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Shining Steelix

Neo Destiny Pojo's Average Rating - Standard: 1.20 (based on 3 reviews) Modified: 1.20 (based on 3 reviews) Draft: 1.05 (based on 2 reviews) Reviewed March 21, 2002 Ratings are based on a 1 to 5 scale 1 being the worst.  3 ... average.   5 is the highest rating.

TwInSeN21	Shining Steelix The last Shining of the week. I was kinda hoping that we would be asked to review the last decent Shining, Shining Noctowl. Maybe in the future... This card is BAD, VERY, VERY BAD. The two worst Shining Pokemon are Shining Charizard and Shining Steelix. I even rate Shining Magikarp higher than this guy! Why? Let's look at the card. 90HP, nice. 4 Retreat Cost, bad. Let's look at the attack, Crushing Earth. At least it has a decent name for an attack. Now, 4 Energies for 80 is awesome. But the drawback is just too ridiculous! First of all, it's a Tails-Fails attack. These kind of attacks have never been reliable and it averages 40 damage per turn. Not too good considering we used 4 colored Energies to power up the attack. The bench damage is pretty good as long as you have an Unown M to protect your bench. But the WORST part of the attack is that no matter what the outcome of the coinflip was, you can't use the attack next turn! That is trully aweful. That's an average of 20 damage per turn. Plus, if you have bad luck with coinflips (like me), Shining Steelix might NEVER deal any amount of damage at all! Imagine wasting 4 turns building this guy up just for it to stand there waiting to be KO-ed. I mean, I could understand that if you flip Heads for the attack, you would not be able to use the attack the next turn but even if you flip Tails? That's an average of ONE successful attack per 4 turns. -_-' In Standard, there's no point in using this card. In Modified, still no point in using this card. If you like to play with Steelix, stick with the Genesis version. In Draft, getting any Metal Energies, let alone TWO Metals would be next to impossible to do. Although, if you manage to get it powered up, this card would OWN the table! But then, like I said, it's next to impossible. I actually really like this card a lot. This was the first Japanese Shining that I pulled and the art is just awesome. It's too bad that the card is really bad for gameplay... Standard Rating: 1.3/5 Modified Rating: 1.4/5 Draft Rating:1.1/5 (It's hard to get a Metal Energy in Draft, let alone two of them...)
Random	Shining Steelix! YAY! From the moment I saw this card, I fell in love with it. Just take a look....the sleek artwork, the 80 HP, the ability to use Metal Energy with no drawbacks, the overcosted tails-fails attack you can’t use next turn..... Picture this: your opponent has a powered Wigglytuff active, with a benchful of Pokemon that only have 10 HP left. What can you do with a lone Voltorb and a Shining Steelix? The situation looks grim.....but suddenly a bolt of inspiration hits you! You play Electrode, Buzzap two Metals onto the Steelix, then add another Fighting Energy to the one that was already attached, you send out Steelix, flip HEADS on Crushing Earth, drawing six prizes! Your opponent RESIGNS, while you take NO damage because of the conveniently placed Unown M on your bench! VICTORY goes to Shining Steelix! Or not ¬_¬ Seriously, this is one of those cards that makes you ask a lot of questions. Why was it made? Who created it? What substance were they under the influence of when they created it? And why is it a rare? So many questions....so few answers. But there is one critical thing to be remembered when dealing with Shining Steelix, some simple advice that can help you when deckbuilding..... DON’T PLAY IT - EVER. Let’s look at the statistics: Shining Steelix has a retreat cost of four, it requires four energy to attack (two of which are non-basic), the attack only works 50% of the time, and then it gets stuck in the active position, unable to use the attack next turn! And oh yeah, you can only have one in your deck =/ In Standard, this card gets ripped apart. You might as well stick a huge sign on it saying “SER Me”. Even if you get to use the attack once, you’ll have your energies promptly removed, and be stuck with an 80 HP Monster that needs to be Switched or Scooped. It’s not worth it. Period. I give it a 1/5 in Standard. In Modified, at least your energy is safe, but wouldn’t you rather put your Metals elsewhere? Like on Neo Genesis Steelix? Wouldn’t you rather have a better than 25% chance of knocking out a baby? I think so. Sadly, Shining Steelix doesn’t cut it in Modified either. The attack doesn’t really allow it to be playable in any format. It’s too much of a risk, and falls all too easily to the big-hitters like Gatr and Typhlosion. In Modified: 1.2/5. In Draft, what are the chances of getting this AND two Metal Energies? Practically nothing. But pick Shining Steelix anyway if you’re lucky enough get the opportunity, not to use, but because it’s so rare. As for playability, don’t even go there.....0.5/5
Lord Gothmog	My opening statement: Eh... In standard, 4 turns for a tails-fails attack that you can't use the next turn is terrible. Even though it's a basic and has 90 HP, it's still terrible. You don't even particularly need to ER it. If you can kill it in 3 turns, you're safe anyway. If not, then you CAN ER it. Bleh! And 1-per-deck! Yech. 1.5/5, with the HP earning it that extra .5. In modified, it's slightly less terrible here. If you play the GOOD Steelix, it's an addition I might think of if I had an extra slot. And I had a severe concussion. And I was intoxicated. And had a gun to my head. 2/5 here, with the lack of ER and the HP earing the extra point this round. In limited, if you can draft this, 2 Rainbow/Metal Energy, and see them all in the same game, you're obviously cheating somehow. 1/5, with the monetary value giving it the 1 point.

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