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Pojo's Pokémon Card of the Day

 

Flareon #12

Dark Explorers

Date Reviewed: June 11, 2012

Ratings & Reviews Summary

Modified: 1.90
Limited: 4.00

Ratings are based on a 1 to 5 scale.
1 being the worst. 
3 ... average.  
5 is the highest rating.

Back to the main COTD Page

Baby Mario
2010 UK National
Seniors
Champion

Flareon (Dark Explorers)

Hello and welcome to a (mostly) Eeveelution-themed week here on Pojo’s CotD. Eevee and his many Evolutions are some of the most popular cards in the game, due to their high levels of cuteness. In the past, they have been a part of some top tier decks, such as Flariados and Absolutions – the deck that won both US Nats and the World Championship in 2007. Since then, it’s been a bit of a lean time for Eevee and friends, so let’s see if the latest bunch of cards will give their fans something to cheer about.

We kick off the week with Flareon, a Fire Type Stage 1 Pokémon with just 90 HP. That’s not a good start. Water Weakness is ok though, and the Retreat cost of one is decent. Let’s hope the attacks are good.

Flareon’s first attack is pretty ok for what it costs. One Energy of any Colour gets you Sand-Attack, which does 20 damage and forces the Defending Pokémon to flip a coin to see if they can attack Flareon on their turn. Of course, they can always Retreat and KO it with something else, but at least Sand-Attack forces them into using resources to do that. The damage output won’t gain you many Prizes, but it can help Flareon to survive a turn if you are lucky, and for one Energy? You really can’t complain. Assuming that Flareon does last the turn, you can use Fire Slash. This attack costs one Fire and two Colourless Energy (making it DCE compatible) and does 60 points of effect-free damage. That’s not very impressive, but you do have the option of discarding a Fire Energy and hitting for a total of 90. I like the fact that the discard is optional, and 90 damage isn’t too bad for the cost (it will two-hit KO any EX Pokémon without Eviolite).

So . . . do two good-ish attacks make for a playable, competitive Pokémon? Sadly, not when they are printed on a 90 HP Stage 1. Flareon is just outmuscled by virtually every usable attacking Pokémon in the format. Sure it can KO anything with two turns of Fire Slash, but the fact is that it is unlikely to survive after using the first one, and keeping up a constant stream of Stage 1 attackers that need three Energy is just not practical. I probably say this every time a Fire Pokémon comes up for review, but there’s no reason for anyone to use this card over the far superior Reshiram BLW.

Rating

Modified: 2.25 (it’s an ok card in a format where being ok is nowhere near enough)

Limited: 4 (can shine in a slower format thanks to those really solid attacks)

virusyosh

Welcome back, Pojo readers! I hope that all of you had great success at your local Battle Roads, and that you all have better ideas as to what to take to Nats! We're doing more Dark Explorers reviews this week, so be sure to check back for more updates. Today we're going to kick things off by reviewing one of the new Eevee evolutions in the set. Today's Card of the Day is Flareon.
 
Flareon is a Stage 1 Fire Pokemon. Fire-types are basically non-existent in Modified right now, with Reshiram, Reshiram-EX, Emboar, and Typhlosion all seeing very little play; however, with the domination shown by Darkrai-EX, Eelektrik, and other fast Energy acceleration, Fire is all but a dead type in the tournament scene. 90 HP is standard for a Stage 1, allowing Flareon to take a middling hit, but sadly still falling to the likes of Darkrai-EX's Night Spear, Tornadus-EX's Power Blast, Zekrom's Bolt Strike, and more often than not, Mewtwo-EX's X Ball. Water Weakness is practically irrelevant in Modified, but could make a difference in Limited; no Resistance is to be expected, and a Retreat Cost of 1 is easy to pay.
 
The Flame Pokemon has two attacks. Sand Attack is your standard damaging effect with protection, dealing 20 damage for a single Colorless, but also preventing your opponent from attacking during their next turn if they flip tails. Note that benching the Pokemon this effect is on will end the effect, so if your opponent retreats, they can attack you as normal. 20 damage isn't enough for an evolved Pokemon in Modified, even with the attack prevention, but the attack has somewhat of a niche in Limited, as it can be potentially great at stalling your opponent out for a minimal, splashable cost.
 
Fire Slash is Flareon's second attack, dealing 60 points of damage for a Fire and two Colorless, with the option of discarding a Fire Energy to do 30 more damage. Options are always a great thing to have in the Pokemon TCG, and this card is no exception. While 60 damage for three Energy is a bit underwhelming by Modified standards, 90 damage for three is decent. In Limited, both are great, as you can choose not to discard if you don't need to deal the extra damage. Colorless-friendly Energy requirements are also a nice added touch.
 
Modified: 1.5/5 Fire is a dead type here, and even still, Flareon is largely outclassed by Reshiram and Reshiram-EX, which are generally better options.
 
Limited: 4/5 Flareon is a solid choice in Limited. Both attacks have Colorless Energy requirements, and while flippy, neither attack has a drawback, making Flareon a card with decent upside. While it won't deal punishing amounts of damage like the Pokemon-EX, Flareon is very solid and can easily fit into your Limited deck if you manage to run a few Fire Energy to make the most of its attack.


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