Baby Mario
2010 UK
National
Seniors
Champion |
Onix
(Plasma Freeze)
Ever since
Steelix appeared in
Generation II, and Onix
became an evolving Basic, his chief role has been to
evolve. Any good attacks or Powers he has had meantime
have been something of a bonus. Unfortunately, that
means that Onix’s worth as a
playable Pokémon is largely dependent on there being a
good Steelix available, and
right now that isn’t the case. Oh well, in case one does
come along in future sets, it’s worth taking a look at
Onix to see how helpful he
could be.
Sadly, Onix has no Ability
and the attacks are really very poor. Tackle offers just
30 damage for the massive cost of three Colourless
Energy , while Swing Around adds a Fighting Energy to
that cost and gives you two coin flips with 60 damage
for each heads. Even if you hit the heads, 120 for four
Energy isn’t special these days (Kyurem
PLF does it for three and is backed by Plasma support),
but that’s almost irrelevant as the flip factor and
prohibitive cost mean that this is not an attack you
will be using. Combine this with an unsurprisingly big
retreat cost and Grass Weakness (not good once
Genesect is released), and
Onix really doesn’t have
much to offer.
The only good thing you could really say about this card
is that the 100 HP is nice on an evolving Basic, but
even that isn’t a guarantee against a OHKO these days.
If we ever do get a decent Steelix,
let’s hope it comes with a better Basic than this.
Rating
Modified: 1.25 (decent HP, nothing else to offer)
Limited: 1.75 (could wall for a bit, but that’s all)
|
Jason Klaczynski
"Ness"
Two-Time World Champion
Check out The Klaczynski Open. August 31, 2013 |
Onix
This weak 100 HP basic has one purpose: Evolve into a
subpar Stage 1. Dealing low damage with expensive
attacks, you won't see this Onix in any
tournament-worthy decks.
Modified: 1/5
Limited: 2/5
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|
virusyosh |
Hello once again, Pojo viewers! Today we're reviewing
a Basic Pokemon that evolves, so it may see some play in
a deck with its evolution. Today's Card of the Day is
Onix.
Onix is a Basic Fighting Pokemon. Fighting-types aren't
so common in Modified right now, with only Landorus-EX
seeing some play; that being said, they're pretty
effective against Darkrai. 100 HP is good for a non-EX
Basic, although the format has become such that it still
may not be enough against standard attacks + Hypnotoxic
Laser. Grass Weakness isn't a huge deal right now, but
could become one if Virizion-EX and Genesect-EX are as
good as hyped; no Resistance is what we've come to
expect; and a Retreat Cost of three is huge, but it's
not surprising for a big, slow rock Pokemon like Onix.
The Rock Snake Pokemon has two attacks. Tackle does 30
damage for three Colorless Energy, which is terrible in
every format. It's slightly better in Limited due to
Onix's big body and the Colorless Energy requirements.
Swing Around isn't much better, as it's a very expensive
flip attack, as you flip two coins and deal 60 damage
times the number of heads for a Fighting and three
Colorless. Again, you won't use this outside of Limited,
but even still, averaging 60 damage for four Energy is
crazy. Therefore, Onix works well if you need another
big Basic in Limited or if you're evolving into Steelix,
but other than that, it simply requires too many
resources to be competitive.
Modified: 1/5 100 HP is nice, but both of Onix's attacks
are too expensive for any real use in this format. You'd
obviously run Onix if evolving into Steelix, but don't
bother otherwise.
Limited: 3/5 While Onix's attacks still cost a lot here,
it has a few more things going for it in Limited. 100 HP
on a Basic is great here, as the format tends to be much
weaker. Additionally, even though both attacks are very
expensive, they have very friendly Energy requirements,
meaning that Onix can fulfill a big Basic role in any
deck as long as you splash a couple Fighting Energy.
Overall, Onix can have a pretty good role here.
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