Name:
Team Aqua’s Manectric
Set/Card#:
Team Magma vs. Team Aqua, #4/97
Type:
Dark/Electric
Stage:
1 (Evolves from Team Aqua’s Electrike)
HP:
70
Weakness:
Fighting
Resistance:
Metal
Retreat:
C
Poké-Power:
Power Shift
Attack:
(LCC)
Thunderspark [50]
Does 10
damage to each Benched Pokémon (both yours and your
opponent’s) that has Energy cards attached to it.
(Don’t apply Weakness and Resistance for Benched Pokémon.)
Name:
Team Aqua’s Manectric
Set/Card#:
Team Magma vs. Team Aqua, #29/97
Type:
Electric
Stage:
1 (Evolves from Team Aqua’s Electrike)
HP:
80
Weakness:
Fighting
Resistance:
Metal
Retreat:
C
Attack#1:
(LC)
Aqua Beam [20]
If the
Defending Pokémon has Team Magma in its name, the
Defending Pokémon is now Confused.
Attack#2:
(LCC) Chaos Crush [50]
If the
Defending Pokémon is Confused, discard an Energy card
attached to the Defending Pokémon.
Name:
Team Aqua’s Electrike
Set/Card#:
Team Magma vs. Team Aqua, #27/97
Type:
Electric
Stage:
Basic
HP:
50
Weakness:
Fighting
Resistance:
Metal
Retreat:
C
Attack#1:
(L) Random Spark
Choose 1
of your opponent’s Pokémon. This attack does 10 damage to
that Pokémon. (Don’t apply Weakness and Resistance for
Benched Pokémon.)
Attack#2:
(CC) Plasma [10]
Flip a
coin. If heads, search your discard pile for a (L) Energy
card and attach it to Team Aqua’s Electrike.
Name:
Team Aqua’s Electrike
Set/Card#:
Team Magma vs. Team Aqua, #52/97
Type:
Electric
Stage:
Basic
HP:
50
Weakness:
Fighting
Resistance:
Metal
Retreat:
C
Attack#1:
(C) Scratch [10]
Attack#2:
(LC) Thundershock [10]
Flip a
coin. If heads, the Defending Pokémon is now Paralyzed.
Name:
Team Aqua’s Electrike
Set/Card#:
Team Magma vs. Team Aqua, #53/97
Type:
Electric
Stage:
Basic
HP:
50
Weakness:
Fighting
Resistance:
Metal
Retreat:
C
Attack#1:
(C) Self Charge
Attach an
Energy card from your hand to Team Aqua’s Electrike.
Attack#2:
(CC) Tackle [20]
Attributes:
There are two versions of Team Aqua’s Manectric (often
referred to as TAM). Both are Stage 1 Pokémon, but while
one version is a plain Electric-type, the other version is
both Dark and Electric at the same time-this is a new game
“mechanic” introduced in Team Aqua Vs. Team Magma (TMvTA for
short). Obviously, the Dark/Electric hybrid is better than
being a straight Electric, since it lets you make use of
Dark Weakness, and only Unown D reduces the damage done by
Dark Pokémon. Note that you apply both types when you
attack, so you can’t switch off to whatever type might be
more advantageous. Since neither is a basic, it will take
more effort to get them into play. You have two legal ways
to get either TAM into play: through evolving a Team Aqua’s
Electrike or using Archie to play it as a Basic. I
recommend using a combination of both, since in Unlimited
you have to deal with Neo Genesis Slowking and in Modified
you might need your Supporter use for other things. Of the
Electrikes, I would recommend #53/97, since it can attach an
extra energy from hand, guaranteed, and it’s all Colorless
attack costs.
Jumping
back to the Manectric, #4 has 70 HP, while #29 has 80HP.
Obviously, the 80 is better, but the 70 is adequate for a
Stage 1. The bottom stats are the same for both cards:
Weakness to Fighting, which makes them all but unplayable in
Unlimited (not they would be great there without the
Weakness) where Neo Discovery Tyrogue can OHKO them with
Plus Powers and a “heads”. In Modified, Fighting decks are
seen less, but assuming something is done to tone down the
Firestarter variants, then people should try playing them
more, since a lot of them kick butt. Still, Fighting
Weakness might be the best for now. Metal Resistance is
nice-again, if The Firestarter decks are somehow brought
under control, there are some strong Metal decks: Aggron
ex/SS Xatu, SS Steelix/SS Xatu, and AQ Scizor/SS Xatu. So
Metal Resistance is nice. Finally for attributes, the
retreat is a nice, low cost of one. This makes retreating
fairly simple.
Abilities:
I’ll start with #29, as it is less impressive. Aqua Beam is
fairly priced, since you pay for 25 but get 20 with
Confusion if you hit the right opponent. Chaos Crush is
discounted: you pay for 35, but get 50, and if the opponent
is Confused, you get to discard an Energy card attached to
the Defending Pokémon. Together these attacks are more or
less fair for a Stage 1 Pokémon. It is #4 that most people
will care about: the attack is nice. For (LCC), you again
get 50 when that only pay for
35. You also get the mixed blessing of nailing all benched
Pokémon with at least one Energy card attached
for 10 damage. Assuming anything
ever takes the Firestarter variants down a notch, bench
damage is really potent in this format. Sadly, it hits your
bench along with your opponents. Of course, the real reason
to play this is to make the Firestarter decks even more
broken. Power Shift let’s you move Energy that is attached
to a Team Aqua’s Pokémon to your active Pokémon. I’ll
explain why it is so good in the next section.
Uses/Combinations:
Well, you could use it to set up a “hit and run” style deck
using Team Aqua Pokémon (attack with something, Switch it to
the bench, moves its Energy up to your new guy, and heal
with Pokémon Nurse), but there is a better use: Firestarter
decks. Now instead of Blaziken/Ampharos/Rayquaza, which
needed two Stage 2 Pokémon, we can just use a Stage 1. TAM
is more limited in ability (Expedition Ampharos could move
Energy from any Benched Pokémon to the Active Pokémon), but
with TAM, not only do you get a Pokémon that is one Stage
lower, but that can be searched out and played as a Basic
via a Supporter. This gives even more speed to the
Firestarter Variants. It also quashes my hope that we just
have to wait for the next set rotation to be freed from the
broken Firestarter variants: the best versions needed
Pokémon that are from WotC’s
e-card sets, so when those rotated out, we would have been
freed. Oh well.
Ratings
Unlimited:
1.5/5-I guess there are a few bizarre decks that could use
this, but I don’t think they’d really hold up to the
competition here.
Modified:
3.5/5-This is now the choice for Firestarter Variants using
Rayquaza ex.
Timed right, you have an even faster set-up, since you can
burn your Supporter for the first turn on getting it out,
then use PETM for Blaziken next
turn.
Limited:
3.5/5-Here it is great for setting up a “hit and run”
strategy”, as well as nasty bench damage.
2-on-2:
3.75/5-With two actives, you can make it next to impossible
for an opponent to be reprisal free on the next turn for
taking out your attacker in Firestarter variants-the Energy
would already be in the discard, and you probably already
have a second big hitter up.
TMP:
3.75/5-Now you can split the deck requirements up. Based on
the wording, I would assume that
Blaziken’s Firestarter retargets each use, so that it
can be used once on your turn for either player. TAM is
“global”, so it’s only good for one player, but
two TAM is all one player needs
for him/her and his/her teammate.
Summary
ON its
own, this card is alright, maybe even just average.
Combining it with Rayquaza ex and Firestarter Blaziken are
what yield a broken deck. Personally, instead of banning
anything, I favor rotating out the WotC sets ASAP and
issuing an errata for this card,
to make it only affect its teammates for both parts of the
effect. That weakens Firestarter without destroying it.
