Farfetch’d – Genetic Apex
Date Reviewed: January 15, 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 seventh best card of Genetic Apex is Farfetch’d (Genetic Apex 198/226)! Farfetch’d is a Basic, (C) Pokémon with 60 HP, (L) Weakness, Retreat Cost (C), no Ability, and one attack. “Leek Slap” costs (C) and does 40 damage. It’s rarity is ♦. Yes, that is the most common a card can be, and if you don’t think this card is good… I went through something sort of similar.
When I first started up, Farfetch’d was great! Then, as my cardpool grew and my deck building maybe improved, it didn’t seem as good. Then things came full circle and it’s pretty great again. It’s definitely not the best choice for every deck, but where it fits, it fits! To explain, let’s break it down, as per usual.
The Colorless Type is least among the Types, but not by much. There’s no (C) Pokémon support, nor are any Pokémon (C) Weak. Most Types currently have little-to-no support, with (G), (P), and (W) Types being the exceptions. Not having any match-ups where you can exploit Weakness is missing out on a bonus, rather than operating at a deficit.
Being a Basic is the best Stage. There’s no waiting to evolve, and no additional cards you need to run in order to put Farfetch’d into play. 60 HP is a little low, as this is a non-evolving Basic. On Turn 2 (Player 2’s first turn), the Pokémon that can OHKO Farfetch’d are:
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Eevee (Mythical Island 061/068)
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Joltik (Mythical Island 028/068)
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Kangaskhan (Genetic Apex 203/226)
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Mankey (Mythical Island 041/068)
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Pikachu (Mythical Island 025/068)
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Tynamo (Genetic Apex 107/226)
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Miscellaneous (W) Types with a lucky Misty
None of these can reliably score the OHKO in question. Eevee needs to flip three “heads” in a row. Kangaskhan needs to flip two “heads”. Mankey needs to flip one head and use a Giovanni. Joltik, Pikachu, and Tynamo also need to use a Giovanni, and Pikachu also needs three (L) Pokémon on its Bench. A lucky Misty can be a threat on Turn 1 as well, and to Pokémon with higher HP scores, so it almost goes without saying.
The (L) Weakness on Farfetch’d is both a blessing and a curse. About 64% of Colorless Pokémon are (F) Weak, as well as most (D) and (L) Pokémon. Having a Farfetch’d to attack (F) Pokémon without being as vulnerable as the Deck’s main Type is a time-tested strategy, though not always the optimal choice. With just 60 HP, (L) Weakness causes problems as these attacks quickly reach 2HKO and OHKO range… but anything doing 60+ is already a OHKO, so at least that doesn’t change.
The Retreat Cost of (C) is good and Leaf Slap is great! X Speed lets Farfetch’d retreat for free, and if unavailable, one Energy is often doable. Meanwhile, Leak Slap has one of the best damage-to-Energy ratios in the game. Many Pokémon can hit harder, but if they’re not paying for it in Energy, they’re doing so with additional costs or conditions. I don’t know if being an Evolution counts as a “cost”, a “condition”, or both… but I’m factoring that in as well. The (C) cost also means you don’t have to worry about clashing Energy Types, either.
The 40 damage is important as well. Gyarados ex decks are among the Top Tier right now, and Magikarp only has 30 HP. At the same time, even when factoring in Giovanni, the vast majority of Basic Pokémon are surviving one hit from Leak Slap. Most do not survive two hits, however, even without either using a Giovanni. Basic Pokémon ex are well outside of OHKO or 2HKO range from Leak Slap, but not when Leak Slap leads into a main attacker. The same goes for when Farfetch’d is cleaning up after a big attacker.
Rating: 3.5/5
Farfetch’d isn’t strong enough to be a glass cannon, but it’s a strong opener, and decent closer. I probably should have made this the seventh best card of Genetic Apex, but I was still salty over my luck (or lack thereof) with my own Exeggutor ex decks… I do think that Farfetch’d is sensitive to the metagame, as opposed to me just misunderstanding how good it has been this whole time. While that is always true in a TCG, I just think it is a little more so in this instance.
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