Baby Mario
2010 UK
National
Seniors
Champion |
Flareon
(Dark Explorers)
Hello and welcome
to a (mostly)
Eeveelution-themed week here on
Pojo’s
CotD.
Eevee
and his many Evolutions are some of the
most popular cards in the game, due to
their high levels of cuteness. In the
past, they have been a part of some top
tier decks, such as
Flariados and Absolutions – the
deck that won both US
Nats and the
World Championship in 2007. Since then,
it’s been a bit of a lean time for
Eevee and
friends, so let’s see if the latest
bunch of cards will give their fans
something to cheer about.
We kick off the
week with Flareon,
a Fire Type Stage 1 Pokémon with just 90
HP. That’s not a good start. Water
Weakness is ok though, and the Retreat
cost of one is decent. Let’s hope the
attacks are good.
Flareon’s
first attack is pretty ok for what it
costs. One Energy
of any Colour gets you Sand-Attack,
which does 20 damage and forces the
Defending Pokémon to flip a coin to see
if they can attack
Flareon on their turn. Of course,
they can always Retreat and KO it with
something else, but at least Sand-Attack
forces them into using resources to do
that. The damage output won’t gain you
many Prizes, but it can help
Flareon to
survive a turn if you are lucky, and for
one Energy? You really can’t complain.
Assuming that
Flareon does last the turn, you
can use Fire Slash. This attack costs
one Fire and two
Colourless Energy (making it DCE
compatible) and does 60 points of
effect-free damage. That’s not very
impressive, but you do have the option
of discarding a Fire Energy and hitting
for a total of 90. I like the fact that
the discard is optional, and 90 damage
isn’t too bad for the cost (it will
two-hit KO any EX Pokémon without
Eviolite).
So . . . do two
good-ish
attacks make for a playable, competitive
Pokémon? Sadly, not
when they are printed on a 90 HP Stage
1. Flareon
is just outmuscled by virtually every
usable attacking Pokémon in the format.
Sure it can KO anything with two turns
of Fire Slash, but the fact is that it
is unlikely to survive after using the
first one, and keeping up a constant
stream of Stage 1
attackers that need three Energy
is just not practical. I probably say
this every time a Fire Pokémon comes up
for review, but there’s no reason for
anyone to use this card over the far
superior Reshiram
BLW.
Rating
Modified: 2.25
(it’s an ok card in a format where being
ok is nowhere near enough)
Limited: 4 (can
shine in a slower format thanks to those
really solid attacks)
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virusyosh |
Welcome back, Pojo readers! I hope that all of you
had great success at your local Battle Roads, and that
you all have better ideas as to what to take to Nats!
We're doing more Dark Explorers reviews this week, so be
sure to check back for more updates. Today we're going
to kick things off by reviewing one of the new Eevee
evolutions in the set. Today's Card of the Day is
Flareon.
Flareon is a Stage 1 Fire Pokemon. Fire-types are
basically non-existent in Modified right now, with
Reshiram, Reshiram-EX, Emboar, and Typhlosion all seeing
very little play; however, with the domination shown by
Darkrai-EX, Eelektrik, and other fast Energy
acceleration, Fire is all but a dead type in the
tournament scene. 90 HP is standard for a Stage 1,
allowing Flareon to take a middling hit, but sadly still
falling to the likes of Darkrai-EX's Night Spear,
Tornadus-EX's Power Blast, Zekrom's Bolt Strike, and
more often than not, Mewtwo-EX's X Ball. Water Weakness
is practically irrelevant in Modified, but could make a
difference in Limited; no Resistance is to be expected,
and a Retreat Cost of 1 is easy to pay.
The Flame Pokemon has two attacks. Sand Attack is your
standard damaging effect with protection, dealing 20
damage for a single Colorless, but also preventing your
opponent from attacking during their next turn if they
flip tails. Note that benching the Pokemon this effect
is on will end the effect, so if your opponent retreats,
they can attack you as normal. 20 damage isn't enough
for an evolved Pokemon in Modified, even with the attack
prevention, but the attack has somewhat of a niche in
Limited, as it can be potentially great at stalling your
opponent out for a minimal, splashable cost.
Fire Slash is Flareon's second attack, dealing 60 points
of damage for a Fire and two Colorless, with the option
of discarding a Fire Energy to do 30 more damage.
Options are always a great thing to have in the Pokemon
TCG, and this card is no exception. While 60 damage for
three Energy is a bit underwhelming by Modified
standards, 90 damage for three is decent. In Limited,
both are great, as you can choose not to discard if you
don't need to deal the extra damage. Colorless-friendly
Energy requirements are also a nice added touch.
Modified: 1.5/5 Fire is a dead type here, and even
still, Flareon is largely outclassed by Reshiram and
Reshiram-EX, which are generally better options.
Limited: 4/5 Flareon is a solid choice in Limited. Both
attacks have Colorless Energy requirements, and while
flippy, neither attack has a drawback, making Flareon a
card with decent upside. While it won't deal punishing
amounts of damage like the Pokemon-EX, Flareon is very
solid and can easily fit into your Limited deck if you
manage to run a few Fire Energy to make the most of its
attack.
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