|
Porygon-Z G Lv 56
Porygon-Z G looks like being one of
the very last SP Pokémon that we shall see. It seems odd
to get a set with just two of them (Beedrill G is the
other), but in this case it is absolutely necessary that
Porygon is an SP Basic: if it wasn’t it would be a
complete failure. Let’s see why . . .
Almost every aspect of Porygon-Z G is
irrelevant: the 80 HP, the lame attack, the Fighting
Weakness . . . There are only two important things about
it: it’s Power, and the fact that it is SP.
Dowsing Code, Porygon’s PokePower,
has a very specific function. When it is played from the
hand to the Bench, it returns two Tool cards from the
Discard to the deck. Obviously decks that do not play
Tools have no use whatsoever for it. Even decks that
just play a couple of Expert Belts for damage boosting
will be unlikely to want to give it Bench space. In a
deck where the use of Tools is absolutely essential,
though, this card has a key role to play. At the moment,
the only competitive decks that really need Porygon are
ones built around Luxray AR, which likes to discard
Tools to attack. However it could also have a use in
reviving decks which need Energy Link to work (such as
those using Electivire SW for Energy acceleration). In
the past those decks have failed partly because Energy
Link was unsearchable and couldn’t be recovered. Well,
with the Arceus set, both of those problems are solved
with Department Store Girl and Porygon-Z G.
So, why is it important that this
card is an SP? Well, partly because it needs to be a
Basic to be playable, but mostly because it can work
with PokeTurn. PokeTurn means that it can be used
repeatedly when needed, and also that it doesn’t have to
be left on the Bench, taking up space and being
vulnerable to sniping.
Porygon-Z G is a real niche card. You
won’t see it in many decks, but for those decks that do
use it, it is an absolute staple.
Rating
Modified: 3 (only does one thing, but
does it extremely well)
Limited: 3.25 (lots of very useful
Tools in the set. Great to re-use what you pull)
|
