Dawn – Space-Time Smackdown
Date Reviewed: February 4, 2025
Ratings Summary:
Ratings are based on a 1 to 5 scale. 1 is horrible. 3 is average. 5 is great.
Reviews Below:
Otaku
The third best Trainer of Space-Time Smackdown is Dawn (A2 154, 194)! She’s a Trainer-Supporter that lets you move an Energy from one of your Benched Pokémon to your Active. Dawn is available at the ♦♦ and ★★ rarities.
There are three forms of Energy acceleration in the Pokémon TCG Pocket. Extra attachments from the Energy Zone are the best form of Energy acceleration. None of the examples so far include some kind of universal cost, nor do they seem to care about whether there’s already a unit of Energy in the Energy Zone, or the Type(s) of Energy currently shown in the Energy Zone. Barring the examples that can fail, or have conditions you may fail to meet, you’re guaranteed to end up with more units of Energy in play.
Second best is attaching from the discard pile. Probably. You’ll end up with more Energy in play than you began, but you are restricted to what is already in your discard pile. In the full TCG, it is usually easier to get Energy into the discard pile; in Pocket, so far you have to have an attacker that discards your own Energy, pay to retreat, or have something with Energy attached be KO’d for it to hit the discard pile.
Dawn is the third best type; Energy acceleration through moving around what is already in play. The “Wash Out” Ability found on Vaporeon (A1a 019, 072) is another example of this. Aside from being a one-and-done Supporter effect, Dawn is a better version of Wash Out. Dawn does not care about the Type of Energy being moved. Dawn also doesn’t care about Pokémon Types. Wash Out, on the other hand, only works with (W) Energy, on Benched (W) Pokémon, and can only be moved to an Active (W) Pokémon. Nor do you need to make room in your deck and on your Bench for a Stage 1…
…but of course, the advantage of Wash Out is that it can be used more than once. Whether you use it multiple times in a single turn, once per turn for multiple turns, or multiple times a turn for multiple turns, its all kosher with Vaporeon’s Wash Out. Plus you won’t use your Supporter for the turn. Wash Out can let an Active (W) Pokémon go from zero to fully powered in a single turn, provided there is already enough (W) Energy attached to Benched (W) Pokémon. Less one, as you can still also attach a (W) Energy normally from the Energy Zone.
Dawn, on the other hand, is about moving one key Energy. I won’t blame you if you think that’s a massive downgrade. Maybe you think a one-and-done Supporter is not better than a reusable Stage 1, and that’s a fair criticism. I will add, though, that having multiple Energy on something other than your Active is at least a little uncommon. If you’re not running another form of Energy acceleration, there’s a good chance you had good luck or your opponent had bad luck, if not both. And one Energy? That’s often all you’ll need.
Not always, of course, but often enough to make a serious difference. Either in decks without any other Energy acceleration, now they have one, even if it is a bit unreliable. One compatible with Pokémon and Energy of any Type, while only requiring a single slot in your deck (per copy) to run. In decks with another form of Energy acceleration, now we have a backup that, again can move any one Energy from anyone one Benched Pokémon to whatever is your current Active. Did I mention we got even more attackers that can attach Energy to Benched Pokémon, but not to themselves?
I couldn’t find a Trainer named “Dawn” in the full TCG. She does appear in the art for a few Pokémon and a few Trainer cards. However, something almost identical to Dawn does appear. Energy Switch debuted all the way back in 2003. This card is just old enough that the original released under Wizards of the Coast! It has been reprinted multiple times since then, so much that it is still Standard legal!
Energy Switch is not a perfect match for Dawn. It’s a Trainer-Item that can move a basic Energy card attached to one of your Pokémon. If you don’t know how the full TCG works, basic Energy cards are the equivalent of the Energy you attach from the Energy Zone. This means Dawn would be horribly under-powered in the full TCG.
Rating: 3.5/5
While Dawn is already seeing play, she hasn’t been showing up in as many lists as I expected. For my sample, it actually showed up less than either Pokémon Communication or Rocky Helmet, by two and one cards, respectively. I could be overestimating her, but I think Dawn, as our first truly generic bit of Energy acceleration, will matter more than any of our first Pokémon Tools. If only because I expect many more new Tools than I do Energy acceleration that cares neither about Pokémon nor Energy Type, and which is relatively easy to work into any deck.
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