Galarian Slowbro – Battle Styles
Date Reviewed: June 12, 2021
Ratings Summary:
Standard: 1.00
Expanded: 3.00
Ratings are based on a 1 to 5 scale. 1 is horrible. 3 is average. 5 is great.
Reviews Below:
Otaku
Galarian Slowbro (SW – Battle Styles 092/163) is a [D] Stage 1 Pokémon with 130 HP, [F] Weakness, no Resistance, Retreat Cost [CCC], and two attacks. The cards stats are… okay at best. Being a Darkness type, a Stage 1, and having 130 HP are decent, but the bottom stats are varying shades of “bad”. Its first attack is “Splattering Poison”, Poisoning both Active Pokémon (yours and your opponent’s) and priced at [D]. Simply put, this should be a zero Energy attack, even though I know it is designed to work with the next attack.
Speaking of which, “Unhinged Hammer” costs [DCC] to do 100 damage, but does an extra 120 (220 total) if Galarian Slowbro itself is afflicted with a Special Condition when it attacks. While not super easy to meet, the Energy cost for Unhinged Hammer isn’t too hard, thanks to Twin Energy. 220 for three means you’ll one-shot most Basic Pokémon V, let alone smaller targets, and 2HKO larger targets. Two turns to do 220 plus Poison damage (to both Actives) ain’t bad, but you really need to find a way to Burn or Poison your Galarian Slowbro during your own turn, so you can deliver one big blow and (hopefully) a OHKO. Yes, other Special Conditions technically work, but you normally cannot attack while Asleep or Paralyzed, and there’s a 50% chance of failing if you attack while Confused.
If you can find a good way to Burn or Poison Galarian Slowbro, it actually looks solid. I couldn’t find anything like that in Standard. The best we have if Team Yell Horn, but that Confuses, so you’ll have to flip a coin when Galarian Slowbro attacks: “heads” and you do 220 to your opponent’s Active but “tails” you place three damage counters on Galarian Slowbro. In Expanded, we might have a fun budget deck. Back Galarian Slowbro with Ariados (XY – Ancient Origins 6/98). The latter’s Ability lets you Poison both Active Pokémon, unless they are Grass types. As the Poison damage on your opponent is just a bonus, you’re still fine against Grass types. You also have access to Dark Patch (go from zero to attacking in one turn), Muscle Band (do another 20 damage), and/or Virbank City Gym (two extra damage counters from Poison).
Ratings
- Standard: 1/5
- Expanded: 3/5
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