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Pojo's Pokémon Card of the Day

 

Leavanny  

- Plasma Storm

Date Reviewed:
April 16, 2013

Ratings & Reviews Summary

Modified: 1.40
Limited: 2.40

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: See Below

Baby Mario
2010 UK National
Seniors
Champion

Leavanny (Plasma Storm) 

It’s a sad fact of TCG life that there are more internet memes out there for the Leavanny evolution line than there are playable cards from it (that would be one, then). To be blunt, the four we have received so far have ranged from interesting but not really playable to utterly useless. 

To be fair, Leavanny starts off at a disadvantage simply because it’s a Stage 2. With the uncommon exception of Empoleon DEX, the only time you will see Stage 2s around these days is in a support role (Blastoise BCR, Klinklang PLS). Hardly surprising when you consider how powerful and easy to use the Basic EX Pokémon are. Leavanny doesn’t exactly help its cause though. Yeah the 140 HP is standard and the Fire Weakness pretty good right now, but that doesn’t even matter when a Pokémon has two attacks that are as useless as this. 

Actually, I’m probably being a little bit unfair about the first one. Cleave costs two Colourless Energy (so is easily paid for) and does a poor 30 damage. However, you do get the very nice, if somewhat unlikely bonus that, if you flip two heads, you discard all Energy attached to the Defending Pokémon. Yes, it’s a good effect, and you can improve your odds of hitting it with Victory Star Victini, but even then you are only looking at a 37.5% chance of it working, and it isn’t even going to save you in every situation either against low Energy attackers (Landorus-EX), Pokémon that discard anyway to attack (Rayquaza-EX) or anything that accelerates from the discard pile (Dark Patch, Eelektrik NVI). Oh well, at least Cleave is worth at least a look, the other attack, Leaf Blade certainly isn’t. For two Grass and one Colourless (so it isn’t even compatible with the DCE you used for Cleave) you get just 70 damage plus a coin flip for 20 more. C’mon card designers . . . why the flip? Was the attack really so overpowered that you needed to do that? (Answer: a big no). 

So . . . the only thing even remotely good about this card is an attack that relies on you flipping double heads on a consistent basis. Hardly worth setting up a Stage 2 for. Sorry Leavanny, you’ll have to do better than that if you ever want to see tournament play. 

Rating 

Modified: 1.5 (rubbish Stage 2 with novelty attack)

Limited: 1.75 (I wouldn’t bother here either)

virusyosh

Hello once again, Pojo viewers! Today we are reviewing a new Stage 2 Grass-type from Plasma Storm. Today's Card of the Day is Leavanny.

Leavanny is a Stage 2 Grass Pokemon. Grass-types aren't seeing very much play right now, but as Blastoise/Keldeo is still quite a force in Modified, a powerful Grass-type could easily see some play in the format. 140 HP is standard for a Stage 2, and Leavanny should be able to take at least one major hit before going down in our super-powered metagame; of course, there are still quite a few Pokemon that can deal upwards of 140 damage in a single blow. Fire Weakness isn't a problem except for the rare Ho-Oh; no Resistance is sad, and a Retreat Cost of 2 is payable if you need to.

Leavanny has two attacks. Cleave does 30 damage for two Colorless Energy, with the possibility of discarding all of the Defending Pokemon's Energy(!) if you can flip two coins and get them both heads. Now, there's a 25% chance of this effect happening, meaning most of the time you're going to be dealing a rather lackluster 30 damage. Of course, when the effect works, it can be potentially devastating, especially against decks that don't accelerate very well. However, 30 damage is still a really weak amount for Modified, so unless you can reliably come up with a way to flip double heads (not happening), this attack is best meant for Limited.

Leaf Blade is Leavanny's second attack, starting off at 70 damage for two Grass and a Colorless, but it can do 20 more if you once again flip a coin and get heads. 90 damage for three Energy is barely passable in Modified these days, and given that Leavanny is a Stage 2, it's probably not worth using.

Modified: 1.75/5 Once again, Leavanny is an example of a Stage 2 with slow, inconsistent attacks, making it a bad choice for Modified. While Cleave is very interesting, the Energy discard effect happens so rarely that it's not worth counting on. Additionally, Leaf Blade is very average by Modified attack standards, so you're better off finding other, more effective options.

Limited: 4/5 Leavanny, however, shines in Limited. Cleave can be absolutely brutal here, as a lack of acceleration means that you'll likely set your opponent back a few turns by discarding all of their Energy. On top of that, Leaf Blade is a very solid attack, even if you don't get heads. Overall, like many Stage 2s, Leavanny is quite strong in Limited, and if you get it out, you'll probably win the game.

Jebulous Maryland Player

Leavanny

Leavanny is a Stage 2 Pokemon with 140 HP. It is weak to Fire and has a retreat cost of 2.

'Cleave' costs 2 colorless energy and does 30 damage. If you flip 2 heads, you discard all Energies on the Defending Pokemon. Not enough damage (X Ball...) and the effect won't be successful much.

'Leaf Blade' costs 2 Grass and 1 Colorless Energy. It does 70, and if you flip heads, it does 90. Still not great, especially since there is no good Grass Energy acceleration.

As always, a Stage 2 attacker is not something you want. Keeping them streaming is difficult, and with no bonus (Diving Draw...), the costs far outweigh the benefits.

Modified: 1/5
Limited: 1.5/5
Combos With: ...

Questions, comments, concerns: jebulousthemighty@yahoo.com


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