Flareon -- Dark Explorers Pokemon Card Review

Pokemon Card Overview:
Today's Pokemon Card Review is of Flareon from the Dark Explorers Pokemon Card Set.  Flareon 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 one colorless energy card retreat cost.  Flareon doesn't have an Ability, but it does have two moves, the first move is called Sand-Attack which takes one colorless energy card and does 20 damage, plus if your opponent tries to attack the next turn after using Sand-Attack if they get a tails when they flip a coin they can't attack.  Flareon's second move is called Fire Slash and for three energy cards, two colorless and one fire, it does 60 damage plus 30 more damage if you decide to discard a fire energy card from Flareon.

Pokemon Card Strategy:
So as far as strategy goes, since this card doesn't have an Ability on it, I would recommend using Flareon as soon as you get one energy card on it, I would preferably use Fire Slash every turn but if you only have one or two energy cards on Flareon you don't have much of a choice.  I would however either consider putting 4 or 5 energy cards on Flareon or having plenty of fire energy cards in your hand so that you could do 90 damage every turn with Fire Slash since you'd have enough energy cards every turn to use Fire Slash.  Since this card requires mainly colorless energy cards I would include this card in a deck with more than one type and I would definitely consider putting another Eevee-evolution in this deck, so I would include 4 Eevees and then a couple of each Eevee-evolution you want to use.

Pokemon Card Rating:
I would give this card a 4 out of 5 rating. Even though this card has an average hp, weakness, and retreat cost, I like how Flareon can do 90 damage every turn and then if it is close to being knocked out, you have a 50/50 chance of preventing your opponent from attacking the next turn by using Sand-Attack, I think this is a solid stage 1 card, and I would consider it for any fire type deck I may make.

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

Crustle -- Dark Explorers Pokemon Card Review

Pokemon Card Overview:
Today's Pokemon Card Review is of Crustle from the Dark Explorers Pokemon Card Set.  Crustle is a stage 1, grass type Pokemon card with an hp of 110.  It has a x2 weakness to fire type Pokemon, no resistance type, and a three colorless energy card retreat cost.  Crustle does not have an Ability but it does have two moves, the first move is called Cut and for two energy cards, one each of grass and colorless, it does 30 damage.  Crustle's second move is called Heavy Bullet which takes three energy cards, two colorless and one grass, and does 70 damage, plus 20 more damage to one of your opponent's benched Pokemon if you get a heads when you flip a coin.

Pokemon Card Strategy:
So as far as strategy goes, since this card doesn't have an Ability on it, I would recommend using Crustle as soon as you get two energy cards on it, I would preferably use Heavy Bullet every turn but if you only have two energy cards on Crustle you don't have much of a choice.  I would include this card in a dual type deck since it requires mainly colorless energy cards to attack, I would also make sure that there are spread damage type cards in the deck so if you get a heads when you use Heavy Bullet you could possibly knock out one of your opponent's benched Pokemon.  Since Crustle is only a stage 1 Pokemon, I would only have a 2-1 line of Dwebble and Crustle in a deck.

Pokemon Card Rating:
I would give this card a 4 out of 5 rating. Even though this card isn't too great, I am still going to give this card an above average rating, I like how it has 20 more hp than most stage 1 Pokemon, and its move that requires three energy cards does 10 more and possibly 30 more damage than most moves that require three energy cards.  The only bad thing about this card is that it is somewhat slow and has a high retreat cost.

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

Scyther -- Dark Explorers Pokemon Card Review

Pokemon Card Overview:
Today's Pokemon Card Review is of Scyther from the Dark Explorers Pokemon Card Set.  Scyther is a basic, grass type Pokemon card, with an hp of 80.  It has a x2 weakness to fire type Pokemon, no resistance type, and a 1 colorless energy card retreat cost.  Scyther doesn't have an Ability and it only has one move called Air Slash which takes three colorless energy cards and does 60 damage, however you must discard an energy card attached to Scyther after using Air Slash.

Pokemon Card Strategy:
So as far as strategy goes, I would recommend evolving Scyther into Scizor if you can, there isn't a Scizor card in any of the Black and White sets to date, but there are some Scizor cards in the HG/SS sets, and since Scyther only requires colorless energy cards, it doesn't matter what type Scizor may be.  But if you only have Scyther in your deck or have to put it into the active Pokemon spot you'll want to have some energy cards attached to it already so you can attack with Air Slash fairly quickly, also make sure to have plenty of energy cards in your hand or more than three energy cards attached to Scyther so you can attack every turn, instead of having to wait several turns until you're able to attach another energy card to Scyther.  I would only put 1 or 2 Scyther cards in a deck maximum.

Pokemon Card Rating:
I would give this card a 2 out of 5 rating. Even though this card has a low retreat cost, and can do a fair amount of damage with any type of energy cards, I am still going to give this card a below average rating, it is too slow for my likes and if you spend the time to get three energy cards on Scyther you may get knocked out quite soon since it only has 80 hp.  So I would only use this card with extreme caution.

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

Ivysaur -- Dark Explorers Pokemon Card Review

Pokemon Card Overview:
Today's Pokemon Card Review is of Ivysaur from the Dark Explorers Pokemon Card Set.  This is the first of several more uncommon Dark Explorers Pokemon card reviews I'll be doing. Ivysaur is a stage 1, 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 three colorless energy card retreat cost.  Ivysaur doesn't have an Ability but it does have two moves, the first move is called Sleep Powder and for two energy cards, one each of grass and colorless, it does 20 damage and puts the defending Pokemon to sleep.  Ivysaur's second move is called Poison Powder which takes three energy cards, two grass and one colorless, does 50 damage and poisons the defending Pokemon.

Pokemon Card Strategy:
So as far as strategy goes, you'll definitely want to evolve Ivysaur into Venusaur as soon as possible so you can do more damage and take more damage since Venusaur has a much higher hp.  I would preferably leave Ivysaur on the bench until I could evolve it into Venusaur but if you have to put Ivysaur into play, depending on the number of energy cards you have on Ivysaur will depend on the move you do.  I would use Poison Powder more often than Sleep Powder because it does more damage but if the defending Pokemon has more than 100 hp I would consider using Sleep Powder first and then Poison Powder after that.  One thing to keep in mind when moving Ivysaur from your bench to the active Pokemon spot is that it does have a high retreat cost so if you don't think you'll be able to evolve into Venusaur soon I would recommend not moving Ivysaur into that active Pokemon spot.

Pokemon Card Rating:
I would give this card a 3 out of 5 rating.  This is a pretty average stage 1 Pokemon card, and surprisingly I wouldn't be too worried if I actually had to use it for awhile during the game, I think it could hold its own.  I like how both of its moves inflict special conditions and does damage, but Ivysaur is slow and doesn't have too high of an hp.

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

Archeops -- Dark Explorers Pokemon Card Review

Pokemon Card Overview:
Today's Pokemon Card Review is of Archeops from the Dark Explorers Pokemon Card Set.  This is a stage 1, fighting type Pokemon card, with an hp of 130.  It has a x2 weakness to grass type Pokemon, no resistance type, and a two colorless energy card retreat cost.  Archeops' Ability is called Ancient Power and says that each player can't play any Pokemon from their hand to evolve their Pokemon.  Besides the Ability, Archeops has one move called Rock Slide which takes three energy cards, two fighting and one colorless, and does 60 damage plus does 10 damage to 2 of your opponent's Pokemon.

Pokemon Card Strategy:
So as far as strategy goes, you'll want to use this card is a spread damage type deck so that you can possibly knock out more than one Pokemon at once when you're using Rock Slide or another Pokemon can knock out multiple Pokemon when using their spread damage type move.  Secondly you'll want to evolve all your Pokemon very early in the game or have many basic type Pokemon in your deck so that when you put Archeops on your bench you can use Ancient Power and prevent your opponent from evolving their Pokemon.  Once you do get Archeops into the active Pokemon spot it is extremely straightforward strategy wise since Archeops only has one move.  I would use a 2-2 line of Archen and Archeops in a fighting type deck.  And would possibly even use a 1-1 line in any type of deck just to utilize Ancient Power.

Pokemon Card Rating:
I would give this card a 5 out of 5 rating.  There are many things to like about this card, this card has a great hp for a stage 1 Pokemon, average retreat cost, awesome Ability, and great move.  I would definitely put this card in any fighting type deck I would make, and those decks would be mainly stage 1, or basic Pokemon so I could really aggravate and annoy my opponent by not letting them get to use their stage 2 Pokemon when I use Ancient Power the entire game.

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

Gardevoir -- Dark Explorers Pokemon Card Review

Pokemon Card Overview:
Today's Pokemon Card Review is of Gardevoir from the Dark Explorers Pokemon Card Set.  This is a stage 2, psychic type Pokemon card, with an hp of 110.  It has a x2 weakness to psychic type Pokemon, no resistance type, and a two colorless energy card retreat cost.  Gardevoir's Ability is called Psychic Mirage and says that each psychic energy card attached to your psychic type Pokemon provides two psychic energy cards instead of one.  Besides the Ability, Gardevoir only has one move called Mind Shock which takes four energy cards, two each of colorless and psychic, and does 60 damage.

Pokemon Card Strategy:
So as far as strategy goes, this is a card you'll definitely want to have in any psychic type deck you create.  Not only does Gardevoir's Ability improve the speed with which your team is able to attack, but it limits the amount of psychic energy cards you actually need in your deck since when you're using Psychic Mirage all energy cards are worth twice as much.  Since Gardevoir's Ability is so important I would definitely recommend keeping Gardevoir on the bench at all times, since it only has 110 hp, you need to prevent Gardevoir from getting much damage on it and thus getting knocked out.  I would either have a 2-2-1 or 3-2-1 line of Gardevoir and its pre-Evolutions in my deck.

Pokemon Card Rating:
I would give this card a 3 out of 5 rating.  Even though Gardevoir's Ability is so great, I still cannot give this card anything better than a 3 out of 5 rating.  The reason I can't give it a great rating is because its hp is too low and it can't do very much damage.  Plus it is hard to know how to use this card, do you put a full line of Gardevoir in your deck so you can for sure use its Ability or do you have maybe 1 Gardevoir in your deck to limit the number of spots in your deck with Pokemon you are just going to keep on the bench?  Either of these questions result in problems for your deck, the first causes you to have too many Pokemon in your deck that aren't very good, and the second option may result in you not being able to use Gardevoir at all because you only have one of them and you never can get it out of your deck during play.

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

Tornadus EX -- Dark Explorers Pokemon Card Review

Pokemon Card Overview:
Today's Pokemon Card Review is of Tornadus EX from the Dark Explorers Pokemon Card Set.  This is a stage basic, EX, colorless type Pokemon card, with an hp of 170.  It has a x2 weakness to electric type Pokemon, a -20 resistance to fighting type Pokemon, and a one colorless energy card retreat cost.  Tornadus EX doesn't have an Ability but it does have two moves, the first move is called Blow Through which takes two colorless energy cards and does 30 damage plus 30 more damage if there is a Stadium Card in play.  Tornadus EX's second move is called Power Blast which takes three colorless energy cards and does 100 damage, however if you get a tails when you flip a coin you must discard an energy card attached to Tornadus EX.

Pokemon Card Strategy:
So as far as strategy goes, I would not use this card until I had three energy cards on it, then I could use Power Blast every turn and knock out all Pokemon in two turns or less...if I have enough energy cards if I am unlucky and get tails every time I use Power Blast.  I would recommend putting a couple of Stadium Cards in your deck so that if you can knock out the defending Pokemon with 60 damage or less you can use Blow Through instead of Power Blast and not risk losing an energy card after attacking.  Just remember when using this card if it is knocked out, your opponent gets to take two prize cards instead of one.

Pokemon Card Rating:
I would give this card a 4 out of 5 rating.  Even for an EX card, I think this card is pretty good, I like the fact Tornadus EX has a high hp, low retreat cost, and at least one good move.  As long as you aren't extremely unlucky or don't have many energy cards in your hand, you should be able to knock out every Pokemon in two turns or less which should make winning a battle against your opponent extremely easy.

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

Haxorus -- Dark Explorers Pokemon Card Review

Pokemon Card Overview:
Today's Pokemon Card Review is of Haxorus from the Dark Explorers Pokemon Card Set.  This is a stage 2, colorless type Pokemon card, with an hp of 140.  It does not have a weakness or resistance, but it does have a three colorless energy card retreat cost.  Haxorus doesn't have an Ability but it does have two moves, the first move is called Guillotine which takes three colorless energy cards and does 60 damage.  Haxorus's second move is called Stunning Uppercut which takes four colorless energy cards and does 80 damage, and if you get two heads when you flip two coins the defending Pokemon is paralyzed, but if you get two tails this move does nothing.

Pokemon Card Strategy:
So as far as strategy goes, you'll want to keep this card on your bench until you can get three or four energy cards on it, once you get the necessary energy cards on it, I would use Stunning Uppercut every turn unless you can knock out the defending Pokemon by doing 60 damage, then I would use Guillotine instead of Stunning Uppercut because Guillotine is a 100 percent chance of hitting whereas Stunning Uppercut has a 25 percent chance of not doing any damage at all.  If I were to use this card in my deck I would use a 3-2-1 line of Haxorus and its pre-Evolutions.

Pokemon Card Rating:
I would give this card a 1 out of 5 rating.  Even though Haxorus looks cool as a Pokemon (it looks eerily similar to Giratina in my opinion) this card really stinks, it doesn't have too high of an hp, and it has a very high retreat cost, it also is very slow and when you can actually attack it can't do much damage at all, I would never want to put four energy cards on a Pokemon then have a 25% chance of not being able to attack, it would be different if the move actually did a lot of damage but there are plenty of other Pokemon out there that can do 80 damage every turn for four energy cards where this one it is pretty risky.

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

Stoutland -- Dark Explorers Pokemon Card Review

Pokemon Card Overview:
Today's Pokemon Card Review is of Stoutland from the Dark Explorers Pokemon Card Set.  This is a stage 2, colorless type Pokemon card, with an hp of 130.  It has a x2 weakness to fighting type Pokemon, no resistance type, and a three colorless energy card retreat cost.  Stoutland doesn't have an Ability but it does have two moves, the first move is called Special Fang and for three colorless energy cards it does 40 damage plus 40 more damage if Stoutland has any special energy cards attached to it.  Stoutland's second move is called Ferocious Bellow and for four colorless energy cards this move does 60 damage and any attacks from your opponent during their next turn is reduced by 30.

Pokemon Card Strategy:
So as far as strategy goes, if you want to utilize Stoutland to its full strength you'll definitely want to have a special energy card attached to this card, that way you can do 80 damage every turn with Special Fang.  Since this card can use any type of energy card this card can fit into any deck, however I would not put four energy cards on Stoutland, I would only use three energy cards and use Special Fang every turn, I would only ever consider putting four energy cards on Stoutland if it was about to be knocked out and Ferocious Bellow would keep Stoutland alive for another turn and be able to knock out the defending Pokemon that turn.  If I were to use Stoutland in a deck, I would use a 3,2,1 line of Stoutland and its pre-evolutions.

Pokemon Card Rating:
I would give this card a 3 out of 5 rating.  Even though Stoutland can do 80 damage every turn if it has a special energy card attached to it, I still don't think this card is any better than average.  It has a low hp for a stage 2 Pokemon, and a high retreat cost.  Also neither of its moves are too great, they are actually below average in terms of attack cost to actually damage done to the defending Pokemon.

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

Blissey -- Dark Explorers Pokemon Card Review

Pokemon Card Overview:
Today's Pokemon Card Review is of Blissey from the Dark Explorers Pokemon Card Set.  This is a stage 1, colorless type Pokemon card, with an hp of 130.  It has a x2 weakness to fighting type Pokemon, no resistance type, and a three colorless energy card retreat cost.  Blissey's Ability is called Softboiled and says that once during your turn you may flip a coin and if you get a heads you may heal 30 damage from the active Pokemon.  Besides the Ability, Blissey has one move called Double-Edge which takes three colorless energy cards, and does 90 damage, however Blissey does 60 damage to itself.

Pokemon Card Strategy:
So as far as strategy goes, this is a great card to have in almost all of your decks, since this is a normal type Pokemon that can use any type energy it fits in all decks.  I would recommend getting Blissey on the bench as soon as possible during your game, and use Softboiled almost every turn to remove damage from your Pokemon.  Not only does Softboiled increase the health of your Pokemon but it reduces the need for you to include supporters/trainers in your deck that heal damage from your Pokemon.  And if Blissey needs to be put into the active Pokemon spot, preferably late in the game when you've already attached three energy cards on to it, you can use Double-Edge two turns in a row and hopefully knock out that last Pokemon or two you need to to win the game.  I would suggest having a 2-2 line of Chansey and Blissey in your deck.

Pokemon Card Rating:
I would give this card a 4 out of 5 rating.  I need to give this card an above rating since it should be in every deck and should actually be utilized in every deck, this card would be a 5/5 for sure if Softboiled wasn't a flip of a coin but since it is that's why I'm giving it a bit lower rating.  But Double-Edge is a great move that can knock out most Pokemon in two turns so there is no reason not to have this card in your deck.

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

Bisharp #79/108 -- Dark Explorers Pokemon Card Review

Pokemon Card Overview:
Today's Pokemon Card Review is of Bisharp from the Dark Explorers Pokemon Card Set.  This is the second of two Bisharp cards I'll be reviewing from this set, the first one I reviewed was a darkness type card, today's card is a metal type card.   This is a stage 1, as I said, Metal type Pokemon card with an hp of 100.  It has a x2 weakness to fire type Pokemon, a -20 resistance to psychic type Pokemon, and a two colorless energy card retreat cost.  Bisharp doesn't have an Ability but it does have two moves, the first move is called Aerial Ace and for two colorless energy cards it does 20 damage plus 20 more damage if you get a heads when you flip a coin.  Bisharp's second move is called Metal Claw which does 80 damage for three energy cards, two metal and one colorless.

Pokemon Card Strategy:
So as far as strategy goes, this card is extremely straightforward.  I would recommend evolving Pawniard into Bisharp on your bench and then attaching three energy cards to it so you can use Metal Claw every turn.  If you have to put this card into play right away, once you get two energy cards on it you'll obviously want to use Aerial Ace, but since you can't attack with only one energy card I would recommend setting up Bisharp on the bench.  Since both of Bisharp's moves require colorless and metal type energy cards you can easily fit this card into a dual type deck.  I would suggest using a 2-1 line of Pawniard and Bisharp.

Pokemon Card Rating:
I would give this card a 4 out of 5 rating.  To me, this is a slightly above average stage 1 Pokemon card, it has 10 more hp than most stage 1 cards, and its move called Metal Claw can do 20 more damage than the average move that requires three energy cards.  So if you need a few more cards in a deck that has some metal energy cards in it, I would definitely recommend putting this card in that deck.

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

Klinklang -- Dark Explorers Pokemon Card Review

Pokemon Card Overview:
Today's Pokemon Card Review is of Klinklang from the Dark Explorers Pokemon Card Set.  This is a stage 2, metal type Pokemon card with an hp of 140.  It has a x2 weakness to fire type Pokemon, a -20 resistance to psychic type Pokemon, and a four colorless energy card retreat cost.  Klinklang doesn't have an Ability but it does have two moves, the first move is called Metal Blast and for one colorless energy card it does 20 damage plus 20 more damage for each metal energy card attached to this Pokemon.  Klinklang's second move is called Lock Gear and for four energy cards, two each of metal and colorless, it does 60 damage and replenishes your hand to six cards.

Pokemon Card Strategy:
So as far as strategy goes, I could definitely see myself building a deck around this card.  I would include this card in a mainly metal type deck and then hope to put Klinklang on the bench and get four metal energy cards on it, then when I would move it into the active Pokemon spot I could use Metal Blast every turn and do 100 damage or use Lock Gear and make sure I always have six cards in my hand.  The only thing you have to watch out for with this card is you have to give up all four energy cards attached to Klinklang in order to retreat.  I would consider putting a 4-3-2 line of Klink, Klang, and Klinklang in a mostly metal type deck.

Pokemon Card Rating:
I would give this card a 3 out of 5 rating.  Even though I would base a deck around this card, it really is pretty average.  It can do major damage every turn but it takes quite awhile before you can get to that point and since Klinklang only has 140 hp it can't last too long in play without retreating or being knocked out.  With that being said, Klinklang still has two respectable moves, and would make a good centerpiece to a metal type deck.

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

Escavalier -- Dark Explorers Pokemon Card Review

Pokemon Card Overview:
Today's Pokemon Card Review is of Escavalier from the Dark Explorers Pokemon Card Set.  This is a stage 1, metal type Pokemon card with an hp of 90.  It has a x2 weakness to fire type Pokemon, a -20 resistance to psychic type Pokemon, and a three colorless energy card retreat cost.  Escavalier doesn't have an Ability but it does have two moves, the first move is called Joust and for one metal energy card it does 30 damage and allows you to remove a Pokemon tool card that is attached to the opposing Pokemon before doing any damage.  Escavalier's second move is called Cavalry Lance which takes three energy cards, two metal and one colorless, and does 70 damage, and during your opponent's next turn Escavalier has no weakness.

Pokemon Card Strategy:
So as far as strategy goes, since this Pokemon card is fairly quick and can attack with only one energy card you can put this card into the active Pokemon spot whenever you get it in your hand and already have Karrablast in play.  I would try and use Cavalry Lance every turn, especially if you're facing a fire type Pokemon, but if your opponent has a Pokemon Tool card in play I would definitely consider using Joust and discarding that card from the opposing Pokemon as long as 70 damage wouldn't knock them out in one turn.  I would suggest putting this card in a mainly metal type deck and have a 2-1 line of Escavalier and Karrablast.

Pokemon Card Rating:
I would give this card a 3 out of 5 rating.  This card is pretty average overall, it has an average hp, one average move, and one above average move is balanced out by a high retreat cost.  So that is why I'm giving this card a 3 out of 5 rating, I would definitely consider this card in a metal type deck but wouldn't build a metal type deck around this card.

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

Bisharp -- Dark Explorers Pokemon Card Review

Pokemon Card Overview:
Today's Pokemon Card Review is of Bisharp from the Dark Explorers Pokemon Card Set.  This is a stage 1, darkness type Pokemon card with an hp of 90.  It has a x2 weakness to fighting type Pokemon, a -20 resistance to psychic type Pokemon, and a one colorless energy card retreat cost.  Bisharp doesn't have an Ability but it does have two moves, the first move is called Slash and does 30 damage for two energy cards, one each of darkness and colorless.  Bisharp's second move is called Fury Cutter and for three energy cards, two colorless and one darkness, it does 30 damage plus 10, 30, or 60 more damage depending on the amount of heads you get when you flip three coins.

Pokemon Card Strategy:
So as far as strategy goes, I would incorporate this card into a dual type deck since it can use colorless energy cards for its attacks.  I would put Bisharp into the active Pokemon spot as soon as there were two energy cards on it.  I would use Slash first and then after that once I get three energy cards on Bisharp I would always use Fury Cutter.  However unlike yesterday's card, Scrafty, Bisharp's second move isn't that great, it can be but more than likely it will be below average to average, so I would be more conservative on putting this card in a darkness type deck.  If I were to use this card, I would only use 1 Pawniard and 1 Bisharp in the deck, I would possibly use this card as a last chance type of card, I may put this card in and hope to flip 3 heads and be able to do 120 damage in one turn.

Pokemon Card Rating:
I would give this card a 2 out of 5 rating.  Even though this card is similar to Scrafty from yesterday, this card overall is much worse, it has a lower hp, and two average moves, and if you're not lucky Bisharp can only do 30 damage a turn even if you put three energy cards on it.  So I would stay away from this card unless you feel extremely lucky, I would go with a card that is guaranteed to do at least 60 damage a turn instead of one you need to get lucky with to do that much damage.

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

Scrafty -- Dark Explorers Pokemon Card Review

Pokemon Card Overview:
Today's Pokemon Card Review is of Scrafty from the Dark Explorers Pokemon Card Set.  This is a stage 1, darkness type Pokemon card with an hp of 100.  It has a x2 weakness to fighting type Pokemon, a -20 resistance to psychic type Pokemon, and a two colorless energy card retreat cost.  Scrafty doesn't have an Ability but it does have two moves, the first move is called Headbutt and for two colorless energy cards it does 30 damage.  Scrafty's second move is called Crushing Blow and for three energy cards, two darkness and one colorless, it does 70 damage, and if you get a heads when you flip a coin you may discard an energy card attached to the defending Pokemon.

Pokemon Card Strategy:
So as far as strategy goes, I would incorporate this card into a dual type deck since it can use colorless energy cards for its attacks.  I would put Scrafty into the active Pokemon spot as soon as there were two energy cards on it.  I would use Headbutt first and then after that once I get three energy cards on Scrafty I would always use Crushing Blow.  I would try and find other cards that have the ability to remove energy cards from the defending Pokemon so your opponent would become very frustrated when they are unable to attack every turn or need to attach another energy card to the same Pokemon turn after turn.  I would use a 1-2 line of Scraggy and Scrafty in a deck that has some darkness energy cards in it.

Pokemon Card Rating:
I would give this card a 4 out of 5 rating.  This card isn't fantastic but it is definitely above average, Scrafty has a higher hp than most stage 1 Pokemon, and it has two good moves, I especially like Crushing Blow which is above average since most moves that require three energy cards do 60 damage but this move does 10 more damage than that and has the possibility of removing an energy card from the opponent.

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

Excadrill #57/108 -- Dark Explorers Pokemon Card Review

Pokemon Card Overview:
Today's Pokemon Card Review is of Excadrill from the Dark Explorers Pokemon Card Set.  This is the second of two consecutive Excadrill card reviews I'll be doing.  Excadrill is a stage 1, fighting type Pokemon, with an hp of 120.  It has a x2 weakness to water type Pokemon, a -20 resistance to electric type Pokemon, and a four colorless energy card retreat cost.  Excadrill doesn't have an Ability but it does have two moves, the first move is called Reinforced Drill and for three energy cards, two colorless and one fighting, it does 50 damage plus 30 more damage if you have a Pokemon Tool attached to this Pokemon.  Excadrill's second move is called Mach Claw and for four energy cards, three colorless and one fighting, it does 70 damage, plus this move can't be affected by resistance.

Pokemon Card Strategy:
So as far as strategy goes, since this Excadrill card is much slower than yesterday's card you'll definitely want to set this card up on your bench.  Unlike yesterday's card, this card will fit better into a dual type deck since it requires mostly colorless energy cards.  If you can get a Pokemon Tool card on Excadrill I would use Reinforced Drill every turn and keep three energy cards on Excadrill, otherwise you'll have to put four energy cards on Excadrill and use Mach Claw every turn.  Since this card is fairly slow I wouldn't use more than 1 of these in a deck.

Pokemon Card Rating:
I would give this card a 2 out of 5 rating.  Compared to yesterday's Excadrill card this one is a major disappointment.  Even though both Excadrill cards have the same hp, weakness, and resistance, this card has a higher retreat cost, both moves cost more energy, and in my opinion neither move is as good as the moves on yesterday's card.  I would definitely recommend the other Excadrill over this one, and unless you really like Excadrill for some reason, I would stay away from this card, it is too slow for my tastes.

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

Excadrill #56/108 -- Dark Explorers Pokemon Card Review

Pokemon Card Overview:
Today's Pokemon Card Review is of Excadrill from the Dark Explorers Pokemon Card Set.  This is the first of two consecutive Excadrill card reviews I'll be doing.  Excadrill is a stage 1, fighting type Pokemon, with an hp of 120.  It has a x2 weakness to water type Pokemon, a -20 resistance to electric type Pokemon, and a three colorless energy card retreat cost.  Excadrill doesn't have an Ability but it does have two moves, the first move is called Tunnel Strike and for one fighting energy card it does 30 damage to one of your opponent's benched Pokemon.  Excadrill's second move is called Dig Uppercut and for two fighting energy cards it does 50 damage and allows you to move a card from your discard pile into your hand.

Pokemon Card Strategy:
So as far as strategy goes, this is a great card to have in any fighting type deck.  It is a great card because it helps out spread damage type Pokemon, so you can use Tunnel Strike on some of your opponent's Pokemon then when you put a Pokemon in that does let's say 20 damage to all of your opponent's Pokemon you can knock out many Pokemon in 2 turns instead of 3.  What also makes this card very good is that Dig Uppercut does a good amount of damage for a low energy cost but it also allows you to move a card from your discard pile to your hand, this move then reduces the amount of cards you have to put into a deck of 1 Pokemon, so if you have a powerful Pokemon you want to use, instead of having to put 2 or 3 stage 2 cards in the deck you can put 1 or 2 and if that stage 2 card gets knocked out you can just retrieve that card from the discard pile and use that Pokemon again.  Also Dig Uppercut will help retrieve some energy cards one of your Pokemon possibly discarded every turn due to a stipulation on one of their moves.  So I would include this card in any fighting type deck I would have, I would have a 2-2 line of Excadrill and Drillbur, and preferably set this card up on the bench and move it into play when it has 2 fighting energy cards on it, but no matter when you move it into the active Pokemon spot you should be able to attack because surprisingly Excadrill is fairly quick.

Pokemon Card Rating:
I would give this card a 5 out of 5 rating.  We'll have to see how tomorrow's Excadrill card compares with this one, but I think this card is great!  It can really boost your overall deck.  Excadrill has a high hp, two great moves, and is really quick, the only downside is the retreat cost which is higher than the highest attack cost on this card but I still think this card is a great card.

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

Krookodile -- Dark Explorers Pokemon Card Review

Pokemon Card Overview:
Today's Pokemon Card Review is of Krookodile from the Dark Explorers Pokemon Card Set.  This is a stage 2, darkness type Pokemon card, with an hp of 150.  It has a x2 weakness to fighting type Pokemon, a -20 resistance to psychic type Pokemon, and a three colorless energy card retreat cost.  Krookodile does not have an Ability but it does have two moves, the first move is called Dark Clamp and for three energy cards, two colorless and one darkness, it dos 60 damage and prevents the opposing Pokemon from retreating during their next turn.  Krookodile's second move is called Bombast and for four energy cards, two each of colorless and darkness, it does 40 damage times the number of prize cards you have taken.

Pokemon Card Strategy:
So as far as strategy goes, since this is a stage 2 Pokemon card that needs awhile to evolve and requires at least 3 energy cards to attack, I would recommending setting this card up on your bench.  Krookodile is a late game finisher, so I would put four energy cards on Krookodile, and when you need to knock out one or two Pokemon to win the game I would put Krookodile into the active Pokemon spot and use Bombast doing 160 damage the first time and then 200 damage the second time and then winning the game.  If for some reason Krookodile is in the active Pokemon spot before you are able to knock out 2 of your opponent's Pokemon you'll want to use Dark Clamp instead.  I would recommend having a 4-3-2 line of Krookodile, Krokorok, and Sandile in your deck.

Pokemon Card Rating:
I would give this card a 5 out of 5 rating.  Towards the end of games this card is a guarantee on letting you win since it can do so much damage that's why I'm giving this card such a high rating, just make sure it isn't knocked out and you can knock out pretty much any Pokemon in 1 move when you've taken 4 and 5 prize cards and are about to win the game.  As long as you can build your deck to start winning early, this has to be one of the best closers out there, and I definitely recommend this card for any deck it is likely to fit.

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

Aerodactyl -- Dark Explorers Pokemon Card Review

Pokemon Card Overview:
Today's Pokemon Card Review is of Aerodactyl from the Dark Explorers Pokemon Card Set.  This is a restored (basically a stage 1), fighting type Pokemon card, with an hp of 90.  It has a x2 weakness to grass type Pokemon, no resistance type, and a one colorless energy card retreat cost.  Aerodactyl's Ability is called Ancient Scream which makes all your Pokemon's attacks do 10 more damage to your opponent's active Pokemon.  Besides the Ability, Aerodactyl has one move called Wing Attack which does 40 damage for three colorless energy cards.

Pokemon Card Strategy:
So as far as strategy goes, this is a Pokemon with an Ability that you'll definitely want to utilize so keeping Aerodactyl on the bench throughout the entire game is a must, no matter your deck type.  Other than using its Ability, Wing Attack isn't a great move but it does only require colorless energy cards making Aerodactyl a very versatile card.  But I would definitely use this card only for its Ability, therefore I would only keep one of these in my deck.

Pokemon Card Rating:
I would give this card a 2 out of 5 rating.  Disappointingly I have to give this card a low rating, I like that this card allows all your Pokemon to do 10 more damage when the attack but other than that this card really has no use, Wing Attack is too weak, and having to have an Old Amber card in your deck which can't do anything might make this card unwanted in many decks out there, but if you need two more cards in your deck I would definitely give this card a look just for its Ability.

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

Cofagrigus -- Dark Explorers Pokemon Card Review

Pokemon Card Overview:
Today's Pokemon Card Review is of Cofagrigus from the Dark Explorers Pokemon Card Set.  This is a stage 1, psychic type Pokemon card, with an hp of 100.  It has a x2 weakness to darkness type Pokemon, no resistance type, and a two colorless energy card retreat cost.  Cofagrigus doesn't have an Ability, but it does have two moves, the first move is called Chuck and for two colorless energy cards it does 40 damage times the number of Pokemon tool cards you choose to discard from your hand.  Cofagrigus's second move is called Lock Up and for two psychic energy cards it does 40 damage plus it prevents the defending Pokemon from retreating that next turn.

Pokemon Card Strategy:
So as far as strategy goes, if you want to be able to do some damage with Cofagrigus to the defending Pokemon, you'll have to stack your deck with Pokemon tool cards, if you do, I would wait until you get at least 2 or 3 in your hand before you use Cofagrigus's Chuck move, I would plan it out so that move would for sure knock out the defending Pokemon, the next turn I would discard the two energy cards attached to Cofagrigus and retreat.  Unless I had to, I would only use Cofagrigus in the above mentioned way, Lock Up isn't anything great so I wouldn't base my deck around this card, if I were to use this card I would only include 1 each of Cofagrigus and Yamask in a deck.

Pokemon Card Rating:
I would give this card a 2 out of 5 rating.  To me, this is a below average rare card from the Dark Explorers set, this card really can't do anything at all if you don't have any Pokemon tool cards in your hand and even if you do, you can really only do a fair amount of damage one turn then the most you can do is 40 damage after that which isn't much for a stage 1 Pokemon card, so that is why I'm giving this card a below average rating.

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

Slowking -- Dark Explorers Pokemon Card Review

Pokemon Card Overview:
Today's Pokemon Card Review is of Slowking from the Dark Explorers Pokemon Card Set.  This is a stage 1, psychic type Pokemon card, with an hp of 90.  It has a x2 weakness to psychic type Pokemon, no resistance type, and a two colorless energy card retreat cost.  Slowking doesn't have an Ability but it does have two moves, the first move is called Psy Bolt which takes one psychic energy card and does 20 damage, if you get a heads when you flip a coin the defending Pokemon is paralyzed.  Slowking's second move is called Hand Press and for three energy cards, one psychic and two colorless, it does 50 damage plus 30 more damage if you have more cards in your hand than your opponent.

Pokemon Card Strategy:
So as far as strategy goes, as long as you have three energy cards on Slowking I would always use Hand Press and do 80 damage a turn.  There is really no reason to keep Slowking on the bench since it doesn't have an Ability so as soon as it has at least 1 energy card on it move it into the active Pokemon spot when a Pokemon retreats or is knocked out.  To make sure that you always have more cards than your opponent either don't use many trainers or supporters or wait to evolve your Pokemon or have supporters or trainers in your deck that allow you to draw many cards.  If I were to use this card in a psychic type deck I would have a 1-1 line of Slowpoke and Slowking.

Pokemon Card Rating:
I would give this card a 3 out of 5 rating.  To me, this is another average rare card from the Dark Explorers set.  Slowking has an average hp and retreat cost and Psy Bolt is an average move.  Hand Press is actually below average unless you have more cards in your hand than your opponent then it is an above average move so it really evens out to be an average card.

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

Espeon -- Dark Explorers Pokemon Card Review

Pokemon Card Overview:
Today's Pokemon Card Review is of Espeon from the Dark Explorers Pokemon Card Set.  This is a stage 1, psychic 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.  Espeon's Ability is called Solar Revelation which prevents all effects of your opponent's attacks done to any of your Pokemon that have energy cards on them, all effects are prevented except for damage.  Besides the Ability, Espeon has 1 move called Psy Report which does 60 damage for three energy cards, two colorless and one psychic, and also makes your opponent reveal their hand to you.

Pokemon Card Strategy:
So as far as strategy goes, this is a great card to have on your bench throughout the entire game, since Espeon's Ability will prevent special conditions or any other non damage effects of an attack. If you do have to put Espeon into play you'll want to use Psy Report every turn which is more useful earlier in the game so you can see your opponent's strategy with the cards in their hand and try to combat that.  Since Espeon can't do too much, I would keep it on the bench at all times and only have 1 in almost any type deck.

Pokemon Card Rating:
I would give this card a 3 out of 5 rating.  This is a very average card to me, average hp, average retreat cost, and average move.  I do like its Ability but it isn't too great nothing to but up my rating to a 4 instead of a three.  I do like the artwork on this card, I actually like quite a few of the cards from this set.

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

Eelektross -- Dark Explorers Pokemon Card Review

Pokemon Card Overview:
Today's Pokemon Card Review is of Eelektross from the Dark Explorers Pokemon Card Set.  This is a stage 2, electric type Pokemon card, with an hp of 140.  It has a x2 weakness to fighting type Pokemon, no resistance type, and a three colorless energy card retreat cost.  Eelektross doesn't have an Ability but it does have two moves, the first move is called Suction Heal and for three energy cards, two colorless and one electric it can do 40 damage and this move also heals the same amount of damage you did to the defending Pokemon from Eelektross.  Eelektross's second move is called Slurp Shakedown and for four energy cards, two each of colorless and electric this move lets you switch the defending Pokemon with one of their benched Pokemon then do 60 damage to that new active Pokemon.

Pokemon Card Strategy:
So as far as strategy goes, I would suggest setting this card up on the bench since Eelektross requires at least 3 energy cards to attack, but the one good thing about this card is that if you do have to put an earlier form of Eelektross into the active Pokemon spot once you evolve Eelektrik into Eelektross you can use Suction Heal and more than likely remove 40 damage a turn from Eelektross to heal the damage that was done to Eelektross in its earlier forms.  So I would set this card up on the bench, and then as soon as your opponent has a card on their bench that has 60 hp or less I would put Eelektross into the active Pokemon spot and use Slurp Shakedown, the faster you get Eelektross into the active Pokemon spot the more lower hp Pokemon your opponent is likely to have on their bench and the more 1 hit knock outs you're going to get.

Pokemon Card Rating:
I would give this card a 5 out of 5 rating.  For an electric type deck this would be a great card to include in that deck, this card can't do that much damage but it can pick the Pokemon it wants to do damage to, and 60 damage will knock out most basic Pokemon that evolve in one move, so as long as your opponent has some lower hp Pokemon this card can get you numerous prize cards.  Even if 60 damage doesn't knock out a Pokemon in one turn you can use Slurp Shakedown on three or four different Pokemon than use a Pokemon that spreads damage and be able to knock out several Pokemon at once.  The only thing I don't like about this card is that it does have a high retreat cost.

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

Galvantula -- Dark Explorers Pokemon Card Review

Pokemon Card Overview:
Today's Pokemon Card Review is of Galvantula from the Dark Explorers Pokemon Card Set.  This is a stage 1, electric type Pokemon card with an hp of 80.  It has a x2 weakness to fighting type Pokemon, no resistance type, and a 1 colorless energy card retreat cost.  Galvantula 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 when you flip two coins.  Galvantula's second move is called Electrisilk and for 2 energy cards, one each of electric and colorless, it does 30 damage plus 40 more damage if the defending Pokemon doesn't have a retreat cost.

Pokemon Card Strategy:
So as far as strategy goes, I would consider putting 1 each of Galvantula and Joltik in an electric type deck and keeping this card on your bench to basically prevent your opponent from using their strategy of retreating Pokemon in and out of the active Pokemon spot with their Pokemon that have free retreat costs, if your opponent doesn't have any Pokemon that have free retreat costs this card really can't do that much, depending on how lucky you feel will determine if you use Quick Turn every turn or Electrisilk.  So like I said, strategy with this card is to have 1 of this card in a deck to basically prevent your opponent from utilizing their Pokemon with free retreat cost, because if they try and use those Pokemon you can put Galvantula into the active Pokemon spot and use Electrisilk and do 70 damage every turn.

Pokemon Card Rating:
I would give this card a 1 out of 5 rating.  I thought yesterday's card was below average for a rare card but this card is worse yet, this card has a low retreat cost but that is about it for the positives, it has a low hp, and neither of its moves can do much damage at all, and unless you luck out and play someone with a lot of Pokemon that retreat for free it would be a waste to use this card in any kind of deck, no matter how many extra Pokemon you need to finish your deck, I would avoid this card for sure.

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

Glaceon -- Dark Explorers Pokemon Card Review

Pokemon Card Overview:
Today's Pokemon Card Review is of Glaceon from the Dark Explorers Pokemon Card Set.  This is a stage 1, water type Pokemon card with an hp of 90.  It has a x2 weakness to metal type Pokemon, no resistance type, and a one colorless energy card retreat cost.  Glaceon doesn't have an Ability but it does have two moves, the first move is called Quick Attack and for one colorless energy card it does 10 damage plus 30 more damage if you get a heads when you flip a coin.  Glaceon's second move is called Reflect Energy and for two energy cards, one each of water and colorless, it does 40 damage and you have to move an energy card attached to Glaceon to one of your benched Pokemon.

Pokemon Card Strategy:
So as far as strategy goes, if you can get Glaceon into play extremely quickly in the beginning of the game I would suggest using Quick Attack right away and hoping to get a heads so you can do 30 damage, every other turn unless the Pokemon will for sure be knocked out with 10 damage, I would use Reflect Energy, when using Glaceon in the active Pokemon spot either have a way to quickly move energy cards from one Pokemon to another so you can replenish Glaceon with energy cards every turn or just make sure you have a lot of energy cards in your hand so you can attach energy cards to Glaceon every turn it uses Reflect Energy.  I would consider using this card in an Eevee deck, that way you can have 4 Eevee cards in the deck and let's say 2 each of an Eevee evolution like Glaceon and Jolteon in a water and electric type deck.

Pokemon Card Rating:
I would give this card a 2 out of 5 rating.  This card is a below average card and for being a rare card it isn't great at all, I will start with the positives about this card which are its hp and retreat cost, also metal Pokemon aren't that popular so you shouldn't have to worry about a weakness much.  I do like the fact that Glaceon has two moves, but Quick Attack isn't exactly quick if you have to evolve Eevee first to use it, and Reflect Energy does a decent amount of damage but you'll have to keep attaching energy cards to Glaceon every turn to continue using Reflect Energy, at least you don't have to discard energy cards you can move them to another Pokemon on your bench.  If I were to use Glaceon in a deck it definitely would not be what I built my deck around.

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

Empoleon -- Dark Explorers Pokemon Card Review

Pokemon Card Overview:
Today's Pokemon Card Review is of Empoleon from the Dark Explorers Pokemon Card Set.  This is a stage 2, water type Pokemon card, with an hp of 140.  It has a x2 weakness to electric type Pokemon, no resistance type, and a two colorless energy card retreat cost.  Empoleon's Ability is called Diving Draw and says that once during your turn before you attack, you may discard one card from your hand and draw two cards from your deck.  Empoleon's only move is called Attack Command and for one water energy card it does 10 damage times the number of Pokemon in play, that includes both yours and your opponents.

Pokemon Card Strategy:
So as far as strategy goes, I would recommend getting this card on your bench as soon as possible so you can utilize its Ability and draw 2 cards if you need to.  Reasons to draw more cards would be to get a basic Pokemon or energy, get a evolution card of a Pokemon you have in play, or to get a special trainer or supporter card you need extremely bad.  So I would keep Empoleon on the bench until the benches are pretty much full, then you can put Empoleon into the active Pokemon spot and use Attack Command which will be more effective early on since more Pokemon are in play, but as soon as you start knocking out your opponent's Pokemon you'll be able to do less and less damage with Attack Command, just make sure you have a full bench at all times when Empoleon is in the active Pokemon spot.  Since Empoleon depends entirely on your bench and your opponent's bench I wouldn't put that many Empoleon in a deck, I would probably do a 3-2-1 line of Piplup, Prinplup, and Empoleon.

Pokemon Card Rating:
I would give this card a 4 out of 5 rating.  Even though Empoleon's only move may only be able to 20 damage at times I still am giving this card an above average rating, I really like its Ability and early on when benches are full Empoleon can make a major impact and do tons of damage.  Plus its Ability can help you evolve Pokemon faster or attach energy cards more often.

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

Volcarona -- Dark Explorers Pokemon Card Review

Pokemon Card Overview:
Today's Pokemon Card Review is of Volcarona from the Dark Explorers Pokemon Card Set.  This is a stage 1, fire type Pokemon card, with an hp of 110.  It has a x2 weakness to water type Pokemon, no resistance type, and a three colorless energy card retreat cost.  Volcarona's Ability is called Scorching Scales and says to put 4 damage counters on your opponent's burned Pokemon between turns instead of 2.  Besides the Ability, Volcarona has one move called Burning Wind which takes three energy cards, two colorless and one fire, and does 70 damage, if you choose to remove an energy card from Volcarona when you use this move the defending Pokemon is now burned.

Pokemon Card Strategy:
So as far as strategy goes, since this Pokemon's Ability can only take affect if the defending Pokemon is burned you'll definitely want to have Pokemon in your deck that can easily burn the defending Pokemon, that way you can keep Volcarona on your bench, burn the defending Pokemon with another one of your Pokemon and then use Volcarona's Ability to do double damage.  If you have to put Volcarona into the active Pokemon spot, I would recommend using Burning Wind and discarding an energy card if the defending Pokemon has between 80 and 110 hp, otherwise if it has less than 80 hp you won't need to discard an energy card or if the Pokemon has between 120 and 140 hp you can use Burning Wind two turns in a row and knock out those Pokemon.  I would probably have a 2-2 line of Volcarona and Larvesta in a fire type deck.

Pokemon Card Rating:
I would give this card a 4 out of 5 rating.  I think this card is very good, especially since it can do so much damage without setting foot in the active Pokemon spot if you have another Pokemon in your deck that can burn Pokemon.  Even when the Volcarona is in the active Pokemon spot it is quite powerful and as long as you have plenty of energy cards in your hand this card is great.  The only bad thing about this card is that it has a high retreat cost.

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

Heatmor -- Dark Explorers Pokemon Card Review

Pokemon Card Overview:
Today's Pokemon Card Review is of Heatmor from the Dark Explorers Pokemon Card 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 one colorless energy card retreat cost.  Heatmor doesn't have an Ability, but it does have two moves, the first move is called Hot Lick which takes one colorless energy card and does 10 damage plus 50 more damage if the defending Pokemon is Durant.  Heatmor's second move is called Firebreathing and for three energy cards, two colorless and one fire, it does 50 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 basic Pokemon that doesn't evolve into anything, you can put this card into your active Pokemon spot as soon as you get it onto your bench, you can start attacking right away with Hot Lick, even though the move doesn't do very much, unless for some reason your opponent uses Durant, I would attack with Hot Lick until Heatmor gets three energy cards on it then use Firebreathing the rest of the time retreating when Heatmor is close to being knocked out.  I would only use 1 Heatmor in a deck since it is a basic Pokemon, and I would preferably keep Heatmor on the bench until it gets three energy cards on it so it can use Firebreathing right away.

Pokemon Card Rating:
I would give this card a 2 out of 5 rating.  This card is a poor rare card from the Dark Explorers set, even though it has good high for a basic Pokemon, a good retreat cost, and is fairly quick this card just isn't very good overall, it can't do much damage (unless you're lucky) and even then it really can't do too much.  I would recommend finding a better fire type Pokemon to put in your deck instead of using this card.

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

Blaziken -- Dark Explorers Pokemon Card Review

Pokemon Card Overview:
Today's Pokemon Card Review is of Blaziken from the Dark Explorers Pokemon Card Set.  This is a stage 2, fire type Pokemon card, with an hp of 140.  It has a x2 weakness to water type Pokemon, no resistance type, and a two colorless energy card retreat cost.  Blaziken doesn't have an Ability, but it does have two moves, the first move is called Blaze Kick and for two energy cards, one each of fire and colorless, it does 40 damage plus if you get a heads when you flip a coin it does 30 more damage but if you get a tails, Blaziken does the original 40 damage plus burns the defending Pokemon.  Blaziken's second move is called Flamethrower and takes three energy cards, two fire and one colorless and does 130 damage, however when you use this move you must discard an energy card attached to Blaziken.

Pokemon Card Strategy:
So as far as strategy goes, I would recommend setting up Blaziken on the bench if possible, get three energy cards on it, then put it into the active Pokemon spot, I would use Flamethrower first, hopefully knocking out the defending Pokemon, then either use Flamethrower the next turn against the new Pokemon, if you have another energy card in your hand, or if the defending Pokemon has more than 130 hp on it, I would use Blaze Kick first and Flamethrower the turn after.  This card would be the main Pokemon in a mainly fire type deck, I would make sure to have plenty of fire energy cards in the deck so you can keep attaching energy cards to Blaziken turn after turn after using Flamethrower hopefully turn after turn and knocking out Pokemon turn after turn.  I would use a line of 4-3-2 with Torchic, Combusken, and Blaziken.

Pokemon Card Rating:
I would give this card a 5 out of 5 rating.  The only knock I have on this card is that it has a somewhat low hp for a stage 2 card, but besides that, it has a decent retreat cost, and two great moves, and Flamethrower should be able to knock out most Pokemon in one move, all Pokemon in two moves, so as long as you can evolve Torchic up to Blaziken on your bench this card can be very dominant and a must have for any fire type deck out there.

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

Accelgor -- Dark Explorers Pokemon Card Review

Pokemon Card Overview:
Today's Pokemon Card Review is of Accelgor from the Dark Explorers Pokemon Card Set.  This is a stage 1, grass type Pokemon card with an hp of 90.  It has a x2 weakness to fire type Pokemon, no resistance type, and a free retreat cost.  Accelgor doesn't have an Ability but it does have two moves, the first move is called Hammer In which takes one grass energy card and does 20 damage.  Accelgor's second move is called Deck and Cover which takes two colorless energy cards and does 50 damage plus paralyzes and poisons the defending Pokemon and then allows you to move Accelgor and all cards attached to it back into your hand.

Pokemon Card Strategy:
So as far as strategy goes, this is a great card to put in any type deck since its best move is called Deck and Cover and requires two colorless energy cards so it can be put in any deck. I would include this card in a deck that has other Pokemon that can inflict special conditions on Pokemon since this one can do two.  I would also recommend putting this card in a deck with spread damage type Pokemon so that when you use Deck and Cover you can possibly knock out the opposing Pokemon by poisoning it.  I would put this card on the bench, attach two energy cards on it, then when your active Pokemon is knocked out or you retreat it, put this card in, use Deck and Cover once, then put another Pokemon in after that.

Pokemon Card Rating:
I would give this card a 3 out of 5 rating.  This card is average at best, I really don't like the fact that you can't utilize Accelgor's free retreat cost well since its best move retreats Accelgor for free anyways.  Deck and Cover is a decent move and is average, I would only recommend using this card if you really need another couple grass Pokemon in your deck.

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

Leafeon -- Dark Explorers Pokemon Card Review

Pokemon Card Overview:
Today's Pokemon Card Review is of Leafeon from the Dark Explorers Pokemon Card Set.  This is a stage 1, 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 one colorless energy card retreat cost.  Leafeon doesn't have an Ability but it does have two moves, the first move is called Quick Attack and for one colorless energy card this move does 10 damage plus 30 more damage if you get a heads when you flip a coin.  Leafeon's second move is called Energy Assist and for two energy cards, one each of grass and colorless, Leafeon does 40 damage and you may also attach an energy card from your discard pile to one of your benched Pokemon.

Pokemon Card Strategy:
So as far as strategy goes, this card would be a good supplemental card to use in a grass type deck. I would make sure to use this card if you have a card that discards energy cards when it attacks, that way you can use that card that discards energy cards a couple of turns in a row, then move Leafeon into the active Pokemon spot, use Energy Assist a couple of turns and put those energy cards that were discarded back on the Pokemon that discarded them, I would continue with this cycle as long as possible.  I would recommend a line of 2 Eevee and 1 Leafeon, or 3 and 2 in a dual or mostly grass type deck.

Pokemon Card Rating:
I would give this card a 3 out of 5 rating.  This card is extremely average, I could definitely see this card being an uncommon card, both moves are okay on this card but neither of them stand out.  If you're looking for a couple more cards to put in a deck this card along with Eevee wouldn't be a terrible choice.

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