Skip straight to the scores and summary for a concise overview.
Please note that while I denote δ Delta Species Pokémon
by adding a δ to the end of their name, but that said symbol is
not actually part of their name for gaming purposes to my
understanding. For example, a “Pokémon δ” can Evolve from or
into a non-Pokémon δ, so long as no other rules are being
broken. That is, I can Evolve Dratini δ into a Dark
Dragonair, plain Dragonair, of the “Dragonair δ”.
I cannot, however, Evolve a Dark Dragonair into a
Dragonite δ or a Dragonair δ into a Dark
Dragonite. Also, two sets names that make things confusing:
I will write out EX Holon Phantoms since I want to use HP for
Hit Points, and remember, Pokémon δ (Pokémon with δ Delta
Species) in their card come from more than just EX Delta
Species.
Name:
Milotic δ
Set:
EX Dragon Frontiers
Card#:
5/101
Type:
Fire
Stage:
Stage 1 (Evolves from Feebas)
HP:
90
Weakness:
(L)
Resistance:
None
Retreat:
CC
Poké-Power:
Sharing
Once
during your turn (before your attack), you may look at your
opponent’s hand. You may use the effect of a Supporter card you
find there as the effect of this power. (The Supporter card
remains in your opponent’s hand.) You can’t use more than 1
Sharing Poké-Power each turn. This power can’t be used if
Milotic is affected by a Special Condition.
Name:
Feebas δ
Set:
EX Dragon Frontiers
Card#:
49/101
Type:
Fire
Stage:
Basic
HP:
30
Weakness:
L
Resistance:
None
Retreat:
C
Attack:
(R) Flail [10x]
Does 10 damage times the number of damage counters on
Feebas.
Attributes:
Milotic is a Stage 1 Fire Pokémon δ. Being a Pokémon δ
and a Fire-type can be really good, but at the same time I
suspect that in this case it was to keep this card from getting
out of hand. You see, peeking ahead we see that this card has a
snazzy Poké-Power, and since it is Fire, EX Legend Maker
Lunatone and the Stadium Holon Legacy can shut down
the Poké-Power. Still, there are some perks: Fire Weakness
seems to pop up reasonably frequently and this does let it tap
into Pokémon δ support.
As a
Stage 1, Milotic will need some Attribute bonuses and
cost breaks in Abilities since it’s obviously not as easy to get
into play as a Basic. It also means we have to run Feebas
in order to get Milotic into play (or into play with
access to its Poké-Power if you want to run it in Unlimited).
All Feebas have the same Attributes except for Feebas
δ, which is a Fire Pokémon δ. Unless you are focusing on a
Pokémon δ theme, then you should pass it over for the EX Emerald
version. No Feebas has a particularly useful attack, and
even if it did, its 30 HP so “useful” just means “something to
keep me alive cause I am totally in trouble for having this
Pokémon as my Active!” Even though the EX Emerald Feebas
does have the worst attack of the three Modified legal versions,
it has a great Poké-Body that keeps it safe from damage either
by your own attacks or your opponent’s attacks while on the
Bench. So at least that’s some protection. Obviously the EX
Hidden Legends version, with its ability to attack to
Evolve, is the best for Unlimited. No matter what version,
Feebas is indeed a feeble bass and is a definite drawback
for Milotic.
Milotic
does have a good 90 HP for a Stage 1. It is Lightning Weak, and
with the format still so up in the air, I can’t say whether this
is good or bad. No Resistance is lame, as always, and a Retreat
Cost of two is manageable.
Abilities:
Sharing is quite nice. You can enjoy your things more and show
you’re grateful for them by letting others enjoy them as well.
Remember folks, sharing is caring.
Oh,
wait, I need to discuss the Poké-Power of that name. Well, this
Sharing is most useful: first you get to see your
opponent’s hand, which in turn means you can plan your
strategies better. Then if there is a Supporter in their hand
you may (so both parts are optional) use the effect of the
Supporter as the rest of the effect of this Poké-Power. Given
that most Supporters will prove useful to most decks (though
perhaps not optimal enough for everyone to use the exact same
line-up) this is indeed a potent advantage. With some luck,
you’ll get a double search, double draw, or a search and a draw
option each turn. You might even gain access to some potent but
lesser used Supporter effects, like Mr. Briney’s Compassion
to a Pokémon out of trouble.
Flare
is a nice, straightforward damage attack. In terms of Energy
cost, you paid for 40 damage and instead do 60. Of course, as a
Stage 1 with a single attack 20 extra points of damage is a
pretty good bonus. It’s even better when you think of how
useful the Poké-Power is.
The
attack and Power don’t really enhance one another, but neither
do they conflict in anyway. The one tiny drawback is that since
it needs to meet two Fire Energy requirements, you’ll need
Double Rainbow Energy or a
Holon’s
Pokémon to attack in all the non-Fire decks that could use it.
Uses
and
Combinations:
And use it they shall: I already stated this is a phenomenal
card to aid in setting up. Between this, Smooth Over
Magcargo, and Porygon2 with Back-Up, we can see that
one shouldn’t count Lunarock decks out yet: Milotic
should be seen in so many decks, and not everyone will want to
use Holon Legacy and Cessation Crystal: neither is
a as reliable as such cards once were with Windstorm now
able to discard them.
Ratings
Unlimited:
1.5/5 – Supporter usage is still a bit low here and it’s just so
vulnerable.
Modified:
4/5 – A great card sure to become the backbone of many decks.
It also encourages more low-supporter decks without making it
impossible to rely on Supporters.
Limited:
3.75/5 – Here Milotic is being used mostly as a solid
attacker who can peak at the opponent’s hand. You shouldn’t
expect to hit a Supporter unless your opponent is surprised by
it.
Summary
Milotic
is now poised to replace the opening most decks have that
Quick-search Pidgeot once held, but without being
overpowered. It’s better than an unsupported Magcargo on
its own and at least equal to Porygon 2.
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