Venusaur EX Full Art -- Pokemon X and Y Card Review

Pokemon Card Overview:

Today's Pokemon Card Review is of Venusaur EX from the X and Y Pokemon Card Set.  This is the first card in the Pokemon XY set and today is the official release date for this set in the United States.  Venusaur EX Full Art is a basic, EX, grass type Pokemon card with an hp of 180. It has a x2 weakness to fire type Pokemon, no resistance type, and a four colorless energy card retreat cost.  Venusaur does not have an Ability but it does have two moves.  The first move that this card has is called Poison Powder, this move requires three colorless energy cards and does 60 damage.  Besides the damage, Poison Powder also poisons the defending Pokemon.  Venusaur EX's second move is called Jungle Hammer, this move requires four energy cards, two grass and two colorless, and does 90 and also heals 30 damage from Venusaur.

Pokemon Card Strategy:
Before I start with the strategy, remember that this card is 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.  Also, the X and Y set is the first set to have Mega Evolution cards, so you should definitely read tomorrow's review to know if you should be using this Venusaur EX card with its Mega Evolution card.  But since I haven't reviewed that card yet, I will act as though I plan on using this card on its own in a deck.  Like most EX cards, this card is pretty slow on the attack so you'll want to set it up on the bench.  This card is a basic Pokemon card so you only need this card in your deck to use it, I would put at least three energy cards on Venusaur EX before moving it to the active Pokemon spot and then use whichever move you have the energy for.  This card would work well in a deck that has a lot of Pokemon that inflict special conditions, that way Poison Powder would cause your opponent even more stress since so many of your Pokemon can inflict Poison.  This card like I mentioned is slow and has a high retreat cost, so I would only include one in a grass type deck, but because it does have 180 hp and Jungle Hammer heals damage from Venusaur, this card should not get knocked out for quite some time in the active Pokemon spot.

Pokemon Card Rating:
I would give this card a 4 out of 5 rating.  In my opinion, this is an average to slightly above average EX card from the X and Y set.  One of these cards would fit in perfectly in a grass type deck, and if you have this card in your deck it will inflict major damage on your opponent's Pokemon.  This card gets an above average rating from me because both of the moves Venusaur has not only do above average damage but does something extra.  The retreat cost on this card is quite high, so that is definitely something to watch out for, but hopefully once you get this card in the active Pokemon spot you will never have to retreat it.

Tomorrow's Pokemon Card:
So thanks for reading today's Pokemon card review of Venusaur EX from the X and Y set, stay tuned for tomorrow's card review of the Mega Evolution of Venusaur 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 --
Today is the official U.S. release date for Pokemon X and Y, when was the official Japanese release date?
Please respond by including the correct answer and a link to your YouTube channel.  Only one entry per person please.

Venusaur -- Dark Explorers Pokemon Card Review

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

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

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

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