Charmeleon -- Burning Shadows Pokemon Card Review

Pokemon Card Overview:
Today's Pokemon Card Review is of Charmeleon from the Burning Shadows Pokemon Card set.  Charmeleon is a Stage 1, Fire type Pokemon card, with a HP of 90.  It has a x2 weakness to Water type Pokemon, no resistance type, and a two Colorless Energy card retreat cost.  Charmeleon does not have an Ability but it does have two moves.  The first move on this card is called Claw Slash, for two Colorless Energy cards, this move does 30 damage.  Heat Blast is the name of the second move on this card, for three Energy cards, two Fire and one Colorless, this move does 70 damage.

Pokemon Card Strategy:
So as far as strategy goes, since Charmeleon is a Stage 1 Pokemon card, you'll first have to get Charmander into play (I reviewed Charmander from this set yesterday) and then evolve Charmander into Charmeleon.  Charmander does have a Stage 2 evolution in Charizard GX, which I'll be reviewing tomorrow, that you'll probably want to use with this Pokemon line but since I haven't reviewed that card yet, the strategy below will act like Charmeleon is the final evolution in this line.  So if you read my review of Charmander, you'll know that I thought it was an average to slightly above average Basic Pokemon card overall, I liked the fact it had an above average HP, and two decent moves, it was a very good start to this entire line.  So knowing this about Charmander and looking at this Charmeleon card, this is another solid but not spectacular Pokemon for this entire line.  Unlike Charmander, this card just has an average HP, but its Heat Blast move does do above average damage.  Charmeleon can be used in any type deck if you're okay with doing 30 damage for a Double Colorless Energy card, but this card is best used in a Fire type deck.  So while I would not use Charmander and Charmeleon from this set without using Charizard GX, neither of these two Pokemon are terrible.

Pokemon Card Rating:  
I would give this card a 2 out of 5 rating.  In my opinion this is a slightly below average Stage 1 Pokemon card from the Burning Shadows set.  If you're not using Double Colorless Energy cards in your deck, the real knock on this card is that it is slow to set up and can't do much damage unless you have three Energy cards on it.  Combine this card with Charmander from this set and both cards get a 3 out of 5 rating combined, both are okay, neither are great.

Tomorrow's Pokemon Card:
So thanks for reading today's Pokemon card review of Charmeleon from the Burning Shadows set, stay tuned for tomorrow's card review of Charmander's Stage 2 evolution in Charizard GX, 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 Charmander evolve into Charmeleon?
Please respond with the correct answer and a link to your YouTube channel. 24 hours from now I will be randomly selecting a correct response to my question and sending a private message to this person with a free code on YouTube.

Charmander -- Burning Shadows Pokemon Card Review

Pokemon Card Overview:

Today's Pokemon Card Review is of Charmander from the Burning Shadows set.  Charmander is a Basic, Fire type Pokemon card with a HP of 70.  It has a x2 weakness to Water type Pokemon, no resistance type, and a one Colorless Energy card retreat cost.  This card does not have an Ability but it does have two moves.  The first move on this card is called Scratch, for one Colorless Energy card, this move does 10 damage.  Flame Tail is this card's second move, for two Energy cards, one each of Fire and Colorless, this move does 20 damage.

Pokemon Card Strategy:
So as far as strategy goes, since Charmander is a Basic Pokemon card with a Stage 1 evolution in Charmeleon, and a Stage 2 evolution in Charizard, which I'll be reviewing the next couple of 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 Charmander does not have any evolution forms and that it will be used on its own.  On its own, if you're building a Fire type deck and are looking for a quick attacking, starter type Pokemon, this is a great card to use.  What I like best about this card is that it has an above average HP, so it may even stand a chance later in games.  I like how Scratch can use any type of Energy so you should be able to attack as soon as possible with this card, plus, you can do up to 20 damage a turn too.  So while this card isn't over-powering by any means, it is a solid, Basic Fire type Pokemon card, a card that is cheap to obtain, price wise, and one that can help in battle.

Pokemon Card Rating:
I would give this card a 3 out of 5 rating.  In my opinion, this is an average to slightly above average Basic Pokemon card from the Burning Shadows set.  Other than only being able to do 20 damage per turn, this card is very good overall and makes a great start to the Charizard GX line.  This card has an above average HP, and two quick attacking moves, that both do damage.

Tomorrow's Pokemon Card:
So thanks for reading today's Pokemon card review of Charmander from the Burning Shadows Pokemon card set, stay tuned for tomorrow's card review of Charmander's Stage 1 evolution in Charmeleon, 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 --
True or False? Charmander is my favorite Basic, Starter Pokemon of all time?
Please respond with the correct answer and a link to your YouTube channel. 24 hours from now I will be randomly selecting a correct response to my question and sending a private message to this person with a free code on YouTube.

Golisopod GX -- Burning Shadows Pokemon Card Review

Pokemon Card Overview:
Today's Pokemon Card Review is of Golisopod GX from the Burning Shadows Pokemon Card Set.  Golisopod GX is a Stage 1, Grass type Pokemon card, with a HP of 210.  It has a x2 weakness to Fire type Pokemon, no resistance type, and a three Colorless Energy card retreat cost.  This card does not have an Ability, but it does have three different moves, two regular moves and one GX move.  The first move on this card is called First Impression, for one Grass Energy card, this move does 30 damage plus 90 more damage if Golisopod GX was on your Bench the previous turn.  Armor Press is the name of this card's second move, for three Energy cards, one Grass and two Colorless, this move does 100 damage, plus Golisopod takes 20 less damage during your opponent's next turn.  The GX move on this card is called Crossing Cut GX, for three Energy cards, one Grass and two Colorless, this move does 150 damage, however you must switch this Pokemon with one of your Benched Pokemon.

Pokemon Card Strategy:
So as far as strategy goes, first off, the way a Pokemon GX works is that it is used instead of a regular Golisopod card, so you do not need to first play Golisopod and then evolve it into Golisopod GX, instead you can evolve Wimpod directly into Golisopod GX.  In play, only one GX move can be used during the entire game, and once a Pokemon GX is knocked out, two prize cards are taken instead of one.  If you read my review of Wimpod from this set, I gave that card a 0 out of 5 rating, it was pretty terrible in my opinion, other than having an above average HP, it had an extremely high retreat cost, and a move that did well below average damage and had a high attack cost.  There is no reason to use Wimpod from this set on its own or in the Active Pokemon spot.  The way to use this Golisopod card is to set the line up on your Bench, therefore when you move Golisopod GX to the Active Pokemon spot, you can do 120 damage for only one Energy card with First Impression.  You can attach a Float Stone Item card to Golisopod GX and give it a free retreat cost, that way you can continuously move Golisopod GX in and out of the Active Pokemon spot and do 120 damage a turn every time it is in the Active Pokemon spot.  Other than First Impression, both of its other moves do a good amount of damage and require only two Energy cards, if you're using a Double Colorless Energy, so this card will fit into a lot of decks and can do a lot of damage quite quickly.

Pokemon Card Rating:
I would give this card a 4 out of 5 rating.  In my opinion this is an above average Stage 1, GX Pokemon card from the Burning Shadows set.  If you're building a Grass type deck, this is a line that should certainly be included, especially if you're looking for some power.  Golisopod GX is a Stage 1 card so it is fairly quick to set up, and if you can retreat it for free a couple of times, this card only requires one Energy card the entire game and can do 120 damage a turn.  Together with Wimpod from this set, which I thought was terrible, I would still give this line a 3 out of 5 rating, set it up on the Bench and you'll be golden.

Tomorrow's Pokemon Card:
So thanks for reading today's Pokemon card review of Golisopod GX from the Burning Shadows set, stay tuned for tomorrow's card review of Charmander, 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 Grass type regular GX cards are there in the Burning Shadows set?
Please respond with the correct answer and a link to your YouTube channel. 24 hours from now I will be randomly selecting a correct response to my question and sending a private message to this person with a free code on YouTube.

Wimpod -- Burning Shadows Pokemon Card Review

Pokemon Card Overview:

Today's Pokemon Card Review is of Wimpod from the Burning Shadows Pokemon Card Set.  Wimpod is a Basic, Grass type Pokemon card with a HP of 70.  It has a x2 weakness to Fire type Pokemon, no resistance type, and a three Colorless Energy card retreat cost.  Wimpod's Ability is called Wimp Out and says that during your first turn, Wimpod does not have a Retreat Cost.  Besides the Ability, Wimpod just has the one move called Gnaw, which does 30 damage for three Energy cards, one Grass and two Colorless.

Pokemon Card Strategy:
So as far as strategy goes, since Wimpod is a Basic Pokemon card with a Stage 1 evolution in Golisopod GX, 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, there is absolutely no reason to use this card in a deck.  The only positive on this card is that it does have an above average HP, as a Basic Pokemon that has a Stage 1 evolution.  Ideally, you'd like to be able to use a Pokemon's Ability from the Bench, but Wimpod's Ability is only available for one turn, making it not good at all.  So, unless you want to wait to get three Energy cards on this Pokemon and then risk not having enough Energy to retreat, I would stay as far away from this Pokemon as possible.

Pokemon Card Rating:
I would give this card a 0 out of 5 rating.  So in my opinion, on its own, without considering Golisopod, this is a terrible Basic Pokemon card from the Burning Shadows set.  This card really has nothing going for it, its Ability is pretty much useless, it is extremely slow on the attack, under-powered, and has a high retreat cost.  The only reason this card should ever be used is to get to Golisopod GX.

Tomorrow's Pokemon Card:
So thanks for reading today's Pokemon card review of Wimpod from the Burning Shadows set, stay tuned for tomorrow's card review of Wimpod's Stage 1 evolution in Golisopod GX, 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 Wimpod evolve into Golisopod?
Please respond with the correct answer and a link to your YouTube channel. 24 hours from now I will be randomly selecting a correct response to my question and sending a private message to this person with a free code on YouTube.