Notice:
Throughout todays, yesterdays, and the rest of the
week, if I use the term “Fossil” Pokémon, it
means Pokémon that Evolve from a card with Fossil
in its name. If I use Fossil without italics, it’s
the third set’s name.
Find this review is too long? Skip straight to the
scores and summary!
Name:
Aerodactyl
Set:
EX Legend Maker
Card#:
1/92
Rarity:
Holographic Rare
Type:
Colorless
Stage:
Stage 1 (Evolves from Mysterious Fossil)
HP:
70
Weakness:
Lightning
Resistance:
Fighting
Retreat:
None
Poké-Body:
Reactive Protection
Any damage done to Aerodactyl by attacks from your
opponent’s Pokémon is reduced by 10 for each React
Energy card attached to Aerodactyl (after applying
Weakness and Resistance).
Attack#1:
(C) Power Blow [10+]
Does 10 damage plus 10 more damage for each Energy
attached to Aerodactyl.
Attack#2:
(CCC) Speed Stroke [40]
During your opponent’s next turn, prevent all
effects, including damage, done to Aerodactyl by
attacks from your opponent’s Pokémon-ex.
Name:
Mysterious Fossil
Set:
EX Legend Maker
Rarity:
Common
Card#:
79/92
Type:
Trainer
HP:
50
Text:
Play Mysterious Fossil as if it were a Basic
Pokémon. While in play, Mysterious Fossil
counts as a (C) Pokémon (as well as a Trainer
card). Mysterious Fossil has no attacks of its
own, can’t retreat, and can’t be affected by
Special Conditions. If Mysterious Fossil is
Knocked Out, it doesn’t count as a Knocked out
Pokémon. (Discard it anyway.) At any time
during your turn before your attack, you may
discard Mysterious Fossil from play.
Attributes:
Today we look at Aerodactyl from EX Legend
Maker. A Stage 1 Colorless Pokémon that Evolves
from Mysterious Fossil, it probably benefits
most from the shared base form for the original “Fossil”
Pokémon, as it actually can be single card TecH.
Should you want to use it on its own, Mysterious
Fossil is a nice little staller in its own right
now that it has 50 HP (all older copies are
considered to be errata’d to have 50 HP as well).
For more from me on Mysterious Fossil, see
yesterday’s EX Legend Maker Kabutops review.
As a Stage 1 that doesn’t further Evolve,
Aerodactyl has somewhat mediocre stats. Being
Colorless is fine: Colorless Weakness is still seen
while the Resistance is almost never. Its 70 HP is
a bit low for the end of an Evolution line,
especially since it does have a fairly bad Weakness:
Lightning. Lighting Pokémon tend to up damage in
one of two ways, self damage or Energy discards.
Being able to skip either and still OHKO
Aerodactyl is a very bad thing for the person
using this prehistoric Pokémon. On the bright side,
this is compensated for by Fighting Resistance
(okay) and a free-retreat (stupendous).
So in terms of Attributes, it’s a little weak but
could make up for it in other ways…
Abilities:
Three Abilities is a good start. The Poké-Body lets
you soak damage using React Energy. React
Energy is also able to fill all your Energy
costs… since both attacks have just Colorless Energy
requirements. Power Blow is a solid opener: a
single Energy will do 20, two Energy will do 30,
etc. So if you need to, you could dump five Energy
(note: not Energy cards, but Energy) into the attack
and hit for 60. Great at the lower levels, and with
higher amounts of Energy, still potentially useful.
The second attack makes this a nice anti-Pokémon-ex
card, to a degree: for three of any Energy, hit the
Defending Pokémon for 40 damage and then be immune
to anything attack based from Pokémon-ex the next
turn. Again, this probably won’t win you the game
on its own, but it’s a nice trick.
All in all, the Abilities are pretty good… but the
HP is still a problem.
Uses and
Combinations:
Finally, we come to what could be the salvation of
this card. Like I mentioned yesterday, we have two
wonderful shortcuts for Stage 1 Fossil
Pokémon. Strange Cave means it acts as a
Basic, as does Anorith from this same set.
As a Basic, it’s pretty nice. Even if you can’t
“start” with it, you can fake it by having
Mysterious Fossil up front, then playing
Strange Cave,
Benching Aerodactyl, and finally discarding
Mysterious Fossil.
There is something to be said for leaving it as a
Stage 1… mainly since it allows it to use Boost
Energy.
Ratings
(Fossil decks only)
Unlimited:
1/5 – If you want Aerodactyl, try the
original Fossil or Neo Revelation version which can
have some really wicked decks built around them.
Modified:
3.5 – A copy or two should be easy to slip in due to
all the ways of getting it into play.
Limited:
4/5 – Because it can frustrate Pokémon-ex, a vital
role in a Limited event, and has a free retreat
cost.
Summary
Another niche card and the same niche as yesterday:
an anti-Pokémon-ex Fossil Pokémon. Sensing a
deck theme here? ;)
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