Baby Mario
2010 UK
National
Seniors
Champion |
Leavanny
(Plasma Storm)
It’s a sad fact of TCG life that there are more internet
memes out there for the Leavanny
evolution line than there are playable cards from it
(that would be one, then). To be blunt, the four we have
received so far have ranged from interesting but not
really playable to utterly useless.
To be fair, Leavanny starts
off at a disadvantage simply because it’s a Stage 2.
With the uncommon exception of
Empoleon DEX, the only time you will see Stage 2s
around these days is in a support role (Blastoise
BCR, Klinklang PLS). Hardly
surprising when you consider how powerful and easy to
use the Basic EX Pokémon are.
Leavanny doesn’t exactly help its cause though.
Yeah the 140 HP is standard and the Fire Weakness pretty
good right now, but that doesn’t even matter when a
Pokémon has two attacks that are as useless as this.
Actually, I’m probably being a little bit unfair about
the first one. Cleave costs two Colourless Energy (so is
easily paid for) and does a poor 30 damage. However, you
do get the very nice, if somewhat unlikely bonus that,
if you flip two heads, you discard all Energy attached
to the Defending Pokémon. Yes, it’s a good effect, and
you can improve your odds of hitting it with Victory
Star Victini, but even then
you are only looking at a 37.5% chance of it working,
and it isn’t even going to save you in every situation
either against low Energy attackers (Landorus-EX),
Pokémon that discard anyway
to attack (Rayquaza-EX) or
anything that accelerates from the discard pile (Dark
Patch, Eelektrik NVI). Oh well, at least Cleave is worth
at least a look, the other attack, Leaf Blade certainly
isn’t. For two Grass and one Colourless (so it isn’t
even compatible with the DCE you used for Cleave) you
get just 70 damage plus a
coin flip for 20 more. C’mon card designers . . . why
the flip? Was the attack really so overpowered that you
needed to do that? (Answer: a big no).
So . . . the only thing even remotely good about this
card is an attack that relies on you flipping double
heads on a consistent basis. Hardly
worth setting up a Stage 2 for. Sorry
Leavanny, you’ll have to do
better than that if you ever want to see tournament
play.
Rating
Modified: 1.5 (rubbish Stage 2 with novelty attack)
Limited: 1.75 (I wouldn’t bother here either)
|
|
virusyosh |
Hello once again, Pojo viewers! Today we are
reviewing a new Stage 2 Grass-type from Plasma Storm.
Today's Card of the Day is Leavanny.
Leavanny is a Stage 2 Grass Pokemon. Grass-types
aren't seeing very much play right now, but as Blastoise/Keldeo
is still quite a force in Modified, a powerful
Grass-type could easily see some play in the format. 140
HP is standard for a Stage 2, and Leavanny should be
able to take at least one major hit before going down in
our super-powered metagame; of course, there are still
quite a few Pokemon that can deal upwards of 140 damage
in a single blow. Fire Weakness isn't a problem except
for the rare Ho-Oh; no Resistance is sad, and a Retreat
Cost of 2 is payable if you need to.
Leavanny has two attacks. Cleave does 30 damage for
two Colorless Energy, with the possibility of discarding
all of the Defending Pokemon's Energy(!) if you can flip
two coins and get them both heads. Now, there's a 25%
chance of this effect happening, meaning most of the
time you're going to be dealing a rather lackluster 30
damage. Of course, when the effect works, it can be
potentially devastating, especially against decks that
don't accelerate very well. However, 30 damage is still
a really weak amount for Modified, so unless you can
reliably come up with a way to flip double heads (not
happening), this attack is best meant for Limited.
Leaf Blade is Leavanny's second attack, starting off
at 70 damage for two Grass and a Colorless, but it can
do 20 more if you once again flip a coin and get heads.
90 damage for three Energy is barely passable in
Modified these days, and given that Leavanny is a Stage
2, it's probably not worth using.
Modified: 1.75/5 Once again, Leavanny is an example
of a Stage 2 with slow, inconsistent attacks, making it
a bad choice for Modified. While Cleave is very
interesting, the Energy discard effect happens so rarely
that it's not worth counting on. Additionally, Leaf
Blade is very average by Modified attack standards, so
you're better off finding other, more effective options.
Limited: 4/5 Leavanny, however, shines in Limited.
Cleave can be absolutely brutal here, as a lack of
acceleration means that you'll likely set your opponent
back a few turns by discarding all of their Energy. On
top of that, Leaf Blade is a very solid attack, even if
you don't get heads. Overall, like many Stage 2s,
Leavanny is quite strong in Limited, and if you get it
out, you'll probably win the game.
|
|
Jebulous Maryland Player |
Leavanny
Leavanny is a Stage 2 Pokemon with 140 HP. It is weak
to Fire and has a retreat cost of 2.
'Cleave' costs 2 colorless energy and does 30 damage.
If you flip 2 heads, you discard all Energies on the
Defending Pokemon. Not enough damage (X Ball...) and the
effect won't be successful much.
'Leaf Blade' costs 2 Grass and 1 Colorless Energy. It
does 70, and if you flip heads, it does 90. Still not
great, especially since there is no good Grass Energy
acceleration.
As always, a Stage 2 attacker is not something you
want. Keeping them streaming is difficult, and with no
bonus (Diving Draw...), the costs far outweigh the
benefits.
Modified: 1/5
Limited: 1.5/5
Combos With: ...
Questions, comments, concerns:
jebulousthemighty@yahoo.com
|
