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Pojo's Pokémon Card of the Day

 

Machamp #50  

- Plasma Blast

Date Reviewed:
Nov. 1, 2013

Ratings & Reviews Summary

Modified: 1.75
Limited: 2.00

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

Combos With: See Below

Baby Mario
2010 UK National
Seniors
Champion

Machamp #50 (Plasma Blast) 

We end the week with a look at another Machamp card from Plasma Blast. Usually when two cards featuring the same Pokémon appear in a set, one is much better than the other in fairly obvious ways. 

This time though, I have pretty much the same things to say about this Machamp as the one I reviewed on Wednesday. They are both Stage 2s with solid HP and expensive attacks which do something but not enough to make playing them worthwhile. 

Here, Knock Off will do 60 damage for three Energy and discard a random card from your opponent’s hand. That’s mediocre damage output with a semi-useful effect, but it costs three Energy. For four Energy, you get Reinforced Lariat: an 80 damage attack which can be boosted to 120 if Machamp has a Tool attached. Even if that Tool is Silver Bangle, it still falls short of a OHKO on most EX Pokémon so, despite the superficially attractive big numbers, it might as well be a 90-for-four attack in most situations and that falls far short of what is required. 

The Black and White series really saw the card designers start to turbo-charge Basic Pokémon. First with things like Zekrom and Reshiram, and then with the EX Pokémon. Cards like Machamp illustrate how Stage 2s have got left behind: when you have Basics that offer the same or better attacks for less cost, why would you bother with evolution, Rare Candy, and attacks that take three turns to power up? 

Rating

Modified: 1.75 (outclassed and obsolete these days)

Limited: 2 (still slow and difficult to use)


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