far as strategy goes, since this is a basic Pokemon card it really is okay that this card can't do too much, I would only put one of this in a grass type deck and try not to use Carnivine if I don't have to, I would consider slowly putting energy on Carnivine on the bench until it gets three energy cards on it, then if your opponent has a stage 2 Pokemon card out in the active Pokemon spot you can move Carnivine in, use Spit Squall the first turn, then Lure Poison the second and retreat Carnivine after that.

Pokemon Card Rating:
I would give this card a 3 out of 5 rating.  This is a very average card in my opinion, it has decent moves but can't do much damage, however it can really annoy your opponent so that's why I am giving this card an average rating instead of a below average one that it deserves.

Tomorrow's Pokemon Card:
So thanks for reading today's Pokemon card review of Carnivine from the Dark Explorers set, stay tuned for tomorrow's card review of Leafeon from the same set.

Sunday, April 29, 2012

Venusaur -- Dark Explorers Pokemon Card Review

Venusaur Dark Explorers Pokemon Card
Pokemon Card Overview:
Today's Pokemon Card Review is of Venusaur from the Dark Explorers Pokemon Card Set.  This is a stage 2, grass type Pokemon card, that evolves from Bulbasaur and Venusaur.  Venusaur has 140 hp, a x2 weakness to fire type Pokemon, a -20 resistance to water type Pokemon, and a four colorless energy card retreat cost.  Venusaur's Ability is called Floral Scent and says that once during your turn, you may search your deck for a Pokemon and put it into your hand.  Besides the Ability, Venusaur has one move called Poison Powder which takes four energy cards, two each of grass and colorless, and does 70 damage plus poisons the defending Pokemon.

Pokemon Card Strategy:
So as far as strategy goes, it is extremely straight forward once you get Venusaur into the active Pokemon spot because this card only has one move.  But I would recommend getting Venusaur on your bench as early as possible in the game so you can utilize Floral Scent.  If you get Venusaur on your bench early you can minimize the need for supporters or trainers that allow you to search your deck for Pokemon, since Floral Scent can be used every turn I would recommend putting quite a few Pokemon in your deck that are either Stage 1 or Stage 2, that way you can use Floral Scent to quickly get those Pokemon evolved and ready to attack.  While Venusaur is on your bench you can occasionally put energy cards on it so when you have to put Venusaur into the active Pokemon spot you can use Poison Powder right away.

Pokemon Card Rating:
I would give this card a 4 out of 5 rating.  Even though Venusaur has a high retreat cost, and an average move, I still am going to give this card an above average rating because of its high hp and Ability.  I think this card can really benefit any deck, no matter the type, this card will make any deck much stronger even if it sits on your bench the whole game.

Tomorrow's Pokemon Card:
So thanks for reading today's Pokemon card review of Venusaur from the Dark Explorers set, stay tuned for tomorrow's card review of Carnivine from the same set.

Saturday, April 28, 2012

Groudon EX -- Dark Explorers Pokemon Card Review

Groudon EX Dark Explorers Pokemon Card
Pokemon Card Overview:
Today's Pokemon Card Review is of Groudon EX from the Dark Explorers set. This is an EX card from the brand new, yet to be released Dark Explorers Pokemon card set.  Groudon EX is a basic, ground type Pokemon card with an hp of 180.  It has a x2 weakness to water type Pokemon, a -20 resistance to electric type Pokemon, and a four colorless energy card retreat cost.  Groudon like the other ex cards from this set doesn't have an Ability but it does have two moves, the first move is called Tromp which takes two energy cards, one each of fighting and colorless and does 20 damage plus 10 more damage to each of your opponent's benched Pokemon.  Groudon EX's second move is called Giant Claw which takes three energy cards, 2 fighting and 1 colorless, and does 80 damage plus 40 more damage if the defending Pokemon has at least 2 damage counters on it.

Pokemon Card Strategy:
So as far as strategy goes, this would be an amazingly good card to pair with Kyogre EX from this same set because Kyogre EX has a move that does 50 damage to 2 of your opponent's Pokemon so you could put Groudon in for awhile, spread damage around for quite a few turns with Tromp and then put Kyogre into play and use the move that does 50 damage to 2 Pokemon, or you could do it the other way, use Kyogre's move that spreads damage around a few turns, then retreat it for free with its first move, put Groudon into play and then use Giant Claw and do 120 damage every turn since the Pokemon you'll be facing should all have damage on them.  So to sum up definitely play this card in a spread damage type deck, I would recommend first spreading damage around with Stomp then using Giant Claw and doing 120 damage every turn.

Pokemon Card Rating:
I would give this card a 5 out of 5 rating.  This is definitely one of the best EX cards I've reviewed from the Dark Explorers set so far, I really like both of Groudon EX's moves, its high hp, and the fact it can spread damage around.  I would definitely use this card in any fighting type deck I would make.

Tomorrow's Pokemon Card:
So thanks for reading today's Pokemon card review of Groudon EX from the Dark Explorers set, stay tuned for tomorrow's card review of Venusaur from the same set.

Friday, April 27, 2012

Entei EX -- Dark Explorers Pokemon Card Review

Entei EX Dark Explorers Set Pokemon Card
Pokemon Card Overview:
Today's Pokemon Card Review is of Entei EX from the Dark Explorers set. This is an EX card from the brand new, yet to be released Dark Explorers Pokemon card set.  Entei EX is a basic, fire type Pokemon card, with an hp of 180.  It has a x2 weakness to water type Pokemon, no resistance type, and a three colorless energy card retreat cost.  Just like Kyogre EX from yesterday, Entei EX doesn't have an Ability but has two moves, the first move is called Fire Fang and requires two energy cards, one each of fire and colorless and does 30 damage plus burns the defending Pokemon.  Entei EX's other move is called Grand Flame which takes three energy cards, two fire and one colorless and does 90 damage and allows you to move one of your fire energy cards from your discard pile onto one of your benched Pokemon.

Pokemon Card Strategy:
So as far as strategy goes, since this is an EX Pokemon card you'll have to know that if this card gets knocked out it will give your opponent two prize cards instead of one, with that being said, like Kyogre EX from yesterday, I wouldn't use Fire Fang much on this card unless I only had two energy cards on Entei EX, this card isn't a half bad starter card because it has such a high hp that even if you can't attack for two turns Fire Fang will definitely make up for it.  I would couple this Entei EX card with another fire type Pokemon card that discards energy cards when it attacks, that way when you're using Entei EX you'll know you'll have plenty of fire energy cards to move back from your discard pile to your benched Pokemon when using Grand Flame.

Pokemon Card Rating:
I would give this card a 3 out of 5 rating. This EX card is going to get another average rating from me, I actually like this card a bit better than yesterday's Kyogre EX but neither card is very special, both are very average.  I think Fire Fang is somewhat useful, but I would only use it if the defending Pokemon has more than 180 hp, because if they don't Grand Flame will knock them out in two moves for sure.  Even though I am giving this an average rating, it is a definite boost for any fire type deck and should definitely be considered for any fire type deck out there.

Tomorrow's Pokemon Card:
So thanks for reading today's Pokemon card review of Entei EX from the Dark Explorers set, stay tuned for tomorrow's card review of Groudon EX from the same set.

Thursday, April 26, 2012

Kyogre EX -- Dark Explorers Pokemon Card Review

Pokemon Card Overview:
Today's Pokemon Card Review is of Kyogre EX from the Dark Explorers set. This is the another EX card I'll be reviewing from the yet to be released set that is coming out May 9th, 2012. I will be continuing to review more Dark Explorers cards as scans are released.  Kyogre EX is a basic, water type Pokemon card with an hp of 170.  It has a x2 weakness to electric type Pokemon, no resistance type, and a four colorless energy card retreat cost.  Kyogre surprisingly doesn't have an Ability but it does have two moves, the first move is called Smash Turn and for two energy cards, one each of water and colorless, it does 30 damage you this move allows you to switch Kyogre EX from your active Pokemon to your bench, and put one of your benched Pokemon into the active Pokemon spot.  Kyogre EX's other move is called Dual Splash which takes three energy cards, two water and one colorless, and does 50 damage to two of your opponent's Pokemon.

Pokemon Card Strategy:
So as far as strategy goes, you'll have to know right off since this is an EX Pokemon card if this card gets knocked out your opponent will get to take two prize cards instead of one, with this in mind, if I were to put this Pokemon into the active Pokemon spot I would only use Dual Splash unless Kyogre needed to be retreated, and instead of wasting four energy cards to retreat Kyogre you can still do 30 damage and retreat Kyogre for free with Smash Turn.  I would definitely recommend you putting Kyogre EX in a spread damage type deck so that when you do put Kyogre EX into play, you can do 50 damage to two of your opponent's Pokemon and knock those two Pokemon out in two turns or less.  You should be able to use this technique of spreading damage around using Dual Splash for quite some time since Kyogre has 170 hp.

Pokemon Card Rating:
I would give this card a 3 out of 5 rating. For an EX card, especially compared to some EX cards from the Next Destinies set, this EX card is very average, it is surprising Kyogre doesn't have an Ability and I'm surprised Smash Turn is even on this card at all since it is pretty weak.  But overall, this card does pack a bunch being able to do 100 damage every turn with Dual Splash and this card can definitely help in any water type deck out there.

Tomorrow's Pokemon Card:
So thanks for reading today's Pokemon card review of Kyogre EX from the Dark Explorers set, stay tuned for tomorrow's card review of Entei EX from the same set.

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Stunfisk -- Noble Victories Pokemon Card Review

Stunfisk Pokemon Card Noble Victories Set
Pokemon Card Overview:
Today's Pokemon Card Review is of Stunfisk from the Noble Victories set. This is a basic, fighting type Pokemon card with an hp of 90.  It has a x2 weakness to water type Pokemon, a -20 resistance to electric type Pokemon, and a one colorless energy card retreat cost.  Stunfisk doesn't have an Ability but it does have two moves, the first move is called Trickle and for two energy cards, one each of electric and colorless, it does 30 damage times the number of heads you get when you flip two coins.  Stunfisk's second move is called Thundershock and for three energy cards, two electric and one colorless it does 50 damage and paralyzes the defending Pokemon.

Pokemon Card Strategy:
So as far as strategy goes, you'll definitely want to make sure you don't put this card in a fighting type deck just because the card's type is fighting because if you do you won't be able to attack with this card.  This card needs to go in an electric type deck since that is the type of energy it needs to attack.  I would use whichever move I can depending on the amount of energy cards attached to Stunfisk, since its retreat cost is lower than either of its moves' cost I would recommend retreating it somewhat often if it gets close to being knocked out.  Since Stunfisk is a basic Pokemon, I would recommend 1, definitely no more than 2 in an electric type deck, since this card can't do anything too special I wouldn't personally put more than 1 in a deck.

Pokemon Card Rating:
I would give this card a 2 out of 5 rating. The more I look at this card the worse I think it is, I wouldn't use this card very often, I would probably find a stage 1 card that is similar to or better than this and use that card instead.  I do like that it has a good hp, and two average moves, but these two moves are very average thus rewarding this card with a below average rating.

Tomorrow's Pokemon Card:
So thanks for reading today's Pokemon card review of Stunfisk from the Noble Victories set, stay tuned for tomorrow's card review of Kyogre EX from the Dark Explorers set.

Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Archen -- Noble Victories Pokemon Card Review

Archen Pokemon Card Noble Victories SetPokemon Card Overview:
Today's Pokemon Card Review is of Archen from the Noble Victories set. This is a basically a Stage 1 Pokemon card since it is restored from the Plume Fossil, Archen does have a stage 1 evolution though so this card is really a basic Pokemon, Archen evolves into Archeops and I've already reviewed that card from this set. Archen is a fighting type Pokemon, with an hp of 80, a x2 weakness to grass type Pokemon, no resistance type, and a 1 colorless energy card retreat cost. Archen doesn't have an Ability but it does have two moves, the first move is called Rock Throw and for one fighting energy card it does 20 damage. Archen's second move is called Acrobatics which does 20 damage plus 20 more damage for each heads you get when you flip two coins, it does all this for two colorless energy cards.

Pokemon Card Strategy:
So as far as strategy goes, since this card has an evolution I would recommend evolving Archen into Archeops as soon as possible but if you have to play this card in the active Pokemon spot you'll definitely not want to put a Plume Fossil in that spot so you'll want to always evolve the Fossil into Archen on your bench. Once Archen is in the active Pokemon spot I would use Acrobatics every turn if I had the necessary amount of energy on it. But like I said earlier the sooner you can play Archeops the better because it has a higher hp and can do more damage. I would use a 2-2-1 line of Plume Fossil, Archen, and Archeops in a fighting type deck.

Pokemon Card Rating:
I would give this card a 3 out of 5 rating. A very weak 3 out of 5 rating that is. I don't like the fact that Archen doesn't have an Ability and that it has a low retreat cost but I do like both of its moves and Acrobatics can do a fair amount of damage with some luck and since it requires two colorless energy cards you can play it in almost any type of deck. The artwork on this card looks funny to me since Archen is a cartoon and then it looks like the background is real life, I wish Archen would have looked more life like to suit the card better.

Tomorrow's Pokemon Card:
So thanks for reading today's Pokemon card review of Archen from the Noble Victories set, stay tuned for tomorrow's card review of Stunfisk from the same set.

Monday, April 23, 2012

Gurdurr -- Noble Victories Pokemon Card Review

Gurdurr Pokemon Card Noble Victories SetPokemon Card Overview:
Today's Pokemon Card Review is of Gurdurr from the Noble Victories set. This is a stage 1, fighting type Pokemon card, with an hp of 80. Gurdurr has a x2 weakness to psychic type Pokemon, no resistance type, and a three colorless energy card retreat cost. Gurdurr evolves from Timburr into Conkeldurr and there are two Conkeldurr cards in this set that you can use. Gurdurr doesn't have an Ability but it does have two moves, the first move is called Strength and for two fighting energy cards it does 30 damage. The second move is called Pummel which takes three energy cards, two colorless and one fighting, and does 40 damage plus 20 more damage if you get a heads when you flip a coin.

Pokemon Card Strategy:
So as far as strategy goes, since this is a stage 1 Pokemon card that has a stage 2 evolution I would try to evolve Gurdurr into Conkeldurr as soon as possible and preferably on the bench. However if you have to play Gurdurr in the active Pokemon spot I would use Will-O-Wisp every turn except for the turn before you want to evolve Lampent into Chandelure, I would use whichever move you can afford to use, I would use Strength if you only have two energy cards on Gurdurr and Pummel if you have three energy cards on it. The advantage of evolving Gurdurr on your bench into Conkeldurr is that you can put the great amount of energy cards needed to attack on the card without being attacked, and since Gurdurr does have a low hp for a stage 1 card you'll definitely want to avoid getting attacked before you evolve Gurdurr into Conkeldurr. And both Conkeldurr cards from this set are very good and have high hp so you're definitely better off putting a Conkeldurr into the active Pokemon spot intead of Gurdurr. But even if you have to play Gurdurr a turn or two as long as it doesn't get knocked out it should be okay with some damage on it when you evolve it into Conkeldurr since that Pokemon has at least 140 hp if you use one of the cards from this set.

Pokemon Card Rating:
I would give this card a 2 out of 5 rating. Unfortunately this isn't the greatest stage 1 card in the world but it isn't the worst either. Gurdurr has a lower hp than I would like and its moves aren't that great, neither doing too much damage. Gurdurr is also fairly slow and needs time to be able to attack, so I would recommend using this card as only a means to use Conkeldurr in your deck.

Tomorrow's Pokemon Card:
So thanks for reading today's Pokemon card review of Gurdurr from the Noble Victories set, stay tuned for tomorrow's card review of Archen from the same set.

Sunday, April 22, 2012

Lampent -- Noble Victories Pokemon Card Review

Lampent Pokemon Card Noble Victories Set
Pokemon Card Overview:
Today's Pokemon Card Review is of Lampent from the Noble Victories set. This is a stage 1, psychic type Pokemon card that evolves from Litwick and evolves into Chandelure. Lampent has an hp of 80, a x2 weakness to dark type Pokemon, no resistance type, and a one colorless energy card retreat cost. Lampent doesn't have an Ability but it does have two moves, the first move is called Luring Light and for one colorless energy card it allows you to switch the defending Pokemon with one of the benched Pokemon. Lampent's second move is called Will-O-Wisp and for two energy cards, one each of psychic and colorless, it does 30 damage.

Pokemon Card Strategy:
So as far as strategy goes, since this is a stage 1 Pokemon card that has a stage 2 evolution I would try to evolve Lampent into Chandelure as soon as possible and preferably on the bench. However if you have to play Lampent in the active Pokemon spot I would use Will-O-Wisp every turn except for the turn before you want to evolve Lampent into Chandelure, I would use Luring Light that turn so when Chandelure attacks next turn it can knock out that newly active Pokemon in one move.

Pokemon Card Rating:
I would give this card a 2 out of 5 rating. This stage 1 Pokemon card is definitely is better than the Duosion uncommon card I reviewed yesterday but overall this card still isn't that great. I do like how it has two moves, even though either move isn't spectacular, but it does have a low hp which hurts it especially if you can't evolve Lampent into Chandelure very quickly.

Tomorrow's Pokemon Card:
So thanks for reading today's Pokemon card review of Lampent from the Noble Victories set, stay tuned for tomorrow's card review of Gurdurr from the same set.

Saturday, April 21, 2012

Duosion -- Noble Victories Pokemon Card Review

Duosion Pokemon Card Noble Victories Set
Pokemon Card Overview:
Today's Pokemon Card Review is of Duosion from the Noble Victories set. This is a stage 1, psychic type Pokemon card that evolves from Solosis and evolves into Reuniclus. Duosion has an hp of 60, a x2 weakness to psychic type Pokemon, no resistance type, and a one colorless energy card retreat cost. Duosion doesn't have an Ability and only has one move called Rollout which does 20 damage for one colorless energy card.

Pokemon Card Strategy:
So as far as strategy goes, since this is a stage 1 Pokemon card that has a stage 2 evolution you'll definitely want to evolve Duosion into Reuniclus has soon as possible, there are actually two different versions of Reuniclus in this set and I've reviewed them both previously. If you have to play Duosion you'll only have one option which is to use Rollout every turn, I would definitely suggest evolving Solosis into Duosion and then Duosion into Reuniclus on your bench because Duosion is very weak for a stage 1 Pokemon card.

Pokemon Card Rating:
I would give this card a 1 out of 5 rating. This card is extremely similar to an average basic Pokemon card, and since this card is a stage 1 card that is why I'm giving it such a bad rating. You'll definitely have to have Reuniclus in any deck you have this card in because there is no reason at all to use this card if you don't plan on evolving it, there are plenty of psychic Pokemon cards out there better than this card and they are basic Pokemon, so I suggest you use some of those Pokemon in your deck instead.

Tomorrow's Pokemon Card:
So thanks for reading today's Pokemon card review of Duosion from the Noble Victories set, stay tuned for tomorrow's card review of Lampent from the same set.

Friday, April 20, 2012

Garbodor -- Noble Victories Pokemon Card Review

Garbodor Pokemon Card Noble Victories Set
Pokemon Card Overview:
Today's Pokemon Card Review is of Garbodor from the Noble Victories set. This is a stage 1, psychic type Pokemon card with an hp of 100. It has a x2 weakness to psychic type Pokemon, no resistance type, and a three colorless energy card retreat cost. Garbodor doesn't have an Ability but it does have two moves, the first move is called Gentle Wrap and for two energy cards, one each of colorless and psychic it does 30 damage plus the defending Pokemon can't retreat during their next turn. Garbodor's second move is called Gunk Shot and does 60 damage for three energy cards, two psychic and one colorless, plus it poisons the defending Pokemon.

Pokemon Card Strategy:
So as far as strategy goes, I would include this psychic type Pokemon card in a deck that includes many other Pokemon which inflict special conditions. I would only have a 2-1 line of Trubbish and Garbodor in the deck since Garbodor is fairly slow and has a high retreat cost, I would keep Garbodor on the bench until it gets three energy cards on it and then use Gunk Shot preferably to knock out a Pokemon out the first time it is used and then hopefully get one more Pokemon knocked out using Gunk Shot twice before Garbodor gets knocked out or you have to retreat it and give up all three energy cards.

Pokemon Card Rating:
I would give this card a 3 out of 5 rating. This is a very average stage 1 Pokemon card, it has two good but not great moves, it has an above average hp, standard weakness, and high retreat cost, so overall it is average, but if you need a couple more cards for your psychic deck I would definitely consider this card for your deck.

Tomorrow's Pokemon Card:
So thanks for reading today's Pokemon card review of Garbodor from the Noble Victories set, stay tuned for tomorrow's card review of Duosion from the same set.

Thursday, April 19, 2012

Eelektrik -- Noble Victories Pokemon Card Review

Eelektrik Pokemon Card Noble Victories Set
Pokemon Card Overview:
Today's Pokemon Card Review is of Eelektrik from the Noble Victories set. This is a stage 1, electric type Pokemon card that evolves from Tynamo and evolves into Eelektross. So you'll obviously want to use Eelektross as soon as possible when using this Pokemon line. Eelektrik has an hp of 90, a x2 weakness to fighting type Pokemon, no resistance type, and a two colorless energy card retreat cost. Eelektrik's Ability is called Dynamotor and says that once during your turn before you attack you may move an electric energy card from your discard pile to one of your benched Pokemon. Besides the Ability, Eelektrik has one move called Electric Ball which does 50 damage for three energy cards, two electric and one colorless.

Pokemon Card Strategy:
So as far as strategy goes, if you're looking to use this card as your active Pokemon you'll not want to keep this card in that spot for long without evolving it to Eelektrik. I would actually recommend keeping Eelektrik on your bench and using its Ability to help your other benched Pokemon until you have to put it into the active Pokemon spot, at that time I would evolve Eelektrik into Elektross because it can do more damage and has a higher hp so it can last longer in play. If you do have to attack with Eelektrik you'll have to use Electric Ball every turn which isn't the greatest move but can knock out many basic Pokemon in two turns or less.

Pokemon Card Rating:
I would give this card a 3 out of 5 rating. Even though Electric Ball isn't that great and you'll want to evolve Eelektrik into Eelektross as soon as possible I still think this is a very good stage 1 Pokemon card because of its Ability, this card can be very useful in helping other electric type Pokemon who either have to discard energy cards every move or are slow, you can use Eelektrik's Ability every turn to stockpile energy cards on that slow Pokemon so when it is put into the active Pokemon spot it can attack right away. So overall I think Eelektrik's Ability is above average and its move is below average, thus evening out to be an average rating of 3 out of 5.

Tomorrow's Pokemon Card:
So thanks for reading today's Pokemon card review of Eelektrik from the Noble Victories set, stay tuned for tomorrow's card review of Garbordor from the same set.

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Emolga -- Noble Victories Pokemon Card Review

Emolga Pokemon Card Noble Victories Set
Pokemon Card Overview:
Today's Pokemon Card Review is of Emolga from the Noble Victories set. This is a basic, electric type Pokemon card, with an hp of 70. It has a x2 weakness to fighting type Pokemon, no resistance type, and a one colorless energy card retreat cost. Emolga doesn't have an Ability and it only has one move called Electrichain which takes one electric energy card and does 10 damage plus 20 more damage for each electric type Pokemon you have on your bench.

Pokemon Card Strategy:
So as far as strategy goes, I would include at least 1 Emolga card in any electric type deck I would have, as soon as I get a full bench of electric type Pokemon I would move Emolga in and use Electrichain and do a good amount of damage that would knock out all Pokemon in two moves, most Pokemon in one move. Since Emolga has only 70 hp and doesn't evolve I would probably retreat it after a few turns, use some potions on it on the bench and put Emolga back into the active Pokemon spot a few turns later, making sure that I have a full bench. Or you can put 2 or 3 Emolga on your bench, put one energy card on each of them and retreat them in and out of play doing maximum damage with Electrichain every turn.

Pokemon Card Rating:
I would give this card a 4 out of 5 rating. This is another great uncommon Pokemon card from the Noble Victories Pokemon card set. Even though this is a basic Pokemon card I wouldn't use it to start the game but wait until the bench is full before putting it in, because of this, you'll want to retreat this card often so it doesn't get knocked out. This card can definitely help any electric type deck and should definitely be considered for every electric type deck out there.

Tomorrow's Pokemon Card:
So thanks for reading today's Pokemon card review of Emolga from the Noble Victories set, stay tuned for tomorrow's card review of Eelektrik from the same set.

Tuesday, April 17, 2012

Cryogonal -- Noble Victories Pokemon Card Review

Cryogonal Pokemon Card Noble Victories Set
Pokemon Card Overview:
Today's Pokemon Card Review is of Cryogonal from the Noble Victories set. This is a basic, water type Pokemon card with an hp of 80. I've already reviewed the rare Cryogonal card from this set, and today's review is of the uncommon version, card #32/101. Cryogonal has a x2 weakness to metal type Pokemon, no resistance type, and a one colorless energy card retreat cost. Cryogonal doesn't have an Ability but it does have two moves, the first move is called Icy Wind and for one water energy card it puts the defending Pokemon to sleep. Cryogonal's second move is called Ice Shard and for two energy cards, one each of water and colorless it does 30 damage plus 40 more damage if the defending Pokemon is a fighting type Pokemon.

Pokemon Card Strategy:
So as far as strategy goes, this is great card to start the game with since it can put the defending Pokemon to sleep right away with only one energy card and then while that Pokemon is asleep it can either do 30 damage or more every turn once you get two energy cards on it plus you're able to get your benched Pokemon ready for battle if you continuously put the defending Pokemon to sleep since Cryogonal won't be attacked and you can focus on your benched Pokemon, even if the defending Pokemon attacks Cryogonal early in the game, since this card is fairly quick and has 80 hp it should last a couple of turns for sure against weak basic Pokemon and knock those same basic Pokemon out in two turns. I would consider putting Cryogonal in a water type deck of mine, I would suggest 2 or 3 total, I would use 1 or 2 of the uncommon cards and 1 of the rare Cryogonals.

Pokemon Card Rating:
I would give this card a 4 out of 5 rating. This is definitely one of the better, water type, starting Pokemon cards out there since it has a high hp, low retreat cost, and good moves that can benefit your bench by inflicting special conditions on the defending Pokemon making it unable to attack you. I would definitely include at least 1 of these cards in any water type deck of mine. But would preferably have the amount I listed in the strategy part of this review.

Tomorrow's Pokemon Card:
So thanks for reading today's Pokemon card review of Cryogonal from the Noble Victories set, stay tuned for tomorrow's card review of Emolga from the same set.

Monday, April 16, 2012

Vanillish -- Noble Victories Pokemon Card Review

Vanillish Pokemon Card Noble Victories SetPokemon Card Overview:
Today's Pokemon Card Review is of Vanillish from the Noble Victories set. This is a stage 1, water type Pokemon card, with an hp of 80. It has a x2 weakness to metal type Pokemon, no resistance type, and a two colorless energy card retreat cost. Vanillish doesn't have an Ability but it does have two moves, the first move is called Ice Beam and for two energy cards, one each of water and colorless, it does 20 damage and if you get a heads when you flip a coin the defending Pokemon is paralyzed. Vanillish's second move is called Frost Breath and does 40 damage for two water energy cards.

Pokemon Card Strategy:
So as far as strategy goes, since this is a stage 1 Pokemon card you'll want to evolve Vanillish into Vanilluxe as soon as possible, but if you're forced to play Vanillish for a couple of turns I would recommend using Frost Breath every turn unless the Pokemon you're facing has more than 80 hp or Vanillish is close to getting knocked out, if either of these cases are true I would use Ice Beam instead of Frost Breath so you have the opportunity of making the defending Pokemon unable to attack one of the turns. I would use a 3-2-1 line of Vanillite, Vanillish, and Vanilluxe in my deck.

Pokemon Card Rating:
I would give this card a 2 out of 5 rating. This is one of the better Vanillish cards I've reviewed lately but I still don't like this card much, it has a low hp, high retreat cost, and neither of its moves can do much damage. But if you're looking to play Vanilluxe you'll have to use Vanillish in your deck and this is the Vanillish card I suggest you use.

Tomorrow's Pokemon Card:
So thanks for reading today's Pokemon card review of Vanillish from the Noble Victories set, stay tuned for tomorrow's card review of Cryogonal from the same set.

Sunday, April 15, 2012

Tirtouga -- Noble Victories Pokemon Card Review

Tirtouga Pokemon Card Noble Victories SetPokemon Card Overview:
Today's Pokemon Card Review is of Tirtouga from the Noble Victories set. This is basically a stage 1 Pokemon card since it needs to be restored from the Cover Fossil to be able to be used. Tirtouga evolves from the Cover Fossil and evolves into Carracosta. Tirtouga has an hp of 90, a x2 weakness to grass type Pokemon, no resistance type, and a three colorless energy card retreat cost. Tirtouga doesn't have an Ability but it does have two moves, the first move is called Water Gun and for two energy cards, one each of colorless and water, it does 30 damage. Tirtouga's second move is called Surf which does 60 damage for three energy cards, one water energy, and two colorless energy cards.

Pokemon Card Strategy:
So as far as strategy goes, since this Pokemon evolves into Carracosta you'll want to evolve Tirtouga into that Pokemon as soon as possible, however if you have to play this card for a few turns I would definitely recommend using Surf every turn. So you'll need to get some energy cards onto Tirtouga before you put it into the active Pokemon spot so you can use Surf right away and not have to wait and get attacked a couple of turns before being able to attack. I would have a 2-2-1 line of Cover Fossil, Tirtouga, and Carracosta in my deck.

Pokemon Card Rating:
I would give this card a 3 out of 5 rating. Even though this card is pretty slow and has a high retreat cost, I still give this card an average rating because both of its moves are pretty good and don't have any unwanted effects on Tirtouga when attacking. I like the artwork on this card as well, it looks like it could have been illustrated in a children's book.

Tomorrow's Pokemon Card:
So thanks for reading today's Pokemon card review of Tirtouga from the Noble Victories set, stay tuned for tomorrow's card review of Vanillish from the same set.

Saturday, April 14, 2012

Palpitoad -- Noble Victories Pokemon Card Review

Palpitoad Pokemon Card Noble Victories SetPokemon Card Overview:
Today's Pokemon Card Review is of Palpitoad from the Noble Victories set. This is a stage 1, water type Pokemon card that evolves from Tympole and into Seismitoad. Palpitoad has an hp of 80, a x2 weakness to grass type Pokemon, no resistance type, and a two colorless energy card retreat cost. Palpitoad doesn't have an Ability but it does have two moves, the first move is called Mud Shot which does 20 damage for one water energy card. Palpitoad's second move is called Round and for three colorless energy cards, it does 20 damage times the number of Pokemon on your bench that have the Round Attack.

Pokemon Card Strategy:
So as far as strategy goes, since this is a stage 1 Pokemon card that evolves into a Stage 2 Pokemon card you'll want to evolve Palpitoad into Seismitoad as soon as possible, but if you're forced to use Palpitoad I would use Mud Shot every turn since it only requires one energy card and avoids having to put three energy cards on a Pokemon that may get knocked out before you can evolve it since it has a low hp for a stage 1 card. I would only use Round if I stacked my deck with other Pokemon that know the Round move, but I wouldn't base my deck around this strategy.

Pokemon Card Rating:
I would give this card a 1 out of 5 rating. This card reminds me why I usually don't review Uncommon cards, usually these cards are stage 1 Pokemon that fill the gap between the basic and stage 2 evolution, so these cards are filler cards that aren't well thought out or very powerful, and this Palpitoad card is no exception, I would run as far away as possible from this card and only have 1 or 2 in my deck max if I wanted to use Seismitoad in my deck. This card just can't do much damage and with a low hp can very quickly get knocked out.

Tomorrow's Pokemon Card:
So thanks for reading today's Pokemon card review of Palpitoad from the Noble Victories set, stay tuned for tomorrow's card review of Tirtouga from the same set.

Friday, April 13, 2012

Heatmor -- Noble Victories Pokemon Card Review

Heatmor Noble Victories Pokemon CardPokemon Card Overview:
Today's Pokemon Card Review is of Heatmor from the Noble Victories set. This is a basic, fire type Pokemon card with an hp of 90. It has a x2 weakness to water type Pokemon, no resistance type, and a two colorless energy card retreat cost. Heatmor doesn't have an Ability, but it does have two moves, the first move is called Singe and for one fire energy card it burns the defending Pokemon. Heatmor's second move is called Incinerate which does 30 damage for two energy cards, one each of colorless and fire, besides doing the damage, you may also discard a Pokemon Tool card attached to the defending Pokemon.

Pokemon Card Strategy:
So as far as strategy goes, since this is a basic Pokemon card I would recommend getting this card into the active Pokemon spot as soon as possible and then use Singe first, burning the defending Pokemon and then using Incinerate after that. Any time Heatmor faces a new Pokemon I would always use Singe on that Pokemon first, that way if Heatmor is knocked out or retreats, the burn still takes effect. Like the Amoonguss card from a couple of days ago, you'll want to use this card in a spread damage type deck so you can possibly knock out your opponent's Pokemon in a turn or two, if your opponent's Pokemon come into the active Pokemon spot with 20 or 30 damage on them already and then Heatmor uses Singe on them.

Pokemon Card Rating:
I would give this card a 3 out of 5 rating. This card is eerily similar to the Amoonguss card I reviewed a couple of days ago, it has the same moves (basically), same hp, and same retreat cost. So there is no way I'm rating this card any differently, this card may be a bit better just because it is a basic Pokemon and you don't have to evolve it to play it.

Tomorrow's Pokemon Card:
So thanks for reading today's Pokemon card review of Heatmor from the Noble Victories set, stay tuned for tomorrow's card review of Palpitoad from the same set.

Thursday, April 12, 2012

Simisear -- Noble Victories Pokemon Card Review

Simisear Pokemon Card Noble Victories SetPokemon Card Overview:
Today's Pokemon Card Review is of Simisear from the Noble Victories set. This is a stage 1, fire type Pokemon card with an hp of 90. It has a x2 weakness to water type Pokemon, no resistance type, and a two colorless energy card retreat cost. Simisear doesn't have an Ability but it does have two moves, the first move is called Scratch and does 20 damage for one colorless energy card. Simisear's second move is called Double Fire and for three energy cards, two fire and one colorless, it does 80 damage times the number of heads you get when you flip two coins.

Pokemon Card Strategy:
So as far as strategy goes, I wouldn't put this card into the active Pokemon spot until you get three energy cards on Simisear. That way when Simisear has three energy cards on it you can use Double Fire every turn and just hope your luck is average or above average and you should easily be able to knock out most Pokemon in a turn or two. The only time I would use Scratch would be if the defending Pokemon would be knocked out by 20 damage or less. Since Simisear isn't too great in my opinion, I would only have a 2-1 line of Pansear and Simisear in my deck.

Pokemon Card Rating:
I would give this card a 2 out of 5 rating. Even though this card has the possibility of doing 160 damage every turn I still am going to give it a below average rating. No matter how good Double Fire is, with only 90 hp Simisear isn't going to last too long in the active Pokemon spot and if you don't have three energy cards on Simisear 20 damage every turn using Scratch isn't going to do much to an opposing stage 2 Pokemon. Even though attack wise this card isn't that great I do like the artwork on this card and the flames surrounding Simisear.

Tomorrow's Pokemon Card:
So thanks for reading today's Pokemon card review of Simisear from the Noble Victories set, stay tuned for tomorrow's card review of Heatmor from the same set.

Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Amoonguss -- Noble Victories Pokemon Card Review

Amoonguss Pokemon Card Noble Victories SetPokemon Card Overview:
Today's Pokemon Card Review is of Amoonguss from the Noble Victories set. This is a stage 1, grass type Pokemon card with an hp of 90. Amoonguss has a x2 weakness to fire type Pokemon, a -20 resistance to water type Pokemon, and a two colorless energy card retreat cost. Amoonguss doesn't have an Ability but it does have two moves, the first move is called Toxic and for one grass energy card it poisons the defending Pokemon and allows you to put 2 damage counters on that Pokemon between turns instead of one. Amoonguss's second move is called Body Slam which takes two colorless energy cards and does 30 damage, plus paralyzes the defending Pokemon if you get a heads when you flip a coin.

Pokemon Card Strategy:
So as far as strategy goes, I would recommend putting this card in a spread damage type deck since the main move on Amoonguss is Toxic which poisons Pokemon. And since Poison does a little damage every turn you'll want to have some damage already on the defending Pokemon so that when you use Toxic first then Body Slam the next couple of turns the defending Pokemon should be knocked out quickly and then when another Pokemon moves in off your opponent's bench it should have damage on it already and you can knock out that Pokemon in a move or two as well. Since this card only requires colorless energy cards or 1 grass energy card this card is very versatile and can fit nicely in many decks. If I were to use this card in my deck I would use a 2-1 line of Amoonguss and Foongus.

Pokemon Card Rating:
I would give this card a 3 out of 5 rating. This card is a very good card that inflicts special conditions and does damage, however even though this card has a good hp, two good moves, and a somewhat low retreat cost, there really isn't anything special about this card that sets it apart from other cards like this, so that's why I'm giving this card a 3 out of 5 rating.

Tomorrow's Pokemon Card:
So thanks for reading today's Pokemon card review of Amoonguss from the Noble Victories set, stay tuned for tomorrow's card review of Simisear from the same set.

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

Crustle -- Noble Victories Pokemon Card Review

Crustle Pokemon Card Noble Victories SetPokemon Card Overview:
Today's Pokemon Card Review is of Crustle from the Noble Victories set. This is a stage 1, grass type Pokemon card with an hp of 100. Crustle evolves from Dwebble. Crustle has a x2 weakness to fire type Pokemon, no resistance type, and a three colorless energy card retreat cost. Crustle doesn't have an Ability but it does have two moves, the first move is called X-Scissor which takes two energy cards, one each of grass and colorless and does 20 damage plus 50 more damage if you get a heads when flipping one coin. Crustle's second move is called Reckless Charge which does 80 damage for three energy cards, two colorless and one grass, when using this move Crustle does 10 damage to itself.

Pokemon Card Strategy:
So as far as strategy goes, as long as doing 10 damage to yourself won't knock you out I would use Reckless Charge every turn, hoping to knock out at least 1 Pokemon every two turns. However if the defending Pokemon will be knocked out with 20 damage or less you should obviously use X-Scissor instead of Reckless Charge. Since Crustle has a high retreat cost I would keep Crustle in the active Pokemon spot until it is knocked out or find some way to retreat it without having to discard three energy cards. I probably wouldn't use this grass type card in my deck but if I were I would use a 2-1 line of Dwebble and Crustle.

Pokemon Card Rating:
I would give this card a 3 out of 5 rating. This card has a high hp, and can do some major damage but overall it is still average, I especially don't like that it has a three colorless energy card retreat cost, and even though Crustle's hp is 10 more than average on a stage 1 card, it really isn't that high since Reckless Charge does damage to Crustle.

Tomorrow's Pokemon Card:
So thanks for reading today's Pokemon card review of Crustle from the Noble Victories set, stay tuned for tomorrow's card review of Amoonguss from the same set.

Monday, April 9, 2012

Swadloon -- Noble Victories Pokemon Card Review

Swadloon Pokemon Card Noble Victories SetPokemon Card Overview:
Today's Pokemon Card Review is of Swadloon from the Noble Victories set. This is a stage 1, grass type Pokemon card with an hp of 70. Swadloon has a x2 weakness to fire type Pokemon, no resistance type, and a one colorless energy card retreat cost. Swadloon evolves from Sewaddle and evolves into Leavanny. Swadloon doesn't have an Ability but it does have two moves, the first move is called Tackle and for one grass energy card it does 20 damage. Swadloon's other move is called String Shot and for two colorless energy cards it does 20 damage plus paralyzes the defending Pokemon if you get a heads when you flip a coin.

Pokemon Card Strategy:
So as far as strategy goes, since this is a stage 1 Pokemon card that evolves into another Pokemon you'll want to try your hardest to get the evolution on top of this card as soon as possible, but if you're forced to use Swadloon here's what you should do: You should keep this card on your bench for sure until it evolves into Leavanny. But if for some reason you have to put Swadloon into the active Pokemon spot you should use String Shot every turn until it is evolved into Leavanny.

Pokemon Card Rating:
I would give this card a 1 out of 5 rating. In my opinion this is another very poor uncommon card, this card has way too low of an hp, and neither of its moves can do much, even though the card is somewhat quick, with only 70 hp Swadloon is going to get knocked out in no time, so once again if you want to have this card in your deck make sure to evolve it into Leavanny as soon as possible.

Tomorrow's Pokemon Card:
So thanks for reading today's Pokemon card review of Swadloon from the Noble Victories set, stay tuned for tomorrow's card review of Crustle from the same set.

Sunday, April 8, 2012

Jigglypuff -- Next Destinies Pokemon Card Review

Jigglypuff Pokemon Card Next Destinies SetPokemon Card Overview:
Today's Pokemon Card Review is of Jigglypuff from the Next Destinies set. This is a basic, colorless type Pokemon card with an hp of 70. Of course, Jigglypuff evolves into Wigglytuff so you'll want to use Wigglytuff whenever you can. Jigglypuff has a x2 weakness to fighting type Pokemon, no resistance type, and a two colorless energy card retreat cost. Jigglypuff doesn't have an Ability but it does have two moves, the first move is called Sing and for one colorless energy card it puts the defending Pokemon to sleep. Jigglypuff's second move is called Double Slap and for two colorless energy cards it does 20 damage times the number of heads you get when you flip two coins.

Pokemon Card Strategy:
So as far as strategy goes, since this is a basic Pokemon card that evolves into another Pokemon you'll want to try your hardest to get the evolution on top of this card as soon as possible, but if you're forced to use Jigglypuff here's what you should do: I would suggest getting Jigglypuff out into play as soon as possible so you can put the defending Pokemon to sleep, after the Pokemon is asleep use Double Slap until you can get Wigglytuff into play. Since this card is a normal type card it can be used in any type deck.

Pokemon Card Rating:
I would give this card a 4 out of 5 rating. This is an extremely good starter card to have in any type deck, getting this card out early in the game and putting the defending Pokemon to sleep allows you to keep Jigglypuff in the active Pokemon spot for quite awhile while setting up your benched Pokemon at the same time. And if you need to attack with Jigglypuff Double Slap is a decent move that can knock out another basic Pokemon in two moves.

Tomorrow's Pokemon Card:
So thanks for reading today's Pokemon card review of Jigglypuff from the Next Destinies set, stay tuned for tomorrow's card review of Swadloon from the Noble Victories set.

Saturday, April 7, 2012

Scraggy -- Next Destinies Pokemon Card Review

Scraggy Pokemon Card Next Destinies SetPokemon Card Overview:
Today's Pokemon Card Review is of Scraggy from the Next Destinies set. This is a basic, darkness type Pokemon card that evolves into Scrafty. Scraggy has an hp of 70, a x2 weakness to fighting type Pokemon, a -20 resistance to psychic type Pokemon, and a two colorless energy card retreat cost. Scraggy doesn't have an Ability but it does have two moves, the first move is called Shed Skin and for one colorless energy card it allows you to heal 40 damage from Scraggy. Scraggy's second move is called Lunge which takes two darkness energy cards and does 40 damage, however if you get a tails when you flip a coin this move does nothing.

Pokemon Card Strategy:
So as far as strategy goes, since this is a basic Pokemon card that evolves into another Pokemon you'll want to try your hardest to get the evolution on top of this card as soon as possible, but if you're forced to use Scraggy here's what you should do: Scraggy works well as a starter Pokemon, since it can heal 40 damage from itself for only one colorless energy card if you start the game with Scraggy you can use Shed Skin the turn before you evolve Scraggy into Scrafty and all the damage should be healed from Scraggy. Even though you only have a 50/50 chance of doing 40 damage with Lunge for a starter Pokemon even 20 damage a turn is still pretty good, so if I were to use this card in my deck I would include 2 Scraggy cards and 1 Scrafty, or 3 and 2 of each.

Pokemon Card Rating:
I would give this card a 3 out of 5 rating. Even though this card may not do any damage for your I still think it is an average basic Pokemon card, it has a high hp and if you get a heads when you flip a coin it can do major damage for a basic Pokemon that has an evolution. Even later in the game if you need to put this card into the active Pokemon spot it should survive for a turn while using Shed Skin until you can evolve it into Scrafty.

Tomorrow's Pokemon Card:
So thanks for reading today's Pokemon card review of Mienshao from the Next Destinies set, stay tuned for tomorrow's card review of Jigglypuff from the same set.

Friday, April 6, 2012

Nuzleaf -- Next Destinies Pokemon Card Review

Nuzleaf Pokemon Card Next Destinies SetPokemon Card Overview:
Today's Pokemon Card Review is of Nuzleaf from the Next Destinies set. This is a stage 1, darkness type Pokemon card that evolved from Seedot and evolves into Shiftry. Nuzleaf has an hp of 80, a x2 weakness to fighting type Pokemon, a -20 resistance to psychic type Pokemon, and a one colorless energy card retreat cost. Nuzleaf doesn't have an Ability and it only has one move called Surprise Punch which takes two energy cards, one each of colorless and darkness and does 20 damage, besides doing the damage, your opponent must move an energy card from their active Pokemon to one of their benched Pokemon.

Pokemon Card Strategy:
So as far as strategy goes, since this is a stage 1 Pokemon card that evolves into a stage 2 card you'll want to use that stage 2 card as soon as possible, but if you're forced to use Nuzleaf for a turn or two you only have one choice of a move to use. Hopefully when you use Surprise Punch your opponent won't have enough energy cards attached to their active Pokemon to attack the next turn. But instead of risking damage on Nuzleaf I would try my hardest to evolve Nuzleaf into Shiftry on my bench instead of actually putting it the active Pokemon spot.

Pokemon Card Rating:
I would give this card a 1 out of 5 rating. This card is very poor in my opinion, it has a low hp, and a weak move for a stage 1 Pokemon card, there is no reason to have this card in your deck if you don't have Shiftry in your deck. I would stay away from this card at all costs otherwise. Unless Surprise Punch is more of a surprise in games, this card is not good at all.

Tomorrow's Pokemon Card:
So thanks for reading today's Pokemon card review of Nuzleaf from the Next Destinies set, stay tuned for tomorrow's card review of Scraggy from the same set.

Thursday, April 5, 2012

Mienshao -- Next Destinies Pokemon Card Review

MienshaoPokemon Card Overview:
Today's Pokemon Card Review is of Mienshao from the Next Destinies set. This is a stage 1, fighting type Pokemon card with an hp of 90. It has a x2 weakness to psychic type Pokemon, no resistance type, and a one colorless energy card retreat cost. Mienshao doesn't have an Ability but it does have two moves, the first move is called Haul In which takes one colorless energy card and allows you to search your deck for 2 Pokemon tool cards and put them into your hand. Mienshao's second move is called Meditate and for two energy cards, one each of fighting and colorless it does 30 damage plus 10 more damage for each damage counter on the defending Pokemon.

Pokemon Card Strategy:
So as far as strategy goes, if your deck is built around Pokemon tool cards this card is a must have for that deck since Haul In allows you to search your deck for tool cards. Otherwise this card is an okay card for a fighting type deck. Mienshao basically has one move that can do something no matter what other cards you have in your deck, I would try and have a few Pokemon with free retreat costs in my deck, use that Pokemon for awhile and then when the defending Pokemon is close to getting knocked out, move Mienshao in there and use Meditate to knock it out, Mienshao's retreat cost is low so you could retreat it back the next turn.

Pokemon Card Rating:
I would give this card a 3 out of 5 rating. This card is an average uncommon card in my opinion. It is better than average if you have Pokemon tool cards in your deck but below average if you don't. This card can't do much if the defending Pokemon doesn't have much damage on it and can do a lot of damage if it does. So I think the ups and downs of this card equal out, that's why I am giving it an average rating.

Tomorrow's Pokemon Card:
So thanks for reading today's Pokemon card review of Mienshao from the Next Destinies set, stay tuned for tomorrow's card review of Nuzleaf from the same set.

Wednesday, April 4, 2012

Hippowdon -- Next Destinies Pokemon Card Review

Hippowdon Pokemon Card Next Destinies SetPokemon Card Overview:
Today's Pokemon Card Review is of Hippowdon from the Next Destinies set. This is a stage 1, fighting type Pokemon card with an hp of 130. It has a x2 weakness to water type Pokemon, a -20 resistance to electric type Pokemon, and a four colorless energy card retreat cost. Hippowdon doesn't have an Ability but it does have two moves, the first move is called Sand Bazooka and for three energy cards, two colorless and one fighting, it does 70 damage and allows you to move one of the energy cards attached to this Pokemon to one of your benched Pokemon after using this move. Hippowdon's second move is called Rock Tumble and for four energy cards, two each of fighting and colorless, it does 90 damage and this attack can't be weakened by resistance.

Pokemon Card Strategy:
So as far as strategy goes, since the retreat cost on this card is so high, once you put this card in you'll have to keep with it until you either win the game or Hippowdon gets knocked out. Because of this I would keep Hippowdon on my bench until I get four energy cards on it, then I would put it into play and use Rock Tumble every turn, until Hippowdon is getting close to being knocked out, then I would use Sand Bazooka one turn so I would only have to discard three energy cards instead of four since I can move an energy card to one of my benched Pokemon when using this move. I would definitely consider using this card in a fighting type deck of mine, I would have a 2-1 line of Hippowdon and Hippopotas in my deck.

Pokemon Card Rating:
I would give this card a 4 out of 5 rating. This card is right up my alley, I love cards that have high hp, and high powered attacks, the only thing holding this card back is that it has an extremely high retreat cost, and since it is a stage 1 Pokemon you'll probably have to put it into the active Pokemon spot before it can attack because it is so slow.

Tomorrow's Pokemon Card:
So thanks for reading today's Pokemon card review of Hippowdon from the Next Destinies set, stay tuned for tomorrow's card review of Mienshao from the same set.

Tuesday, April 3, 2012

Kirlia -- Next Destinies Pokemon Card Review

Kirlia Pokemon Card Next Destinies SetPokemon Card Overview:
Today's Pokemon Card Review is of Kirlia from the Next Destinies set. This is a stage 1, psychic type Pokemon card that evolved from Ralts and evolves into Gardevoir. So of course you'll want to evolve this card when you can in the game. Kirlia has an hp of 80, a x2 weakness to psychic type Pokemon, no resistance type, and a one colorless energy card retreat cost. Kirlia doesn't have an Ability but it does have two moves, the first move is called Smack which does 20 damage for two colorless energy cards. Kirlia's second move is called Psychic and for three energy cards, two colorless and one psychic, it does 40 damage plus 10 more damage for each energy attached to the defending Pokemon.

Pokemon Card Strategy:
So as far as strategy goes, so once again since this is a stage 1 card you'll want to evolve Kirlia into Gardevoir as soon as possible, however you'll probably have to use Kirlia for a move or two, so when you're using Kirlia I would suggest using Psychic, I would actually consider not evolving Kirlia into Gardevoir while on the bench so when one of your Pokemon gets knocked out, you can put Kirlia in and use Psychic while hoping that the defending Pokemon has a fair amount of energy attached to it, that way you can possibly knock out that Pokemon, and once that Pokemon is knocked out, hopefully your opponent doesn't have another Pokemon well prepared to play so Kirlia won't take that much damage from an attack.

Pokemon Card Rating:
I would give this card a 3 out of 5 rating. To me this is a pretty average stage 1 Pokemon card, I like how most of the energy cards required to attack are colorless energy type cards so if you have this card in a dual type deck it will be easier to attack, I also like the artwork on this card, even though this card is an uncommon card I like how it looks holographic, it reminds me of the holos from the old school sets like Jungle, Base, and Fossil.

Tomorrow's Pokemon Card:
So thanks for reading today's Pokemon card review of Kirlia from the Next Destinies set, stay tuned for tomorrow's card review of Hippowdon from the same set.

Monday, April 2, 2012

Emolga -- Next Destinies Pokemon Card Review

Emolga Pokemon Card Next Destinies SetPokemon Card Overview:
Today's Pokemon Card Review is of Emolga from the Next Destinies set. This is a basic, electric type Pokemon card, with an hp of 70. It has a x2 weakness to fighting type Pokemon, no resistance type, and a one colorless energy card retreat cost. Emolga doesn't have an Ability and only has one move called Bounce which takes two energy cards, one each of electric and colorless and does 30 damage, after using Bounce you need to switch Emolga with one of your benched Pokemon.

Pokemon Card Strategy:
So as far as strategy goes, since this is a basic Pokemon card and doesn't evolve into anything I wouldn't put too many of these in an Electric type deck, I would also consider putting this Pokemon on my bench until I got two energy cards on it, then I would use it in this way, once one of my Pokemon gets knocked out, I would put Emolga into the active Pokemon spot if and only if none of my other benched Pokemon had enough energy to attack that next turn, that way I could use Bounce once, attach an energy card to that Pokemon that couldn't have attacked the previous turn and put that Pokemon into play and thus use its attack the next turn. Since Emolga only has the one move you'll never do anything else besides use Bounce.

Pokemon Card Rating:
I would give this card a 1 out of 5 rating. To me, this just seems like a wasted card in the set. I don't understand why a basic Pokemon needs two energy cards to attack and then when they do attack you have to switch it out, what is the point in this? Why even put this card into your deck if you have to retreat it every time it attacks, I would much rather use two energy cards on another card rather than this one. Even though the card is worthless in my opinion, I really do like the artwork on this card, I like the stormy weather in the background and the almost life like tree that Emolga is holding on to.

Tomorrow's Pokemon Card:
So thanks for reading today's Pokemon card review of Emolga from the Next Destinies set, stay tuned for tomorrow's card review of Kirlia from the same set.

Sunday, April 1, 2012

Luxio #45/99 -- Next Destinies Pokemon Card Review

Luxio #45/99 Next Destinies Pokemon CardPokemon Card Overview:
Today's Pokemon Card Review is of Luxio from the Next Destinies set. This is the second of two consecutive card reviews I'll be doing on Luxio. This is a stage 1, electric type Pokemon card with an hp of 80. It evolves from Shinx and into Luxray, I've already reviewed Luxray from this set in a blog post. Luxio has a x2 weakness to fighting type Pokemon, no resistance type, and a free retreat cost. Luxio doesn't have an Ability but it does have two moves, the first move is called Quick Turn and for one electric energy card it does 20 damage times the number of heads you get one you flip two coins. Luxio's second move is called Bite and for two colorless energy cards it does 30 damage.

Pokemon Card Strategy:
So as far as strategy goes, since this is a stage 1 card, you'll want to eventually evolve Luxio into Luxray which has quite a bit more hp and better moves, however for the time being, when you get Luxio into play you have the choice of either using Quick Turn or Bite, I would recommend Bite over Quick Turn because Bite is guaranteed to do 30 damage whereas Quick Turn may end up doing no damage. This is another weak Luxio card so I would recommend keeping this card on your bench until you can evolve it into Luxray. One thing that is nice about this card however is that if you are forced to put it into the active Pokemon spot you can retreat it for free once you get a better Pokemon on your bench.

Pokemon Card Rating:
I would give this card a 2 out of 5 rating. I am pretty disappointed in both Luxio cards from this set, both are very weak, have low hp and really can't do much, they are basically filler cards for Luxray. If I were to choose one card of the two Luxio cards, I would choose yesterday's card just because it has the possibility to do more damage.

Tomorrow's Pokemon Card:
So thanks for reading today's Pokemon card review of Luxio from the Next Destinies set, stay tuned for tomorrow's card review of Emolga from the same set.