Okay, all of you who have read the Rocket card
reviews posted recently know that HP is the weakness
of Rocket.
But I'm trying to stress a point: what if the HP was
higher? Then, how would you rank Dark Blastoise, who,
in almost every review, the only main "bad thing" that
has been mentioned is HP being too low. I'm going to
compare the TR (Team Rocket) Oddish Line (Oddish,
Gloom, and VilePlume) with its Jungle predecessor
(without the point system). I'll have my notes on
each card as it comes along.
ENERY KEY: "G"= Grass Energy
"C"=
Colorless Energy
Jungle Oddish VS. TR Oddish
Jungle Oddish stats
HP: 50
Type: (Since we all know they're grass) Basic
(G) Stun Spore. Damage: 10
Effect: Flip a coin. If heads, the Defending Pokémon
is now Paralyzed.
(GG): Sprout. Damage: 0
Effect: Search your deck for a Basic Pokémon named
Oddish and put it onto your Bench. Shuffle your deck
afterward.(You can't use this attack if your Bench is
full).
Weakness:Fire
Resistance: none
R/C (Retreat Cost): C
NOTES: Okay, I guess. Stun Spore could be really
annoying with some lucky coin flips, but Sprout?
Yuck!
Now his Rocket counterpart
TR Oddish
HP: 50
TYPE: Basic
(G)Sleep Powder. Damage:0
Effect: The Defending Pokémon is now Asleep.
(G)PoisonPowder. Damage 0
Effect: The Defending Pokémon is now Poisoned.
Weakness: Fire
Resistance: None
R/C: C
NOTES: NOW THAT'S MORE LIKE IT! I hear people
complain about attacks that require you to flip a
coin. Well, neither of TR Oddish's attacks require
YOU to flip a coin, but your opponent (if you use
Sleep Powder) does! And then there's Poisonpowder.
The one downside, neither does damage ('cept Poison
damage) Now, Gloom.
Jungle Gloom
HP: 60
Type: Stage 1-Evolves from Oddish
(G)Poisonpowder. Damage: 0
Effect: Same as TR Oddish's Poisonpowder
(GG) Foul Odor. Damage: 20
Effect: Both the Defending Pokémon and Gloom are now
Confused (after doing damage).
Weakness:Fire
Resistance:None
R/C: C
NOTES: Don't underestaimated this card. On the GB TCG
cart, I did, and it killed my Articuno, unscaythed.
It's a pretty good card, phoenimanal for a Stage 1
grass Uncommon.
Now...Dark Gloom. (BUM-BUM-BUMMMMMM!) Not again.
(Don't ask)
Dark Gloom
HP: 50
Type: Stage 1-evolves from Oddish
(Pokémon)Power: Pollen Stench
Effect: Once during your turn (before your attack) you
may flip a coin. If heads, the Defending Pokémon is
now Confused. If tails, your Active Pokémon is now
Confused. This Power can't be used if Dark Gloom is
Asleep, Confused, or Paralyzed. (NOTE: THIS IS TRUE
FOR ALL "POWERS")
(GG)Poisonpowder. Damage: 10! Whoopie! ;)
Effect: You know already.
Weakness:Fire
Resistance:None
R/C:CC
NOTES: Well, the Power might work well with Snorlax's
power, but not to many decks use him due to his CCCC
retreat (all though I know someone who won a tourney
because his Snorlax took out the 1 seed's deck due to
the resistance to Psychic) Also, a major downside is
the HP is the same as its unevolved form! Bummer.
But, it's needed for Dark Vileplume.
And now, Jungle Vileplume (yes, it's almost over)
HP:80
Type: Stage 2-Evolves from Gloom
Power: Heal.
Effect: Once during your turn (before your attack),
you may flip a coin. If heads, remove 1 damage counter
from 1 of your Pokémon. This power...(you know the
rest)
(GGG) Petal Dance. Damage: 40x
Effect: Flip 3 Coins. This attack does 40 damage
times the number of heads. Vileplume is now
Confused(After doing Damage).(ED-AHA!! Got'em! NOTE:
Explain later)
Weakness:Fire
Resistance: None
R/C:CC
NOTES: Not bad, but I guess some people didn't read
the Vileplume card as well as they thought. More
later. Now, one of the most Griped about TR
card...Dark Vileplume.
Dark Vileplume
HP:60
Type: Stage 2-evolves from Dark Gloom
Power: Hay Fevet.
Effect: No Trainer cars can be played. This stops..(ya
know)
(GGG)Petal Whirlwind. Damage:30x
Effect: Flip 3 coins. This attack does 30 damage times
the number of heads. If you get 2 or more heads, Dark
Vileplume is now Confused (after doing damage).
Weakness: See NOTES: D. Vileplume Weakness
Resistance: None (why'd I even put it?!)
R/C:CC
NOTES:
D. Vileplume Weakness: In the printing of the
non-holo Dark Vileplume card (1st ed. and Unlimited),
Fighting was accidently put as the weakness instead of
Fire (which it is in the Japanese and Holo versions of
the card). WotC (Wizards of the Coast, makers of the
Pokémon TCG) has a policy: Any misprint that, if
corrected, will change the way it (the card) is
played, the misprint stays, and (this is important)
will not be changed in future prints. So, Wizards is
going to make the two different cards. In other
words, the Holo-Dark Vileplume would be weak to fire,
while his non-holo cousin would be weak to fire.
Regular NOTES on D. Vileplume: Power is okay, so long
as you don't need to use any Trainers. Now here's the
thing EVERYONE's been complainng about (for Dark
Vileplume VS. jungle Vileplume) was that Petal
Whirlwind did 30 less possible damage and if you get
good damage, you're confused. But, and I quote,
"Vileplume (Jungle), for the same three grass energy,
can do 120 damage, whereas Dark Vileplume, can do 90
damage, and will be confused". The thing I just
noticed is that Dark Vileplume might be better.
Review the text.
D. Vile: "...If you get 2 or more heads, Dark
Vileplume is now Confused..."
Jungle Vile: "...This attack does 40 damage times the
number of heads. Vileplue is now Confused..."
So, in other words, let's try a worse-case scenairio,
like getting no heads.
D. Vile: Nothing
J. Vile: No damage, Vileplume is now Confused
See my point?
Well, I've talked too much.
Coco Cow of the Carribean Cosmos
(or Coco Cow, for short)
=====
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