Baby Mario
2010 UK
National
Seniors
Champion |
Zekrom
(Plasma Freeze)
We end the week with yet another TCG
version of Zekrom.
Well, what did you expect from one of
the Black and White mascots?
Like the other
Zekrom, this version is a Basic
Pokémon with a very good 130 HP.
Sadly not
enough to make him completely
invulnerable to a quick OHKO, but your
opponent would need a lot to pull that
one off. Of course, you would only want
him to survive if he could do something
good for you while he’s out on the
Field.
As usual, this is where the
disappointment sets in. Mach Claw costs
three Energy and does just 50 damage.
True, the damage is unaffected by
Resistance, but what Resists Lightning
anyway? Nothing
really, apart from Pokémon like
Landorus
which can smack
Zekrom for Weakness and are
unlikely to be disturbed by a mere 50
damage. Fusion Bolt isn’t that
much better either. A massive four
Energy for just 80 damage is pretty
poor, and the fact you can up it to 120
if you play some kind of gimmick
Legendary deck and have
Reshiram on
your Bench doesn’t really make it any
better.
In recent weeks, the old BLW
Zekrom has
seen a bit of a
resurgence in play, and if you
want to use this particular Pokémon, I
suggest sticking with that as both its
attacks are far superior to what’s on
offer here.
Rating
Modified: 1.75 (nice HP for a non-EX,
but the attacks don’t cut it)
Limited: 3 (always a use for high HP
Basics here)
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virusyosh |
Hello once again, Pojo viewers! Today we're reviewing
another Basic from Plasma Freeze. Today's Card of the
Day is Zekrom.
Zekrom is a Basic Lightning Pokemon. Lightning-types
still see some Modified play, as decks utilizing
Eelektrik still exist. Therefore, given it fits a proper
niche, this version of the Lightning legendary could see
some play in decks. 130 HP is a great start, as this is
a huge number for a non-EX Basic and can easily allow
Zekrom to take at least one bigger hit, even in the
high-powered metagame we currently have. Fighting
Weakness is a bit of a problem against Landorus-EX, but
that's not so common right now, anyway; no Resistance is
unfortunate but very common; and a Retreat Cost of two
can be paid for, though you'll likely want to use
something like Switch instead.
Zekrom has two attacks. Mach Claw does an expensive 50
damage that isn't affected by Resistance for a Lightning
and two Colorless. Lightning Resistance really isn't
even a huge factor in Modified right now, and 50 damage
for three Energy is way too expensive for this format to
boot, relegating this attack to only seeing use in
Limited. Likewise, Fusion Bolt starts off at 80 damage
for a Lightning and three Colorless, while dealing 40
more damage if Reshiram is on your Bench. 80 damage for
four Energy is terrible, although 120 damage for the
same cost isn't bad. At any rate, you'll still probably
want better options outside of Limited, as there are
many other Pokemon that can deal damage much more
efficiently.
Modified: 1.5/5 This version of Zekrom isn't going to
see much play here, as it has very expensive attacks
that don't do enough to make an impact.
Limited: 5/5 On the other hand, Zekrom shines in
Limited, even if you don't have a Reshiram. Both Mach
Claw and Fusion Bolt deal decent damage without their
(admittedly weak) secondary effects, but if you manage
to pull a Reshiram as well, you'll be golden. Overall,
Zekrom is difficult to power up, but the high HP and
relaxed Energy requirements of this Pokemon make it a
great choice for the Limited environment.
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