The Special Edition CotW... as picked by you...

History:

Mewtwo was a genetic engineered Pokemon created by the scientists in the Cinnabar Lab, from Mew. (How they caught Mew was beyond me.) They made it powerful, but they didn’t even think of trying to control it. It broke away from the lab, and harbours a deep hatred for any and all humans who manipulate Pokemon to their advantage (um, that probably means all of them.).

Giovanni had him at one time, but it escaped his clutches as well.

Strategy:

A nice one, this is. Its only attack is a 40 damage attack. Nails Bulbasaurs, Squirtles and can still do 10 damage to Jigglypuff (consolation, but when you’re desperate...)

Yes, it does take 1PP to power up, but the other attack, Energy Absorption, allows you to get that energy from just 1 P! Of course, you’ll need to use up a turn to do it, but it’s an efficient process, especially when you’re trying to save energy. If you can find a way to shift energies attached to a Pokemon, you’re all set.

Strengths:

• Fast to set up in midgame to endgame.
• Does decent damage. 40 damage can do a lot.

Weaknesses:

• It sucks when you have 2 Energies, 1 Mewtwo and it’s the beginning of the game...
• Only does 10 against resistance, and the retreat cost is high. (Energy Absorption, I guess)

Combos:

• Mewtwo + P + 2 Ps in discard pile - instant attack opportunities! (well, two turns)
• Mewtwo, retreat + Mr. Fuji - well, after you get 10+ Energies you can put them back in with Mr. Fuji so that you can never run out of cards :-)

Rating:

8.0 (Better than basic Mewtwo...)

History:

The Japanese version of this card was a promotion in 1998, when the Pikachu plane from All Nippon Airlines was just starting to take off (no pun intended).

Dratinis are hard to find; Dragonites even harder. Bill was observing one by the time Ash and his friends came to his doorstep. Team Rocket scared it off. (Awwwww....)

Strategy:

I don’t like Stage 2s very much (few exceptions being Blastoise and Gengar) and so this being a Stage 2 isn’t too much. Let’s take a look:

100 HP, Fighting Resistance. So far so good, but this being a Stage 2, it’s not that impressive. The previous Stages (Base Set Dratini and Dragonair) are good enough that it may be worth putting in as filler or as extra punch, though.

The power is worth noting, since you can draw a card then put it back on top of your deck. This isn’t bad, since you probably have 1 card you could throw away, you can into an extra card, something that might be crucial, if it were that Electabuzz or Pluspower you were looking for. It would be even better if you had something that shuffled your deck, though. (Team Rocket Mankey would be... oops.)

The main attack, Supersonic Flight, has the same average damage potential as Dragonair’s Slam, so I wouldn’t consider it an improvement. However, it deals them damage all at once. Hope you throw heads all the time :-) Well, it KOs Promo Electabuzzes, and almost any Basic with an Evolution. Oh yeah, and it can KO Blastoise with two hits (but then it can KO yours with just the same amount of time :-)

Well, it’s a Pokemon and it’s strong. Don’t expect it to perform miracles for you, though. Worth sticking into your deck if you have the space.

Strengths:

• Does lots of damage
• Can draw you critical cards.
• Supported by Dratini and Dragonair.

Weaknesses:

• Stage 2. That alone is nasty enough, thank you.

Combos:

• Dragonite + Pokedex - Special Delivery time! Two bad cards for two better ones :-) (of course you have to use your Pokedex...)
• Dragonite + things that shuffle your deck, like Mr. Fuji or Computer Search - More Special Deliveries delivered right to your doorstep.

Rating:

7.0 (Sheesh, it’s a Stage 2! Gimme a break!)