Baby Mario
2010 UK
National
Seniors
Champion |
Lanturn
(Plasma Freeze)
Hello and welcome to the week of reviews here on
Pojo’s
CotD. We kick off the week with a look at
Lanturn from Plasma Freeze.
I’ve had a soft spot for this Pokémon after having a lot
of fun playing the Prime version couple of years ago, so
it would be nice if this was also usable.
Lanturn
certainly does have a couple of decent attacks to help
with that. Special Tackle cost one Lightning Energy and
does 30 damage (which is ok), but if any Special Energy
is attached, it will do an extra 30. Your options for
this are really limited to using Blend WFLM at the
moment, as you will likely prefer to use the second
attack if Lanturn has a
Lightning and a Double Colourless, but nevertheless, 60
for one is a decent return, and capable of
KOing most evolving Basics.
Speaking of the second attack, Extreme Current isn’t
that
extreme, but it does hit the magic 90 damage
for three Energy, and that’s
enough to score a two-hit KO on an EX Pokémon under
normal circumstances. True, the attack does have a
drawback (the need to discard an Energy), but it’s
nothing too serious and can be worked with easily
enough.
So, does this mean Lanturn
is actually playable? Sadly not.
The attacks aren’t bad, but 90 HP is pretty horrible as
it makes Lanturn (and its
Basic for that matter) very easy prey for virtually any
attacking Pokémon in the format. Being a Stage 1 only
makes the problem worse, as it is a step behind all
those Basic EXs when it comes to speed too. Despite the
decent attacks, Lanturn
doesn’t really have the muscle to back it up.
Rating
Modified: 2 (a small fish in a big pond)
Limited: 3.75 (the attacks are good here and you could
use Plasma as the Special Energy)
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|
virusyosh |
Welcome back, Pojo readers! I know that Plasma Blast
is just around the corner, but be sure to stick with us
for our last few reviews of Plasma Freeze before we dig
into the new stuff! Kicking off our COTD week, today's
Card of the Day is Lanturn.
Lanturn is a Stage 1 Lightning Pokemon. Lightning
Pokemon (and Stage 1s) don't see a whole lot of play
right now aside from Eelektrik decks, of which Lanturn
could possibly fit if it fulfills a niche. 90 HP isn't a
great start, as it's a relatively low HP value that
means the electric anglerfish will easily get OHKO'd.
Fighting Weakness is expected on a Lightning-type; no
Resistance is unfortunate; and a Retreat Cost of two is
also just about what we'd expect, although you'll want
to probably use something like a Switch or Escape Rope
in order to make the most out of Lanturn's Energy.
Lanturn has two attacks. Special Tackle starts off at
30 damage for a single Lightning, but does 30 more
damage if there are any Special Energy attached to
Lanturn. This could be 60 damage for a single Blend WLFM
(if you'd play those together for some reason), or, more
likely, 60 damage for a Lightning and a Plasma Energy in
Limited. Rounding out the attacks, Extreme Current does
90 damage for a Lightning and two Colorless, with the
additional requirement to discard an Energy in order to
use the attack. Overall, Lanturn's attacks aren't really
anything that groundbreaking, making it best for the
Limited format.
Modified: 1.5/5 Lanturn is greatly outclassed here by
a myriad of other Basic and/or Pokemon-EX attackers. Be
sure to look at some of those instead.
Limited: 4/5 Lanturn is very efficient in Limited,
and it makes an excellent attacker as such. Special
Tackle's cost-to-damage ratio is already excellent, and
while adding a Plasma Energy in Plasma Freeze Limited
won't make it the most efficient attack, 60 damage for
two Energy is still very good. Likewise, Extreme
Current's 90 damage will take a significant chunk out of
most of the Limited metagame, so it's also worth
powering up. Plus, since Lanturn's an uncommon, it's
possible you'll get multiples! In summary, Lanturn's an
excellent, cost-efficient attacker for your Lightning
deck in Plasma Freeze Limited.
|
Ness
Two-Time World Champion
Check out The Klaczynski Open. August 31, 2013 |
Lanturn
Another sub-par 90 HP Pokémon,
you'll need a Blend Energy to upgrade Lanturn's Special
Tackle from 30 to a mediocre 60 damage. Extreme Current
is far from impressive, dealing only 90 damage and also
requiring you to discard an energy. A simple Pokémon
with weak stats that is easily OHKO'd, this Stage 1
isn't worth the spots it would take up in your deck.
Modified: 1/5
Limited: 3/5
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