Baby Mario
Top 4 UK Nats |
Golem Lv 56
Hello . . . I hope you all had a great Christmas and
that you are looking forward to another (short) week of
Pojo’s CotD.
We kick off with Golem from the recent Arceus set. I
must admit, when I first saw this card I was intrigued.
Previous Golem have all been cards with overpriced,
underpowered attacks. In fact, I don’t think I have ever
seen one used in a competitive deck. This one looks to
have a bit more going for it: could it make the grade
this time?
Well, the top and bottom stats get Golem off to a
good start. 140 HP is at the top end, even for a Stage
2. The +30 Weakness to Grass isn’t much of a problem as
Grass decks aren’t all that common these days. The real
star here, though, is the Lightning Resistance . . .
take that Luxray! Resisting the most popular card in the
format is great. The Retreat Cost is predictably heavy,
so be prepared to pack a few Switches or Warp Points in
to any deck you build with this card.
Golem’s first Attack, Lunge Down, is very nice.
Reasonably priced at 50 damage for [F][C], it gives you
a way of attacking for decent damage by your second
turn, while you are waiting for something better.
Luckily Golem does have something better. Ignore the
expensive Rock Tumble which does 80 for [F][F][C][C],
and take a look at Tumble Down. Sure, it has a base
damage of only 30 for three Energy, but you may increase
that damage by 30 for each Fighting Energy that you
discard from your hand. Obvious cards to combo with this
would be the reliable Bronzong SF, or the more risky,
but potentially more rewarding, Sandslash SV, which lets
you look at the top 5 cards of your deck and take any
[F] Energy you find there. Run with these cards, a high
Energy count, and plenty of cards to get Energy back
from the Discard, Golem can be dishing out substantial
damage every turn, while being very difficult to knock
out itself (making it an ideal candidate for Expert
Belt, incidentally).
But that’s where the problem arises. To be at its
most effective, Golem needs three Energy attached, and
quite a lot of support on the Field. Having to run lots
of Energy also means that there is less room for the
Trainers which would make the deck run smoothly and
consistently.
Nevertheless, I like Golem: its excellent typing and
ability to tank with Expert Belt could make it the main
hitter in a dangerous borderline-playable rogue deck.
It’s probably too slow to be top tier, but it isn’t far
off.
Rating
Modified: 3 (interesting card with potential)
Limited: 3 (just tanking and using the first attack
would work here)
|
