Now for the second card
to grace the list that
normally wouldn’t, we
have
Chatot (BW:
Plasma Blast 77/101)
as the 11th
most Promising Pick of
Plasma Blast!
What makes this
not-so-big bird worth
such consideration?
Stats
Miscellaneous:
This
Chatot is a Team
Plasma Pokémon, and with
this latest set this is
no longer purely
advantage as some cards
that specifically
counter Team Plasma
Pokémon have been
introduced.
At this time I
still believe it to be a
solid advantage overall.
For the sake of
clarity, I will
henceforth address
today’s card as
Chatot [Plasma], not
that I plan to talk much
about the only other
Modified legal
Chatot (BW: Dark
Explorers 85/108).
Type:
Chatot [Plasma] is a
Colorless-Type, so it
won’t ever enjoy hitting
for double damage or
have to worry about
Resistance.
It can tap
Aspertia City Gym
for some extra HP,
assuming it is worth
running the two
together.
Stage:
As a Basic Pokémon,
Chatot [Plasma]
requires minimal space
to run, minimal time and
effort to put into play,
and even minimum effort
to search out… which
I’ll tell you now is
likely very important to
it making the list.
There are even
cards that reward being
a Basic Pokémon!
Nothing about
BW: Plasma Blast
seems to have changed
this.
Hit Points:
Chatot [Plasma] has
a paltry 60 HP; this is
prone to being actually
or effectively OHKOed.
There is some
small benefit; the HP
score is low enough for
Level Ball to search
it out, and while that
would be true even if
the card had upwards of
90 HP.
Even 90 wouldn’t
have been much of an
improvement with the
damage output of most
attackers, however.
Weakness:
Lightning-Type Weakness
is to be expected, and
could be quite
unfortunate.
I am still
learning how decks have
shifted and where they
appear to be heading,
but if
Thundurus EX remains
a played card, it easily
OHKOs
Chatot with no
additional help needed.
With the low HP,
sometimes a Pokémon is
fortunate because it
results in attackers
just hitting for
“overkill” damage, but
this time it appears at
least a one notable
attacker will benefit
from it.
Resistance:
Chatot [Plasma]
enjoys Fighting
Resistance, which can
definitely come in
handy, but only when
said attacker can’t hit
for 80 points of damage,
or at least not easily
do so.
Fighting-Type
Pokémon also have a
proclivity for effects
that ignore Resistance.
Retreat:
Chatot [Plasma] has
a single Energy Retreat
Cost; this is fairly
easy to pay and even if
not, many decks would
have a work around
anyway.
Effects
Attack#1:
For (C) you can use
Disinformation, an
attack that does no
damage but will discard
all Pokémon Tools your
opponent has in play.
Timed well this
can lead to a lot of
card advantage; a player
can usually have up to
six Pokémon Tools in
play, and with the
correct Pokémon the
number can be as high as
26!
At the same time,
you’re using up an
attack and an Energy
card in the deal, and
while it can generate a
lot of advantage, if
your opponent doesn’t
run Pokémon Tools or
doesn’t run many,
Disinformation is
worthless.
Attack#2:
Tone-Deaf requires (CC)
and does 20 points of
damage plus afflicts the
Defending Pokémon with
guaranteed Confusion.
Unfortunately
Special Conditions are
very easy to shake and
thanks to
Hypnotoxic Laser,
few decks are likely to
be unprepared to do just
that.
The damage isn’t
that impressive for the
Energy invested, and
when you consider that
it is the only damaging
attack this card has it
could have stood hitting
a bit harder; I doubt
this is the card’s focus
but 30 for (CC) can
actually be of use given
all the damage boosting
tricks.
Synergy:
Tone-Deaf appears to be
high grade filler (that
is, almost seeming like
the designers tried),
but Disinformation is
the main focus of the
card according to those
trying to convince me of
its worth, and I can’t
see anything else being
worth it.
Usage
Card Family:
Chatot [Plasma] has
access to the ample
Plasma support cards;
I’ll cover what I
believe matters in the
next section.
As mentioned
earlier, there is one
other
Chatot.
BW: Dark
Explorers 85/108 has
70 HP and isn’t a Plasma
Pokémon, but otherwise
the same Stats as
today’s card.
It has a less
expensive but weaker
version of Tone-Deaf;
just (C) buys 10 points
of damage and Confusion
to the Defending Pokémon
on a successful coin
toss.
For (CC) it can
use Peck for a flat 30
points of damage.
As you should be
able to tell, it is a
poor card and in no way
competition for
Chatot [Plasma] even
with 10 more HP.
Combos:
Chatot [Plasma] is,
in a word, “accessible”.
Level Ball and
Team Plasma Ball can
snag it easily.
Revive (while we
still have it) can get
it to the field directly
from the discard, and if
you’re running
Super Rod we just
established it is fairly
easy to search back out.
Even in decks
that don’t have a lot of
Energy acceleration,
giving up a single
attachment and Energy to
use the attack shouldn’t
strain your resources.
As it is a Team
Plasma Pokémon,
Colress Machine and
Plasma Energy can
provide it Energy in a
pinch, though I would
probably save them for
something that really
needs it and use my
manual attachment
instead.
In spite of those perks
that make
Chatot [Plasma] and
Disinformation easy to
use, you’re still giving
up an attack; in a
format of fast,
hard-hitting Pokémon
that could range from
“half” a Prize (few
attackers won’t at least
half-KO a regular
Pokémon) to two Prizes
(for decks that can OHKO
a Pokémon-EX).
You can’t act
upon opportunities
created from discarding
the Pokémon Tools until
your next turn, save a
few effects that would
be relevant between
turns or on your
opponent’s turn.
For example, is
using Garbotoxin to shut
off Abilities that don’t
trigger between turns,
your opponent has a turn
to play down a new
Pokémon Tool to
reactivate Garbotoxin as
well as OHKO
Chatot [Plasma] or
of course win the game
anyway.
Even pushing for
a significant lead might
be enough.
Of course
Chatot [Plasma]
itself might be a quick
retaliatory KO (so add
“opponent gets an easy
Prize” to the cost of
Disinformation), but how
many decks will run
enough Pokémon Tools in
play at once to justify
Chatot [Plasma] and
then have enough to drop
again to justify
attacking twice with it?
If the deck
Disinformation was used
against wasn’t totally
dependent upon Pokémon
Tools for its offense,
then ignoring it and
focusing on whatever the
“real” threat is makes
sense.
Thinking about
Disinformation, I would
be tempting to throw
important looking
Pokémon Tools in my deck
if
Chatot [Plasma] was
popular – whatever their
true effect, they might
as well read “Discard
this Pokémon Tool and
all other Pokémon Tools
you have in play to
prevent all effects of
attacks, including
damage, done by your
opponent’s next attack.”
Something to that,
effect, anyway.
Apparently something I
missed, or at least
undervalue if this card
deserves its #11 slot.
We received some
impressive Pokémon Tools
this set, and have
others from previous
sets.
Sigilyph (BW:
Plasma Blast
41/101), which can have
four Pokémon Tools
attached at once via its
Ability, is hit really
hard by Disinformation…
unless one of its
Pokémon Tools is
Silver Mirror, which
due to its own effect
upon the equipped
Pokémon would protect
itself as well as any
extra Pokémon Tools
attached to that Pokémon
as Disinformation is an
attack from a Team
Plasma Pokémon.
This trick only
works for
Sigilyph and its
extra Pokémon Tools;
Silver Mirror won’t
Pokémon Tools attached
to other Pokémon.
Of course,
getting rid of
Silver Mirror would
have been a reason for
running a Pokémon that
can discard Pokémon
Tools for me, so it is
still a major concern.
Dealing with strategies
that rely on Pokémon
Tools would seem better
served by
Tool Scrapper.
As an Item,
Tool Scrapper can
only discard up to two
Pokémon Tools that are
in play, but… it is an
Item.
Not as easy to
search or re-use, but
unless the format is
going to shift so that
players are putting 3+
Pokémon Tools in play at
a time this allows you
to take out up to two
key Pokémon Tools at
once while still keeping
up your offensive… and
it works on
Silver Mirror.
Ratings
Unlimited:
Seldom required for
decks that win first
turn anyway, while
anything else has access
to the old
Windstorm Item (by
way of being a “normal”
Trainer); it is the
precursor of
Tool Scrapper, with
the same effect save it
could hit Stadiums or
Pokémon Tools.
1/5
Modified:
The sheer versatility of
being a Team Plasma
Pokémon are why I keep
asking myself what I am
missing, instead of just
assuming the players
that have tried to sell
me on this cards were
trolling me.
Maybe for Team
Plasma decks this is
worth it.
2/5
Limited:
60 HP isn’t as bad here.
Confusion is a
lot more useful.
Having all
Colorless Energy
requirements is huge as
it makes it easy to use
in the often tri-color
decks one is forced to
rely upon.
Unless you pulled
a big, Basic Pokémon and
are trying for it and a
deck of 39 Energy, or
had some amazing luck,
it is pretty hard to
justify skipping this.
4.95/5
Summary
Chatot
[Plasma] receives a very
wishy-washy review; I
see little reason to run
the card instead of
Tool Scrapper, but
some well known, proven
players I respect seemed
sold on it.
So I am prepared
to suffer the sting of
being oblivious to a
card worthy of being our
number 11 pick, but I’ve
got to say that I just
don’t see it.
Chatot [Plasma] did
not make either my
actual Top 12 or my Top
20 list.
