Baby Mario
2010 UK
National
Seniors
Champion |
Primeape (Plasma Freeze)
Until I came to review this card, I had no idea that
there was a Primape in this set. That’s probably not a
good sign.
Another bad sign is that this is a 90 HP Stage 1: not
the fastest thing out there, and with a very low rate of
survival. As for the attacks? Well you take your choice
between Fury Swipes, a flippy attack for two Colourless
Energy that gives you three coin flips for 30 damage for
each heads, or Karate Chop which costs two Fighting
Energy and does 80 damage minus 10 for each damage
counter on Primeape. I suppose the good news about
Karate Chop is that it will almost always do the
maximum, because once Primeape gets attacked it is more
likely to be heading to the discard pile than it is to
sit there with damage counters on it.
Perhaps the worst thing about the card from a design
point of view is the incompatible Energy requirements of
the attacks. Slap a Double Colourless in this for a
quick gamble with Fury Swipes and it won’t contribute at
all to the cost of Karate Chop, which is probably the
better of the two pretty poor attacks. Fortunately, it’s
not a problem you are ever likely to have in a
competitive tournament: Primeape is simply too weak to
ever feature there.
Rating
Modified: 1.25 (a card that does its best to
undermine itself – and succeeds)
Limited: 2 (Mediocre, even here)
|
Jason Klaczynski
"Ness"
Check out The Klaczynski Open. August 31, 2013 |
Primeape
90 HP and less damage when its damaged? The only good
news is Karate Chop is always hitting for 80, because
practically everything in the format OHKOs this weak
Stage 1.
Modified: 1/5
Limited: 2/5
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virusyosh |
Happy midweek, Pojo readers! Today we're reviewing a
Pokemon originally from Generation I that could be
pretty good in Limited. Today's Card of the Day is
Primeape.
Primeape is a Stage 1 Fighting Pokemon. Being a
Fighting-type isn't that bad right now, as it gives you
more power against Darkrai, but weakens you against the
likes of Deoxys (and Gothitelle, though it's not a
common attacker). That being said, this Primeape likely
won't be seeing much Modified play. 90 HP is strictly
average for a Stage 1, but it likely won't survive well
in Modified given its somewhat poor typing. Psychic
Weakness has been previously mentioned, and Deoxys will
likely give you trouble, as well as other random
Psychics you may run across in either format; no
Resistance is unfortunate but expected; but a single
Retreat Cost is pretty good, and easily payable when
necessary.
This Pig Monkey Pokemon has two attacks. Fury Swipes is
your standard flip attack, flipping three coins and
dealing 30 damage times the number of heads for two
Colorless Energy. This attack will likely see some use
in Limited, where it'll average between 30 and 60
damage, which isn't terrible for this kind of attack. On
the other hand, Karate Chop is also a standard minus
attack, starting off at a very excellent 80 damage for
two Fighting, but then dealing 10 damage less for each
damage counter on Primeape. This is an attack you'll
obviously want to use before Primeape has been damaged,
and can be quite effective in the early game in Limited.
That being said, with diminishing usefulness once
Primeape has been damaged, you'll then have to rely on
Fury Swipes to attack, which isn't always the best idea.
In summary, Primeape has decent attacks for Limited,
where it will perform quite admirably.
Modified: 1/5 Neither of Primeape's attacks are very
interesting in this format, and it has low HP and a
not-so-great Psychic Weakness. Other options will be
much better.
Limited: 3/5 Primeape can be a solid, if unspectacular
addition to your Limited Fighting deck. Fury Swipes will
give you unreliable damage, but the opportunity to do 60
or 90 on your second turn is appealing. Same is true of
Karate Chop, although attacks that decrease in damage as
the game progresses are never that great. That being
said, Primeape is a Common, so you should be able to
even possibly get multiples for a bit of consistency,
even if Primeape ends up being your secondary attacker.
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