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the Ratings and Summary!
Name:
Cyclone Energy
Set:
EX Unseen Forces
Card#:
99/115
Type:
Energy
Subtype:
Special Energy
Text:
Cyclone Energy provides (C) Energy. When you attach this
card from your hand to your Active Pokémon, switch 1 of the
Defending Pokémon with 1 of your opponent’s Benched
Pokémon. Your opponent chooses the Benched Pokémon to
switch.
Note that
Cyclone Energy has been released three times: first in
Skyridge and most recently in EX Power Keepers. The former has
slightly different text, so you’d need one of the two more
recent versions to use as a reference.
As this is a
re-review and I am most short of time, I’ll forgo my normal
formatting sections here. Cyclone Energy provides one
Colorless Energy. This can only fulfill one Colorless Energy
requirement, because Colorless Energy is essentially an
“absence” of Color [Type]. Of course, so far every Energy card
ever made can meet at least a single Colorless Energy
requirement for legal attachment targets. The other thing
Cyclone Energy does is force the opponent to “switch out”
one of the Defending Pokémon if you attach it to one of your
Active Pokémon. Originally I was disappointed the card only let
you choose which of the opponent’s Defending Pokémon would be
switched out, while your opponent was the one who chose which
Benched Pokémon to promote. That’s still the effect, but I will
soon explain why I am no longer disappointed by it. First let
me mention that if you attach it to one of your Benched Pokémon,
it will get no effect. This is a mixed blessing: it means that
you may be wasting an Energy attachment (if the Active didn’t
need it) or wasting an effect (if something on the Bench really
needs an Energy attachment). As I said, this can be good though
since it gives you a way to use the Energy without having to use
the effect when it might benefit the opponent.
At first this
effect felt sub-par: in typical 1-on-1 play, that is where each
player only has one Active Pokémon, it basically acts like your
opponent used Switch. When the card was first released,
there wasn’t even a 2-on-2 format as this was originally
released under WotC in their last set, Skyridge, and we still
had Double Gust. It did have its uses when it was
reprinted the first time under Nintendo, and those uses have
proven it to be a worthwhile card for several decks. There are
many effects that can reside on the Defending Pokémon, as well
as just random circumstances where it doesn’t matter what card
is made Active so long as you got the former Defending Pokémon
out of that slot. Examples would be a Pokémon-ex being
“blocked” by a Pokémon with Safeguard, which ended up costing a
friend of mine a match at Worlds (he’s managed multiple trips,
so I can’t remember for sure which one), or [temporarily]
getting rid of an “only while Active” Poké-Body/Power. Of
course, Warp Point would work here as well, except some
of the annoyances are like Houndoom from EX Unseen
Forces, shutting off non-Supporters. It can also be good
when you just need a lot of cards to change out the opponent’s
Pokémon reliably. Decks built around Pokémon that hit the bench
for a lot of widespread damage or even just Pokémon with a lot
of Colorless Energy requirements in their attacks should really
consider this.
Oh, and if
they have one thing Benched (or nothing they want Active), it
basically is a Gust of Wind. >=D
Ratings
Unlimited:
2/5 – Well, it can break a Mean Look lock, and many, many
decks rely on a bench sitting Pokémon and its Pokémon Power. It
can also be used when Trainers are being denied. It’s still
something of a desperation measure though.
Modified:
3.5/5 – It actually proved solid for most decks, and missed out
on appearing in most decks just do to space issues: who doesn’t
want another way to mess with the opponent’s choice of Active?
Limited:
4/5-If it were a Trainer it’d be kinda iffy, but since it’s a
Special Energy and its almost impossible you can build a deck
lacking a lot of Colorless powered attacks in this Format, it’s
a great pull.
-Otaku
