Name:
Raticate
Set:
Fire Red/Leaf Green
Card#:
48/112
Type:
Colorless
Stage:
1 (Evolves from Rattata)
HP:
70
Weakness:
Fighting
Resistance:
None
Retreat:
None
Poké-Body:
Thick Skin
Raticate can’t be affected by Special Conditions.
Attack#1:
(C) Pickup
Search your discard pile for a Basic Pokémon (or Evolution
card), a Trainer, and an Energy card. Show them to your
opponent and put them into your hand.
Attack#2:
(C) Quick-Attack [10+]
Flip a coin. If heads, this attack does 10 damage plus
40 more damage.
Name:
Rattata
Set:
Fire Red/Leaf Green
Card#:
77/112
Type:
Colorless
Stage:
Basic
HP:
40
Weakness:
Fighting
Resistance:
None
Retreat:
C
Attack#1:
(C) Collect
Draw a card.
Attack#2:
(C) Scratch [10]
Attributes:
The Raticates have never been
thrilling, so let us examine this one and hope it breaks the
cycle of disappointment. It is a Stage 1 Pokémon, so it
must evolve from Rattata. The Rattata for this set has 40
HP, which isn’t too bad for a Rattata, and an attack to draw
a card. At least that would be good for Limited. If you
like a different Rattata, use it, but none have every really
been great. That hurts this card (as opposed to if it
evolved from something solid, like Sandstorm
Dunsparce
:-P). This dependency on another card to come into
play definitely hurts it, but not too bad in Modified
(Unlimited, of course, only sees the most broken
Evolutions). 70 HP is passable. This should just survive
one hit from all but a decks main attacker (outside of
Weakness). On the bottom, we have the oh-so-common Fighting
Weakness (not that anything else made much sense), and no
Resistance. They should bring back Psychic Resistance, I
think. Most Psychics are once again powerful enough not to
be ruined by it. The final attribute is the retreat. It is
a perfect zero-a free retreat.
Excellent.
Abilities: This
Raticate has been blessed with three abilities. While no
longer the most, it is still not the standard, and is a
bonus-if no ability is a draw back or barely a permutation
of another. Thick Skin is the least impressive and the
first listed. It’s still pretty nice though-Raticate can’t
be affected by Special Conditions. This helps offset its
low HP. It then has two attacks, each with only a single,
Colorless Energy requirement. That, coupled with the Poké-Body
means that Raticate can almost always get off an attack
before being Knocked Out.
The first of the attacks, Pickup, amazes me. It also means
that many decks will have a use for Raticate. While getting
back a Pokémon isn’t too big a deal, or getting back a Basic
Energy, I can think of no Trainer to reclaim another Trainer
in Modified, and only a few cards that can get back Special
Energies (and those either re-attach or send to deck).
Simply remarkable. Well worth
the investment. If you must, think of it as a delayed,
variable attack-you could constantly
recycle a POR if needed. This makes Raticate
suitable to many decks right here, which makes the second
attack even sweeter. This is the most potent Quick Attack I
have seen in the TCG. For a single energy, you get a flip
for a 10/40 split. The discount is equivalent to a single
colored Energy.
For a Stage 1, this is indeed a rather remarkable set of
abilities.
Uses/Combinations:
The super supporter, in a sense. Many decks will enjoy
getting Trainers and Special Energy cards back from the
discard, and returned to the hand no less. Metal Decks
(outside of Metagross), Darkness
Decks, and any Trainer intensive decks should really give
this thing a look.
Ratings
Unlimited:
1.75/5-It’s just the HP/Weakness combination that dooms it
from being a good supporting Pokémon.
Modified:
3.5/5-Here, you really need to think about running it,
especially after Delcatty loses
Oracle (should the most likely set rotation occur).
Limited:
5/5-The only reasons not to run it? You pulled a ridiculous
amount of other fantastic cards! Like multiples of the
Legendary Birds from this set and a fantastic Evolution
line, and simple don’t have room for it. Oh, or not getting
both it and a Rattata.
Summary
This is the best Raticate, and now saying that means
something! The only way to guarantee it would be played
would have been if Thick Skin was dropped and Pickup made a
once a turn Poke-Power (that didn’t end your turn). Wow.
