Pikks Three

Pikkdogs Pikks Three: Garchomp C Lv.X, Pokemon Reversal, and Seviper CoL

Pikkdogs January 24, 2011 5 Comments

Hello to all members of Omar-Nation. As you can see from the title of this article, Pikk Three is back. I have not done this article in a while, since the season was in full swing, there was a lot to talk about. The Undaunted set brought in some new decks, and the Triumphant set changed a lot of the decks out there. But now, Battle Roads and City Championships are over, there are no new decks out there (none that anyone will talk about anyway), and the next set seems to be fairly boring.

So because of these reasons, I think its time to go back to the Pikk Three article. If you don’t know what this article is, I’ll just have to tell you. Its an article where I review three cards, one that is popular, one that I think is under-used, and one that is coming out in a new or yet un-released set. Its basically a card of the day article on steroids, so without further wait, here is the article.

The Staple-Garchomp C Lv.X

Description-Its hard to believe that I have never reviewed this card before, because it is probably the best card in the format. It is of course a basic Lv.X with 110 HP, a free retreat, and a colorless weakness. It has one Poke-Power, called “Healing Breath”, it lets you remove all damage counters from all of your SP Pokemon when you level up Garchomp C. Garchomp’s one attack, “Dragon Rush” cost CCC and does 80 damage to any on of your opponent’s Pokemon.

Analysis-This card is one of the better cards in the format because a lot of these basic stats. Its free retreat combines great with “Healing Breath.” It is this combo that has made it such a great combo with Dialga G Lv.X. “Dragon Rush” gives the card a lot of sniping ability, which gives the card a lot of disruption ability. This makes it a great combo with Luxray Gl Lv.X.

Garchomp C has seen a lot of play with both Dialga G and Luxray GL. It has seen play in other decks, but not as much as in the Dialgachomp and Luxchomp decks. Garchomp C has made the Luxchomp deck what it was today, the best deck around. The ability to heal and snipe is a great thing to have in any deck.

Before the release of this card, SP decks relied on Luxray Gl Lv.X for knockouts. They used to count each Poketurn as a knockout from the “Bright Look” Poke-Power. Now, SP players count each Double Colorless Energy as a potential prize, because of its synergy with “Dragon Rush.”

To use Garchomp C Lv.X, an SP player would probably first attack with Luxray Gl or a different Pokemon, then promote Garchomp C. They would then put the Lv.X on Garchomp C, use “Healing Breath”, attach a DCE and an Energy Gain, and then be ready to knock out any Pokemon with less then 80 HP.

Final Rating-10/10– This is the epitome of a 10/10 card. It revolutionized the whole format and constructed the current best deck in format.

The Underdog-Pokemon Reversal

Description– This is a trainer card with a simple effect. You may flip a coin, if heads you may switch the defending Pokemon with any of your opponents benched Pokemon. If you are older then 20 years old you will know what I mean when I say that it is like a flippable Gust of Wind.

Analysis– This card was released in the HGSS set, and had seen some play when it first came out. Some people played it in decks like Donphan Prime, but it never really caught on in any major decks.

I think this card is underrated because it does what few other cards can do. It can pick one of your opponent’s benched Pokemon that he could be hiding and be able to knock it out. This is used in some decks that rely on a prize race, and do not do over 110 damage each turn. It could be used in Gyarados decks and other popular decks that have a flexible list. The ability to select your opponent is great and can help you win the prize race.

Though I think this card should be played more then it is, it could see a lot less play in the future. This is because in the Black and White Collection we might get a card called Pokemon Catcher, which is just basically a re-printed Gust of Wind. It does everything that Pokemon Reversal does, but without a coin flip. If this deck does make it to the U.S. it will kill all play of Pokemon Reversal, but until it does I think its a good play.

Final Rating- 7/10– A good play in a lot of decks. Even though this card may not be used later, I think its still a good play now for a lot of decks. It especially has a good combo now with Junk Arm.

The Young Gun- Seviper Call of Legends

Description-Seviper usually doesn’t get a lot of good cards, but this one isn’t too bad. It is from the new Call of Legneds Set, which begins its Pre-Release season this weekend. So we don’t have much time, lets look at the card.

It has 90 HP, it is a basic, it is weak to Psychic, and has a retreat cost of 2. It has two attacks. Its first attack is called “Poison Buildup” and its only effect is that is poisons Seviper. You may not think that it is not such a good thing, but wait until you read the next attack. For PC its next attack, “Poison Effect”, does 20 damage, or 80 damage if Seviper is poisoned. 80 damage for just 2 energies isn’t bad.

Analysis– So we can do 80 damage for 2 energies and you don’t have to evolve. But to get Seviper poisoned, you will want to find a better way then using his first attack. This is where Skuntank G comes in.

If you have Skunktank G on the bench, a Stadium in play, and Seviper active; you can use “Poison Structure” to poison both active Pokemon. If you need to have a stadium in play, I would suggest using Snowpoint Temple, which gives basic Pokemon extra HP. You might also want to look at Team Galactic HQ which penalizes your opponent for evolving. With this combo you can easily get 80 damage going in each turn.

If you use this combo you can also use Expert Belt to do 100 damage. If you combine this with the damage your opponent receives from poison, you would get the magic number of 110 damage each turn. 110 is the magic number because Gengar SF has 110. And since the last 10 damage comes from poison, your opponent will not get to flip for “Fainting Spell.” 100 damage also leaves you just a “Flash Bite” or Plus Power away from knocking out Luxray Gl Lv.X and Garchomp C Lv.x.

This can be a very effective combo, but I don’t think that this will be a top tier deck. Seviper only has 90 HP and a psychic weakness. Almost any deck can OHKO Seviper with Uxie Lv.X. And since it takes 2 energy to attack, it will take a lot to get a string of Seviper’s going. If the game turns into a prize race, Seviper may be in a bad spot. Perhaps one could add in Pokemon that disrupt, like Mesprit LA. This would slow down the opposing deck, and this would give you a big advantage.

Final Rating– 6/10- I don’t see this being a great deck or great attacker. It could be used in other decks, like Genar/Vileplume. But its best use is probably in its own fun deck. It is an interesting card, that I wouldn’t be mad if I pulled in a pack.

So that is my first Pikk Three article since the new season began. Feel free to add your own reviews of each card in the comment box, and leave any comments you have.

Pikks Three

Pikkdogs Pikks Three: Mesprit La, Jirachi, Ul, and Rescue Energy.

Pikkdogs September 12, 2010 1 Comment

Hello to everyone in Omar-Nation. This is Pikkdogs here, ready to “Pikk” Three. As always I will review three cards. One card is a commonly used card, the second card is a card which I think deserves more play, and the third card is from a new or unreleased set.

Since my last “Pikk” Three article TPCI has unveiled the new set, named Triumphant. It shall be a combination of most of the cards of the Japanese Clash at the Summit Set and the Lost Link Mini Set. It will have around 117 cards in it and will introduce a new mechanic that will change the game. But, we will get to that in a later Pikk Three article.

Through my web surfing I have found a YouTube page that is similar to Jwittz’s Prof-it series. I don’t know if it has all the promise that Prof-it has, but still has some decent episodes and videos of deck testings. The show is ran from the UK and is called” Poke-Class.” You can find it at http://www.youtube.com/user/PokemanDanLv45.

And one last bit of housekeeping. This upcoming weekend starts the fall battle roads. So all of the testing that you guys did this summer will hopefully pay of when you first get a taste of the new format. So make sure to check out www.pokemon.com or your regions Pokemon website to find the time of tournaments near you.

Okay now that all that’s over, lets Pikk Three.

The Staple: Mesprit La.

Description– Mesprit is a 70 HP, basic Psychic Pokemon with a +20 weakness to psychic and a 1 retreat cost. It has one attack, which for two psychic energies does 20 damage or 70 damage if you have the same number of cards in your hand as your opponent. It also has a Poke-Power named “Psychic Bind,” that you may use when you first lay him onto your bench. Psychic Bind does not allow your opponent to use Poke-Powers during his/her next turn.

Analysis– Mesprit is a great Pokemon that has seen play since its release over a year ago. It has most commonly been used in decks with Palkia Gs, though it has been used in Regigas decks. It is a powerful card when you use it with TGI Power-Spray, to make sure your opponent does not set up or use Poke-Powers during most of the game. Most decks that use Mesprit try to keep a Power Lock on the opponent through out the game to ruin their setup.

This strategy can only be more useful now that Claydol has rotated out of the format. Almost all decks rely on an early Uxie drop to set up their decks, but Mesprit will stop or delay your opponent’s strategy.

But there are negative aspects to using Mesprit. One is that his power can only be used once, and once you use him he is there clogging your bench. Another is that he has average stats and an attack that is hard to pull off.

Final Rating– 7/10. Mesprit is great to use in Palkia G and Regigas decks, and can be used as a tech in every deck. But is pretty useless after you use him.

The Underdog- Jirachi Ul

Description– Jirachi is a basic Psychic Pokemon with 60 HP, a psychic weakness, and a 1 retreat cost. It’s Poke-Power is called “Stardust Song”, and will allow you to flip three coins when you first play Jirachi from your hand. For each heads you flip you may attach a psychic Energy card from your discard pile to Jirachi. It has one attack called “Time Hollow,” which for 1 psychic energy, allows you to remove the highest stage evolution card from 1 of your opponents Pokemon for each energy you have attached to Jirachi.

Analysis– Wow what an interesting card here. This card was released in the Unleashed set to little or no buzz, it has since not seen much play. Its Poke-Power is great, but situational. Its attack is good, but also is situational. So what we have here is a situational card, so what can we add to it so it can be usable.

I think it could be a card used or used against the new trainer lock decks. A person using a trainer-lock deck could use it to give itself an advantage in the mirror matchup. And a person playing against a trainer-lock deck can use it in their SP deck to finish off a Vileplume that was Dragon Rushed the last turn by Garchomp C Lv.X. It can also be used to combat high HP Pokemon like Steelix Prime, Gyarados, and Charizard.

The worst thing about Jirachi is the fact that he only has 60 HP and a 1 retreat cost. This means that your opponent will most likely be able to knock-out Jirachi right after you use “Time Hollow,” and the retreat costs means that you will have to burn an Energy or an Unown Q if you get lucky enough to have Jirachi survive your opponents turn.

Final Rating– 7.75/10– Jirachi is a card that I think can see a lot of play this season. It is situational, but can be a game changer when used right.

The Young Gun- Rescue Energy

Description– Rescue Energy is a Special Energy with a simple effect. It provides 1 unit of Colorless Energy, and when the Pokemon that the energy is attached to gets knocked out from damage by an attack, you may return the Pokemon to your hand.

Analysis– This doesn’t seem to be a game changing card like other Special Energy cards like Double Colorless and Call. But I think this card will still be used in a lot of decks. SP decks as well as normal decks will like the option of returning a knocked out Pokemon back to their hand.

Final Rating– 6.5– Im not sure how well used this card will be, but I think most decks will find a spot for it. This card will just about replace the play of Floatzel Gl Lv.x.

Well thats it for my “Pikks.” I hope you guys will comment and tell me what you think of these cards, and if you have any suggestions for the next “Pikk Three” article please leave them there as well.

Good luck in your Fall BR’s! This is Pikkdogs signing off saying so long and thanks for all the fish.

Pikks Three

Pikkdogs Pikks Three: Luxray Gl Lv.x, Regirock La, and Energy Exchanger UD.

Pikkdogs August 21, 2010 1 Comment

Hell to all members of Omar-Nation. This is Pikkdogs here, ready to “Pikk” 3. Like always I will review three cards; one which is a popular card, the second is an underused card, and the third is a card coming from a new or un-released set.

But before I do that I want to kind of apologize for the lack of new updates on the site lately. I’ve been busy with work and stuff, Ed and his family are crawling around caves somewhere in Utah, and Omar for some reason hasn’t been writing much anymore. But hopefully if Ed makes his way out of the caves we will be up and running with more articles soon.

Card #1-The Staple-Luxray Gl X.

Description– Here is the card that everyone wants, the money maker, Luxray Gl Lv.X. Of course we will start out by looking at the cards basic stats. It is a basic Lv.X lightning Pokemon with 110 HP, has free retreat, a x2 weakness to fighting, and a -20 resistance to metal. It has one Poke-Power named “Bright Look.” “Bright Look” lets you switch the defending Pokemon with any of your opponents benched Pokemon, but the power can only be used when you first lay the Lv.X on the basic Luxray Gl. It has one attacked called “Flash Impact,” it does 60 damage for LC and does 30 damage to one of your benched Pokemon.

Analysis– Luxray Gl Lv.x is the most expensive card in Pokemon today for a reason, it is good. It’s stats don’t look too impressive, only 110 HP and the potential to only do 70 damage with a 3 energy requirement and a discard. But when combined with the Team Galactic Trainers, Luxray Gl X. is deadly. It can be set up in only two turns and can use Energy Gain and Double Colorless Energy to make it quicker. You can also use Poke-Turn to use “Bright Look” again.

When used correctly you should be able to take a prize every time you use “Bright Look.” He is most often paired with Garchomp C, and when he is, what results is a deck that quickly and methodically takes six prizes. He can also be paired with other SP Pokemon like Dialga G, and can be paired with non-SP Pokemon like Kingdra La.

But things aren’t all sunshine and flowers for Luxray Gl. The most important thing in using a Luxchomp deck right now is winning the mirror matchup, and Luxray Gl does little in the mirror, except for the ability to get a cheap kill on a Crobat G.

One of the most important things in the game today is to have a good Luxray Gl counter. One of the better counters is Power-Spray, if your deck uses SP Pokemon a well timed Power-Spray on “Bright Look” could be very important. If you want to kill the Luxray Gl Lv.x in one hit after it has took a prize against you, you have two options Promocroak and Mankey SV. Promocroak (or Toxicroak G-promo) lets you do 60 damage for PC after your opponent has taken a prize last turn. Mankey SV has an attack called “Extra Punch” which for F you do 10 damage and 50 more if your opponent has an active Lv.X. With Luxray’s weakness all of these Pokemon can OHKO Luxray Gl X.

Final Rating–9.5/10-Despite lacking pop in the mirror match up, Luxray Gl Lv.X is still one of the best cards in the format. It is format changing, once again making Lightning Pokemon cool. There are a handful or cards that aren’t playable now because they have lightning weaknesses, there aren’t many other cards that can stop other cards from being played. Cards don’t get too much better then Luxray Gl.

Card #2 The Underdog- Regirock La

Description– In the spring the hot card was Regice La, being used in some great Gyarados and Jumpluff decks. It has since faded, but its brother Regirock is still around and can be used effectively at times. It is a basic fighting Pokemon with 90 HP, a x2 water weakness, and a 3 retreat cost. Its Poke-Power “Regi Cycle” lets you discard 2 cards from your hand and attach a fighting energy from your discard pile to Regirock. Its attack is called “Stones Edge” and does 40 damage for FFC and lets you flip a coin if heads you do 30 more damage.

Analysis-Okay, it is pretty obvious the Regirock will not be your main attacker. He only can do 40-70 damage for three energies and if you add that to the fact that he has a bad weakness and a horrid retreat cost will have you running to your binder.

But his Poke-Power might wanna make you wait before you put this card out of your mind. If you use “Regi Cycle” you can attach a fighting energy from your discard pile to Regi Rock and then use the stadium card Stark Mountain to transfer that card to your fighting type main attacker, like Donphan Prime and Machamp.

It may not be a game changing Poke-Power, but it will help you charge up a fighting Pokemon fairly quickly. If you have a Donphan or Machamp deck I would seriously consider this tech.

Besides the fact that Regirock can’t attack, another weakness he has that if your opponent is able to make him active you will have a hard time retreating him. So be prepared to include some warp points in your deck list.

Final Rating– 6.5/10– This is an okay tech for a fighting deck, it may not be anything great but if you are able to use it right it can be just what you need to tilt the scales in your favor.

Card #3 The Young Gun- Energy Exchanger

Description– Energy Exchanger is a trainer from the new HS: Undaunted expansion. It has a simple effect; you take an energy card from your hand, put it on the top of your deck, and then take another energy card from your deck and put it into your hand.

Analysis– It may be a simple card, but it also may be very important. If you are running a card that runs two or more types of energy, this card may be important. I use it in my Dialgachomp deck to get special metal energies or Double Colorless Energies easier. It can also be used to get Special Dark energies in a Sabledonk deck, or a psychic or fighting energy if you are running a Gengchamp deck.

The drawback of this card is that it takes up space without giving a great effect, and it can be trainer locked.

Final Rating– 7.5/10– I think this card will almost reach staple status in some decks. It is sure to see some play soon.

Well that’s all three, so I’m done, now its your turn to tell me what you think of these cards in the comment box. Also if you have an idea for an article or would like to write your own article for the site, please put that in the comment box.

This is Pikkdogs signing off saying So long and thanks for all the fish.

Pikks Three

Pikkdogs Pikks Three: Gengar SF, Shedinja SV, Umbreon Prime.

Pikkdogs August 6, 2010 5 Comments

Hello to all members of Omar Nation. This is your buddy Pikkdogs here to review three cards in a segment I call, “Pikkdogs Pikks Three.” As always the first card I review will be a popular card, the second will be one that I feel is under-rated, and the third will be a card that is from a new or unreleased set.

Before we get started I want to remind you guys to check with your local tournament organizers because Pre-releases will soon be under-way for the Undaunted set. These tournaments are always a blast because you get to play some fun games with people from your area, you get a lot of cards, and you can trade for the cards you need. Just a heads up for you guys, if your local tournament organizers offer a sealed theme deck event I would recommend going to that too. TPCI has changed the format for theme decks this year so that there are less energies in the deck, more rares (5!), and each deck comes with a pack of Undaunted cards. Add all those extras to the 4 packs you get just for being in the tournament and thats 5 packs, 60 cards, and a deck box for 25 bucks!

Oh I would also like to wish whoever is headed to Worlds good luck!

…..Well what time is it geeky sidekick?

Geeky Sidekick: “Its time to Pikk Three!”

Ok, lets do that!
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Pikks Three

Pikkdogs Pikks Three: Chatot Md, Plusle SV, Manaphy Ul.

Pikkdogs July 26, 2010 3 Comments

Hello there to all members of Omar Nation. This is Pikkdogs here to Pikk three cards. This weeks “Pikk Three” will be a little bit different. Instead of highlighting a popular card, an underused card, and a new card; I will instead review 3 cards that have the same theme.

This weeks theme is “Hand Refresh,” so if your looking for a card that can help your deck recover from bad hands hopefully you will find what you are looking for here.

Just for clarification a Hand Refreshing Pokemon is a Pokemon that has an attack that allows you to draw cards. It is kind of like a starting Pokemon because it speeds your deck up, but it is mostly used towards the middle of the game, whereas a starter is used right away. A hand refresher also normally takes only 1 slot in your deck, where as a person normally runs 4 starting Pokemon. Having a card that can refresh your hand is really important if you have a bad start, it is sometimes worth sacrificing a Pokemon.

Card #1 Chatot Md

Description– Chatot is basic normal type Pokemon with 60 HP. He has free retreat, a +20 lightning weakness, and a fighting resistance. It has two attacks. The first is called “Mimic”, this attack has no cost lets you shuffle your hand into your deck and draw as many cards as your opponent has. Its second attack is called “Chatter,” this attack does 20 damage and prevents your opponent from retreating for CC.

Analysis– Of all the hand refreshers in the format right now, there is no doubt that Chatot is the most popular. He is most often found in SP and Jumpluff decks. “Mimic” is a great attack that lets you shuffle your hand into your deck and draw a new hand with the same amount of cards as your opponent, which makes it like the supporter “Copycat.”
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Pikks Three

Pikkdogs Pikks Three: Machamp SF, Super Scoop Up, and Vileplume Undaunted

Pikkdogs July 11, 2010 2 Comments

Hello to all members of Omar Nation. This is your buddy Pikkdogs here to tell you about three cards; one which is a card commonly played, one which I feel is under-rated, and one from a new or un-released set.

It is that time of the year, when the players who’ve had a great season pack up to go to worlds, and when the rest of us test our new post-rotation decks. I hope all of you out there who are not going to worlds are having a better time at building post-rotation decks then I am. I’m getting tired of all my decks starting really fast and then stalling out on turn 4 or 5. But, I guess if success was easy it wouldn’t be as sweet. So I hope that those of us who are having problems will soldier on and eventually find something that works. Maybe you will find something while I “Pikk” three.

The Staple- Machamp SF

Description: Machamp is a stage 2 Pokemon with 130 HP, a +30 psychic weakness, a 2 retreat cost and 3 attacks. His most popular attack is “Takeout,” which does 40 damage for 1 fighting energy and knocks out the defending Pokemon if it is an unevolved Pokemon. His second attack is called “Hurricane Punch”, costs CC, and does 30 damage times the number of heads once you flip 4 coins. His final attack called “Rage”, costs FFCC, and does 60 damage plus 10 more each damage counter on Machamp.

Analysis– Well if you want some versatility and brute force Machamp can give it to you. Machamp has been a very important card ever since the Platinum series came out and introduced SP Pokemon. This is because Machamp can knock out every SP Pokemon (except Toxicroak G Pt) for just 1 fighting energy. Talk about a good SP counter!

Machamp decks, with Flygon RR, did very well at Worlds last year and in this years Fall Battle Roads. But Machamp had fallen out of favor around Cities last year because of the popularity of Unown g, which can cancel out the effect of “Takeout”. But now Unown g is getting rotated out of the format, so Machamp is once again a Pokemon to be feared. Read More

Pikks Three Uncategorized

Pikkdogs Pikks Three: Uxie Lv.X, Cherrim SF, and Espeon Prime

Pikkdogs June 21, 2010 2 Comments

Hello all members of Omar-nation. This is Pikkdogs here bringing you the often imitated but never duplicated “Pikk” Three article. In this article, like every article, I will review three cards; one that is played often, one which I feel is underated, and one from a new or unreleased set.

I wish to say “Good Luck” to all those headed to Indy at the end of this week for the U.S. Pokemon National Championship. I hope you guys have a fun time and get to meet a lot of cool people.

For those of you, who like me are unable to go, I hope that we get some good testing done. It is a good time for us to take apart all our decks and make new ones that fit the post rotation rules. This year Teamomar.com will hook us all up and with twitter feeds live from the tournament, so we just have to check in at the .com and see how our twitter correspondents are doing and what kinda things they are seeing. I don’t think the list of correspondents is finished yet but I know a Minnesota player here, Andy, will be updating us, and also my buddy Cheffords from Michigan will take the trip south and keep us informed.

Now enough with the chit-chat lets Pikk three.

The Staple: Uxie Lv.X

Description: Uxie X is a psychic Pokemon with 90 HP, a x2 psychic weakness, and a 1 retreat cost. It has the Poke-Power named “Trade Off”. This power lets you look at the top 2 cards of your deck and choose one to put in your hand, the other goes to the bottom of your deck. It also has an attack named “Zen Blade.” This attack does 60 damage for CC.

Analysis: The basic stats of this card don’t seem very impressive. It only has 90 HP, a retreat cost, and a x2 weakness. But it actually is a really good card, and one of the better cards in the format. It is mostly used for its Poke Power, but “Zen Blade” can also be a useful attack.

It is used mainly in SP decks to give the deck a little more draw power. “Trade Off” can be just what you need to get that card you need late in the game. “Zen Blade” can also help the SP decks have a better Machamp matchup, with the use of only one Double Colorless Energy.

But with Claydol GE leaving the format soon, Uxie will now become the best draw engine in the game. So players may want to use Uxie Lv.X in all of their decks in which they use Uxie.

That being said, Uxie La is a great card by itself. Its Poke-Power is a lot better than the Lv.X’s, it might be unnecessary to run the Lv.X if the regular Uxie will suffice. It also is a Lv.X so to use Uxie X you will need to make it active and then retreat it. This will require you to slow down your attack, use Unown Q, or use Bronzong G or Shaymin Ul’s Poke Power.

7.5-All in all its a good card, it can fit into almost any deck because almost every deck runs Uxie. And “Trade Off” is a Poke-Power that could be useful. But, “Trade Off” is inconsistent in getting you useful cards, and it is hard to retreat Uxie. So I would only use it in SP or DCE decks.

The Underdog: Cherrim SF

Description– Cherrim SF is a grass Pokemon, has a low 80 HP, a 1 retreat cost, and a + 20 weakness to fire. Its Poke-Body “Sunny Day” adds an extra 10 damage to any attack done by fire or grass Pokemon. It has two attacks, the first attack is called “Salty Sweet Pollen.” This attack does 20 damage for no energy. The second attack is called “Solar Beam” it costs GCC. Remember each attack does 10 more because of its Poke-Body.

Analysis– Cherrim is a common Pokemon in the Scizor/Cherrim deck, but I think it has more potential than that.

Its stats arent very great, but it doesn’t have a x2 weakness and it has a useful no energy attack.

As mentioned it is common in Scizor/Cherrim decks, but it can work in other decks. My nephew runs it, with some success, in his Jumpluff deck. Cherrim lets Jumpluff attack hard enough to knock out almost every Pokemon for just 1 energy (with an expert belt). Some people are also starting to build Torterra Ul decks. If you were to add Cherrim to a Torterra Ul deck the user would be able to use his “Giga Drain” attack to do 80 damage ( with an expert belt and two Cherrims) and remove 8 damage counters from him. This could be a deadly combination if set up fast enough.

7/10– This card can fit into any Grass or Fire deck and make an immediate impact. The ability to add damage is invaluable. But it is not a great attacker and does not help speed your deck in any way. It can be a good card in the right deck, but is not a game changing card.

The Young Gun: Espeon Prime UD

Description-Espeon Prime is expected to be included in the Undaunted Set. Here are its stats: it is a psychic Pokemon wiht 100 HP, a psychic weakness and a 1 retreat cost. Its Pokebody, “Memory Of Evolution,” lets Espeon use any attack of any Pokemon on your bench that evolves from Eevee. Its has 1 attack of its own, named “Solar Ray.” For PC you do 30 damage and remove 1 damage counter from each of your Pokemon.

Analysis– The Eeveelution decks never seem to be very good, but people always love to play them. I feel that the new eevee’s coming out in the Undaunted Set will share the same fate.

This Espeon is pretty cool though, it has the option to use an attack of any Pokemon on your bench that evolves from Eevee. So if you are playing an Eeveelution deck and are playing a deck that is weak to psychic you can play Espeon Prime and load him with at least one Rainbow Energy and use any attack that benefits you. Its not a great attack but it will be a fun Pokemon to play in an Eevelution deck.

Its stats (besides the Poke-Body) are very bland and un-impressive. So if you are using this deck you are using it for the Poke-Body.

5/10- Its not a great attacker or support Pokemon, but if you must play an Eevee deck, this card is a must play. It is a versatile card that may be able to get you out of a tight spot.

Well thanks for stopping by for another installment of “Pikk” Three. As always I look forward to reading your take on these cards, and if you have any suggestions for future articles please leave them in the comments box.

Pikks Three

Pikkdogs Pikks Three: Regice LA, Magmortar UL, and Legend Box

Pikkdogs June 8, 2010 19 Comments

Hey Guys, Im back to “Pikk” three cards for you guys to look over and discuss. As always one will be a staple card, one will be a card I think is under-rated, and one will be a card from a new or un-released set.

I hope your Spring Battle Roads season is going well. Unfortunately I had a bad showing at the first battle roads in my area, and I wasn’t able to make it to the other ones, so its hasn’t been a great season for me. Thats alright though, there will be more tournaments in my future.

Up until this post I had been reviewing Unleashed cards for my third category. But now since the new set, Undaunted, has been announced I can go ahead and start looking at some new cards. Of course the set list hasn’t been announced and only a few cards have been confirmed, but by process of elimination I know what other cards will appear in the set. So its time to look ahead.

The Staple: Regice LA

Description- Regice’s stats are average at best. It has a decent 90 HP, a weakness to Metal, and a horrid three retreat cost. Its Poke-Power is called “Regi Move,” this Power lets you discard two cards from your hand and switch your opponents basic Pokemon out. It also has one attack called “Ice Reflect.” For WWC you can do 50 damage and paralyze the defending Pokemon if Regice was attacked last turn.

Analysis- Regice is one my favorite cards in the current format. Discarding cards from you hand doesn’t seem that important, but when you think about it, what other cards can discard cards from your hand? There is Felecities Drawings (which will be rotating out soon) and Engineers Adjustment, but those are both supporters. So Regice will let you free your hand of some unwanted cards and provide some disruption.

Regice is used mostly in Gyarados decks to discard Magikarps, and in Jumpluff decks to get rid of Mr.Mime Mt. But it can be used in other decks to make room in your hand for Claydol GE’s “Cosmic Power” or Uxie LA’s “Set Up.”

But Regice can also be a liability. It has a very high retreat cost, this can be quite the problem when most decks only run 1 Warp Point. It’s attack is situational to say the best.

But even with these problems, I still think Regice is amazing. 8.5/10

The Underdog: Magmortar Ul

Description- Magmortar is one Pokemon that currently has a lot of versions in the format. But I think one of the best ones is from the Unleashed set. It has 110 HP (decent for a stage 1), a 2 retreat cost, and a weakness to Water. It has two attacks, the first is called “Hard Crush.” To use the attack you must discard three cards from the top of your decks and then do fifty damage for each energy card you discard, it costs FCC. Its second attack is called “Mantle Bazooka,” which does 100 damage for FFCC and you must discard FF.

Analysis– Magmortar is every-ones favorite creepy fat fire clown Pokemon. It was one of the cards from the Unleashed Set that creeped by unnoticed. While everyone was talking about Crobat Prime (who nobody plays) Magmortar was dropped to “Crap Rare” status. But I think this card deserves a second look.

Its first attack is poorly named, but has a lot of potential. It does 50 damage times the amount of energy in the top 3 cards of your deck. Of course it wouldn’t be smart to just hope that you find energy at the top of your deck, so lets look at other cards that increase your chances.

The most obvious is Delcatty Pt. Its Poke-Power “Power Circulation” lets your bring two energy cards from your discard pile to the top of your deck. Another combo is Ninetails HGSS. Its Poke-Power “Roast Reveal” lets you discard a fire energy and draw three cards. If you set up Ninetails and Delcatty on the bench, you are sure to get 2 energy cards at the top of your deck each turn. Another combo is Dialga Pt #5. It has the “Reverse Time” Poke-Power which lets you bring three energy or Pokemon cards from your discard pile to the top of your deck once you lay him down.

7.5/10– I think this Magmortar/Delcatty/Ninetails deck could be a decent deck. I dont know if its any better than the Charizard deck, but its not much worse. It can use DCE but it does take 3 stage 1’s to set up, so it might be a little slow.

The Young Gun: Legend Box

Description: Legend Box is a trainer card that is expected to be released in the upcoming Undaunted set. It has a simple effect, look at the top 10 cards of your deck and if there are two halves of the same Legend card there, you can put it onto your bench and attach any energy cards that were also in the top 10 cards that you revealed.

Anlaysis– Legend Box was one of the most anticipated cards from the Unleashed set, but it never made it for that set, so it will be even more anticipated when it is released in the Undaunted set.

A lot of people say that it will change the format and make Legend cards playable. While I hope that is so, I dont know if this card is consistent enough to make it in next years format. The fact that Claydol will be gone will hurt this card because your deck won’t be as thin then as it is now. So there is less of a chance that those 2 legend cards will be there.

Using this card is a big risk, I know when people use this card they will reveal only 1 legend piece, or maybe no pieces, or maybe 2 of the same pieces. So this cards effectiveness will be determined on how fast you can thin your deck and how lucky you are.

This card can be useless if there are no good Legend cards to play. Right now the legend cards are not very flashy. A lot of them have the dreaded lightning weakness, and all of them have high energy requirements. Entei/Raikou Legend has seen a little play so far, and it will only get better once people use more Uxies. Lugia Legend could also be a good card if you are lucky enough to reveal enough energy with Legend Box. And this set will bring three new legend cards, perhaps one will be a good attacker.

6.5/10- It is hard to predict how well a new card will be, but Im looking at this card with pessimism. How good this card will be will be determined on how lucky you are, and how good the new legend cards will be. And I don’t know about you, but I don’t like my deck to be based on luck. It can be a great card if your lucky, but if not it will be best to use Bebes Search and Pokemon Communication.

Well thats all I have to say about these cards, I hope you all will leave comments and tell us how good you think the cards are. Also let me know if you have a card you would like me to “Pikk” next week.

Pikks Three

Pikkdogs Pikks Three: Expert Belt AR, Snorlax Lv.X RR, and Kingdra Prime UL.

Pikkdogs May 21, 2010 4 Comments

Greetings to the members of Omar Nation. Pikkdogs is back to “Pikk” three cards to review. As always; one will be a staple card, one will be a card that I think is underrated, and one from a new or unreleased set.

I had a talk with the producers of “Pikkdogs Pikks Three” and concluded that this will probably be the last article that has UL cards in the “Young Gun” segment. I think its time to move on and look at some of the cards that have been released in Japan and are on their way across the Pacific (or Atlantic, depending which side of the country your on and which way the plane is flying). But thats to look forward in the future, and this is now.

The Staple- Expert Belt

Description– Expert Belt is a trainer from the Arceus expansion. If you are a newcomer it is a card you will see a lot, and you must learn how to use wisely to win. It is very easy to just play this card Willy Nilly whenever you draw into it and attach it to your main attacker. But, to win consistently you must know when to attach it and when to hold it in your hand.

It is a simple Pokemon Tool Card that can be attached to a Pokemon. When it is, it gives the Pokemon it is attached to an extra 20 HP and its attack to an extra 20 damage to the defending Pokemon. The catch is that when the Pokemon Expert Belt is attached to is knocked out, your opponent may take an extra prize card.

Analysis– As mentioned earlier, this card in not one to be played just for fun, it takes strategy. For example, in a Jumpluff deck if you attach it when you don’t need it for a knock out, and your opponent KO’s you the next turn, you may have just lost the game. It should only be used when it lets you knock out a Pokemon this turn, allows you to not be Knocked Out next turn, and lets you knock out another Pokemon the turn after that. Of course to know this you must know what your opponent is doing and plan 3-5 turns ahead.

There are some cards that can help Expert Belt work better. The most common are Poketurn and Super Scoop Up. These cards allow you to pick up your Pokemon. If you would use it on an Expert Belted Pokemon a turn before it would be Knocked Out, you would save yourself from losing two prizes. Another Combo is with Mismagius GL X. Mismagius has the Poke-Power “Magical Return,” which allows the user to return a Pokemon Tool Card to their hand. This could save the user from losing an extra prize when that Pokemon is knocked out. Eventhough this Poke-Power is really useful, Mismagius is not worth playing in this format because it is almost impossible to establish a benched Lv.X.

Rating-8.5/10 It makes a lot of Pokemon playable (like Kingdra) and makes others more playable (Jumpluff, Gyarados, etc…). It does require an expierenced player to use well, but if you are able to use it wisely you have a big advantage against your opponent.

The Underdog- Snorlax Lv.X RR

Description- Snorlax Lv.X has a respectable 130 HP, a fighting weakness, and a horrid 4 retreat cost. It has a Poke-Power called” Big Appetite”. which allows you to draw six cards and put Snorlax asleep if Snorlax is active. It has one attack named “Exercise.” It costs CCCC does 80 damage and allows you to discard energy cards from your hand, then you may remove damage counters up to how many energy cards you have discarded.

Analysis– I know when people next see me they will say, “Pikkdogs why did you pick such a bad card for your ‘Pikk Three’ article, and why aren’t you wearing any pants?” Well the answer to the first question is that I am looking ahead to a time when Claydol and Uxie have rotated from the format and people are looking for alternate draw power. Snorlax does have the ability to draw cards by itself, and then be a decent attacker. It will be able to use Double Colorless Energy to make attacking easier. It will also be able to use the Ninetails HGSS draw engine because it doesn’t require any specific type of energy. So between Ninetails and “Big Appetite” a Snorlax deck will have lots of draw power and lots of room for another attacker.

Though saying that, still Snorlax will not be a great card after the format. Its attacking is slow and a little underpowered, even though it will have superior draw power. It does have some advanatages though, the regular Snorlax (#81 RR) has an attack that does 50 damage for CC that can be used when it is asleep. It also has a Poke-Body that does not allow the user to retreat when Snorlax is asleep, take that SP decks.

Rating- 6.5/10-As of right now its not a great card. It can be paired with Wigglytuff GE to put your opponent asleep and keep Snorlax awake, but it still comes short. But I think it is underrated because of its potential to be a decent card in the format. In a couple months it could be a decent deck with lots of draw power, but then again who knows if Father time will be good to Snorlax or not.

The Young Gun- Kindra Prime

Description- Kingdra Prime has some questionable stats; 130 HP, lightning weakness, and a 1 retreat cost. Which aren’t that bad but you would expect a little better for a Prime. It has a Poke-Power called “Spray Splash.” It is a great Poke-Power that allows you to put 1 damage counter on 1 of your opponents Pokemon each turn. The power is also stackable meaning that if you have 3 Kingdra Primes in play you can knock out a Hoppip just by using the Poke-Power. It also has one attack called “Dragon Steam”, which does 60 damage (if your opponent has no Fire Pokemon in play, in which case it only does 20) for only one water energy.

Analysis– This has been by far the most hyped card in the set. And by its attacks and stats it looks like many Kingdra cards we are used to. A low energy attack, a 1 retreat, and a weakness to lightning. Its “Dragon Steam” attack can be enhanced with Expert Belt to do 80 damage, which along with its Poke-Power, can make Kingdra Prime a pretty intimidating card. It can be paired with the Kingdra from LA to spread damage to the bench which goes well with Kingdra Primes Poke-Power.

Rating– 6.75/10-Im not drinking the Kingdra Prime Kool-Aid like other people are. Yes it can do a respectable 80 damage with one energy and an Expert Belt, and does have one of the best Poke-Powers in the format. But, Kingdra Prime is similar to the LA Kingdra, and that deck isn’t doing all that great right now. One of the reasons is that Luxray GL is prowling all around the format and can OHKO Kingdra Prime. Another reason is the fact that Kingdra Prime will live and die by how it does in the new format, and the fact is that Ninetails will be very popular. Of course Ninetails is a fire Pokemon and will reduce the damage that Kingdra dishes out. So in close, its a good quick card, but Kingdra will autoloss against any deck that is playing even 1 Fire Pokemon.

So thanks for reading another one of articles, and feel free to leave your comments and reviews of these cards in the comments box.

Pikks Three

Pikkdogs Pikks Three: Uxie La, Handy 910s Pokedex Pt, and Ursaring Prime UL.

Pikkdogs May 16, 2010 6 Comments

Greetings to Omar Nation, once again I am Pikkdogs, and I am here to “Pikk” and review three card; one being a staple, one being an underrated card, and one being a card from a new or unreleased set. As always, feel free to comment on the reviewed cards and let others know what you think of them.

On a side note, just a reminder for everyone out there that the Spring Battle Road season starts very soon. So start finalizing your battle road decks and get ready for some fun tournament action. I love Battle Roads because they are fun informal tournaments where the pressure is off. So I hope you all have fun at your local BRs.

The Staple: Uxie La.

Description- Uxie is a very useful and a very versatile card, but let’s start the analysis by looking at Uxie’s stats. It’s a basic Pokemon with 70 HP, a +20 weakness to Psychic,and a 1 retreat cost. Its Poke-Power is awesome; it’s called “Setup” and lets you draw cards until you have 7 cards in your hand when you play him. Its attack is also decent; its called “Psychic Restore” and it does 20 damage for C, and gives you the option of putting it and all cards attached to it on the bottom of your deck.

Analysis– Wow, this card is one of the best in the current format. One of the reasons why it is so good is that it can be used in many ways. It can be used as a draw engine, for alternate draw power, or as a main attacker. Some decks like Shuppet decks use Uxie as their main draw engine. The user lays down Uxie to draw a lot of cards, then they can use Super Scoop Up to pick him up and use it again. Other decks like SP decks use Uxie as an alternate draw engine. SP decks use the Cyrus’s Conspiracy draw engine and use Uxie to help draw cards when the player is in a bind. Other decks that use Claydol also use Uxie to get a fast setup. It can also be used as a main attacker in a donk deck. The player could add an expert belt to Uxie, attach any energy card (including Cyclone), and as many plus powers as you want, then put them all on the bottom of the deck and get ready to draw them again next turn. It is also a staple card in an AMU deck.

Rating– 9/10- it is very versatile and very useful. Almost every deck can use Uxie to make their deck better. It also have a very helpful Lv.X card that any deck could use. So whether he is your main attacker, your draw engine, or a mixture of both, most players love their Uxie for a good reason.

The Underdog- Handy 910s Pokedex

Description– Handy 910’s Pokedex is a simple trainer card. It allows you to look at the top 2 cards of your deck and choose 1 to put in your hand, then put the other on the bottom of your deck. It is similar to Uxie Lv.X’s Poke-Power “Trade-Off.”

Analysis– Pokedex is a card that not many people talk about, and only a few people play it seriously. But it is a good card and should be used more often. It is mostly played in speed decks like Shuppet Donk. It allows the user to go through their deck pretty fast and get a card that they want without using a supporter. But it can be used in almost every other deck to increase speed. The downsides of the card are that you never know what card you are going to reveal with the top cards of your deck, so it’s a bit of a risky card. There are cards that can help you re-arrange your deck to your liking like Ralts Pt, but they aren’t really worth it.

Rating– 6.5/10- It’s a good card that can be used in any deck. It is indispensible in a speed deck, like Shuppet, and helps the deck work. Even though it can work in almost any deck, I would only run it if I have speed issues or have open deck room. But when it is used, it can be a very good0 card.

The Young Gun: Ursaring Prime UL.

Description- Ursaring Prime is one of the new Primes from the Unleashed set. It has 110 HP, a Fighting weakness, and a three retreat cost. Its Poke-Body “Berserk” adds an extra 60 damage to any of its attacks when it has at least 1 damage counter on it. Its first attack, “Hammer Arm” does thirty damage for CCC and lets you mill one card from your opponents deck. Its second attack, “Megaton Lariat” does 60 damage for CCCC. Ursaring’s attacks aren’t very flashy, but when combined with its Poke-Body its attacks are dangerous.

Analysis– As mentioned Ursaring needs at least 1 damage counter on it to be dangerous, and it has a high energy requirement, so it will need some support to work well. But, Unown P and DCE are in the format and could come into a deck to help Ursaring. Unown P has a Poke-Power called “Put” that allows you to place a damage counter on one of your Pokemon. This will help to make the most out of Ursaring’s attacks. Double Colorless energy is also a great card that can support Ursaring. It provides CC instead of just C, making it possible to have Ursaring hitting for 120 by turn 2. Another thing about Ursaring Prime is that since it does not need any specific energy cards, it will be able to utilize the Ninetails HGSS draw engine. That means if Claydol and Uxie are bounced from the format, Ursaring can just use Ninetails and not miss a step. I also love the “Hammer Arm” attack because it mills a card from your opponents deck. The milling may not have a huge effect on the game, but then again if you mill the right card you might be able to change the game around. If you love this attack as much as I do, you might feel like adding Chatot G as a combo, for its Poke-Power “Disrupting Spy”, so you will almost always mill something good.

Rating– 7.5/10. It does have high energy attacks and a fairly low 110 HP, but I think Ursaring can be playable after the rotation kicks in. Even before the rotation, it is still a decent card, and can be used to supplement a lot of other cards in the format.

Pikks Three

Pikkdogs Pikks Three: Garchomp C Lv.X, Pokemon Reversal, and Seviper CoL

Pikkdogs Pikks Three: Mesprit La, Jirachi, Ul, and Rescue Energy.

Pikkdogs Pikks Three: Luxray Gl Lv.x, Regirock La, and Energy Exchanger UD.

Pikkdogs Pikks Three: Gengar SF, Shedinja SV, Umbreon Prime.

Pikkdogs Pikks Three: Chatot Md, Plusle SV, Manaphy Ul.

Pikkdogs Pikks Three: Machamp SF, Super Scoop Up, and Vileplume Undaunted

Pikkdogs Pikks Three: Uxie Lv.X, Cherrim SF, and Espeon Prime

Pikkdogs Pikks Three: Regice LA, Magmortar UL, and Legend Box

Pikkdogs Pikks Three: Expert Belt AR, Snorlax Lv.X RR, and Kingdra Prime UL.

Pikkdogs Pikks Three: Uxie La, Handy 910s Pokedex Pt, and Ursaring Prime UL.

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