Intro
Stats
Maractus
is a Basic Grass-Type Pokémon.
Being a Basic is the best right
now; it doesn’t guarantee it will be
good, but rather makes it less
difficult.
Basic Pokémon enjoy their usual
benefits of requiring less resources and
time to get into play, plus actually
have support cards to make using them
easier.
Grass ironically doesn’t have any
real support I am aware of, and even
pseudo-support (that helps cards using
Grass Energy) is pretty lackluster.
The main benefit comes from
hitting a few popular Fighting-Type
Pokémon for double damage via Weakness.
90 HP is not really small, but in a
format with this combination of speed
and damage yield, it isn’t big either;
many decks can hit this figure through
just basic attacking.
You’re probably safe the first
turn and maybe even the second, but most
decks should OHKO
Maractus come turn three.
At least you enjoy the slight
benefit of
Maractus being a legal
Level Ball target.
Fire Weakness is relatively safe at the
moment, as the only Fire-Type I can
think of seeing tournament level play in
a serious amount is
Ho-Oh EX (BW: Dragons Exalted
22/124, BW: Dragons Exalted
119/124), but that is basically just
saving it needing one extra basic Energy
(and basic Energy Type) attached.
Again, most decks will come close
anyway once they get their main attacker
using its preferred attack.
The Water Resistance could come in
handy; right now all I am seeing played
for Water is
Empoleon (BW: Dark Explorers
29/108), but even if I am not mistaken
there are some powerful looking
Water-Types next set and they actually
seem like they will live up to the hype.
Of course, most Water attackers
will have the option of mowing down
Maractus anyway, but at least it
will take a slightly bigger effort.
Last for the Stats is the two Energy
retreat; I don’t know why
Maractus is saddled with it, but
this is not a good Retreat score.
Functionally, it would seem
average; two Energy is not so much that
it is especially hard (Double
Colorless Energy can fund it in one
go), but it certainly sets you back.
It feels a bit worse since you
are too big to enjoy
Skyarrow Bridge granting a free
Retreat (though lowering it to one is
still much better) and you don’t get the
slight bonus of being a legal
Heavy Ball target (but that isn’t
really a huge benefit).
Effects
Maractus
has two attacks.
The first is Stun Needle, and for
(GC) it does 20 points of damage and
gives you a 50% shot a Paralysis (via a
coin flip, of course).
This is underwhelming and would
maybe be adequate on a Basic Pokémon
that Evolved twice more.
The second attack is Reinforced Needle,
and it isn’t much better, requiring
(GCC) and hitting for 40 with an effect;
40 more points of damage if
Maractus has a Pokémon Tool
attached.
Simply put, the card needed to
hit for 80 flat given the Energy
required and lackluster first attack,
though one would probably want to have a
Pokémon Tool attached.
Usage
Maractus
has two alternate options.
All versions are Basic Grass-Type
Pokémon with Fire Weakness, Water
Resistance, a Retreat of two and two
attacks.
The first candidate has multiple
printings: Black & White 11/114
and McDonald’s 2011 2/12.
We’ve reviewed this version
before, and while the format has
changed, it hasn’t gotten better.
It has 80 HP, 10 less than the other two
versions.
For (G) it hits for 20 while
healing 20 from itself; healing usually
doesn’t work too well unless you’re
massive and it’s a sizable amount, and
the damage done is merely okay.
I would much rather it just did a
flat 30 or 40 without the healing.
Its big attack requires (GGC) and
gives you four coin flips, scoring 20
points of damage per heads. It isn’t
even
Double Colorless Energy compliant,
so it really should have been scoring
30, 40, maybe even 50 per “heads”.
BW: Dragons Exalted
12/124 is the last alternative, and has
stats identical to today’s review.
For (G) it lets you flip three
coins, which means a total of eight
possible outcomes; however since only
the amount of the “heads” results and
not the order affects outcome, there are
just four effective outcomes.
Getting no “heads” is one of eight
(12.5%) outcomes, result in no damage;
the same odds apply for getting all
“heads” and scoring 60 points of damage.
This leaves three of eight
(37.5%) outcomes resulting in one
“heads” and a mere 10 points of damage,
and again the same odds of flipping two
“heads” to score 30 points of damage.
You also can pay (GGG) for an overpriced
50 points of damage, while healing as
much damage as was done to the Defending
Pokémon from
Maractus.
Like most healing attacks, it
overvalues healing and how useful it
will be; again 90 HP is a likely OHKO
past the opening few turns… and you
seldom could afford such an attack then.
For this price, we need a good
100 points of damage with no drawbacks,
maybe more.
So… all are pretty pathetic, but today’s
is just barely better, owing to its big
attack probably getting its bonus since
you’re going to need an
Eviolite if you want it to have a
chance of surviving, or perhaps an
Exp. Share to get it powered up off
of Energy that would otherwise be
discarded.
I would not use any of them for
Modified or Unlimited play, however.
This card is best saved for Limited, and
even then, you need to be able to make
room for
Grass Energy in your deck. 80 HP is
a lot in Limited, since most Evolutions
aren’t able to be played due to lack of
lower Stages, and likewise this makes
the damage (even with the unboosted
second attack) adequate.
Special Conditions are more of a
threat.
If you didn’t get any Pokémon Tools (BW:
Dragons Exalted has two,
Rescue Scarf and
Giant Cape) and you can’t easily
make room for
Grass Energy, skip it; its size is
good but if you can’t reliably attack,
its just a wall that isn’t easy enough
to Retreat (should it survive and need
to).
With
Grass Energy already in the deck,
then you need good reason to skip it; 90
HP is hard to pass up.
Giant Cape
would make this quite impressive, and
with
Rescue Scarf it is pretty good (the
first time), but you might want to save
both for something better; still if
you’ve got
multiple Pokémon Tools (not sure how
likely that was, but probably not very)
then you have reason to try and squeeze
in
Grass Energy.
Ratings
Unlimited:
1/5
Modified:
1.25/5
Limited:
3.5/5
Summary
Maractus isn’t a disappointment only
because its predecessors haven’t set the
bar high; this version fails mostly
because the
“does-more-damage-when-a-Pokémon-Tool-is-attached”
restriction doesn’t generate enough
extra damage, though a less expensive
first attack would have helped as well.
Really, with just a few slight
revisions, the card would have been not
good, but functional.
As is, definitely skip it.
