Baby Mario
2010 UK
National
Seniors
Champion |
Lucario
(Next Destinies)
I first started playing Pokémon in a serious competitive
way just before Diamond and Pearl was released. One of
the stellar cards in that set was
Lucario: it did a very solid 40 + 20
for just two Energy and it
also had a cheap Colourless attack. The 90 HP seemed
reasonable and the card found its way into quite a few
highly successful decks including Mario (Machamp/Lucario),
Empoleon/Lucario,
and later Blissey/Lucario.
I mention that card and how good it was because the
review for today is of a card which is really very
similar. In fact in some ways it’s an improvement on the
original: it has 110 HP as opposed to 90, the same
Retreat cost, and an improved version of the Aura Sphere
attack, which now does 50 +20 snipe for the same cost
of two Fighting Energy. Ok,
it does have that double Weakness, which is a pain with
Mewtwo-EX around, but as a
bonus you get Reflexive Retaliation, an Ability which
acts just like Rocky Helmet (or
Druddigon NV’s Rough Skin) and means that every
time your opponent attacks Lucarion,
they put two damage counters on their attacking Pokémon.
It’s not something that will make or break a card, but
it’s definitely nice to have.
So, what is the fate of this new and (somewhat) improved
version of DP Lucario? Well,
unlike its older brother, its destiny is to sit snugly
in the binder and be one of those
Rares that causes a feeling of disappointment
when you see it in your pack. The power creep in Pokémon
has been so steep over the last few years that Aura
Sphere is now depressingly weak and useless in the face
of 130-180 HP Basics that can all OHKO poor little
Lucario with ease. In truth,
it’s period in the spotlight
was limited even back in the DP days, and it definitely
didn’t choose a very good time to make a comeback.
Rating
Modified: 1.75 (A card from another era that got left
behind)
Limited: 3 (The Ability is useful here, and less
damaging attacks can still be effective)
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virusyosh |
Happy Friday, Pojo readers! Today we end our COTD
week with the latest printing of a fan favorite. Today's
Card of the Day is Lucario from Next Destinies.
Lucario is a Stage 1 Fighting Pokemon. Fighting-types
are very rare in Modified these days aside from the
omnipresent Terrakion; however, given the amount of play
that Zekrom and other Lightning-types see, I wouldn't be
surprised if some other Fighting-types start seeing play
as well. Lucario has a slightly above average 100 HP for
a Stage 1, which is just enough to take a few attacks
but lose out on higher-powered assaults. Psychic
Weakness is terrible against Mewtwo-EX, no Resistance is
to be expected, and a single Retreat Cost is easily paid
for.
This Aura Pokemon has an Ability and a single attack.
Reflexive Retaliation is a "Strikes Back" type ability
that puts 2 damage counters on your opponent's attacking
Pokemon if it deals damage to Lucario. Inflicting 20
damage on your opponent is always nice, however the
Ability is much more useful in Limited, as the power
level of the format is much lower than that of Modified.
Chances are, Reflexive Retaliation will get one,
possibly two uses in Modified, whereas that number jumps
between three and four in Limited, depending on your
opponent's Pokemon and your ability to heal Lucario.
Overall, the damage is nice, but the Ability by itself
doesn't make Lucario worth running.
Aura Sphere, Lucario's attack, does 50 damage for two
Fighting Energy, as well as 20 damage to one of your
opponent's Benched Pokemon. This attack has middling
attack power for its cost in Modified, and is almost
comparable to Terrakion's Retaliate. However, Terrakion
is a Basic and Lucario is a Stage 1, so Terrakion still
has an advantage there, even if the overall damage
output is less. In Limited, 50 damage for two Energy is
generally good, even if two Energy of one particular
type are required. The secondary effect makes a good
attack even better for this format.
Modified: 1.75/5 Reflexive Retaliation has the
possibility of being good and Lucario's typing would
help it fight Zekrom as a metagame choice, but you're
probably better off sticking with a Basic like Terrakion,
as Basics require fewer resources and have more support
options available to them. Lucario's low HP and terrible
Weakness don't help matters, either.
Limited: 4/5 Lucario is very good in Limited. Reflexive
Retaliation is always good in a low-powered format, and
Aura Sphere deals great damage with a bit of sniping for
a very reasonable cost. The only potential downside to
Lucario is the double Fighting cost, but pulling one of
these should probably skew you toward playing Fighting
anyway. Its HP could also be a bit higher, but that's
true of most Pokemon. Overall, Lucario is an excellent
choice for Limited that can easily frustrate your
opponent.
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