New Feature: If you think this review is too long to read, just skip straight to the scores and then read the summary for a concise overview!  Yes, the summary now lives up to its name.

Name: Dark Dragonite

Set: EX: Team Rocket Returns

Card#: 15/109

Type: Darkness

Stage: 2 (Evolves from Dark Dragonair)

HP: 120

Weakness: Colorless

Resistance: Grass, Fighting

Retreat: CC

Poké-Power: Dark Trance

As often as you like during your turn (before your attack), you may move a (D) Energy card attached to 1 of your Pokémon to another of your Pokémon.  This power can’t be used if Dark Dragonite is affected by a Special Condition.

Attack#1: (WL) Double Wing Attack

Does 30 damage to each Defending Pokémon.

Name: Dark Dragonair

Set: EX: Team Rocket Returns

Card#: 31/109

Type: Darkness

Stage: 1 (Evolves from Dratini)

HP: 70

Weakness: Colorless

Resistance: Grass, Fighting

Retreat: (C)

Poké-Power: Evolutionary Light

Once during your turn (before your attack), if Dark Dragonair is your Active Pokémon, you may search your deck for an Evolution card.  Show it to your opponent and put it into your hand.  Shuffle your deck afterward.  This power can’t be used if Dark Dragonair is affected by a Special Condition.

Name: Dark Dragonair

Set: EX: Team Rocket Returns

Card#:32 /109

Type: Darkness

Stage: 1 (Evolves from Dratini)

HP: 80

Weakness: Colorless

Resistance: Grass, Fighting

Retreat: (C)

Attack#1: (WC) Double Tackle

Does 20 damage to each Defending Pokémon.

Name: Dratini

Set: EX: Team Rocket Returns

Card#: /109

Type: Colorless

Stage: Basic

HP: 40

Weakness: None

Resistance: None

Retreat: (C)

Name: Dratini

Set: EX: Team Rocket Returns

Card#: /109

Type: Colorless

Stage: Basic

HP: 50

Weakness: (C)

Resistance: None

Retreat: (C)

 

Attributes: Dark Dragonite is a Stage 2 Pokémon.  Let’s start with its lower Stages then.  There are two options for both its Stage 1 (Dark Dragonair) and Basic form in this set alone (one more Dratini is available from EX: Dragons).  I would go with the 50 HP Dratini from EX: Team Rocket Returns.  It has a dual Resistance and the ability to put both Defending Pokémon to Sleep with its first attack for one of any Energy.  Even though it is Weak to Colorless Pokémon, at 50 HP, only Sandstorm Dunsparce will be a problem-everything else you would likely encounter would OHKO the 40 HP version anyway.  As for Dark Dragonair, as you can see, they are a pretty even split.  Because the new version of Evolutionary Light only works while Active, it is scarcely useful.  So the slight HP increase is almost as good.  Test and find out what works for your, though skipping it with Rare Candy is also an option.  As you can see, we’ll need some serious compensation for having to go through that mess.  Also, remember that it can’t Evolve from any Dragonair except Dark Dragonair.  Goes with the whole Dark thing.  Speaking of which, I will state the obvious: Dark Dragonite gets all the cool Rocket/Dark combos that come from its name.

 

Dark Dragonite has 120 HP.  This is as good as it gets without being a Pokémon ex.  It has the relatively recent Colorless Weakness.  This makes it easy for Rayquaza ex and Fire Red/Leaf Green Pidgeot to put the hurt on it.  On the bright side, it gets a dual Resistance: both Fighting and Grass Pokémon do less damage.  This can come in moderately handy against Monarchy decks and a few lesser seen Tier 2 decks.  The last of the bottom stats is a Retreat of two.  For something this big, it isn’t too bad.  Still, overall, it’s an “average” retreat cost: you’ll be able to pay it without too much trouble most of the time, but avoid doing so if at all possible.

 

Overall we have some good stats.

 

Abilities: Dark Trance lets you move cards that provide (D) type Energy as you wish.  This includes Darkness Energy, obviously, but also less obvious things like Double Rainbow Energy.  It’s a great Poké-Power, but it does have its downside: it’s hard to run a lot of (D) Energy, at least without some painful side effects like limited application (Double Rainbow Energy) or self damage (Rainbow Energy).

 

The attacks are mixed.  Double Wing just breaks even unless it’s 2-on-2, and that’s before factoring in things like this being a Stage 2 or the attack requiring two different types of Energy (in which case it just breaks even for 2-on-2).  Claw Swipe is good though.  You pay for 30 damage but get 50.  Plus, it’s all Colorless cost allows you to easily exploit Darkness Energy’s damage bonus.

 

All in all, these are some fantastic abilities.

 

Uses/Combinations: Here’s where it gets good: you can use this with Mr. Briney’s Compassion for something of a “Dark Venucenter” style set: as long as your attacker isn’t OHKO’d, you can move the Energy to another Pokémon, then use Mr. Briney’s Compassion (possibly Super Scoop Up as well).  The reason to consider Super Scoop Up is that it can affect Pokémon ex… like Rocket’s Sneasel ex, which has had some success with this deck.  People have also suggested using Pidgeot, but I just can’t find the room for it myself-I don’t like running Stage 2 Pokémon at 1-0-1 lines since a) Ancient Technical Machine [Rock] is commonly played as it deserves to be, b) depending on two cards for such an important task isn’t happy, and c) you lose the joy of a mono-Team Rocket deck.  Why does C matter so much?  Rocket’s Poké Ball has to be replaced by Celio’s Network, which means I can’t freely play my draw Supporters, which ends up slowing my deck down in the initial burst.  Still, it you can safely run at least a 2-1-2 line of Pidgeot and can fit four Rare Candies as well, then I would of course say to do so.  If you can’t tell, Ness’s article kinda stole “our thunder” for this week’s CotDs… I’ll focus on the combo with Dark Electrode, also important to this deck, in Thursday’s CotD.

 

Ratings

 

Unlimited: 1.85/5-I can’t think of a way to protect the Energy from being nailed by Energy Removals that would be reliable enough, not eat up a gross chunk of the deck’s space, or not impede your own Trainer usage.  Still, I can think of an insane deck or two to run with it that would be fun and occasionally effective.

 

Modified: 3.75/5-Perhaps even better than that.  Had they not weakened Evolutionary Light on the new Dark Dragonair (when compared to its old version); there would be no doubt of its potency.  As is, you have a good shot at creating reasonably good “OHKO” deck.

 

Limited: 3/5-Its just a large Stage 2 with a potentially useful Stage 1s.  This assumes you get a playable line, or are using the James Theme Deck (which contains the line).

 

Summary

This could possible be a new Tier 1 deck for Modified, and at least another Tier 2 deck.  If you don’t know what I mean, Tier 1 decks are the best of the best, and Tier 2 are those decks better than the rest but not quite as strong as Tier 1 decks.  Dark Dragonite will allow you to pull some pumped up (in terms of damage) “Energy Trans” tricks.