If
you find the review too long, jump to the Ratings
and Summary. Since the three Regi-Pokémon are so
similar, a lot of the text will be shared.
Name:
Regirock ex
Set:
EX Emerald
Card#:
99/106
Rarity:
Pokémon-ex
Pokémon-ex Rule:
When Pokémon-ex has been Knocked Out, your opponent
takes 2 Prize cards.
Type:
Fighting
Stage:
Basic
HP:
110
Weakness:
Water
Resistance:
None
Retreat:
CCC
Attack#1:
(C) Mend
Search your discard pile for a (F) Energy card and
attach it to Regirock ex. If you do, remove 1
damage counter from Regirock ex.
Attack#2:
(FFC) Metal Crush [40+]
If Registeel ex is in play, this attack does 40
damage plus 20 more damage.
Attributes:
Regirock ex is a Basic Pokémon-ex. This
means we really want to be as close to 120 HP as we
can be since a) that is the maximum we have seen so
far for Basic Pokémon-ex and b) it is worth two
Prizes when it is Knocked Out, so its almost like it
has about half to two-thirds of its actual LP.
There is an exception though, and that is 100 HP
because of Desert Ruins, a Stadium card that
places a damage counter between turns on all
Pokémon-ex with a maximum HP of 100 in play. Due to
it, 100 HP acts more like 80 or 90. Thankfully,
this has 110, second best and gives you more leeway
when dealing with Desert Ruins. There are no
pre-Evolved forms or Evolved forms, so it has to
rely on just itself.
Regirock ex
is a Fighting Pokémon, and as a whole this is pretty
good: Weakness is pretty common (slam that
Dunsparce), but Resistance isn’t exactly rare
either. Fortunately, Magnetic Storm allows
you to bypass Resistance for Fighting Pokémon, so it
can be handled.
Regirock ex
is Weak to Water Pokémon. While not the worst,
there are some really nasty Water decks, both
mainstream (pardon the pun) like Water Call
Swampert or Blastoise ex, as well as some
more rogue examples (beware the Wooper… well,
the Quagsire more accurately).
Abilities:
Regirock ex has two attacks. Mend is pretty
sweet. While not as effective as Mewtwo
ex’s Energy Absorption in terms of scope and
breadth, it has an effect that lacks. That is to
say, being limited to attaching Fighting Energy
(instead of any Energy) and only one Energy (instead
of two) is worth removing a damage counter from
itself. This means a TV Reporter or
Rocket’s Mission can let you get the second
attack going by the fourth turn of the game… your
second turn, and hopefully erase some Sudden Flash
damage.
Unfortunately, Metal Crush isn’t so hot. The base
damage is 40, which is fair for a Basic Pokémon.
There is an effect that gives you 20 extra damage if
Registeel ex is in play. Now, this might be
fine if at least one of the two Pokémon involved
(preferably this one) or neither were Pokémon-ex.
However, this is a Basic Pokémon-ex. It’s “all
alone”: there is only one Pokémon that Evolves from
a Pokémon-ex, and it isn’t for Regirock ex.
This attack, if it hit for even a flat 60, would be
pretty solid.
So
while the first attack is pretty good, the second
isn’t, and that means you are better of using the
previous Regirock ex, which just seems to
have more synergy with its own abilities.
Uses and Combinations:
If you can’t get the other Regirock ex, or
need a Basic Fighting Pokémon-ex that doesn’t
inflict self damage, this might be your next best
option. There are a few others in this category,
but none are particularly great. Also, speedy set
up decks that use the dump and attach trick like
Mewtwo ex should consider this as another
possible candidate.
Ratings
Unlimited:
1/5-Look elsewhere for a big Fighting Pokémon, not
that said Pokémon are in high demand anyway.
Modified:
2/5-It isn’t horrid, but it just seems to be outdone
by its predecessor. Covering the minor level of
self damage the previous Regirock ex does to
itself is manageable, and the only thing that card
really has going against it.
Limited:
3.75-Pretty solid here. While you can’t speed it
up, and it isn’t too great to open with, it is big
and hits for decent damage. If you’re opponent’s
“tempo” slows down, that is, they aren’t able to
attack for a few turns and you have the Energy in
the discard pile from retreating and KOs, then you
can slowly heal up.
Summary
This card is almost playable, but while it matters
more than in most games, “almost” is not enough.
The second attack is over-priced for a Basic Pokémon
ex, depending on having a second Pokémon ex in play
to make the damage solid (but not especially good).
Honestly, with a slight HP reduction, this would
probably have made a decent non-Pokémon-ex
Regirock.
-Otaku
