I'm writing today about all Fire Pokemon in general, from
BS, JN, FS, and
TR sets. Lots of people are confused about which to use. I think I have them
pegged, however, so listen up. Note that I rate all these guys on a 1-10
scale, 1 being bad and 10 good.
Growlithe (Base Set)
60 HP
FC Flare 20
Retreat: C
Growlithe has nice HP for a basic that will evolve, but his attack is subpar
and retreat only average. However, he's a necessary evil for getting out an
Arcanine. Rating:4
Arcanine (Base Set)
100 HP
FFC Flamethrower 50, discard 1 F
FFCC Take Down 80, Arcanine takes 30 damage
Retreat: CCC
Arcanine has wonderful HP, but Flamethrower is a poor attack that adds only
10 damage for a dicarded energy. Take Down does 80, but subtract the 30
Arcanine takes and it leaves 50 total! Both attacks leave much to be desired,
and has a hideous retreat cost. Can't say I'd reccommend this card for
anything. Rating: 5
As for the promo, I don't have access to it yet, but I'm getting one soon.
Await my update on Promo Arcanine.
Charmander (Base Set)
50 HP
C Scratch 10
FC Ember 30
Retreat: C
HP-wise, the little guy is average. Scratch is average too, at 10 for C. I
can't tell you how much I hate Ember and Flamethrower. A lot of Pokemon, like
Magmar Base Set, do 30 for FF, not FC. Sure, less adaptability, but I rarely
use Ember with a Fire and a diferent Energy. Retreat is average. Rating: 5
Charmander (Team Rocket)
HP 40
Pkmn Power:You may once per turn remove a F Energy from one of your Pokemon
and attach it to Charmander.
F Flame Tail 20
Retreat: C
His HP is just okay, but his attack and Pokemon Power shine in comparison to
Base Set Charmaner. The Power helps ready the little guy for his bigger
forms, too. This card could easily fit in a "little hitters" deck.
Retreat is
average. Rating:6
Charmeleon (Base Set)
80 HP
CCC Slash 30
FFC Flamethrower 50
Retreat: C
80 HP is just above par for a Stage 1, and Slash is an average attack at 10
for each C. I'm not even gonna explain why Flamethrower is a bad attack
again. Better than Ember, though. Retreat is really good on Charmeleon.
Rating: 6.5
Charizard (Base Set)
120 HP
Pkmn Power: Any Energy attached to Charizard may be changed from current type
to Fire Energy.
FFFF Fire Spin 100
Retreat: CCC
Charizard, in all but 1 case, is really bad card. HP is great, but the attack
can take 2-4 turns to repower. There is one card, however, that makes
Charizard live up to the title "King of Fire Pokemon": Venusaur. It's
Pokemon
Power, Energy Trans, can refuel Charizard in an instant, and like Blastoise's
Raindance, allows him to easily recover from Energy Removals. With Venusaur,
Charizard is an awesome card. His retreat is average, but Energy Trans
counters that. In a deck with this guy, be sure to put Energy
Retrieval/Search. Rating: 8.5 (I know I'll get hate mail for giving Charizard
a good score, but nonetheless, I like hearing people be mad at me for
something I complemented. "You said nice things! Jeez your stupid!" I
think
that's the funniest thing)
Bad Charmeleon
HP 50
CC Tail Slap 20
FFF Fireball 70, flip a coin; tails, attack fails; heads, discard 1 F
Retreat: CC
Okay, this guys HP sucks. And personally, his attacks don't make up for it.
Tail Slap is average, and Fireball is just barely ove par. His Retreat Cost
doesn't help either. I'd only have him in a deck for Bad Charizard. Rating: 5
Bad Charizard
HP 80
C Scratch 10
FF Fireball, flip a coin for each F on Bad Charizard; tails does nothing;
heads does 50 damage, discard 1 F
Retreat: CC
Only Kabutops, Victreebel, Vileplume, and some fellow Bad Pokemon save this
guy from "world's worst HP". Better than Charmeleon though. His first
attack
is average, but Fireball is pretty sweet. The Retreat is good too. Rating: 8
Magmar (Base Set)
HP 50
FF Fire Punch 30
FFC Flamethrower 50, discard 1 F
Retreat: CC
For a Pokemon that won't evolve, this guy's HP sucks. Big time. He should've
been brought out with Team Rocket because of his agressor style. Fire Punch
is good but, wait, there's...... Flamethrower! AAAHHH! Oh yeah, his Retreat
sucks too. Rating: 4
Magmar (Fossil)
HP 70
F Smokescreen 10, opponent must flip a coin if they attack; tails means
attack fails
FF Smog 20, flip a coin; heads, opponent is poisoned
Retreat: C
This guy is way more defensive than his older counterpart, which he
effectively booted from most decks. HP and both attacks are great, as is the
Retreat. Rating: 8.5
Vulpix (Base Set)
HP 50
FF Confuse Ray 10, flip a coin; heads, opponent is confused
Retreat: C
Although his HP is fine, Vulpix is definitely a step down from some of his
other "Poke Pals". Tis a good thing I realized he sucks except for
Ninetails,
lest I grow fond of him. 'Nuff said. Rating: 3.5
Ninetails (Base Set)
HP 80
CC Lure, choose 1 of opponents benched Pokemon, and switch with active
FFFF Fire Blast 80, discard 1 F
Retreat: C
HP is good, and although Lure is kinda stupid, Fire Blast is second-to-none
except a Charizard and Venusaur combo. His retreat is great, too. Rating:
8.5
Ponyta (Base Set)
HP 40
CC Smash Kick 20
FF Flame Tail
Retreat: C
Base Set Ponyta can easily be identified as the most average of all Basic
Fire Pokemon: average HP, attacks, and retreat. Rapidash, however, is a
different story. Rating: 5
Ponyta (Team Rocket)
HP 50
FC Ember 30, discard 1 F
Retreat: C
His HP is an improvement, but little else is. AAAHHH! Ember! No! Another
Pokemon defiled with a pathetic attack! And, his Retreat is no different. I'd
say you should stick with Base Set Ponyta. Rating: 4
Rapidash (Jungle)
HP 70
CC Stomp 20, flip a coin; heads, add 10 damage
FFC Agility 30, flip a coin; heads, Rapidash will take no effect from attacks
during opponent's next turn
Retreat: 0
Ohmygawd! This card is awesome! Great HP, a good Colorless attack, a superb
Fire attack, and no Retreat Cost! The only thing keeping this guy from
getting a higher score than Charizard, Bad Charizard, Magmar, and Ninetails
is 70 HP. So close to getting a 9, so close... Rating: 8.5
Bad Rapidash (Team Rocket)
HP 60
CC Backwards Kick 20
FF Flame Wall 30, optionally discard 1 F to deal 10 damage to target 1
benched Pokemon of opponent
Retreat: 0
Seriously, there's little difference between either Rapidash. This one just
has 10 less HP, a barely poorer first attack, and a spiffy second one with no
Retreat. I'd bet on Jungle Rapidash winning in fight against this guy, but if
your into bench damage, bad Rapidash is your horse! Rating: 7.5
Flareon (Jungle)
HP 70
CC Quick Attack 10, flip a coin; heads adds 20 damage
FFCC Flamethrower 60, dicard 1 F
Okay, this guy is probably the epitome of Stage 1 Fire suckiness. Quick
Attack is a reverse image of Rapidash's Stomp, and a reverse image of Stomp
is a bad image. Flamethrower is barely improved in the damage dept., but
takes longer to power! At least the Energy is flexible... the only saving
grace on this guy is the retreat cost. Rating: 6
Moltres (Fossil)
HP 70
F Wildfire, dicard X F attached to Moltres to discard X cards from the top of
your opponents deck
FFFF Dive Bomb 80, flip a coin; tails attack fails
Retreat: CC
Moltres is best suited in a deck with Alakazam, Chansey, Pokemon Center, Gust
of Wind, and tons of Fire Energy. I bet you understood all but the Gust.
Well, Fossil Muk can be a real pain-in-the-rear, especially when your
opponent likes using poisonous blobs as bench warmers. Got me? Rating: 7
Well, this about covers it. Have fun, trainers! Be sure and send a reply
either to me or the Pojo! Contact me at Ryoken986@aol.com!