Baby Mario
Top 4 UK Nats |
Typhlosion (HGSS)
Typhlosion – cool name, cool Pokémon and a good choice
as a starter if you want to blitz your way through the
HGSS video game.
After spending three days reviewing the complex and
difficult to use Legend cards, this Typhlosion is a
refreshing change of pace. No Bodies, no Powers,
very little effect text, and some decent attack numbers.
Typhlosion has the now-standard 130 HP for a Stage 2
Pokémon, along with the now-standard (and quite bad)
double Weakness to Water. The Retreat cost of [C] seems
generous, if anything, on this kind of Pokémon and
shouldn’t really cause problems for anyone who wants to
run it.
But should you run it? Well, that depends on the
attacks.
For [R][C], you can have Typhlosion doing its Magma
Punch attack for a vanilla 50 damage. Not too bad for
the cost, and its nice to have a reasonably priced
attack on a Stage 2 Pokémon. Unfortunately, it isn’t
going to get you many KOs on anything except weak Basics
and Jumpluff HGSS, so the real aim with Typhlosion is to
get it powered up to use it’s second attack. At a cost
of [R][R][C], and the discarding of two Fire Energy,
Fire Spin does a very good 120 damage. That’s enough to
OHKO most Pokémon, including Levelled Up SP Basics. It
does fall a little short of taking out other Stage 2s,
but most of those issues can be solved with an Expert
Belt or by dropping a Crobat G.
Normally, despite the good damage output, the Energy
requirement, together with the discard, would leave
Typhlosion a long way short of being playable due to a
chronic lack of speed. Luckily, these problems can be
solved to a certain extent by playing a Typhlosion Prime
or two alongside this card. As well as serving as a
passable back-up attacker, it can provide an extra
Energy attachment with its Afterburner PokePower. This
means you can set up for Fire Spin a turn faster than
you would normally, and you can also use it to offset
part of the discard cost of the attack.
That said, this strategy needs a player to get out two
Stage 2 Pokémon, which again makes it somewhat slow and
vulnerable to disruption. Typhlosion may be a card that
could be revisited after the rotation if a format
without Claydol and Uxie hands a big advantage to Fire
decks that can use the Ninetales HGSS draw engine. Until
then, it is likely to be outmaneuvered by faster,
trickier decks. Still, if you just want a big
uncomplicated hitter, and people in your area are not
playing Water Pokémon, you could do a lot worse than
this.
Rating
Modified: 2.5(No frills, but packs a decent punch, and
the Prime helps it out)
Limited: 3.25 (if you pull the line, it’s a very good
attacker)
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kentucky
fried
torchic |
Today's card of the day is one of the final forms of
the Johto starters from HeartGold & SoulSilver,
Typhlosion.
Typhlosion is first and foremost a Fire type, giving it
advantages against Jumpluff, Dialga G, and other Grass
and Metal type Pokemon. 130 HP is nice, although the x2
weakness to Water ensures that Typhlosion won't be doing
anything to stop faster Water types like Gyarados. No
resistance is to be expected, and a retreat cost of one
is nice on a Stage Two Pokemon like Typhlosion.
Typhlosion's first attack is Magma Punch, a simple
attack reminiscent of a simpler time. Anyways, this
attack does 50 damage for a single Fire energy and a
Colorless energy. This attack can be a nice way of
finishing off some Pokemon, and if you add an Expert
Belt, you can use it to KO a large percentage of Basic
Pokemon in the format. However, hances are, you'll be
better off using Typhlosion's other attack.
Typhlosion's second attack is where it's at. Fire Spin
is a classic attack, dating back to the Base Set
Charizard, except this version is even better. For two
Fire energy and one Colorless energy, Fire spin does 120
damage! However, given the larger number of Pokemon with
more than 120 HP, attaching an Expert Belt or using
Crobat G drops may be the only way to get those vitals
OHKOs. Besides tha, you also have to discard two energy
attached to Typhlosion in order to use Fire Spin.
Modified 2/5
This card is largely overshadowed by Charizard (Arceus),
with a better jsut about everything. Still, it is
possible to tech this card into a deck using Typhlosion
Prime, although I wouldn't recommend it. Typhlosion
isn't a bad card, it's just that their are better
options.
Limited 4/5
If you can pull this card an either Fisherman or
Typhlosion Prime, expect people to run in fear of your
awesome might. Stay away from the people who pulled
Feraligatr or Gyaraods though.
Combos with: Typhlosion Prime (HeartGold&SoulSilver) and
Heatran LV.X (Stormfront)
Either of these cards will provide much needed energy to
acceleration and allow you to keep atacking turn after
turn. Typhlosion Prime is easier to get out and run with
Typhlosion, but Heatran will get back more energy for no
price besides getting it out. Look out for Power Sprays
though.
~KFT
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