Baby Mario
2010 UK
National
Seniors
Champion |
Dark Explorers Countdown
#3 Raikou-EX
So today we make it to the top 3, and get to look at the
cards which have had real hype behind them from the
moment players set eyes on the translations from the
Japanese cards. Today it’s the turn of
Raikou-EX and I feel I
should say that the ‘normal’ version is
much better
looking than the Full Art. That’s not just my opinion,
that is a fact.*
Raikou-EX
comes with a big 170 HP and a generous Retreat cost of
one. It’s a Lightning Type, so you know it’s getting
great support from Eelektrik NV and can slip easily into
the established top tier decks that are based around Eel
Energy acceleration. Fighting Weakness isn’t ideal, but
that hasn’t stopped Zekrom/Eelektrik
from doing well in an environment where
Terrakion decks and techs
are being played. It’s a concern, sure, but nothing that
should turn you away from this card.
But hold on . . . what’s this?
Raikou’s first attack is actually *shock horror*
a bit rubbish. One Lightning and one Colourless Energy
gets you just 30 damage and a
coin flip for Paralysis. Ok, Paralysis is nice when it
hits, but is THIS what you would run a 2-Prize EX
Pokémon for? I don’t think so. Time to turn our
attention elsewhere . . .
. . . and THERE it is. Volt
Bolt is amazing. For [L][L][C]
and the discarding of all Lightning Energy attached to
Raikou you get to hit ANY of
your opponent’s Pokémon for 100 damage. Yep, that’s
right, this is the card that will finally kill off Truth
variants (Reuniclus is now
a OHKO on the Bench) and put
the last nail in the Cofagrigus
of Vileplume (a 2HKO and now
you can use Trainers again). Other handy targets include
your opponent’s Eelektrik in a mirror match and pretty
much any evolving Basic or Stage 1 in existence. You can
also pick up cheap Prizes on techs like
Shaymin and
Smeargle without needing a
Pokémon Catcher. Anything else (like an active you want
to get rid of)? Well Volt Bolt will
two-shot that as well. Lightning-Weak Pokémon like
Empoleon
DEX, and Tornadus (EX
or normal version) are easy Prizes too.
Obviously, to keep Raikou-EX
powered up, you’re going to need to run Eelektrik
yourself, plus Skyarrow
Bridge to give it free Retreat and Switch to send it
back active (unless you have a couple on the Field).
That really is the serious limitation of this card.
Unlike Tornadus-EX, which
can be splashed into just about any deck,
Raikou is really only viable
in an Eels deck, and even then it’s going to be a one or
two card tech rather than the main attacker. For that
reason, I rated it a bit lower on my list. Make no
mistake though, this is a very powerful card that makes
an already powerful deck that much more scary. Expect to
see a lot of Raikou-EX in
the near future.
*
May not actually be a fact
Rating
Modified: 4 (the best sniper since
Garchomp C LV X)
Limited: 4.25 (not so easy to use without Energy
acceleration, but the first attack is solid here and a
Bench KO can seal the game)
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virusyosh |
Happy midweek, Pojo readers! Today we're reviewing
the #3 card on our Dark Explorers countdown, and it's a
new Pokemon-EX that is sure to see some play, specially
in one very powerful deck right now. Today's Card of the
Day is Raikou-EX.
Raikou-EX is a Basic Lightning Pokemon-EX. Lightning is
a very common type right now in Modified, so Raikou will
have to do something excellent in order to see play, as
it faces stiff competition from the likes of Zekrom,
Zekrom-EX, Zapdos, and even Thundurus as Lightning-type
attackers. As a Pokemon-EX, your opponent takes two
Prizes for Knocking it Out, so be sure to keep Raikou
safe as long as you possibly can to avoid giving up easy
prizes. Raikou has a massive 170 HP, which will easily
take all hits that aren't for Weakness, unless your
opponent has a very powerful Mewtwo-EX or something like
that. Fighting Weakness is terrible against Terrakion
(which can easily OHKO), Groudon-EX, and the occasional
Landorus, but isn't too bad otherwise. Sadly, Raikou-EX
has no Resistance, but it does have a very nice Retreat
Cost of 1, which can become free with Skyarrow Bridge,
or is easily payable otherwise.
Raikou-EX has two attacks. Thunder Fang deals 30 damage
and has a chance to Paralyze for a Lightning and a
Colorless. This attack is very underwhelming for a
Pokemon-EX in Modified, as 30 damage for two Energy is
fairly standard on non-Pokemon-EX, so one would expect
us to get some sort of bonus for being an EX, but this
is unfortunately not the case. The attack is solid, if
unspectacular in Limited, as well. Volt Bolt, Raikou's
second attack will be the primary reason it sees play.
for two Lightning and a Colorless, Volt Bolt allows you
to choose one of your opponent's Pokemon and deal 100
damage to it, not applying Weakness and Resistance for
Benched Pokemon while discarding all of the Lightning
Energy attached to Raikou. Though the double Lightning
cost may seem like a lot, sniping 100 damage is
fantastic, easily taking out most bench sitters in a
single shot, as well as severely crippling everything
else. Raikou is also easily powered up with Eelektrik
(or Pachirisu + Shaymin), and can easily snipe multiple
times before going down.
Modified: 3.5/5 Raikou-EX is a very powerful Pokemon,
but it is also very narrow in its uses. Thunder Fang is
underwhelming in a format focused on speed, although
Volt Bolt is amazing due to the amount of damage the
attack is able to snipe. Heavy Lightning Energy
requirements will keep Raikou out of non-Lightning
decks, but Lightning decks will welcome the very
powerful sniping capabilities. Most Eels variants
running Zapdos for sniping will probably make the switch
over to run one or two Raikou-EX, although I can't see a
deck run more than two copies due to its somewhat narrow
uses. All in all, Raikou is a very solid new Pokemon-EX
that fills a very powerful (albeit narrow) niche in the
Modified metagame.
Limited: 3.75/5 Raikou is quite a bit more difficult to
use in Limited, though it is still very powerful. 170 HP
is monstrous, and both attacks are good in the format.
Thunder Fang is a great early game attack, as having the
chance to Paralyze the opponent is great to lock them
up. Volt Bolt will likely get a KO once you use it, but
without reliable Energy acceleration, discarding
multiple Lightning Energy can be a difficult
proposition, possibly setting your back a few turns
tempo-wise. Overall, Raikou can be a star in decks
focusing on the Lightning-type, but it is a rather slow
hitter for the format.
Combos With: Eelektrik NV
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