Eldegoss V – Top 15 Pokemon Cards in Rebel Clash #2

Otaku

2nd-place in our countdown of the best cards from our latest set goes to Eldegoss V (SSH – Rebel Clash 019/192, 176/192)!  As a Pokémon V, it is worth an additional Prize when KO’d and can’t benefit from Twin Energy or Scoop Up Net.  Also, if Boltund (Sword & Shield 075/202) is any indication, we’ll eventually see various anti-V effects similar to those we’ve seen for Pokémon-GX and Pokémon-EX before them.  For now, though, it is being excluded from using Scoop Up Net, though to a lesser extent, Twin Energy, that sting.

Eldegoss V is a Basic, even though its normally a Stage 1.  This is one of the other benefits of being a Pokémon V, and it really does help as Basic Pokémon just have it easier in the TCG.  You usually need less space to run them, plus less time and fewer resource for them to hit the field.  While anti-Basic effects are a thing, so is Basic support and certain mechanics just work better for Basics, like bounce.  Eldegoss V has 180 HP, which is low for a Basic Pokémon V, but not bad, or at least, not yet.  Perhaps it will seem much lower as the Sword & Shield releases continue to come.  For now, its small enough that the OHKO’s that were going to happen still do, but large enough that typical 2HKO tactics are still 2HKO’s.

[R] Weakness is not a happy thing right now; basic Fire Energy has a lot of support, so we see some strong Fire Decks, as well as decks that are mostly or wholly off-Type but still running on basic Fire Energy.  If the latter sounds safe, remember they can adapt and add more Fire attackers if exploiting Weakness becomes worthwhile.  No Resistance is typical; while it would have helped, it probably wouldn’t have meant much even if it were present.  A Retreat Cost of [C] does help, though; while not a perfect free Retreat Cost, its still very good.

Eldegoss V has one Ability and one attack. The Ability is “Happy Match”, and you may only activate it when you play Eldegoss V from your hand to your Bench, during your turn.  If all those conditions were met and you choose to use Happy Match, this Ability adds a Supporter from your discard pile directly to your hand.  This kind of effect can be easy to underestimate.  Early game, this kind of effect may actually be useless, but it becomes stronger and stronger as the game progresses.  By late game, Eldegoss V means your Quick Ball is an out to a variety of Supporters already in your discard pile… at least, so long as you can spare the Bench-space.

“Float Up” is Eldegoss V’s one attack, and it requires [CC] to use.  It only does 50 damage, which is low for these circumstances, but gives you the option of shuffling Eldegoss V and all cards attached back into your deck.  This attack exists to provide a means of recycling Eldegoss V into your deck; it doesn’t hit very hard, but its enough that it has a chance of not being a waste.  You may also find it handy for recycling other cards.  About to drop a Dedenne-GX but you’ve got a Double Colorless Energy and Muscle Band meant for an attacker that is not yet present?  Slap it on Eldegoss V, play Dedenne-GX, and attack for 70 while avoiding quite as many wasted resources.

In the Standard Format, we have ways of recycling Supporters, but they all carry costs or conditions that are nowhere near as easy to manage as Eldegoss V and its Ability.  Pal Pad will recycle two Supporters, but sends them to your deck.  Cynthia & Caitlin adds one to your hand, with the option to discard a card from your hand and draw three cards at the same time, but it eats up your Supporter for the turn.  Without something like Lt. Surges’s Strategy being played first, that Supporter has to wait a turn to be used.  With Eldegoss V, though, you can Bench it and get something to help you draw, search, or disrupt your opponent… as long as it was already in your discard pile.

Chatot (SSH – Rebel Clash 142/192) has an Ability that works almost the same as Eldegoss V’s, but requires a coin flip.  This shouldn’t be much of a rival for most decks, but those that need to recycle a Supporter and use it this turn, while avoiding or avoiding another multi-Prize Pokémon should at least consider it.  Now, what about Expanded?  The main reason we know Eldegoss V is going to prove so handy is how Tapu Lele-GX performed in a similar manner, except it searched your deck for a Supporter, and VS Seeker is just Happy Match in Item form.  Is Eldegoss V really going to make much of a difference in Expanded?

It won’t be anywhere near as big of a deal in Expanded as it is in Standard, but having a way to basically transform a copy of Ultra Ball or Rescue Stretcher into any Supporter you have handy, or recycle a Supporter while under Item-lock, still sounds pretty good.  Unless you are running a Mulligan deck centered around a different Basic Pokémon V, Eldegoss V will greatly enhance whatever deck you’re running.  You probably won’t have many Supporters, but that also means reusing them should be much more valuable.  The rest of Eldegoss V is handy here as well; your opponent is much less likely to OHKO 180 HP here, so you have the option of letting Eldegoss V go up front, take a hit, and then be recycled via its attack!  Just remember, if you don’t read the situation correctly, not only are you down two Prizes, but Limited Format matches only begin with four Prizes set aside.

Ratings

• Standard: 4/5
• Expanded: 4/5
• Limited: 5/5

Eldegoss V isn’t quite as good as stuff like Dedenne-GX, Shaymin-EX (XY – Roaring Skies 77/108, 77a/108, 106/108), Tapu Lele-GX, or the recently revealed Crobat V… but its close enough.  It should be at least a single in Standard Format decks, but rarely more than a double on the opposite extreme.  Expanded Format decks should try to make room for one Eldegoss V as well; consider it your 5th VS Seeker, and one that Pokémon search can fetch!  Eldegoss V was my 2nd-place pick as well, but could – and perhaps should – have been my 3rd or 4th-place pick.

aroramage

Ahhh, to be like the dandelion, flowing away on the wind, getting banned in a card game because your fluffy flower buds let people constantly summon out dragons and giant killer robots…that makes no sense if you don’t know Yugioh, now that I think about it.

Eldegoss-V is a Basic Grass-Type Pokemon-V, 180 HP, with a Fire Weakness, no Resistance, and a Retreat Cost of 1. Float Up just combos well with everything else, giving you a 2-for-50 that shuffle it and all cards attached to it back into your deck. Meanwhile, Happy Match is the Ability that lets you grab a Supporter from your deck when you play Eldegoss-V during yo-wait no…it’s from your discard pile?

…this changes EVERYTHING!!

Yeah, yeah, you already know why this got #2. Grabbing Supporters is good, having a lot of HP to survive attacks is good, being able to bounce itself out is good – there’s nothing else that needs explaining. I already covered why this got #2 on the list, it was that first reason, that’s all you needed to know! But honestly, having the ability to grab back Supporters is a big deal, especially for certain decks.

Think of the most useful Supporter in your entire deck – the one you want to keep playing over and over again if you could. Now look at Eldegoss-V and realize you CAN play that card at least one more time. That’s exactly the kind of thing that makes Eldegoss-V so different and so good!

Recycling Supporters into the deck is good, but getting them back in your hand is immediately better!

Rating

Standard: 4.5/5 (you’ll want to play this alongside a Supporter that you want to reuse again)

Expanded: 5/5 (and the better the Supporter, the more you’ll want to use it with Eldegoss-V)

Limited: 5/5 (certainly not gonna look away from this)

Arora Notealus: Eldegoss-V does something that other “Supporter-supporter” Pokemon don’t really do. Most of the time, we think of Jirachi-EX or Tapu Lele-GX as being the standard for these things, but Eldegoss-V gives us the ability to grab stuff out of the discard pile. That’s impactful in its own right, and it’s certainly better than shuffling it back into the deck!

Next Time: And finally, landing in the #1 spot, only one person could have made it clear what they wanted…

Vince

Coming Soon