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Name:
Raichu ex
Type:
Electric
Stage:
1 ex (evolves from Pikachu)
HP:
100
Weakness:
Fighting
Resistance:
None
Retreat:
C
Attack#1:
(L) Dazzle Blast [20]
Flip a coin. If
heads, the Defending Pokémon is now confused.
Attack#2:
(LLC) Mega Thunderbolt [120]
Discard Energy
Cards attached to Raichu ex.
Name:
Only one Raichu ex, so it has no direct competition.
Type:
Few Pokémon are Resistant to Electrics, and a good deal are weak.
Stage:
Well, it’s a Stage 1, and that is of course better than being a
Stage 2 but worse than a basic. You will need a Pikachu to get
this into play, and there are ridiculous amounts of them. Most
are mediocre, but a few stand out: Blackstar Promo #1 (Lv16), with
a nice 60 HP, Blackstar Promo #5 (Lv13) since it could search your
deck and attach energy to itself with is first attack, Jungle
Pikachu since it could hit the bench, Neo Genesis Pikachu since it
had a 50% chance of doing 30 for (C), and Sandstorm Pikachu, which
can do 40 for LCC. There are many Stage 1 Electric Pokémon to
compete with. Lastly, we should address that this is indeed a
Pokémon ex. As such, should it be KO’d, your opponent
receives two prizes. =/
Hit Points
(HP): 100 is a record for
a Raichu… but this is a Raichu ex, so it should have more
than you’d see on a plain Raichu. That’s not really the case:
Raichu tend to have 80 HP, and some are even at 90! Only Dark and
Shining Raichus had less, and then they were still 70! So, while
its HP is good, it not what you expect from a Pokémon ex
(the only other evo this low is Aerodactyl ex.
Weakness:
This, on the other hand, is exactly what we’d expect. Every
Raichu (and Pikachu) has it, and so do most other Electric types.
It can be pretty bad: this is the only Evolved Pokémon ex
that the Holo-Rare Hariyama can OHKO! It doesn’t even OHKO most
of the basic Pokémon ex. Fighting types have also been
notoriously easy to “splash” (added to off color decks) with
little difficulty. Tyrouge is practically a staple! At least it
only has one Weakness.
Resistance:
Grrr… Nothing. They gave Electabuzz ex one, why not Raichu
ex?
Retreat:
Now this is more like it. A retreat of one is the second best in
the game. It is rarer on Stage 1 Pokémon than on basics, and is
even rarer on Pokémon ex. You should be able to pay this
relatively easy, in spite of the second attack.
Attack#1:
A nice, inexpensive, reliable attack and it needs to be (see the
second attack). 20 for (L) is already ever so slightly
discounted, but you also get a 50% chance of Confusion. Confusion
is often under-estimated now, but with the one-retreat-per-turn
rule and placement of damage counters (instead of doing damage),
the flip less retreat was necessary to keep it balanced. At the
same time, remember that this is a Pokémon ex, and is
supposed to be more powerful than normal. A pretty good attack,
but perhaps an energy attaching attack like Plasma would have been
better.
Attack#2:
This is so over-priced. It looks good at first: (LCC) should only
do 40 damage, but then you remember you will be discarding that as
a minimum. So that should account for another 50 damage,
minimum. We do get 30 more than that, but still, this leaves you
fairly vulnerable. Add into the fact that this is a Pokémon ex,
and this is the last spot for it to prove it’s worth risking an
extra prize for.
Uses/Combinations: Might
not be bad Teched into a Raichu deck for extra power. Could also
be better if it either a) had access to its prevo’s attacks and/or
b) had something else to help it recharge. As such, it might be
nice with the Holo-rare Manectric or Neo Revelation Aerodactyl
(imagine it having Zapp! and Recharge). Definitely want some sort
of healing given its status as a Pokémon ex. Pokémon Nurse
would be nice, especially if you had already dumped your energy.
Miscellaneous:
This card just doesn’t
seem worth it. If it were a plain Raichu, it would be the best.
If it had the normal 80 HP it would still be good. It just
doesn’t seem to do enough for the risks you take.
Ratings
Unlimited:
2/5-Maybe with Areodactyl
(or Memory Berry/Recall) it would be nice. Otherwise, it is
asking o be KO’d, and KO’d quick by Tyrogues and Sneasels.
Modified
(Neon): 2.5/5-It has some
nice combos here, but it faces Tyrogues and two good Hitmonchan,
plus has to out-speed Encargo and ‘Gatr. It does get some nice
support though.
Modified
(LC/Eon): 3.5/5-It
actually does enough damage to handle the big boys of this
format. Still ahs decent support.
Nintendo Only: 3/5-Due
to the large number of Fighting Weak Pokémon, everyone should be
running Mahukitas, and many can squeeze in an entire Fighting
line!
TMP:
3/5-A teammate can play the support you need o keep it alive and
powered up-just watch those twin Tyrogues!
2-on-2:
The Holo-Hariyama get’s better
here, and I noticed that some other fighters also do more in this
format, and that’s bad for ‘chu (Sorry, I couldn’t resist the
pun).
Draft:
3/5-Only because its first attack is good enough to justify using
it until you can re-power, and the Pikachu in Sandstorm is okay
too.
Overall, I guess
it is better than I thought, but still not up to the hype.
-Otaku |
