Eelektross
(Dark Explorers)
Thanks to Eelektrik
NVI being basically amazing as an Energy
accelerator, its Stage 2,
Eelektross,
finds itself in a unique position in the
TCG. Normally evolving Stage 1s are used
only as a means to evolve: if they can
do anything useful, that’s seen as a
bonus. With
Eelektross, it’s the other way
around: you
want the Stage 1 for the Dynamotor
Ability and you would only play the
Stage 2 as a kind of extra, seeing as
you were already including the
Eelektriks
in your deck.
But is it worth
giving up even just the one slot and
evolving just the one Eel in order to
have today’s card on the Field? Let’s
take a look and find out.
Well, the basic
stats that this Pokémon has to offer are
nothing to shout about. Yes 140 HP is
decent, but the Fighting Weakness means
that it won’t save him if he faces a
Landorus, or
Terrakion.
Groudon-EX
could send him to the discard pile
pretty fast too. Meanwhile, that Retreat
cost of three is only good if you intend
to search him out with Heavy Ball.
Otherwise it can be a real pain if an
opponent uses Pokémon Catcher to force
him active and you don’t have a Switch.
Eelektross’s
first attack, Suction Heal, is a pretty
expensive way to kick things off,
especially as it only does
40 damage.
Yes, it does allow you to heal the same
amount of damage that you did from
Eelektross,
but this will only rarely be useful.
Healing strategies may be making a bit
of a comeback in the TCG lately, but
they are reserved for the massive 180 HP
EX Pokémon that are extremely difficult
to OHKO. Suction Heal won’t save
Eelektross
from a OHKO
(obviously), but more importantly it
won’t often protect him from a two hit
KO either against commonly played
attackers like
Darkrai-EX and
Mewtwo-EX.
It’s a pretty mediocre effort,
especially for [L][C][C],
and isn’t any reason to be playing this
card.
The second attack
is a bit more tempting. Slurp Shakedown
(I know, I know . . . what were they
thinking?) costs a hefty two Lightning
and two Colourless Energy. The damage
output of 60 is still very weak, but the
effect could be extremely useful: you
get to drag up one of your opponent’s
Benched Pokémon and do
60 damage.
This is a nice bit of disruption that
could benefit your deck in multiple
ways, such as getting a cheap KO on a
low HP Basic, or switching in a high
Retreat Pokémon that has no Energy
attached. It’s also an extremely
effective strategy against
Vileplume
UD, which can be brought out and KO’d on
your next turn, despite the fact that
its Allergy
Flower PokéBody
prevents you from using Pokémon Catcher.
If you’re running a
deck which uses Eelektrik and you find
it struggles if the opponent sets up a
Vileplume,
then this card might well be the answer
you are looking for. The Energy costs
are a bit extortionate but, hey – you
run Eelektrik. It’s not exactly a
must-have tech for Lightning decks, but
it does have a legitimate use that could
make it worth the one slot in your deck.
Rating
Modified: 3
(potential tech use in Eelektrik decks)
Limited: 3 (not a
huge fan of Stage 2s in Limited, but the
disruption and healing would work well)
