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Pojo's Pokémon Card of the Day

		Black Kyurem EX - Boundaries Crossed Date Reviewed: Nov. 29, 2012 Ratings & Reviews Summary Modified: 1.50 Limited: 3.75 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
Combos With:

Baby Mario 2010 UK National Seniors Champion

Black Kyurem-EX (Boundaries Crossed) Observant readers will have already picked up on the trend the reviews are taking this week, and there are absolutely no prizes for guessing what tomorrow’s card is. Today though, we are stuck with Black Kyurem-EX, which looks every bit as awkward and intimidating as you would expect a forced fusion between an Ice and an Electric Dragon to look. I applaud Pokémon for coming up with this new concept, but I’m still not 100% sure how much I actually like it. Anyhoo . . . time to review the card itself. Black Kyurem-EX is a Dragon Type EX Basic with 180 HP. Being a Dragon means that it is Weak to its own Type, which is fine against non-Dragon decks, but means that this Pokémon will be in a world of trouble against the faster, better, and still pretty popular Rayquaza(s). The Retreat cost of three can be pretty nasty as well, as we shall see. When it comes to attacks, Black Kyurem-EX offers the big numbers that we love (well, the second attack does), but not the practicality that we need. The first, Dragon Fang, costs one Lightning and two Colourless, and for that you get just 60 damage and a coin flip for Paralysis. Paired with Fliptini, it would make the Status Condition more reliable, but if that’s what you are going for, then Thunder Wave Tynamo and Raikou-EX get the job done for less. Freeze Shock is at least capable of doing a lot of damage (150), but for the fairly ridiculous cost of one Water, two Lightning, and one Colourless Energy. Unfortunately, this still leaves you short of the OHKO on a fresh EX, and that’s a pretty serious position to be in with Black Kyurem-EX because the attack also has a crippling drawback: after using Freeze Shock, Black Kyurem-EX cannot attack on your next turn, not even with Dragon Fang. This is blatantly horrible, and made much worse by the card’s Retreat cost. This means that, after doing 150 to an opponent’s EX you are going to need a Switch and another powered up attacker to finish the job. Seriously, why would you even bother? Obviously, with those high attack costs, you are going to need to run Eelektrik to help out with Energy acceleration, but then that raises the question of why you would pair Eelektrik with this instead of Rayquaza-EX, which does not cap its damage at the point below an EX OHKO and is much easier to stream attacks with? The card designers have tried to provide an answer to that question with the card that is up for review tomorrow, but it is going to have to be nothing short of stellar to save a card which pretty much seems to sabotage itself with its high attack costs and horrible drawbacks. Rating Modified: 1.5 (worse than White Kyurem-EX . . . much worse) Limited: 3.5 (eh, it’s a big tanky thing, and you would probably play it for that reason alone)

virusyosh

Greetings once again, Pojo! Today we're reviewing the counterpart to Tuesday's Card of the Day, as well as a version mascot of the relatively newer Black 2 video game. Today's Card of the Day is Black Kyurem-EX.   Black Kyurem-EX is a Basic Dragon Pokemon-EX. Dragons are very popular these days, as they have a combination of powerful moves and Abilities with the slight drawback of requiring multiple Energy types. As a Pokemon-EX, Black Kyurem-EX will really have to be both powerful and effective in order to see play, as the opponent takes two Prizes for Knocking it Out. 180 HP is standard for most Pokemon-EX, and ensures that Black Kyurem will survive at least one powerful unboosted hit before being Knocked Out, usually two. Unfortunately, Black Kyurem-EX's Dragon Weakness means that the commonly played Rayquaza, Rayquaza-EX, and Hydreigon will all OHKO, but Eviolite and careful planning can at least temporariily keep these threats at bay. Equally unfortunate is Black Kyurem-EX's lack of Resistance, as well as its rather large Retreat Cost of 3, although the latter means that it is searchable with Heavy Ball.   Like White Kyurem, Black Kyurem-EX has two attacks. Dragon Fang does 60 damage and Paralyzes on a coin flip for a Lightning and two Colorless Energy, which is somewhat below average for a Pokemon-EX's attack. Even still, the attack can pull its weight if you're waiting to power up Freeze Shock, and also works quite nicely in Limited, where it has favorable Energy requirements. Speaking of Freeze Shock, it does 150 damage for a Water, two Lightning, and a Colorless, with the effect of Black Kyurem-EX not being able to attack during your next turn. 150 damage for four Energy is pretty good regardless of the crazy requirements, but negating Black Kyurem's ability to attack during your next turn is really bad, especially on a Pokemon-EX with a huge Retreat Cost.   It is worth noting that like White Kyurem-EX, Black Kyurem-EX also has a dedicated ACE SPEC Pokemon Tool. Crystal Wall raises Black Kyurem-EX's maximum HP to 300, and while this HP score is unprecedented in the Pokemon TCG, Black Kyurem's subpar attacks (for an EX) will likely relegate the point moot. However, if you really want to run Black Kyurem-EX, it's a strong option for making it survive a little better.   Modified: 1.5/5 While I'm admittedly being somewhat harsh, I can't seem to find a playable circumstance for Black Kyurem-EX in the current Modified environment. Neither of its attacks are very good for a Pokemon-EX, and while Crystal Wall gives it tons of HP, the attacks and typing negate this advantage. Black Kyurem-EX can be potentially paired with Eelektrik to power it up faster, but even still, Rayquaza-EX, Zekrom-EX, and Raikou-EX are usually better options.   Limited: 4/5 Black Kyurem-EX is good in Limited. Dragon Fang is a relatively powerful attack with a great effect for flexible Energy requirements, and Freeze Shock obliterates nearly every opposing Pokemon in Boundaries Crossed Limited regardless of the no attacking drawback. Therefore, if you pull a Black Kyurem-EX, you should probably use it. If you get a Crystal Wall to go with it, even better.   Combos With: Eelektrik NV