Galarian Weezing – Top 15 Pokemon Cards in Rebel Clash #7

Otaku

Our rather dapper looking 7th-place pick is Galarian Weezing (SSH – Rebel Clash 113/192).  Until we get an effect that cares about the “Galarian” in the name – and it might never happen – Galarian Weezing’s name just means it doesn’t count against cards named just “Weezing” for the 4 Copy Rule.  Galarian Weezing’s [D] Typing may be largely irrelevant.  Its attack doesn’t do damage, and I’m uncertain if its use will lend itself to the proven bits of Darkness Type support.

Galarian Weezing is a Stage 1 Pokémon; not as easy or efficient to run as a Basic, but often quite manageable.  Ditto {*} may make it a bit easier to work into certain decks, as well.  130 HP borders being slightly easier or slightly more resistant to OHKO; neither good nor bad for a Stage 1.  It also means [F] Weakness is only somewhat dangerous; it mostly just means a more reliable OHKO if it matters at all.  Lack of Resistance is typical, though any would be better than none.  A Retreat Cost of [CCC] is a pain to pay, and it doesn’t even come with the minor “refund” of support seen for higher Retreat Costs.

“Neutralizing Gas” is Galarian Weezing’s Ability, and this Ability only works while it (the Pokémon) is Active.  This means your opponent can get around it if they can force something else into the Active Position, and it’ll be harder – sometimes impossible – to combo with other Abilities.  Neutralizing Gas tells you to ignore all other Abilities on your opponent’s Pokémon, though, so it is well worth having a 130 HP Active!  The question is whether or not Galarian Weezing has an attack worth using or if we’ll have to find an alternate means of achieving a win condition.

Galarian Weezing only has one other attack, “Severe Poison”.  Priced at [D], this lets you Poison your opponent’s Active but places four damage counters instead of one during the Pokémon Checkup.  Not bad, but certainly not good enough on its own.  Fortunately, we do have options.  In reverse order of appeal I’d say they are:

• Enhance how damage counter placement
• Make it harder to take Prizes
• Use a porter
• A combination of the above

Technically you’re usually using that last option, because Neutralizing Poison is often denying your opponent an Ability, which can directly or indirectly affect how long it takes them to KO a Galarian Weezing.  However, in the list it represents a more substantial combination.

There are a few ways to increase how many damage counters are placed by Poison.  Skipping the hopeless, there’s Seviper (SM : Burning Shadows 50/147; SM – Black Star Promos SM46; Shiny Vault SV15/SV94), Toxicroak (Sword & Shield 124/202), and Virbank City Gym, though only Toxicroak is Standard-legal.  You could also include cards that place damage counters through Abilities, such as Galarian Zigzagoon, Galarian Obstagoon, Giratina (SM – Lost Thunder 97/214), and Tyrogue (SM – Unbroken Bonds 100/214).

Making it harder for your opponent to take Prizes again covers multiple tactics.  Control/disruption does this by making it harder to attack (especially with combos).  Hand disruption, Energy denial, and/or deck disruption are all contenders.  Something worth noting is that – as long as it doesn’t need to be consistently Active as well – Galarian Weezing can combo with other Abilities, unlike most forms of Ability denial.  Another way to deny your opponent Prizes is to help Galarian Weezing soak more damage.  I don’t know of a way to make it massive, but Big Charm is easy even though it only means +30 HP.

We don’t have a really good way to help Galarian Weezing reduce the damage its taken, but you can still deny your opponent Prizes by… well… lowering how many Prizes they take for a KO’d Galarian Weezing.  Black Market {*} is amazing, at least while you can keep it in play.  Shedinja (SM – Lost Thunder 95/214) could be another option.  In addition or instead of the above, though, I’d favor a porter (or hit-and-run) approach.  Just use something that attacks for decent damage and then gets itself out of the way.  We don’t have an already-dominant example of this, but we do have some.

Maybe Hitmonchan (SM – Team Up 74/181) can make it to the top this way… though we’re not actually doing much more damage than we would have with Galarian Weezing.  Therein lies the rub, and (probably) why Galarian Weezing is showing up here and not later in the countdown.  While there are a few decks that don’t need Abilities, or have already used most of what they need by the time Galarian Weezing hits the field, most involve at least one thing they count on during the bulk of play.  Our challenge is in finding a deck where Galarian Weezing can be front and center without being an easily burst piñata.

I may actually be more excited about Galarian Weezing in Expanded than Standard.  Which seems a bit odd, as Expanded already has multiple forms of Ability denial that have already proven themselves… why add one that is as demanding as Galarian Weezing?  I’m thinking of a hypothetical control deck that really lives up to the name.  Vileplume (XY – Ancient Origins 3/98) can sit on your Bench, keeping each of you from playing Item cards.  There are still plenty of Supporters that can provide disruption, and maybe you can even find room for an Orbeetle on your Bench, so your opponent’s draw for the turn is always the worst of their top three cards.

I’m not sure if that sounds like a pipe dream or not, considering the success seen by Rowlet & Alolan Exeggutor-GX lead decks in the Format, specifically one that already uses the Vileplume I just mentioned.  Rowlet & Alolan Exeggutor-GX use their first attack to get supporting Stage 2 Pokémon into play a bit faster, and either shifts to swinging for damage and tanking hits after that, or – in some builds – trades off with Exeggutor (BW – Plasma Freeze 5/116) to tack on Supporter-lock with its attack.  If that does sound too pie in the sky, all the other suggested approaches for Galarian Weezing are possible here, and might actually be easier to implement. 

In the Limited Format, Galarian Weezing is good, but not a must-run.  Plenty of decks will have few or no Ability, and it is actually Galarian Weezing as an attacker that keeps it from having a low score here.  Since I didn’t mention it earlier, Koffing (SSH – Rebel Clash 112/192) is disappointing, a Darkness Type, Basic Pokémon with [F] Weakness, no Resistance, and “Suffocating Gas” for [D] that just does 10 damage.  At least its Retreat Cost is only [C] and it has 70 HP.

There are two unsanctioned “fun” Formats that used to be officially recognized, and as such are still worth a brief mention: 2-on-2 and Team Battle.  The former means each player has two Active Pokémon, with a four Pokémon Bench.  The latter means four players battling simultaneously, but divided into teams of two; effects that work on an opponent work on either opponent, you can attack either opposing player’s Active, and effects that work on you or your field can also be used on your teammate’s.  I haven’t played either in over 15 years at this point.  I also haven’t found a good source of information (assuming people even still play these).  So I’m not scoring anything, just pointing out that Neutralizing Gas could be used alongside another Active Pokémon…

Ratings

Standard: 3/5

Expanded: 3/5

Limited: 3/5

Galarian Weezing isn’t the Gen 8 version of Garbodor (BW – Dragons Exalted 54/124; BW – Plasma Freeze 119/116; BW – Legendary Treasures 68/113) or Garbodor (XY – BREAKpoint 57/122).  It’s a better version of Slaking (SM – Celestial Storm 115/168), and that was enough for me to make it my 10th-place pick.  Even 10th was probably too high, as some cerebral flatulence meant I didn’t consider how Boss’s Orders gives all decks a reliable out against it.  Let me be clear though: this is a good card, but probably not top 10 worthy.  11th through 15th-place?  Maybe.

aroramage

Man, ya gotta love it when we get all spiffy with these Pokemon designs. Galarian Weezing may look silly to some, but for others he’s a prim and proper gentleman…who is polluting our atmosphere with toxic gas, except not really because Galarian Weezing is really weird.

Speaking on the card though, Galarian Weezing is a Stage 1 Darkness Pokemon – I know, Poison-Types now are Darkness-Types in the TCG, it’s weird – 130 HP, with a Fighting Weakness, no Resistance, and a Retreat Cost of 3. The one attack is Severe Poison, which costs 1 Energy and only Poisons the Active Pokemon, though it puts 4 damage counters on it between turns through what is now called “Pokemon Checkup”. Cute name for it, btw. Neutralizing Gas is its Ability, where while it’s in the Active spot, your opponent’s Pokemon have no Abilities outside of Neutralizing Gas.

Yeah, what a surprise, another Ability-stopping Pokemon makes it onto the list. If you’ve been around for any stretch of time, then you are more than well aware how immensely useful it is to shut down Abilities to make sure you get through your opponent’s plays and make your own work. It’s hard to get Supporters, draw cards, place Energy, do whatever it is you do with Abilities…when they get shut off. And that sort of thing makes decks run!

So I’m not gonna delve into that. Just know that Galarian Weezing has Grade A baron looks!

Rating

Standard: 4/5 (the only downside is that he’s gotta be Active)

Expanded: 4/5 (but there’s likely a good partner to work with regardless)

Limited: 4.5/5 (so good)

Arora Notealus: Seriously though, can we talk about Galarian Weezing? It changed into this form during a time when factories were rampant, likely the Pokemon equivalent of the Industrial Revolution (the effects from which are still felt to this very day – climate change is a big part of that discussion!), but then it also absorbs toxins and expels clean air? What weird clean gas comes out of a green puffy cloud monster? Must have something to do with that Fairy-typing…hmmm…

Next Time: Skyla wasn’t the only card to make a comeback…