Name:
Vaporeon*
Set:
EX Power Keepers
Card#:
102/108
Rarity:
Pokémon*
Type:
Water
Stage:
Basic
HP:
70
Weakness:
Lightning
Resistance:
None
Retreat:
(C)
Pokémon* Rule:
You can’t have more than 1 Pokémon* in your deck.
Poké-Power:
Blue Ray
Once
during your turn, when you put Vaporeon* from your hand onto
your bench, you may remove all Special Conditions and 3 damage
counters from each Active Pokémon (both yours and your
opponent’s.)
Attack:
(WWC) Whirlpool [40]
Flip a coin. If heads, discard an Energy card attached to
the Defending Pokémon.
Attributes:
First the obvious: Vaporeon* is a Pokémon* so it has to
be pretty handy to warrant using, as you are only allowed one
Pokémon* in your deck. Given that most are pretty deck specific
in their use (or binder fodder), there isn’t much competition.
Next, and also obvious, is that it is a Basic like all other
Pokémon*, which is pretty sweet in that it is easy to get into
play. Vaporeon* has a respectable 70 HP for a Basic,
though that’s still small enough for many decks to OHKO, it
usually won’t be first turn. Lightning Weakness should be
noted: I am leery of scoring it given that the State
Championships are still underway and until they are done, the
metagame is again up in the air. No Resistance I can say is the
worst Resistance, but so many cards lack Resistance that I can’t
really hold it against Vaporeon*. The last thing to note
is that it has a single Energy Retreat Cost, which is easy
enough to pay and can be eliminated with High Pressure System.
Abilities:
Blue Ray is a handy Poké-Power, and will probably get this card
played since it works on Pokémon-ex (unlike most current healing
cards). This “1.5 Potion and a Full Heal” effect
is thus very useful, though it is pretty balanced since it
affects every Active… including your opponent’s. Now, why is
that double-sided effect so useful? Well, you control it, so
you just try and save it for when they have a healthy Active and
you don’t. That’s actually pretty easy, since usually it will
be the situation right after you KO one of your opponent’s
Pokémon.
Whirlpool, the attack, is decent. Thanks to Holon’s Castform
(or the like) being in so many decks, the double Water Energy
requirement shouldn’t keep it from attacking. The attack itself
is merely “okay”: you paid for 40 points of damage, and you get
it with a 50% chance of Energy removal against the Defending
Pokémon. If this was all it did, it’d be sub-par but the Poké-Power
is decent enough to compensate.
Uses
and
Combinations:
As stated, it can be used for healing in decks that otherwise
don’t have healing prospects. You can fetch it from the deck
pretty easily given that it is a Basic, and if you really find
it handy, Mr. Briney’s Compassion and Super Scoop Up
can both be used to recycle it from the Bench for healing
again. However, the wording makes it appear that you couldn’t
re-use it immediately the same turn. Still, even once a turn
(with some recycling cards) it would be better than nothing for
certain decks and the attack is half-decent given all the
multiple-energy providing Special Energy cards that see play.
Ratings
Unlimited:
1/5 – We have all the great old options here.
Modified:
3/5 – Obviously better in decks that can make good use of the
Poké-Power, still it doesn’t appear to be that special except
that so many Pokémon* are so horrid.
Limited:
5/5 – Great here, but running it risks damaging something so
rare.
Summary
A very
solid Pokémon*, something we aren’t used to. I thought I heard
some talk of people wanting it for decks, but I don’t really see
why – it’s useful but only so much.
-Otaku
