Wednesday, September 30, 2015

Vaporeon -- Ancient Origins Pokemon Card Review

Vaporeon Ancient Origins Pokemon Card
Pokemon Card Overview:
Today's Pokemon Card Review is of Vaporeon from the Ancient Origins Pokemon Card Set.  Vaporeon is a stage 1, water type Pokemon card, with an hp of 90.  It has a x2 weakness to grass type Pokemon, no resistance type, and a two colorless energy card retreat cost.  Vaporeon's Ability is called Aqua Effect and says that each of your Stage 1 Pokemon in play is now a water type Pokemon in addition to their existing type.  Besides the Ability, Vaporeon has one move called Hydro Splash that requires three energy cards to use, two colorless and one water, and does 70 damage.

Pokemon Card Strategy:
So as far as strategy goes, since Vaporeon is a stage 1 Pokemon card, you'll first have to get Eevee into play and then evolve Eevee into Flareon.  I actually have not reviewed Eevee from this set yet because it is a colorless type card, so in this section I will just assume Eevee is an average card and that you are basically going to have to use that card in order to use Vaporeon.  So looking at this Vaporeon card, the main thing you'll use this Vaporeon for is its Ability.  And in the metagame, if there are a lot of Pokemon weak to water type Pokemon, this card is a must have in your deck, regardless of the type, you can just keep this card on the bench and utilize its Ability, making all of your Stage 1 Pokemon in play water type, and therefore doing x2 damage to all of your opponent's Pokemon that are weak to water type Pokemon.  The other two Eevee evolution cards in this set have similar abilities and it would make sense to have one of each in a deck to really do massive damage to your opponents.  The one move this card does have, does above average damage and therefore Vaporeon could be used in the active Pokemon spot, but again, this card is mainly for its Ability.  Just a note, if this strategy seems awfully familiar, it is essential the same strategy I recommended for Flareon from this set, both cards are similar and can be used the exact same way.

Pokemon Card Rating:
I would give this card a 5 out of 5 rating.  In my opinion this is an awesome Stage 1 Pokemon card from the Ancient Origins set.  You can't beat the Ability on this card and it will make your already strong Stage 1 attackers even stronger.  So you can't go wrong with using this card in your deck, it is highly recommended, I would recommend not only using this Vaporeon card in your deck but using Flareon and Jolteon as well.

Tomorrow's Pokemon Card:
So thanks for reading today's Pokemon card review of Vaporeon from the Ancient Origins set, stay tuned for tomorrow's card review of Relicanth, which is from this same set.  Make sure to check below for the Free Pokemon TCG Online Codes!

Free Pokemon TCG Online Code Cards:
Today's Quiz for a Pokemon TCG Online Code Card --
True or False?  Vaporeon is my favorite Eevee evolution.
Please respond by including your YouTube username and link to your YouTube channel.  If the question is quite tough, the first correct comment will win, otherwise I'll use a random number generator to choose a winner.

Tuesday, September 29, 2015

Gyarados 21/98 -- Ancient Origins Pokemon Card Review

Vaporeon Ancient Origins Pokemon Card
Pokemon Card Overview:
Today's Pokemon Card Review is of Gyarados from the Ancient Origins Pokemon Card Set.  This is the second of the two Gyarados card reviews from this set.  Gyarados is a stage 1, water type Pokemon card, with an hp of 130.  It has a x2 weakness to lightning type Pokemon, no resistance type, and a three colorless energy card retreat cost.  This Gyarados card has an Ancient Trait called Double that says this Pokemon may have up to 2 Pokemon Tool cards attached to it.  Besides the Ancient Trait, Gyarados has two moves.  The first move that this card has is called Full Retaliation, for two colorless energy cards this move does 30 damage plus 30 more damage for each damage counter on each of your benched Magikarp.  Gyarados' second move is called Thrash and for four energy cards, two each of colorless and water, this move does 100 damage plus 30 more damage if you get a heads when flipping a coin, or if you get a tails it does 30 damage to Gyarados.

Pokemon Card Strategy:
So as far as strategy goes, since Gyarados is a stage 1 Pokemon card, you'll first have to get Magikarp into play (I reviewed Magikarp from this set two days ago) and then evolve Magikarp into Gyarados, since there are two Gyarados cards in this set I'll be comparing the two later in this post.  If you read my review of Magikarp, you'll know that I thought the card was very poor, just like all Magikarp cards are, having a very low HP, and a very low chance of actually doing any damage when attacking, so you'll definitely want to keep Magikarp on the bench at all times.  So knowing this about Magikarp and looking at this Gyarados card, it quickly reduces the chances of me wanting to use Full Retaliation, because to do more than 30 damage with this move you need to have damage on Magikarp and with only 30 HP, that is just asking for Magikarp to be knocked out.  Gyarados' second move is a bit better, but I would rather use yesterday's Gyarados card for well over 130 damage a turn every single turn without risking damage to Gyarados.  So if I had to choose between the two Gyarados cards from this set, I would use yesterday's all day long.

Pokemon Card Rating:
I would give this card a 2 out of 5 rating.  In my opinion this is a below average Stage 1 Pokemon card from the Ancient Origins set and one that is much worse than yesterday's Gyarados card.  I wanted to look this card quite a bit, but it is just too underpowered in my opinion and slow on the attack.  Combined with Magikarp from this set, I can only give these cards a 2 out of 5 rating.

Tomorrow's Pokemon Card:
So thanks for reading today's Pokemon card review of Gyarados from the Ancient Origins set, stay tuned for tomorrow's card review of Vaporeon, which is from this same set.  Make sure to check below for the Free Pokemon TCG Online Codes!

Free Pokemon TCG Online Code Cards:
Today's Quiz for a Pokemon TCG Online Code Card --
True or False?  Gyarados from Base Set was the first Pokemon card I ever obtained.
Please respond by including your YouTube username and link to your YouTube channel.  If the question is quite tough, the first correct comment will win, otherwise I'll use a random number generator to choose a winner.

Monday, September 28, 2015

Gyarados 20/98 -- Ancient Origins Pokemon Card Review

Gyarados Ancient Origins Pokemon Card
Pokemon Card Overview:
Today's Pokemon Card Review is of Gyarados from the Ancient Origins Pokemon Card Set.  This is the first of two Gyarados cards I'll be reviewing consecutively.  Gyarados is a stage 1, water type Pokemon card, with an hp of 130.  It has a x2 weakness to lightning type Pokemon, no resistance type, and a three colorless energy card retreat cost.  Gyarados does not have an Ability or Ancient Trait but it does have two moves.  The first move that this card has is called Berserker Splash and for three energy cards, two colorless and one water, this move does 80 damage, plus this card does 10 damage to each benched Pokemon in play, yours and your opponent's.  Gyarados' second move is called Aqua Tail and for four energy cards, three colorless and one water, this move does 90 damage plus 30 more damage for each heads you get when you flip a coin for each water energy attached to Gyarados.

Pokemon Card Strategy:
So as far as strategy goes, since Gyarados is a stage 1 Pokemon card, you'll first have to get Magikarp into play (I reviewed Magikarp from this set yesterday) and then evolve Magikarp into Gyarados, there are actually two Gyarados cards from this set, and I'll be reviewing the second one tomorrow and then comparing the two.  If you read yesterday's review of Magikarp, you'll know that I thought the card was very poor, just like all Magikarp cards are, having a very low HP, and a very low chance of actually doing any damage when attacking, so you'll definitely want to keep Magikarp on the bench at all times.  So knowing this about Magikarp and looking at this Gyarados card, if you're building a water type deck and need some power, this card may be worth a look.  I would not use more than one of these in a deck however just because it is so slow on the attack.  There are two different things you can do with this card, the first would be to use Berserker Splash often, but you would want to be able to either quickly remove the damage you do to your own Pokemon or take that damage and apply it to your opponent's Pokemon.  The second thing you could use Gyarados for, would be its Aqua Tail move, this is the move I would use most times, attach four water type energy cards to it, and potentially do 210 damage a turn, Trick Coin is definitely a card you'll want to attach to Gyarados to have a better chance at doing so much damage.

Pokemon Card Rating:
I would give this card a 4 out of 5 rating.  In my opinion this is an above average Stage 1 Pokemon card from the Ancient Origins set.  The only downfall on this card is that it is so slow on the attack, but because Magikarp is so slow, you're going to want to set up this line on the bench anyway, other than that this card has a high HP and two very good moves, you can't go wrong using this card in a deck.  Together with Magikarp, I would give these two cards a 3 out of 5 rating.

Tomorrow's Pokemon Card:
So thanks for reading today's Pokemon card review of Gyarados from the Ancient Origins set, stay tuned for tomorrow's card review of the second Gyarados card, which is from this same set.  Make sure to check below for the Free Pokemon TCG Online Codes!

Free Pokemon TCG Online Code Cards:
Today's Quiz for a Pokemon TCG Online Code Card --
True or False?  Gyarados from Base Set was the first Pokemon card I ever obtained.
Please respond by including your YouTube username and link to your YouTube channel.  If the question is quite tough, the first correct comment will win, otherwise I'll use a random number generator to choose a winner.

Sunday, September 27, 2015

Magikarp -- Ancient Origins Pokemon Card Review

Magikarp Ancient Origins Pokemon Card
Pokemon Card Overview:
Today's Pokemon Card Review is of Magikarp from the Ancient Origins Pokemon Card Set.  Magikarp is a basic, water type Pokemon card with an hp of 30.  It has a x2 weakness to lightning type Pokemon, no resistance type, and a one colorless energy card retreat cost. Magikarp does not have an Ancient Trait or an Ability and it only has one move.  The only move that this card has is called Epic Splash, for one water energy card, this move does 30 damage if you get two heads when you flip two coins, if not the move does nothing.

Pokemon Card Strategy:
So as far as strategy goes, since Magikarp is a basic Pokemon card with a stage 1 evolution in Gyarados, which I'll be reviewing the next two days, you'll more than likely want to use this card with that Pokemon.  However, since I haven't reviewed either of those cards yet, I'll just act as though I plan on using this card without its evolution.  So, on its own, just like almost all Magikarp cards out there, this card is pretty much unusable and is only used to evolve into Gyarados.  Even attaching a Trick Coin trainer card to Magikarp still makes it highly unlikely that this card can do any damage ever.

Pokemon Card Rating:
I would give this card a 1 out of 5 rating.  So in my opinion, on its own, without considering Magikarp, this card is a very poor Basic Pokemon card, not only does it have a really low HP, but it is pretty much guaranteed never to do any damage since it is based on two coin flips.  So again, if you aren't using Gyarados in your deck, stay away from this card at all costs.

Tomorrow's Pokemon Card:
So thanks for reading today's Pokemon card review of Magikarp from the Ancient Origins set, stay tuned for tomorrow's card review of Magikarp's stage 1 evolution Gyarados, which will be the first of two consecutive reviews of this Pokemon, which is from this same set.  Make sure to check below for the Free Pokemon TCG Online Codes!

Free Pokemon TCG Online Code Cards:
Today's Quiz for a Pokemon TCG Online Code Card --
What is the highest HP of any Magikarp card in the English TCG, and what set is that card from?
Please respond by including your YouTube username and link to your YouTube channel.  If the question is quite tough, the first correct comment will win, otherwise I'll use a random number generator to choose a winner.

Saturday, September 26, 2015

Volcarona -- 18/98 Ancient Origins Pokemon Card Review

Volcarona Ancient Origins Pokemon Card
Pokemon Card Overview:
Today's Pokemon Card Review is of Volcarona from the Ancient Origins Pokemon Card Set.  This is the second of two Volcarona cards I've reviewed from this set.  Volcarona 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 two colorless energy card retreat cost.  This Volcarona card has an Ancient Trait called Stop that says it prevents all effects of your opponent's Abilities used against it.  Besides the Ancient Trait, Volcarona has two moves.  The first move that this card has is called Burning Scales, for one fire energy card this move does 20 damage plus 20 more damage for each heads you get when you flip two coins.  Volcarona's second move is called Wind Wheel and for three energy cards, two colorless and one fire, this move does 80 damage, plus your opponent must switch their active Pokemon with one of their benched Pokemon.

Pokemon Card Strategy:
So as far as strategy goes, since Volcarona is a stage 1 Pokemon card, you'll first have to get Larvesta into play (I reviewed Larvesta from this set two days ago) and then evolve Larvesta into Volcarona, there are actually two Volcarona cards from this set, and I'll be comparing both Volcarona cards later in this post..  If you read my review of Larvesta, I thought it was a slightly below average Basic Pokemon card, mainly because it only had one move and that move required two energy cards to use instead of one.  However, Larvesta did have an above average HP, and a good move, so it wasn't all bad, and would be a perfect starter in the Larvesta - Volcarona line.  So knowing this about Larvesta and looking at this Volcarona, whereas yesterday's card could be really used in any type deck since it required one colorless energy card to set up your bench, this card would work better in a spread damage type deck.  I would set this line up on the bench, again using a 1-1 line, then get Volcarona into the active Pokemon spot and use Wind Wheel every turn, depending on when you get it into the active Pokemon spot will determine what happens, you'll either be able to knock out Pokemon each turn that already have damage on them, or after a few turns with Volcarona in the active Pokemon spot you move a Pokemon that can do 10 or 20 damage to each of your opponent's benched Pokemon and knock out multiple Pokemon at once.

Pokemon Card Rating:
I would give this card a 4 out of 5 rating.  In my opinion this is an above average Stage 1 Pokemon card from the Ancient Origins set.  There really isn't anything that I greatly dislike about this card, it has a higher HP than yesterday's Volcarona card, an Ancient Trait, and two very good moves, both having the potential to do above average damage.  So you really can't go wrong with either Volcarona card from this set, it all depends on the strategy you want to go with in your deck, yesterday's card being more a set up card and today's card being more of an attacker.  Together with Larvesta from this set I would give the two cards a 4 out of 5 rating.

Tomorrow's Pokemon Card:
So thanks for reading today's Pokemon card review of Volcarona from the Ancient Origins set, stay tuned for tomorrow's card review of Magikarp, which is from this same set.  Make sure to check below for the Free Pokemon TCG Online Codes!

Free Pokemon TCG Online Code Cards:
Today's Quiz for a Pokemon TCG Online Code Card --
Besides Volcarona, what was the most recent Pokemon I reviewed on my blog that was a Stage 1 Pokemon and had two cards, one a regular Stage 1, the other with an Ancient Trait?
Please respond by including your YouTube username and link to your YouTube channel.  If the question is quite tough, the first correct comment will win, otherwise I'll use a random number generator to choose a winner.

Friday, September 25, 2015

Volcarona 17/98 -- Ancient Origins Pokemon Card Review

Volcarona Ancient Origins Pokemon Card
Pokemon Card Overview:
Today's Pokemon Card Review is of Volcarona from the Ancient Origins Pokemon Card Set.  This is the first of two Volcarona  cards I'll be reviewing consecutively.  Volcarona is a stage 1, fire type Pokemon card, with an hp of 100.  It has a x2 weakness to water type Pokemon, no resistance type, and a one colorless energy card retreat cost.  Volcarona does not have an Ability or Ancient Trait but it does have two moves.  The first move that this card has is called Solar Birth, for one colorless energy card this move allows you to search your deck for a Basic Pokemon card, put it onto your bench, and then attach two energy cards from your deck to that Pokemon.  Volcarona's second move is called Flamethrower, for two energy cards, one each of fire and colorless, this move does 60 damage, however you must discard an energy attached to Volcarona after using Flamethrower.

Pokemon Card Strategy:
So as far as strategy goes, since Volcarona is a stage 1 Pokemon card, you'll first have to get Larvesta into play (I reviewed Larvesta from this set yesterday) and then evolve Larvesta into Volcarona, there are actually two Volcarona cards from this set, and I'll be reviewing the second one tomorrow and then comparing the two.  If you read yesterday's review of Larvesta, I thought it was a slightly below average Basic Pokemon card, mainly because it only had one move and that move required two energy cards to use instead of one.  However, Larvesta did have an above average HP, and a good move, so it wasn't all bad, and would be a perfect starter in the Larvesta - Volcarona line.  So knowing this about Larvesta and looking at this Volcarona, this line is definitely in play when building a fire type deck.  What I really like about this Volcarona card is its Solar Birth move, as long as you get Volcarona into the active Pokemon spot very early in the game, you can quickly get your Basic Pokemon set up on the bench very quickly.  Plus, if you get Volcarona into the active Pokemon spot early in the game and don't want to use Solar Birth, Flamethrower does above average damage each and every turn.  Because the main reason to use this card is for Solar Birth and not an attacking move, I would only recommend using a 1-1 line of these two Pokemon in a deck.

Pokemon Card Rating:
I would give this card a 4 out of 5 rating.  In my opinion this is an above average Stage 1 Pokemon card from the Ancient Origins set.  There really isn't anything that I greatly dislike about this card, it has a high HP, low retreat cost, and two very good moves, one for attacking, the other for setting up your bench.  So combined with Larvesta from this set, I can give these two cards a 4 out of 5 rating, definitely consider them when building a deck.

Tomorrow's Pokemon Card:
So thanks for reading today's Pokemon card review of Volcarona from the Ancient Origins set, stay tuned for tomorrow's card review of the second Volcarona card, which is from this same set.  Make sure to check below for the Free Pokemon TCG Online Codes!

Free Pokemon TCG Online Code Cards:
Today's Quiz for a Pokemon TCG Online Code Card --
True or False?  Volcarona is the only fire type Pokemon in Ancient Origins to have two cards.
Please respond by including your YouTube username and link to your YouTube channel.  If the question is quite tough, the first correct comment will win, otherwise I'll use a random number generator to choose a winner.

Thursday, September 24, 2015

Larvesta -- Ancient Origins Pokemon Card Review

Larvesta Ancient Origins Pokemon Card
Pokemon Card Overview:
Today's Pokemon Card Review is of Larvesta from the Ancient Origins Pokemon Card Set.  Larvesta is a basic, fire type Pokemon card with an hp of 70.  It has a x2 weakness to water type Pokemon, no resistance type, and a two colorless energy card retreat cost. Larvesta does not have an Ancient Trait or an Ability and it only has one move.  The only move that this card has is called Combustion, for two energy cards, one each of fire and colorless, this move does 30 damage.

Pokemon Card Strategy:
So as far as strategy goes, since Larvesta is a basic Pokemon card with a stage 1 evolution in Volcarona, which I'll be reviewing the next two days, you'll more than likely want to use this card with that Pokemon.  However, since I haven't reviewed either of those cards yet, I'll just act as though I plan on using this card without its evolution.  So, on its own, this card could be used if you don't mind a littler slower Basic Pokemon, because when you do get two energy cards on this card it does above average damage as far as Basic Pokemon with evolution forms go.  But more than likely, you'll want to look elsewhere for a Basic Pokemon to use in your deck as a starter type Pokemon, however if you do plan on using Volcarona, this card should be a great start to that line.

Pokemon Card Rating:
I would give this card a 3 out of 5 rating.  So in my opinion, on its own, without considering Volcarona, this card is an average to slightly below average Basic Pokemon card from the Ancient Origins set.  I do like Larvesta's above average HP, and one move that does more damage than normal, but this card isn't much better than average because it is limited in what it can do only having one move, and the only move it does have requires two energy cards to use instead of one.

Tomorrow's Pokemon Card:
So thanks for reading today's Pokemon card review of Larvesta from the Ancient Origins set, stay tuned for tomorrow's card review of Larvesta's stage 1 evolution Volcarona, which will be the first of two consecutive reviews of this Pokemon, which is from this same set.  Make sure to check below for the Free Pokemon TCG Online Codes!

Free Pokemon TCG Online Code Cards:
Today's Quiz for a Pokemon TCG Online Code Card --
At what level does Larvesta evolve into Volcarona?
Please respond by including your YouTube username and link to your YouTube channel.  If the question is quite tough, the first correct comment will win, otherwise I'll use a random number generator to choose a winner.

Wednesday, September 23, 2015

Entei 15/98 -- Ancient Origins Pokemon Card Review

Entei Ancient Origins Pokemon Card
Pokemon Card Overview:
Today's Pokemon Card Review is of Entei from the Ancient Origins Pokemon Card Set.  This is the second of two Entei cards I've reviewed from this set.  Entei is a basic, fire type Pokemon card with an hp of 130, it has a x2 weakness to water type Pokemon, no resistance type, and a two colorless energy card retreat cost.  This Entei card has an Ancient Trait called Double and says that you may have two Tool cards attached to it and once.  Besides the Ancient Trait, this Entei card has two moves.  The first move that this card has is called Flame Screen, for two energy cards, one each of fire and colorless, this move does 30 damage, plus any damage done to Entei during your opponent's next turn is reduced by 30.  Entei's second move is called Heat Tackle and for four energy cards, two each of colorless and fire, this move does 130 damage, however Entei does 30 damage to itself if you get a tails when flipping a coin.

Pokemon Card Strategy:
So as far as strategy goes, since Entei is a basic Pokemon with no evolutions, you only have to use this Pokemon in your deck if you want to use this card.  With that being said, since there are two different Entei cards in this set, I will be comparing the two later in this post.  Just looking at this Entei card, this card is much slower than yesterday's Entei but it can consistently do more damage every single turn, not relying on your opponent's benched Pokemon.  So if you want a lot of power in your deck, it may be worth it to use one of these Entei cards in your deck, set it up on the bench, and when you get four energy cards on it move it to the active Pokemon spot and do 130 damage a turn.  You'll want to make sure you have a couple of Potion cards in your deck to heal the damage Entei may end up doing to itself.  If I were to make a decision between these two Entei cards, I would recommend playing yesterday's card, it is quicker on the attack, and can do almost as much damage every single turn for half the amount of energy, this card is just too slow for my liking.

Pokemon Card Rating:
I would give this card a 3 out of 5 rating.  In my opinion, this is an average Basic Pokemon card from the Ancient Origins set.  This card has a very good HP, and two decent moves.  It isn't as good as yesterday's Entei card but it can still be a solid contributor to a fire type deck if you're a little patient and give it time to be set up on the bench.

Tomorrow's Pokemon Card:
So thanks for reading today's Pokemon card review of Entei from the Ancient Origins set, stay tuned for tomorrow's card review of Larvesta, which is from this same set. Make sure to check below for the Free Pokemon TCG Online Codes!

Free Pokemon TCG Online Code Cards:
Today's Quiz for a Pokemon TCG Online Code Card --
True or False?  Entei is not one of my top 10 favorite cards from the Ancient Origins set.
Please respond by including the correct answer and a link to your YouTube channel.

Tuesday, September 22, 2015

Entei 14/98 -- Ancient Origins Pokemon Card Review

Entei Ancient Origins Pokemon Card
Pokemon Card Overview:
Today's Pokemon Card Review is of Entei from the Ancient Origins Pokemon Card Set.  This is the first of two consecutive Entei cards I'll be reviewing from this set.  Entei is a basic, fire type Pokemon card with an hp of 120, it has a x2 weakness to water type Pokemon, no resistance type, and a two colorless energy card retreat cost.  Entei does not have an Ability but it does have two moves.  The first move that this card has is called Burning Roar, for one colorless energy card this move allows you to discard the top four cards of your deck and if any of those cards are fire energy cards attach them to your Pokemon in any way that you'd like.  Entei's second move is called Combat Blaze, this move requires two fire energy cards to use and does 20 damage plus 20 more damage for each of your opponent's benched Pokemon.

Pokemon Card Strategy:
So as far as strategy goes, since Entei is a basic Pokemon with no evolutions, you only have to use this Pokemon in your deck if you want to use this card.  With that being said, since there are two different Entei cards in this set, after I review the second one tomorrow, I can compare the two.  Just looking at this Entei card, the main move you'll want to use with this card is Combat Blaze.  Early on in the game when your opponent's bench is hopefully full you can then do 100 damage a turn for only two energy cards.  Also, if you take the time to get energy cards to the top of your deck, you could easily use Burning Roar and then get four energy cards onto your Pokemon at once.  This card isn't a  card you want to build a deck around but it definitely has some value, I could see using 1 of these in a fire type deck.

Pokemon Card Rating:
I would give this card a 4 out of 5 rating.  In my opinion, this is an above average Basic Pokemon card from the Ancient Origins set.  There really isn't one thing that I dislike about this card since it has a high HP and two fairly decent moves.  I guess the only thing you can't do with this card is use it when your opponent has an empty bench, then it only does 20 damage a turn and becomes pretty weak.  But overall, I would definitely recommend using this card in a deck.

Tomorrow's Pokemon Card:
So thanks for reading today's Pokemon card review of Entei from the Ancient Origins set, stay tuned for tomorrow's card review of the second Entei card, which is from this same set. Make sure to check below for the Free Pokemon TCG Online Codes!

Free Pokemon TCG Online Code Cards:
Today's Quiz for a Pokemon TCG Online Code Card --
True or False?  Entei is a Legendary Pokemon.
Please respond by including the correct answer and a link to your YouTube channel.

Monday, September 21, 2015

Flareon -- Ancient Origins Pokemon Card Review

Flareon Ancient Origins Pokemon Card
Pokemon Card Overview:
Today's Pokemon Card Review is of Flareon from the Ancient Origins 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's Ability is called Flare Effect and says that each of your Stage 1 Pokemon in play is now a fire type Pokemon in addition to their existing type.  Besides the Ability, Flareon has one move called Heat Breath, this move requires three energy cards to use, two colorless and one fire, and does 60 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 Flareon is a stage 1 Pokemon card, you'll first have to get Eevee into play and then evolve Eevee into Flareon.  I actually have not reviewed Eevee from this set yet because it is a colorless type card, so in this section I will just assume Eevee is an average card and that you are basically going to have to use that card in order to use Flareon.  So looking at this Flareon card, the main thing you'll use this Flareon for is its Ability.  And in the metagame, if there are a lot of Pokemon weak to fire type Pokemon, this card is a must have in your deck, regardless of the type, you can just keep this card on the bench and utilize its Ability, making all of your Stage 1 Pokemon in play fire type, and therefore doing x2 damage to all of your opponent's Pokemon that are weak to fire type Pokemon.  The other two Eevee evolution cards in this set have similar abilities and it would make sense to have one of each in a deck to really do massive damage to your opponents.  The one move this card does have does above average damage and therefore Flareon could be used in the active Pokemon spot, but again, this card is mainly for its Ability.

Pokemon Card Rating:
I would give this card a 5 out of 5 rating.  In my opinion this is an awesome Stage 1 Pokemon card from the Ancient Origins set.  You can't beat the Ability on this card and it will make your already strong Stage 1 attackers even stronger.  So you can't go wrong with using this card in your deck, it is highly recommended.

Tomorrow's Pokemon Card:
So thanks for reading today's Pokemon card review of Flareon from the Ancient Origins set, stay tuned for tomorrow's card review of Entei, which is from this same set.  Make sure to check below for the Free Pokemon TCG Online Codes!

Free Pokemon TCG Online Code Cards:
Today's Quiz for a Pokemon TCG Online Code Card --
How many fire type Pokemon cards are in the Ancient Origins set?
Please respond by including your YouTube username and link to your YouTube channel.  If the question is quite tough, the first correct comment will win, otherwise I'll use a random number generator to choose a winner.

Sunday, September 20, 2015

Virizion -- Ancient Origins Pokemon Card Review

Virizion Ancient Origins Pokemon Card
Pokemon Card Overview:
Today's Pokemon Card Review is of Virizion from the Ancient Origins Pokemon Card Set.  Virizion is a basic, grass type Pokemon card with an hp of 110, it has a x2 weakness to fire type Pokemon, no resistance type, and a one colorless energy card retreat cost.  Virizion does not have an Ancient Trait or an Ability but it does have two moves.  The first move that this card has is called Bail Out, this move requires one grass energy card to use and allows you to move 2 Pokemon from your discard pile into your hand.  Virizion's second move is called Prize Count, for two grass energy cards this move does 40 damage plus 80 more damage if you have more prize cards left than your opponent.

Pokemon Card Strategy:
So as far as strategy goes, since Virizion is a basic Pokemon with no evolutions, you only have to use this Pokemon in your deck if you want to use this card.  With that being said, this card compliments the Vespiquen card I reviewed two days ago perfectly.  That Vespiquen card did more damage with the more Pokemon you had in your discard pile, so you needed a way to get those Pokemon to your discard pile and then if you ever wanted a way to get those Pokemon back or Vespiquen was knocked out and it is no longer advantageous to have so many Pokemon in your discard pile, all you have to do is move Virizion into your active Pokemon spot and use Bail Out a turn or two.  Plus, if Vespiquen didn't work as well as you'd like and you're losing the game, you can then use Prize Count and do 120 damage a turn for only two energy cards.  So if you're building a deck based around Vespiquen, definitely use at least one of these Virizion cards in your deck, if you aren't using Vespiquen in a deck, temper your expectations with this card because Bail Out won't be as useful.

Pokemon Card Rating:
I would give this card a 5 out of 5 rating.  In my opinion, this is an extremely good Basic Pokemon card from the Ancient Origins set.  One that is good on its own, if you're losing the game, or paired perfectly with Vespiquen from this set.  So I would not have any worries about including this card in your grass type deck.

Tomorrow's Pokemon Card:
So thanks for reading today's Pokemon card review of Virizion from the Ancient Origins set, stay tuned for tomorrow's card review of Flareon, which is from this same set. Make sure to check below for the Free Pokemon TCG Online Codes!

Free Pokemon TCG Online Code Cards:
Today's Quiz for a Pokemon TCG Online Code Card --
True or False?  Virizion is the first Basic Pokemon with no evolution forms that I've reviewed from Ancient Origins.
Please respond by including the correct answer and a link to your YouTube channel.

Saturday, September 19, 2015

Vespiquen 11/98 -- Ancient Origins Pokemon Card Review

Vespiquen Ancient Origins
Pokemon Card Overview:
Today's Pokemon Card Review is of Vespiquen from the Ancient Origins Pokemon Card Set.  This is the second of two Vespiquen cards I've reviewed from this set.  Vespiquen 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 one colorless energy card cost.  Vespiquen's Ancient Trait is called Double and it allows you to have two Tool cards attached to Vespiquen at the same time.  Besides the Ancient Trait, Vespiquen has two moves.  The first move that this card has is called Bee Drain, for one grass energy card this move does 20 damage plus it heals from Vespiquen the same amount of damage done to the opposing Pokemon.  Vespiquen's second move is called Fury Swipes, for two colorless energy cards this move does 30 damage plus 30 more damage for each heads you flip when you flip three coins.

Pokemon Card Strategy:
So as far as strategy goes, since Vespiquen is a stage 1 Pokemon card, you'll first have to get Combee into play (I reviewed Combee from this set two days ago) and then evolve Combee into Vespiquen, there are actually two Vespiquen cards from this set, and I'll be comparing both at the end of this post.  If you read my review of Combee, you'll know that I thought the card was a very poor card overall, not only was it limited in what it could do having one move but its HP was really low.  So knowing this about Combee and looking at this Vespiquen card, if you want a more straightforward attacker and don't want to rely on discarded Pokemon, this Vespiquen card is the one for you to use, just attach Trick Coin to it, and you have a good shot at doing at least 90 damage or more every single turn with Fury Swipes.  This card is just as fast as yesterday's Vespiquen and can actually do more damage for less.  So I do like this card quite a bit, but yesterday's Vespiquen is a card that you could build a deck around whereas this card is more of a role player in that it won't be the main card in a deck.

Pokemon Card Rating:
I would give this card a 4 out of 5 rating.  In my opinion this is an above average Stage 1 Pokemon card from the Ancient Origins set.  There really isn't that I dislike about this card other than the fact that it is a little worse than yesterday's Vespiquen card, this card still has an average HP, low retreat cost and two good moves.  So you can't go wrong with either Vespiquen card from this set, however I would give the line of this Vespiquen card and Combee from the Ancient Origins set a 3 out of 5 rating.

Tomorrow's Pokemon Card:
So thanks for reading today's Pokemon card review of Vespiquen from the Ancient Origins set, stay tuned for tomorrow's card review of Virizion, which is from this same set.  Make sure to check below for the Free Pokemon TCG Online Codes!

Free Pokemon TCG Online Code Cards:
Today's Quiz for a Pokemon TCG Online Code Card --
How many grass type Ancient Trait cards are in the Ancient Origins set?
Please respond by including your YouTube username and link to your YouTube channel.  If the question is quite tough, the first correct comment will win, otherwise I'll use a random number generator to choose a winner.

Friday, September 18, 2015

Vespiquen 10/98 -- Ancient Origins Pokemon Card Review

Vespiquen Ancient Origins Pokemon Card
Pokemon Card Overview:
Today's Pokemon Card Review is of Vespiquen from the Ancient Origins Pokemon Card Set.  This is the first of two Vespiquen cards I'll be reviewing consecutively.  Vespiquen 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.  Vespiquen does not have an Ancient Trait or an Ability but it does have two moves.  The first move that this card has is called Intelligence Gathering, for one colorless energy card this move does 10 damage plus allows you to draw cards until you have 6 cards in your hand.  Vespiquen's second move is called Bee Revenge and for two colorless energy cards this move does 20 damage plus 10 more damage for each Pokemon in your discard pile.

Pokemon Card Strategy:
So as far as strategy goes, since Vespiquen is a stage 1 Pokemon card, you'll first have to get Combee into play (I reviewed Combee from this set yesterday) and then evolve Combee into Vespiquen, there are actually two Vespiquen cards from this set, and I'll be reviewing the second one tomorrow and then comparing the two.  If you read yesterday's review of Vespiquen, you'll know that I thought the card was a very poor card overall, not only was it limited in what it could do having one move but its HP was really low.  So knowing this about Combee and looking at this Vespiquen card, right off the bat you should know that this card is very popular in the metagame and if you play the TCG competitively you're going to see this card awesome.  The reason this card is so widely used is two fold, the first reason is that it has a free retreat cost and can be moved in and out of the active Pokemon spot at will, and the second reason is that both moves on this card are pretty good.  Intelligence Gathering is a draw mechanism for your deck and then Bee Revenge can do major damage if you figure out a way to get Pokemon to your discard pile.  You'll definitely want a way to get Pokemon to your discard pile without having them be knocked out and a way to get them from your discard pile to your hand if you want to use them again.  Because Vespiquen's main use is based on how many Pokemon are in the discard pile I would only recommend using a 1-1 line of this Pokemon family and leaving other cards for the other Pokemon spots in your deck.

Pokemon Card Rating:
I would give this card a 5 out of 5 rating.  In my opinion this is a great Stage 1 Pokemon card from the Ancient Origins set and one that is already very popular to play competitively with in the TCG.  This card has no downfalls with it, it has an average HP, free retreat cost, and two good moves.  Together with Combee from this set, I would give a 4 out of 5 rating, Vespiquen is just that good and should be considered for any type deck you're building.

Tomorrow's Pokemon Card:
So thanks for reading today's Pokemon card review of Vespiquen from the Ancient Origins set, stay tuned for tomorrow's card review of the second Vespiquen card, which is from this same set.  Make sure to check below for the Free Pokemon TCG Online Codes!

Free Pokemon TCG Online Code Cards:
Today's Quiz for a Pokemon TCG Online Code Card --
True or False?  Vespiquen is the only non ultra rare, grass type Pokemon in Ancient Origins to have two cards.
Please respond by including your YouTube username and link to your YouTube channel.  If the question is quite tough, the first correct comment will win, otherwise I'll use a random number generator to choose a winner.

Thursday, September 17, 2015

Combee -- Ancient Origins Pokemon Card Review

Combee Ancient Origins Pokemon Card
Pokemon Card Overview:
Today's Pokemon Card Review is of Combee from the Ancient Origins Pokemon Card Set.  Combee is a basic, grass type Pokemon card with an hp of 40.  It has a x2 weakness to fire type Pokemon, no resistance type, and a one colorless energy card retreat cost. Combee does not have an Ancient Trait or an Ability and it only has one move.  The only move that this card has is called Bug Bite, which does 10 damage for one grass energy card.

Pokemon Card Strategy:
So as far as strategy goes, since Combee is a basic Pokemon card with a stage 1 evolution in Vespiquen, which I'll be reviewing the next two days, you'll more than likely want to use this card with that Pokemon.  However, since I haven't reviewed either of those cards yet, I'll just act as though I plan on using this card without its evolution.  So, on its own, I cannot recommend using this card in a deck, the main reason I say this is because Combee has such a low HP and is very limited in what it can do only having one move and no Ability or Ancient Trait.  So, if you aren't using this card with Vespiquen there is no point to having this card in a deck, because all you would be able to do would be to put this card in the active Pokemon spot very early in the game, attack a turn, then retreat it, otherwise risk getting knocked out.

Pokemon Card Rating:
I would give this card a 1 out of 5 rating.  So in my opinion, on its own, without considering Vespiquen, this card is a very poor Pokemon card from the Ancient Origins set.  Like I said in the strategy section of this post, this card is very weak and limited in what it can do, so there really is no point to using this card in a deck.

Tomorrow's Pokemon Card:
So thanks for reading today's Pokemon card review of Combee from the Ancient Origins set, stay tuned for tomorrow's card review of Combee's stage 1 evolution Vespiquen, which will be the first of two consecutive reviews of this Pokemon, which is from this same set.  Make sure to check below for the Free Pokemon TCG Online Codes!

Free Pokemon TCG Online Code Cards:
Today's Quiz for a Pokemon TCG Online Code Card --
At what level does Combee evolve into Vespiquen?
Please respond by including your YouTube username and link to your YouTube channel.  If the question is quite tough, the first correct comment will win, otherwise I'll use a random number generator to choose a winner.

Wednesday, September 16, 2015

M Sceptile EX -- Ancient Origins Pokemon Card Review

M Sceptile EX Ancient Origins
Pokemon Card Overview:
Today's Pokemon Card Review is of M Sceptile EX from the Ancient Origins Pokemon Card Set.  M Sceptile EX is a Mega Evolution, EX, grass type Pokemon card with an hp of 220. It has a x2 weakness to fire type Pokemon, no resistance type, and a two colorless energy card retreat cost.  M Sceptile has an Ancient Trait called Stop that says it prevents all effects of Abilities done to Sceptile.  Besides the Ancient Trait, M Sceptile EX just has one move called Jagged Saber, this move requires two energy cards to use, one each of grass and colorless, and does 100 damage, plus you may attach two grass energy cards from your hand to your benched Pokemon in any way you like, any Pokemon that you attach energy to in this way you may heal all damage from.

Pokemon Card Strategy:
Before I start with the strategy, remember that this card is a Mega Evolution card and an EX card so if you use this card in your deck and it gets knocked out, your opponent gets to take two prize cards instead of one and when you evolve an EX card into its Mega Evolution, your turn ends, you cannot do anything else.  So knowing these things, you'll always want to use Mega Evolution cards with caution, with that being said, I would highly recommend using at least a 1-1 line of Sceptile EX and M Sceptile EX in a deck, plus at least one Sceptile Spirit Link tool card so you don't have to end your turn when you evolve Sceptile EX into M Sceptile EX.  This card, to me, is amazing on all levels, Abilities are a huge part of the Pokemon TCG right now and having them not work against M Sceptile makes this card that much better.  Plus throw in a high damage move that helps set up your bench and removes damage from your Pokemon, you can't beat that.  So, what I would do is try and get M Sceptile EX into the active Pokemon spot as early in the game as possible, then when attacking you can move energy cards to your benched Pokemon and set them up quickly.  Make sure to not get M Sceptile knocked out and retreat it to the bench so you can heal damage there from it, then retreat your other Pokemon later in the game if they have damage on them and heal them with M Sceptile's move when it is back in the active Pokemon spot.

Pokemon Card Rating:
I would give this card a 5 out of 5 rating.  In my opinion, this is one of the best Mega EX cards that I've reviewed in some time.  There is nothing that I dislike about this card, it is all positive.  The card has a high HP, great Ancient Trait, and an even better move.  So if you're building a grass deck, definitely give the line of Sceptile EX and M Sceptile EX a look, because combined I would give these two cards a 5 out of 5 rating.

Tomorrow's Pokemon Card:
So thanks for reading today's Pokemon card review of M Sceptile EX from the Ancient Origins set, stay tuned for tomorrow's card review of Combee, which is from this same set. Make sure to check below for the Free Pokemon TCG Online Codes!

Free Pokemon TCG Online Code Cards:
Today's Quiz for a Pokemon TCG Online Code Card --
True or False?  M Sceptile EX is the most valuable regular (non-shiny) Mega EX card in Ancient Origins.
Please respond by including the correct answer and a link to your YouTube channel.  Only one entry per person please.

Tuesday, September 15, 2015

Sceptile EX -- Ancient Origins Pokemon Card Review

Sceptile EX Ancient Origins Pokemon Card
Pokemon Card Overview:
Today's Pokemon Card Review is of Sceptile EX and Sceptile EX Full Art from the Ancient Origins Pokemon Card Set.  Sceptile EX is a basic, EX, grass type Pokemon card with an hp of 170. It has a x2 weakness to fire type Pokemon, no resistance type, and a one colorless energy card retreat cost.  Sceptile EX does not have an Ability but it does have two moves.  The first move that this card has is called Sleep Poison, this move requires one grass energy card to use and does 10 damage, plus it puts your opponent's active Pokemon to sleep and poisons it if you get a heads when flipping a coin.  Sceptile's second move is called Unseen Claw, this move requires two energy cards to use, one each of grass and colorless, and does 60 damage plus 70 more damage if the defending Pokemon is affected by a special condition.

Pokemon Card Strategy:
So as far as strategy goes, because Sceptile EX is a basic Pokemon card you won't need to use any other cards with this card.  But remember, because this card is an EX card, if this card is knocked out, two prize cards are taken instead of one.  However, Sceptile does have a mega evolution you could use from this set and I will be reviewing that card tomorrow, so this strategy below will act like Sceptile EX does not have an evolution.  So knowing this, on its own, I would highly recommend using this card in a grass type deck.  Not only does it have a very high HP since it is an EX, you can basically use this card as a starter type Pokemon and do 140 damage in only two turns, knocking out most weaker Basic Pokemon quickly and easily.  So if you're building a grass type deck, definitely consider using this card as a starter type Pokemon, possibly attach Trick Coin to this card to give you a better chance of flipping a heads so Unseen Claw can do 130 damage every turn. So you'll constantly have to use Sleep Potion one turn, then Unseen Claw until the Pokemon is knocked out.

Pokemon Card Rating:
I would give this card a 4 out of 5 rating.  In my opinion, this is an above average EX Pokemon card from the Ancient Origins set.  The only downfall I see with this card is the fact Unseen Forces really depends on Sleep Potion, so you have to always use two turns to do major damage, but if you're facing weaker Pokemon, you can just use Unseen Forces doing 60 damage and knock Pokemon out too.

Tomorrow's Pokemon Card:
So thanks for reading today's Pokemon card review of Sceptile EX from the Ancient Origins set, stay tuned for tomorrow's card review of Sceptile's mega evolution in Mega Sceptile EX, which is from this same set. Make sure to check below for the Free Pokemon TCG Online Codes!

Free Pokemon TCG Online Code Cards:
Today's Quiz for a Pokemon TCG Online Code Card --
True or False?  This is the only time Sceptile has been an ultra rare in an English set.
Please respond by including the correct answer and a link to your YouTube channel.  Only one entry per person please.

Monday, September 14, 2015

Ariados -- Ancient Origins Pokemon Card Review

Ariados Ancient Origins Pokemon Card
Pokemon Card Overview:
Today's Pokemon Card Review is of Ariados from the Ancient Origins Pokemon Card Set.  Ariados is a stage 1, grass type Pokemon card, with an hp of 70.  It has a x2 weakness to fire type Pokemon, no resistance type, and a one colorless energy card retreat cost.  Ariados' Ability is called Poisonous Nest and says that during your turn you may use this Ability, it poisons both the defending Pokemon and your active Pokemon, but does not poison them if either is a grass type.  Besides the Ability, Ariados just has one move called Impound, this move for two energy cards, one each of grass and colorless, does 30 damage, plus it makes your opponent's active Pokemon unable to retreat during their next turn.

Pokemon Card Strategy:
So as far as strategy goes, since Ariados is a stage 1 Pokemon card, you'll first have to get Spinarak into play (I reviewed Spinarak from this set yesterday) and then evolve Spinarak into Ariados.  If you read yesterday's review of Spinarak, you'll know that I thought that card was a very poor Basic Pokemon card, not only did it have a low HP, but it was limited in what it could do only having one attack that was based on a coin flip and didn't even do any damage.  So knowing this about Spinarak and looking at this Ariados card, the main reason why you would want to incorporate this Ariados card into a deck would be for its Ability, meaning you'll want to use this card in a mostly grass type deck since then it will never affect your own Pokemon.  Because you are just using this card for its Ability, only include a 1-1 line because of how poor Spinarak is.  Impound is a decent move, but because Ariados only has 70 HP, it would be best to keep it out of the active Pokemon spot.

Pokemon Card Rating:
I would give this card a 3 out of 5 rating.  In my opinion this is an average Stage 1 Pokemon card from the Ancient Origins set.  This card would get a higher rating from me if it had more like an HP of 90 instead of such a low one, but other than that, both the Ability and move on this card are very good and I would definitely recommend using this Pokemon line in a grass type deck.  Together with Spinarak from this set, I would give both cards a 3 out of 5 rating, even though I gave Spinarak a 1, this card brings the whole line up to average.

Tomorrow's Pokemon Card:
So thanks for reading today's Pokemon card review of Ariados from the Ancient Origins set, stay tuned for tomorrow's card review of Sceptile EX, which is from this same set.  Make sure to check below for the Free Pokemon TCG Online Codes!

Free Pokemon TCG Online Code Cards:
Today's Quiz for a Pokemon TCG Online Code Card --
How many total Ariados cards are in the English TCG?
Please respond by including your YouTube username and link to your YouTube channel.  If the question is quite tough, the first correct comment will win, otherwise I'll use a random number generator to choose a winner.

Sunday, September 13, 2015

Spinarak -- Ancient Origins Pokemon Card Review

Spinarak Ancient Origins Pokemon Card
Pokemon Card Overview:
Today's Pokemon Card Review is of Spinarak from the Ancient Origins Pokemon Card Set.  Spinarak is a basic, grass type Pokemon card with an hp of 50.  It has a x2 weakness to fire type Pokemon, no resistance type, and a one colorless energy card retreat cost. Spinarak does not have an Ancient Trait or an Ability and it only has one move.  This move is called String Shot and for one colorless energy card this move allows you to paralyze the defending Pokemon if you get a heads when you flip a coin.

Pokemon Card Strategy:
So as far as strategy goes, since Spinarak is a basic Pokemon card with a stage 1 evolution in Ariados, which I'll be reviewing tomorrow, you'll more than likely want to use this card with that Pokemon.  However, since I haven't reviewed that card yet, I'll just act as though I plan on using this card without its evolution.  So, on its own, I would not recommend using this card in a deck, mainly because this card does not do any damage when attacking, plus the only thing it can do, paralyze the defending Pokemon, can only be done if you get a heads when you flip a coin.  So to summarize, there really is no strategy with this card because there is no reason you should be using it in a deck.

Pokemon Card Rating:
I would give this card a 1 out of 5 rating.  So in my opinion, on its own, without considering Spinarak, this is a below average Basic Pokemon card from the Ancient Origins set.  There really isn't one positive thing about this card, it is very limited overall, only having one move, and that one move based on a coin flip, plus Spinarak has a below average HP.

Tomorrow's Pokemon Card:
So thanks for reading today's Pokemon card review of Spinarak from the Ancient Origins set, stay tuned for tomorrow's card review of Spinarak's stage 1 evolution Ariados, which is from this same set.  Make sure to check below for the Free Pokemon TCG Online Codes!

Free Pokemon TCG Online Code Cards:
Today's Quiz for a Pokemon TCG Online Code Card --
What was the first English set to include a Spinarak card?
Please respond by including your YouTube username and link to your YouTube channel.  If the question is quite tough, the first correct comment will win, otherwise I'll use a random number generator to choose a winner.

Saturday, September 12, 2015

Bellossom -- Ancient Origins Pokemon Card Review

Bellossom Ancient Origins Pokemon Card
Pokemon Card Overview:
Today's Pokemon Card Review is of Bellossom from the Ancient Origins Pokemon Card Set.  Bellossom is a stage 2, grass type Pokemon card, with an hp of 120.  It has a x2 weakness to fire type Pokemon, no resistance type, and a one colorless energy card retreat cost.  Bellossom does not have an Ability or an Ancient Trait but it does have two moves.  The first move that this card has is called Windmill and for one grass energy card this move does 20 damage, however you must switch Bellossom with one of your benched Pokemon.  Bellossom's second move is called Flower Tornado, this move requires two energy cards to use, one each of grass and colorless, and does 60 damage, plus it allows you to move as many grass energy cards attached to your Pokemon from one to your others in any way that you like.

Pokemon Card Strategy:
So as far as strategy goes, since Bellossom is a stage 2 Pokemon card, you'll first have to get Oddish into play and then evolve it into Gloom before you can evolve Gloom into Bellossom, both of those Pokemon are from this set and I've reviewed both of them the last few days.  If you've read my reviews of those cards you'll know that I thought both cards were below average, giving both cards 2 out of 5 ratings, I liked the moves on both of those cards however the HP on both were lower than average and thus making them not easily usable in a deck.  So knowing this about the first two evolution forms in this line and looking at Bellossom, this card definitely has a low HP which isn't great, but to make up for this this card has a low retreat cost and two moves that both require little energy to use.  The reason you would use this card in a deck would be for Flower Tornado, unfortunately this isn't an Ability so you can't use it from your bench, but if you want you could use a 1-1-1 line of this Pokemon family and once you get your Pokemon set up on your bench, you could then easily power an EX card or something that requires three or four or more energy cards in one turn.  So to repeat, only use this card in a mainly grass type deck, and use this card for its Flower Tornado move, besides having a nice side effect of moving energy around, it can do a fair amount of damage.

Pokemon Card Rating:
I would give this card a 3 out of 5 rating.  In my opinion this is an average Stage 2 Pokemon card from the Ancient Origins set.  Just like Vileplume yesterday, this card has a little lower HP but some decent moves.  You could use either Vileplume or Bellossom in a deck since they are both average.  Together with the first two Pokemon in this line, Oddish and Gloom, I would give this Pokemon family a 2 out of 5 rating.

Tomorrow's Pokemon Card:
So thanks for reading today's Pokemon card review of Bellossom from the Ancient Origins set, stay tuned for tomorrow's card review of Spinarak, which is from this same set.  Make sure to check below for the Free Pokemon TCG Online Codes!

Free Pokemon TCG Online Code Cards:
Today's Quiz for a Pokemon TCG Online Code Card --
At what level does Gloom evolve into Bellossom?
Please respond by including your YouTube username and link to your YouTube channel.  If the question is quite tough, the first correct comment will win, otherwise I'll use a random number generator to choose a winner.

Friday, September 11, 2015

Vileplume -- Ancient Origins Pokemon Card Review

Vileplume Ancient Origins Pokemon Card
Pokemon Card Overview:
Today's Pokemon Card Review is of Vileplume from the Ancient Origins Pokemon Card Set.  Vileplume is a stage 2, grass type Pokemon card, with an hp of 130.  It has a x2 weakness to fire type Pokemon, no resistance type, and a three colorless energy card retreat cost.  Vileplume's Ability is called Irritating Pollen and says that each player can't play any item cards from their hands.  Besides the Ability, Vileplume just has one move called Solar Beam that for three energy cards, two grass and one colorless, does 70 damage.

Pokemon Card Strategy:
So as far as strategy goes, since Vileplume is a stage 2 Pokemon card, you'll first have to get Oddish into play and then evolve it into Gloom before you can evolve Gloom into Vileplume, both of those Pokemon are from this set and I've reviewed both of them the last two days.  If you've read my reviews of those cards you'll know that I thought both cards were below average, giving both cards 2 out of 5 ratings, I liked the moves on both of those cards however the HP on both were lower than average and thus making them not easily usable in a deck.  So knowing this about the first two evolution forms in this line and looking at Vileplume, this card follows suit with those two forms, since this card has a little lower HP, but a good move, and a decent Ability.  So the only way I would recommend playing this card is if you think your opponent will depend heavily on Item cards or you'll have an advantage it you can do something that needs an Item card from your opponent to fix, that way you can keep Vileplume on the bench and prevent your opponent from fixing their team.  Although Solar Beam does do above average damage, I wouldn't recommend using this entire line just for that move.  If you were to use this line for Vileplume's Ability, don't use more than a 1-1-1 line.

Pokemon Card Rating:
I would give this card a 3 out of 5 rating.  In my opinion this is an average Stage 2 Pokemon card from the Ancient Origins set.  There really isn't anything to complain about on this card, other than its lower HP, which isn't too low.  This card has a good Ability and an above average damage move.  Together with the first two forms in this line, I am giving the entire Pokemon family a 2 out of 5 rating, all three cards are just a bit below average.

Tomorrow's Pokemon Card:
So thanks for reading today's Pokemon card review of Vileplume from the Ancient Origins set, stay tuned for tomorrow's card review of the second Stage 2 evolution form of Gloom in Bellossom, which is from this same set.  Make sure to check below for the Free Pokemon TCG Online Codes!

Free Pokemon TCG Online Code Cards:
Today's Quiz for a Pokemon TCG Online Code Card --
True or False?  Vileplume is one of my favorite cards from the Jungle set.
Please respond by including your YouTube username and link to your YouTube channel.  If the question is quite tough, the first correct comment will win, otherwise I'll use a random number generator to choose a winner.

Thursday, September 10, 2015

Gloom -- Ancient Origins Pokemon Card Review

Gloom Ancient Origins Pokemon Card
Pokemon Card Overview:
Today's Pokemon Card Review is of Gloom from the Ancient Origins Pokemon Card set.  Gloom is a stage 1, grass type Pokemon card, with an hp of 80.  It has a x2 weakness to fire type Pokemon, no resistance type, and a one colorless energy card retreat cost.  Gloom does not have an Ancient Trait or an Ability and it only has one move called Drool that does 30 damage for two energy cards, one each of colorless and grass.

Pokemon Card Strategy:
So as far as strategy goes, since Gloom is a stage 1 Pokemon card, you'll first have to get Oddish into play (I reviewed Oddish from this set yesterday) and then evolve Oddish into Gloom.  Gloom does have two stage 2 evolution forms in Vileplume and Bellossom that you'll probably want to use with this Pokemon line but since I haven't reviewed those cards yet, the strategy below will act like Gloom is the final evolution in this line.  So if you read my review of Oddish, you'll know that I thought that card was a slightly below average Basic Pokemon card with the only negative on the card really being its lower HP, because the one move it did have required only one energy card to attack and could do up to 20 damage a turn.  So knowing this about Oddish and looking at this Gloom card, this Gloom card is pretty similar in that it has a lower HP, and only one move that does do a fair amount of damage for a reasonable amount of energy cards.  Because both Pokemon in this line so far have less than average HP, I can not recommend using these two cards in a deck, but if you plan to use Vileplume or Bellossom, these two cards should work just fine since they can do good for one turn in the active Pokemon spot.

Pokemon Card Rating:
I would give this card a 2 out of 5 rating.  In my opinion this is a below average Stage 1 Pokemon card from the Ancient Origins set.  Other than having a lower HP and only having one move, this card is a pretty decent Stage 1 Pokemon card overall being able to attack quickly and doing a fair amount of damage.  However, because both Oddish and Gloom have below average HP, together I am giving them a combined 2 out of 5 rating, the same rating I gave each card individually.

Tomorrow's Pokemon Card:
So thanks for reading today's Pokemon card review of Gloom from the Ancient Origins set, stay tuned for tomorrow's card review of the first of the two Stage 2 evolution forms of Gloom, in Vileplume, which is from this same set.  Make sure to check below for the Free Pokemon TCG Online Codes!

Free Pokemon TCG Online Code Cards:
Today's Quiz for a Pokemon TCG Online Code Card --
At what level does Oddish evolve into Gloom?
Please respond by including your YouTube username and link to your YouTube channel.  If the question is quite tough, the first correct comment will win, otherwise I'll use a random number generator to choose a winner.

Wednesday, September 9, 2015

Oddish -- Ancient Origins Pokemon Card Review

Oddish Ancient Origins Pokemon Card
Pokemon Card Overview:
Today's Pokemon Card Review is of Oddish from the Ancient Origins set.  Oddish is the first card that I've reviewed from the Ancient Origins set.  Oddish is a basic, grass type Pokemon card with an HP of 50.  It has a x2 weakness to fire type Pokemon, no resistance type, and a one colorless energy card retreat cost.  Oddish does not have an Ability or an Ancient Trait and it only has one move.  The only move that this card has is called Trip Over, for one grass energy card this move does 10 damage plus 10 more damage if you get a heads when flipping a coin.

Pokemon Card Strategy:
So as far as strategy goes, since Oddish is a basic Pokemon card with a Stage 1 evolution in Gloom, and two Stage 2 evolution forms in Vileplume and Bellossom, which I'll be reviewing the next few days, you'll more than likely want to use some of those Pokemon with this card, however, since I have not reviewed any of those cards yet, I will just act like Oddish does not have any evolution forms and that it will be used on its own.  On its own, I would not recommend using this card in a deck mainly because this card has a below average HP.  The one move it does have can be used early on in games and can do above average damage if you get a heads when flipping a coin.  So I cannot recommend using this card on its own, but it should be a good start to the rest of this line and if forced to put this card into the active Pokemon spot it should be able to hold its own for one turn.

Pokemon Card Rating:
I would give this card a 2 out of 5 rating.  In my opinion, this is a below average Basic Pokemon card from the Ancient Origins set.  Besides having a below average HP, this card is pretty decent, having one quick move that can do above average damage and a low retreat cost.  So like I said in the strategy section, this card shouldn't be used on its own, but it is a decent start to the rest of this Pokemon family in the Ancient Origins set.

Tomorrow's Pokemon Card:
So thanks for reading today's Pokemon card review of Oddish from the Ancient Origins Pokemon Card set, stay tuned for tomorrow's card review of Oddish's stage 1 evolution in Gloom, which is also from this same set.  Make sure to check below for the Free Pokemon TCG Online Codes!

Free Pokemon TCG Online Code Cards:
Today's Quiz for a Pokemon TCG Online Code Card --
What was the first card in the Roaring Skies set?
Please comment with your answer and a link to your YouTube channel.  Only one entry per person per day.  Approximately 24 hours after this review has been posted, I will use a random number generator to select a commenter who has commented with the correct answer. 

Tuesday, September 8, 2015

Fletchling -- Roaring Skies Pokemon Card Review

Fletchling Roaring Skies Pokemon Card
Pokemon Card Overview:
Today's Pokemon Card Review is of Fletchling from the Roaring Skies set.  Fletchling is a basic, colorless type Pokemon card with an hp of 40.  It has a x2 weakness to lightning type Pokemon, a -20 resistance to fighting type Pokemon, and a one colorless energy card retreat cost.  Fletchling does not have an Ability or Ancient Trait and it only has one move.  The only move that this card has is called Acrobatics, this move requires one colorless energy card to use and does 10 damage plus 10 more damage for each heads you get when you flip two coins.

Pokemon Card Strategy:
So as far as strategy goes, since Fletchling is a basic Pokemon card with a Stage 1 evolution in Fletchinder, and a Stage 2 evolution in Talonflame, which I've reviewed in the past since both are fire type Pokemon in this set, you can use this card with those Pokemon, however after reviewing both of those cards, neither are very good, so I will be looking at this Fletchling card on its own and see if its worthy of use.  So, on its own, this card shouldn't be used mainly because of its low HP, 40 HP on the first turn of the game may be okay, but after that you're going to get knocked out very quickly.  Too bad too because Acrobatics is a pretty good move for only one energy card, but you still can't use a card with such a low HP.  So overall, I can't recommend any Pokemon from this family in this set.

Pokemon Card Rating:
I would give this card a 2 out of 5 rating.  In my opinion, this is a below average Basic Pokemon card from the Roaring Skies set.  This card basically boils down to the fact that it has a good move, but the HP on this card is just way too low to merit use.  So knowing this entire line, I would give this family a 1 out of 5 rating, it is extremely poor overall.

Tomorrow's Pokemon Card:
So thanks for reading today's Pokemon card review of Fletchling from the Roaring Skies Pokemon Card set, stay tuned for tomorrow's card review of Oddish, which is the first card in the Ancient Origins set.  Make sure to check below for the Free Pokemon TCG Online Codes!

Free Pokemon TCG Online Code Cards:
Today's Quiz for a Pokemon TCG Online Code Card --
On what date did I review the first card from the Roaring Skies set?
Please comment with your answer and a link to your YouTube channel.  Only one entry per person per day.  Approximately 24 hours after this review has been posted, I will use a random number generator to select a commenter who has commented with the correct answer. 

Monday, September 7, 2015

Unfezant 81/108 -- Roaring Skies Pokemon Card Review

Unfezant Roaring Skies Pokemon Card
Pokemon Card Overview:
Today's Pokemon Card Review is of Unfezant from the Roaring Skies Pokemon Card Set.  This is the second of the two Unfezant cards from this set I've reviewed on my blog.  Unfezant is a stage 2, colorless type Pokemon card, with an hp of 140.  It has a x2 weakness to lightning type Pokemon, a -20 resistance to fighting type Pokemon, and a free retreat cost.  This Unfezant card has an Ancient Trait called Evolution that says you may evolve Tranquill into Unfezant either your first turn or as soon as you put Tranquill into play.  Besides the Ancient Trait, Unfezant has two moves.  The first move that this card has is called Feather Dance, for two colorless energy cards this move makes Sky Attack do 80 more damage during the next turn.  Previously mentioned, Unfezant's second move is called Sky Attack and for three energy cards, all colorless, this move does 120 damage, however the move is based on a coin flip and if you get a tails the attack does nothing.

Pokemon Card Strategy:
So as far as strategy goes, since Unfezant is a stage 2 Pokemon card, you'll first have to get Pidove into play and then evolve it into Tranquill before you can evolve Tranquill into Unfezant, both of those Pokemon are from this set and I've reviewed both of them the last few days.  If you've read my reviews of those cards you'll know that I thought both cards were below average, giving the two cards a combined 1 out of 5 rating.  Pidove wasn't too bad, it had an average HP, low retreat cost, and two moves, what I didn't like about it was the fact its attacking move required two energy cards instead of one.  Tranquill on the other hand I thought was really poor, it had a low HP and only one move that depended on a coin flip and if that coin was a tails the move did nothing at all.  So knowing this about the first two Pokemon in this line and looking at this specific Unfezant card, the ideal strategy with this card would be to set up the entire line on the bench, getting three energy cards on Unfezant, then attaching a Trick Coin item card to this card, then when you are facing a powerful Pokemon in the opponent's active Pokemon spot, move Unfezant into the active Pokemon spot, use Sky Attack immediately hoping for a heads if the defending Pokemon can be knocked out by 120 damage or less, or use Feather Dance the first turn and Sky Attack the second turn doing 200 damage in one turn.  The problem with this ideal plan is that you could do all of that work setting up this Pokemon line then get to Unfezant and never be able to attack which would be a real shame, so to fix this problem, I wouldn't recommend using this line at all.  After looking at both Unfezant cards from this set, both have some intrigue to them and both could be used in a winning deck, however the probability of actually performing well with these Pokemon in slim so I wouldn't recommend using either in a deck.

Pokemon Card Rating:
I would give this card a 2 out of 5 rating.  In my opinion this is a below average Stage 2 Pokemon card from the Roaring Skies set.  I like that this card has a higher HP than the other Unfezant card and that it has a free retreat cost, but this card is too costly to play if it can't do any damage and that is the chance you take with a card that is based on a coin flip.  So, overall, I would give the entire line of Pidove, Tranquill, and Unfezant from the Roaring Skies set a 2 out of 5 rating.

Tomorrow's Pokemon Card:
So thanks for reading today's Pokemon card review of Unfezant from the Roaring Skies set, stay tuned for tomorrow's card review of Fletchling, which is from this same set.  Make sure to check below for the Free Pokemon TCG Online Codes!

Free Pokemon TCG Online Code Cards:
Today's Quiz for a Pokemon TCG Online Code Card --
True or False?  Unfezant has been an ultra rare in an English set before.
Please respond by including your YouTube username and link to your YouTube channel.  If the question is quite tough, the first correct comment will win, otherwise I'll use a random number generator to choose a winner.

Sunday, September 6, 2015

Unfezant 80/108 -- Roaring Skies Pokemon Card Review

Unfezant Roaring Skies Pokemon Card
Pokemon Card Overview:
Today's Pokemon Card Review is of Unfezant from the Roaring Skies Pokemon Card Set.  This is the first of two Unfezant cards I'll be reviewing from this set.  Unfezant is a stage 2, colorless type Pokemon card, with an hp of 130.  It has a x2 weakness to lightning type Pokemon, a -20 resistance to fighting type Pokemon, and a one colorless energy card retreat cost.  This Unfezant card does not have an Ability or an Ancient Trait but it does have two moves.  The first move that this card has is called Quick Attack, this move requires one colorless energy card to use and does 30 damage plus 30 more damage if you get a heads when flipping a coin.  Unfezant's second move is called Strong Winds and for three colorless energy cards, this move allows you to shuffle all cards attached to each player's Pokemon into their deck.

Pokemon Card Strategy:
So as far as strategy goes, since Unfezant is a stage 2 Pokemon card, you'll first have to get Pidove into play and then evolve it into Tranquill before you can evolve Tranquill into Unfezant, both of those Pokemon are from this set and I've reviewed both of them the last two days.  If you've read my reviews of those cards you'll know that I thought both cards were below average, giving the two cards a combined 1 out of 5 rating.  Pidove wasn't too bad, it had an average HP, low retreat cost, and two moves, what I didn't like about it was the fact its attacking move required two energy cards instead of one.  Tranquill on the other hand I thought was really poor, it had a low HP and only one move that depended on a coin flip and if that coin was a tails the move did nothing at all.  So knowing this about the first two Pokemon in this line and knowing there is another Unfezant card in this set, the only thing that I would consider using this card for would be Strong Winds, just to make sure that my opponent's strategy is ruined.  I may include a 1-1-1 line of this Pokemon family in my deck, set it up on the bench, then make sure all of my Pokemon in play, other than Unfezant, can attack very quickly, that way, if I move everything back into each player's deck, if my Pokemon are faster on the attack, I can attack and get everything set back up quicker than the opponent.  Other than this strategy, I would not recommend using Unfezant or any of the previous forms of this Pokemon in a deck, they just aren't that good.

Pokemon Card Rating:
I would give this card a 2 out of 5 rating.  In my opinion this is a below average Stage 2 Pokemon card from the Roaring Skies set.  There are a couple of positives about this card like its low retreat cost and its intriguing Strong Winds attack.  However, this card is pretty weak for a Stage 2 card, with a low HP, and a weak move, so unless you want to use Strong Winds in a deck, do not use this card in your deck.  Altogether, I can only give this Pokemon family a 2 out of 5 rating.

Tomorrow's Pokemon Card:
So thanks for reading today's Pokemon card review of Unfezant from the Roaring Skies set, stay tuned for tomorrow's card review of the second Unfezant card, which is from this same set.  Make sure to check below for the Free Pokemon TCG Online Codes!

Free Pokemon TCG Online Code Cards:
Today's Quiz for a Pokemon TCG Online Code Card --
True or False?  Unfezant is the only Stage 2, colorless type Pokemon in the Roaring Skies set to have two cards.
Please respond by including your YouTube username and link to your YouTube channel.  If the question is quite tough, the first correct comment will win, otherwise I'll use a random number generator to choose a winner.