Otaku |
That’s right: today we look at yet another Rayquaza-EX,
this time XY: Black Star Promo XY66! This is
another Colorless-Type offering, meaning it doesn’t have
to worry about Resistance and can tap some solid support
but also that it can’t exploit Weakness in any
match-ups. The main reason I think that is a strong net
positive is because I’m already assuming this is a
Rayquaza-EX we’ll Evolve and not one we’ll run as
our main attacker. Being a Basic on the other hand is
unambiguously good; minimum time and card requirements
to get into play. Being a Pokémon-EX can lead to some
serious benefits (better attributes or effects than
non-Pokémon-EX counterparts plus Mega Evolution) but
most of these are not guaranteed (Mega Evolving is since
we already have two different M Rayquaza-EX to
choose from). The 170 HP is solid, probably enough to
survive a hit but the harder hitting decks will be able
to take it down in one hit (after all the hardest
hitting can take down anything in one hit). Lighting
Weakness is pretty dangerous due to some solid
Lightning-Type attackers like Raichu (XY )
and the fact that some other popular cards already make
hitting Lightning-Type Weakness rewarding to have
Lightning-Type attackers splashed into more decks than
one might expect. The Fighting Resistance isn’t a huge
amount of it is greatly appreciated to blunt the damage
from Fighting-Types. The Retreat Cost of [CC] is low
enough you can often afford it (both up front and
recovering from the Energy loss) but is high enough
you’ve got enough incentive to try and lower or bypass
it.
Rayquaza-EX
sports two attacks, Mega Ascension and Aeroscream: I
like the name of the last one. For [CC] the first
allows you to search your deck for a card named M
Rayquaza-EX and add it to hand. Given that hand
disruption is currently still a common thing for most
decks and you’re paying [CC] to use it and
one version of Rayquaza-EX has an Ancient Trait
that allows it to Mega Evolve the same turn Rayquaza-EX
hits the field (even if it is the first turn of the
game), that’s disappointing. Perhaps it would have been
too powerful but being able to attack to search and
Mega Evolve would be more useful… and if that was too
powerful, then forget searching at all and give it a
different attack. The second attack needs [CCCC] to hit
for 130 damage. That is a solid amount that could be
pumped up to an effective 180 damage with Muscle Band,
Hypnotoxic Laser and Virbank City Gym.
Not recommending that though, especially because the
attack requires you flip a coin and if it comes up
heads, you have to discard two Energy. Sometimes, I
think the “coin flip determined discard” is worse than a
mandatory one, as it means you might have to plan to pay
more next turn but you might not and you might reduce
the risk to Rayquaza-EX from attacks that do more
damage based on the Energy attached to it or… you might
not. If the cost would have been one Energy instead of
two were it guaranteed each turn instead of averaging
out to one every other turn, then I definitely would
have preferred that.
As stated, this is one of several Rayquaza-EX.
The first and oldest is Rayquaza-EX (BW:
Dragons Exalted 85/124, 123/124; BW: Black Star
Promo BW47) and we’ve reviewed it
three
separate
times.
Differences are that it is a Dragon-Type with
Dragon-Type Weakness, no Resistance, a Retreat Cost of
[C] and two different attacks (of course). The first
(Celestial Roar) required just [C] and milled your own
deck for three cards, but you could attach any Energy
cards revealed therein to itself. What made it once one
of the top attackers in the game was that for [RL] its
“Dragon Burst” attack allowed you to discard either all
basic [L] or [R] Energy attached to it to hit for 60
damage times the amount discarded! This card is only
legal in Expanded, however and without good Energy
acceleration to load it up at least once it doesn’t make
much sense as a lead in to M Rayquaza-EX. As
such it isn’t likely to be competition for this version.
Rayquaza-EX (XY: Roaring Skies 60/108)
differs from today’s by being a Dragon-Type with 180 HP,
Fairy-Type Weakness, still no Resistance and again, two
different attacks. This time the first (Dragon Claw)
requires [CC] to hit for a flat 30 while the second
(Dragon Strike) requires [RRLC] to hit for 130 but
requires a coin flip; on “tails” you it can’t use Dragon
Strike during your next turn. We reviewed it before
here
and again, it isn’t much competition as it tends to be
used in decks that use Dragon-Type support incompatible
with today’s version.
Rayquaza-EX
(XY: Roaring Skies 75/108, 104/108) was reviewed
alongside M Rayquaza-EX (XY: Roaring Skies
76/108, 105/108)
here
in one of my ill conceived ideas, and it was even as our
sixth place pick on the XY: Primal Clash Top 10
list. This Rayquaza-EX only differs from today’s
in terms of attacks, sporting “Intensifying Burn” for
[C], which hits for 10 (plus 50 against opposing
Pokémon-EX), and “Dragon Pulse” for [CCC], which hits
for 100 but also mills the top three cards from your
deck. Not quite good enough to use on its own (though
at the time I thought it might be), it is primarily used
as a lead in for the also Colorless-Type M Rayquaza-EX
(XY: Roaring Skies 76/108, 105/108). This 220 HP
Mega Evolution also has Lightning Weakness and Fighting
Resistance, but the Retreat Cost drops to [C] and it has
an Ancient Trait plus a single attack. The former is Δ
Evolution which allows you to immediately Mega Evolve
one of Rayquaza-EX in play into itself even if
Rayquaza-EX just entered play that turn, even if it
is the very first turn of the game. You’ll still need
Rayquaza Spirit Link if you don’t want Mega
Evolving to end your turn though and if it is a turn in
which you can attack you usually want to take the shot
as for just [CCC] M Rayquaza-EX can use “Emerald
Break” to hit for 30 damage times the number of your
Benched Pokémon. Needless to say, it has become a
strong deck thanks to Sky Field. This would be
the deck to run today’s Rayquaza-EX in but
it seems kind of silly to search out the M Rayquaza-EX
partially special for being able to Evolve so quickly…
but have to wait until your next turn to actually do the
Evolving.
That just leaves M Rayquaza-EX (XY: Roaring
Skies 61/108), previously reviewed as our
number eight pick
for that very same list. A Dragon-Type Mega Evolution
with 230 HP, Fairy Weakness, no Resistance and a Retreat
Cost of [CC], it also had both an Ancient Trait and an
attack. This time the Ancient Trait is which reduces
the damage taken from [G], [R], [W] or [L] Pokémon by
20, allowing it to fake Resistance in multiple
match-ups. Its attack (Dragon Ascent) requires a hefty
[RRRLC] investment to hit for 300 points of damage, plus
then you have to discard two Energy from itself. This
hasn’t been nearly as impressive as its set-mate but can
still be a powerhouse when it gets going. It also is
probably the only one where today’s Rayquaza-EX
makes some sense; not as the main Rayquaza-EX,
but as an alternative to whatever Dragon-Type
Rayquaza-EX you were thinking of including (and
avoiding the self-mill of the other Colorless-Type
Rayquaza-EX). This might not even be a
specialization worth considering as the versions I can
think of that would have non-Dragon-Type-specific Energy
acceleration would likely would just try to squeeze in a
totally different, compatible attacker into the deck,
probably something that could get around protective
effects like Safeguard.
So for Standard play, there is little use for today’s
card and it doesn’t look like it will get any better
with rotation… in fact it might get worse as we are
getting some more Lightning-Type attackers and support
while losing one of the strongest Fighting-Types,
Landorus-EX. This means that rotation should affect
it worse in Expanded as cards like Landorus-EX
remain legal but so do the newest cards from XY:
Ancient Origins. This one isn’t legal for Limited
and even if it was, it would be one you’d avoid for a
+39 build; while running it as the only Basic Pokémon in
your 40 card deck guarantees you’d open with it if it
were re-released as part of a set, you’ll have to wait
four turns to attack and if you hit “tails” even once,
your opponent would likely overwhelm Rayquaza-EX
before you could take four Prizes.
Ratings
Standard (Pre-Rotation):
1.4/5
Standard (Post-Rotation):
1.35/5
Expanded (Pre-Rotation):
1.3/5
Expanded (Post-Rotation):
1.25/5
Summary:
I hate to be so hard on Rayquaza-EX but there are
two other options (three in Expanded) and they all can
do things it can’t while it has one inadequate searching
attack and a decent but hardly good “big” attack with a
variable Energy discard.
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Emma Starr |
Oi, the Rayquaza EXs never stop coming, do they?
I bet by the time the world ends, Rayquaza will have the
most EXs of any Pokémon out there! Well…that got kind of
dark, didn’t it? Well, I guess I can counter it with
good news, and that is that Rayquaza EX does have a
Spirit Link, thankfully, for to all of its incantations!
(Seriously, just imagine if it didn’t have a Spirit
Link, with all the different EXs and two Mega cards!)
With 170 HP, an Electric weakness, and a Fighting
resistance, so far this Rayquaza EX seems like the other
Colorless Rayquaza EXs, complete with the disappointing
Retreat Cost of two, especially since in the games, he’s
shown to be a crazily fast dragon who could give Sonic
the Hedgehog a run for his rings.
Although Rayquaza EX does indeed have a Spirit
Link, GF still decided that he could use the move they
gave Charizard EX (Promo XY 17), which is Mega
Ascension. For two Colorless, you can search your deck
for a Mega Rayquaza card, and then shuffle your deck.
Although it’s definitely a convenient way to find a Mega
Rayquaza if you’re being item locked by a Seismitoad EX,
there are better ways to find it as long as you’re not
being barraged by Quaking Punches. Ultra Ball and
Evosoda/Wally are all much better alternatives, as you
won’t be going two turns without doing any damage. But
Seismitoad EX is pretty popular, so it is nice to have
this move as a backup plan.
Aeroscream does 130 damage for four Colorless
Energies, and you have to flip a coin. If tails, you
have to discard two Energies. That’s…not good. You could
always attach a Trick Coin to it, but even then, there’s
still a 25% chance that you’ll have to spend a turn or
two powering it up again, with a Double Colorless (if
you run them) or two basic energies. So…I would just try
to Mega Evolve this guy into Mega Rayquaza EX (76) as
soon as you can.
Modified: 2.75/5 (Provides a situational move
that could help you Mega Evolve if a Seismitoad EX is
harassing you, but otherwise, steer clear of it for its
better Rayquaza EX brothers)
Limited: N to the O to the P to the E.
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