ALL RIGHT Let's get SUUUPER into this!!!!! First I'm gonna do a QUICK little review of the Top 10 BRs Winning Decks, just to kinda finish up the series before we get TOOOO deep in this new Stormfront format, and then I'm gonna review all these new Stormfront final Evos, since reviewing things like Pidgeys these days is pretty useless. SOO let's get into it!

Top 10 BR decks this format 

1. Kingdra

2. AMU

3. Empoleon

4. Gliscor

5. Torterra

6. Magmortar

7. Skittles (Ho-oh/Togekiss)

8. Luxray

9. Magnezone/Electivire

10. Gardevoir/Gallade

Ok, so there you have it folks, The Top 10 Battle Road decks. I think Kingdra at No.1 is no shocker. Few things can keep up with Kingdra's speed and ability to do significant damage for so little energy. But the one deck that can, the one that's been it's main rival this format, came in at No. 2. AMU is a deck that can deal great amounts of damage with it's three LV. Xs and still be able to splash a variety of techs and be fast. I'd even wager that Mesprit LV. X was the most cussed out card this format. While Azelf LV. X was a pretty good sniper for AMU, it's attack is nothing compared to the Big Daddy Penguin, Empoleon. The 3rd strongest deck, Empoleon won with it's very simple and unflashy Dual Splash. Who knew 30 to two Benched Pokemon for two Energy would be so good? Empoleon players, that's who! But everything doesn't have to be about large amounts of damage, as demonstrated by the Numero 4 Espadeck, Gliscor. Gliscor won games by abusing Status Effects to the point of causing Paralyzation almost every turn consistently. Gliscor LV. X was just too much for many decks to handle, and with the speed it came out with, many decks that COULD handle the Status' were just overran. Although, one Pokemon in particular, with it's tremendous HP and HUGE attacking power, was able to laugh off alot of would-be Gliscor KOs. That Pokemon was Torterra. Torterra this season was (I WILL NOT MAKE A TORTERR-JOKE SO STOP LOOKING FOR ONE) terrific in every sense of the the word. He was outstanding against decks like Magnevire and Spreaders, and caused terror to Pokemon with his Weakness like Kabutops and the fiery Groudon. But IT'S enemy is right behind it on this list. Yep, Magmortar had a very good showing, especially with it being a carryover deck from the lkast format. Magmortar played alot like Empoleon, and it's ability to spread damage AND KO is what really made it a force. Sitting at No. 7 is a deck that many people doubted would or COULD win at all. In the end, though, Skittles proved that a deck that could deal moderate but consistent damage early on can beat huge, damage heavy decks. Actually, Togekiss itself recieved more play than many people thought it would. Anyway, the next Pokemon is one that people really Expected to be in alot of decks, Luxray. This newest incarnation of Luxray redeemed the old one in my book, and partly owes a little of it's power this format to the amount of Lightning weak Water Pokemon that were played. Even so, Luxray's ability to deal KOs to LV. Xs, Waters, and most Stage One Pokemon EASILY carried it onto alot of success. Some of that succes was seen when paired up with the two Pokemon in this next deck Magnevire. Magnezone and Electivire fought their comboing way into No. 9, and with their myriad of Poke-powers and toolbox like attacks made them a contender to ALL decks. Combining to deal good damage AND Status Effects, this deck could take care of all problems and be able to protect itself from retaliation with Paralysis and Electivire LV. X's two abilities. Coming in at No. 10 is last format's No. 1 deck, GG. Whatever you think about it, the power of Gardevoir and Gallade to come from the same Pokemon but be able to deal with so many threats between the two of them was a winning force. Makes you wonder if there will always be a GG deck whenever a new version of these two come out.

AND THERE YOU HAVE IT!!!!!!! The Top 10 WILL change once Stormfront catches on, but I'm betting most of these decks will at least be playable in the new format. SO, talking about this new Stormfront era, why don't I start on these new Stormfront cards, eh?

Let's begin with:

Skarmory: Hahahaha Gotcha! I'm going to start from the bottom of the set up, and, I'm going to also include non-evolvers like Skarmory here. Anyway, Skarmory has a Quick Attack, which by applying the Dragonite rule (YOU SHOULD REMEMBER) does about 20 for 1 energy, and it's second attack does about 25 to any of your opponent's Pokemon for 3 energy......BOTH OF THESE SUCK. Even rounding up, 30 for 3 energy is terrible at a flat rate. Unfortunately for Skarmory, it is neither excels as a supporter Pokemon like Chatot or a strong attacker like Deoxys. The only thing it excels at is wasting energy and being a coaster.

Sableye:........HUH (but a good huh like after you realize something coincidental but very good happened). This card is really unique, I think it will take alot of time to fully flesh out the uses this card has. It's obviously a great starter, and reminds me a bit of Absol. The Poke-Body is great, and will let you Impersonate first, so OF COURSE you should want to set your deck up where you want to place the first energy each turn. Impersonate is fantastic, it's utility is undeniable, and Overconfident can be used to get that last bit of damage in or with a Darkness to get a first turn KO on a 50 HP Basic. It's a good card, really.

Miltank: Now Miltank, Miltank is.....not so good. The HP is average, Collect is average, Energy Milk removes only 1 damage counter on average, and Stomp is crap. 3 attacks, and NONE of them are good. Obviously, they want you to look at like "40 FOR 2? THAT'S.... average......BUT I CAN REMOVE ALL MY DAMAGE WITH ENERGY MILK!!!!!!", but clearly that's stupid. NEXT!

Farfetch'd: Is this the set called Starterfront or something (AHAHAHAHAHA)? Go and Collect is like a better version of Lapras' attack, and can setup several decks really nicely. The ability to grab key trainers, like Rare Candy, and key Stadiums, like Stark Mountain, will speed up several decks. Heck, I can see alot decks grabbing a Candy, Bebe's Search, and a some teched in Stadium like Lake Boundary or a type-specific Stadium. Starters have fallen out of wide use lately, but I still think many decks can utilize Farfetch'ds attack. Fury Cutter can't really be relied upon, but I think every deck can use a small, one energy attack every now and then.

Electrode 37: Well, when I said a Pokemon with a quick, 1 energy attack, I didn't mean this thing. Flash is good for it's cost, but 1 energy costing attacks won't win games......okay Kingdra's will but Electrode's won't. Electro Diffusion is....not good. 60 for 2 and about 1 energy is not too good. And a consistent 50 for 2 is not really any better. The only redemption in this card is that it has small, fast attacks and no retreat. 80 HP isn't doing it any favors, either.

Electrode 36: OK, MUCH better here. This Electrode is HEAD AND SHOULDERS above the other one. It has more HP, still retains it's free retreat cost, and it's Poke-Power and attacks outdo the other one's abilities. Radiance is a good way to some easy spreading damage, and when combined with the first attack and then the second, you can hit for 100 without any counter attack. Low Current is a good attack, and works GREAT with the Poke-Power. Empoleon's are PROBABLY not going to want to Dual Splash random Voltorbs anymore. Swift is a basic, ok attack. Not TOO much out there with Electric-Resistance. This card might not see ALOT of play, but it is a generally good card.

Bibarel: The best cheap uncommon Evolver, this Pokemon is one that can work with a variety of others, and is strong on it's own. Unaware prevents any type of Status play, and is a kind of hidden plus on this card. Amnesia is an annoying attack, and forces opponent's who use Pokemon like Infernape to find a way around the block. Surf is just plain good, and represents the next step in Attack Evolution. The high of 2 for 50 is now glaringly low. Combined with Bidoof's Amnesia and a Plus or Buck's, Bibarel is able to totally negate a starter and then KO it. Bibarel's main faults are it's 3 retreat cost, and no Resistance. The Fighting Weakness should help vary Weakness in Water Pokemon decks. Still a great card, though.

Vespiquen: ......An interesting card. Green Dignity is a good way to get back in a game. Vespiquen will blatantly work with a starter haha. Bee Drain was designed to work with Green Dignity, and can do 70 damage and remove 70 for ONE energy. Bee Powder is another clear example of the 2 for 50 barrier being broken. Once again, with Green Dignity, this attack becomes insane at 100 for 2 energy. Even without it, though, the attack is okay, even if it's now low, and if you ACTUALLY get the effect, which will happen about once every 4 times you use it, it becomes a real monster will let you do about 140 in 2 turns. It's Weakness and Resistance are nothing special, and the Retreat follows suit. The card, though, is interesting enough to at least be tested. Maybe Kricketune/Vespiquen?

Tyranitar: One of the big, hyped cards in this set, I can't really call it a money card since it comes in it's own Theme Deck. But does it really live up to it's hype? Narctiss seems to think so, but I have it on good authority that he is a known Pikachu "enthusiast" and has been seen on several accounts stealing Raichus from incredibly small children......Incredibly small. BUT I DIGRESS. Tyranitar will be a force to reckon with in the near future, and though I DO see it as having problems with decks that don't use Poke-Powers (maybe a Togekiss team up to get alot of energy in play quick?). It has a great amount of HP, and obviously Darkness Drive is the most important sentence on this card. It's ability to quickly get that Spinning Tail off quickly is key on this card. It also helps power up Grind, which can be used to KO your opponent's "problem children". Spinning Tail is a SUUUPER attack, it's a Dual Splash that the whole family can enjoy! So coooooool. The Weakness and the Retreat Cost shouldn't be too much of a problem, so be sure to be prepared for facing this card.

Tangrowth: The last Tangrowth was pretty awesome, so this one has big, goofy, Ronald McDonald-like shoes to fill....oh wait that's Tangela Tangrowth has red elephant feet. SO, this Tangrowth has the same HP, and it's bottom stats are the same except for now it retreats for 3. BUT the good part here is in the middle. With Green Renewal, this negative poison ability basically lets you Potion your Pokemon between attacks.....it's gonna take alot of Dragon Pumps to get through this mass of tangled vines. Green Acid is a pretty powerful attack, too. It's good for it's energy cost. Reaching Vine is the big green version of Magmortar's girly-man bazooka. With Sceptile, it's sped up to possibly hit on the second turn. Tangrowth will be seen with Sceptile and/or Leafeon very soon.

Steelix: OH STEELIX, WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO YOU????? SERIOUSLY, the first Steelix released was a BEAST in it's format. It protected itself, had high HP for it's format, and had a good, solid attack. BUT SINCE THEN, Steelix hasn't been able to get a friggin' break. Shining Steelix was crap, the Steelixs after it were mostly crap that usually always had a high energy attack that did SOMEWHERE around a 100 damage with a HUGE drawback. The Steelix before this one was only redeemed by the fact that it was was comboable with Magnevire. This Steelix, I'm guessing, will have no such luck. It has better HP, true, but it's big attack is crap, and by probability only does about 50 damage for 4 energy. Outbreak Power is....okay, but outclassed by alot of other attacks. Even though it has the ability to vary it's damage, I'd much rather take the +20 Fireball Bazooka to this attack though. The 4 retreat cost is big but this is Steelix we're talking about so no suprises there..........I REALLY hate this, as Steelix is one of my favorite Pokemon, and one of the first decks I was truly successful with, but, from what I can see right now, this card is just about useless.

Staraptor: GOOD FOR STARAPTOR! He was screwed over in his FIRST version, so this one is a welcome card in my view. It has the standard Stage 2 120 HP, but the free retreat cost is great on this big HP Pokemon. Protect Wing is not bad. A permanent defender against Stage 2 pokes is pretty good. This Pokemon will be extremely hard to OHKO, and even to 2HKO they'll need to do 90 twice. Strong Breeze....is alright, but made successful with Staraptor's no retreat cost, since you can toss it up, and try and then retreat if needed. It should prevent your opponent from building up even 3 energy Pokemon safely on the bench. Clutch is a basic attack, no real fringes on it. I wish there was a way to raise it's damage like Cherrim or something, but I guess we take it as is. Combined with Metagross, it can work to deal good damage on the Pokemon of your choice while preventing them from retreating. Hopefully this Pokemon can find a strong teammate to work with, because I'd say Staraptor deserves it.

Skuntank: Another cool Pokemon that deserves better than it's older version, I think Skuntank was compensated with this version. And that restoration of honor comes in a simple package: Evolutionary Gas. This single Poke-Power, combined with the fact that with Moonlight Stadium you DON'T even have to attack with it to be able to utilize it, is the reason you'll be seeing players flop down Skuntanks very soon. Skuntank's attacks aren't terrible, either. Poison Claws is weak, granted, but with Darkness Energy and Darkrai LV. X, Plunder can be a tremendously powerful attack. 90 for 3 energy, and that Technical Machine hating add-on, is pretty nice. EXPECT to see Skuntank soon enough.

Scizor: A card that is basically promised to see some action in these next few weeks, Scizor is one of the BEST cards to come out from Stormfront, and that's saying something. Scizor power lies in all of it's three abilities. With Honeycomb Defender, Scizor can stave off a 2HKO and possibly land the killing Accelerate for even more protection. Accelerate is great in it's own right though. Letting Scizor stick around to use Pound Down one more time will lead to a constant flow of Scizor overwhelming other decks. Pound Down is awesome. 70 for 2 and you just keep away from Poke-Powers? YA, I'd use that. BUT, I should mention that I have a sort of affinity to Scizor........

Salamence: Another alluring card from Stormfront, Salamence is one Dragon that truly loves to fight. The main part of this card, like so many other cards before it, is the first sentence on it. Battle Rush allows you to outspeed other big Pokemon decks by letting you hit for 50 with 1 energy and 120 for 2 energy, like a giant Houndoom. The 140 HP is fantastic and the Resistance says it will be a headache for Machamp.

Roserade: Well, Roserade has already had two versions of it in earlier sets, but neither of them have seen much play. This one changes the mold slightly with it's pseudopoison Psychic type, and more Poison type feel, but it retains it's 90 HP and the bottom stats from the older versions. A new Poke-Body, though, called Hidden Poison, seems to be the main part of this card. It Poisons the opponent's active when it's damaged as an active, which of course leads to more damage through Deep Poison. BUT there are two faults here: you have to be hit FIRST and survive the hit, and even though 80 for 3 is not bad, with the Poison included, it's still only 100 damage, which might not be enough. Luckily though, you don't have to RELY on Roserade to provide the poisoning. Some good partners for him there are Swalot, and Toxicroak, but personally I'd rather just play this card with Weezing. Weezing pumps up the damage Roserade does to 140 (after their second attack). Hopefully, this will be enough for Roserade to see at least SOME play, and we won't end up waiting for the fourth version of Roserade.

Rapidash: Rapidash has always been a personal favorite of mine ever since it's first release in Jungle. This version is.......sorry to say it, meh. 80 HP is RELATIVELY low these days. Only Pokemon like Houndoom with the ability to do crazy amounts of damage can get away with that. Burning Mane will work well with Magmortar and Heatran LV. X, which is the deck I see it being used in. Rear Kick is bad, and Shooting Fire is, well, average. Free retreat cost is a staple on this guy since Jungle, and it's still great. The thing that makes this okay Pokemon into something good, though, is how EASILY it combos with the earlier mentioned Magmortar and Heatran. It has the ability to snipe, it has the ability to discard energy, it can be brought up and retreated easily. The competition this card will have though is with Blaziken. It snipes for more, but it's Stage 2, so I'm sure will see both in use. Either way I'm glad that this Rapidash is stronger than the last one!

Mamoswine: The Big Pig itself is back! After only like TWO sets there is a new Mamoswine, and this one's packin' a Fighting type, ANOTHER energy to retreat it (was FOUR not enough?), and a new Weakness to Grass instead of the underplayed Steel.....great. It's 140 HP is still very high, but now it's first attack is COMPLETE crap. Ramming Strike is horrendous, WEAKER than Marowak's attack THAT COSTS LESS ENERGY and while that gimmick is fun it's ultimately useless. The main attack here and really the only one you should be using is Parade. Parade is just like it sounds, a pretty cool attack that does more damage the more Mamoswine family you have out and the more those Mamoswine are evolved. With just one other Mamoswine out, the attack will hit for 100 for 4 energy. This is good, but I think it we've really already seen a deck like this recently, a little build centered around Politoed and the Poli family. Just like that deck, I expect Mamoswine to be sort of a cult (TERRIBLE word to describe it but the best I guess) deck rather than a widespread one. You should still be prepared to face this thing, though.

Machamp: One of the most talked about Pokemon coming up to Stormfront's release, the main question with this guy is is he better than the DP one. And to me the answer is.......depends. This Machamp has a FEW things going for it that the other doesn't. 1. Take Out is fantastic. We all know it destroys Basic Pokemon decks like AMU and things with Heatran and a bunch of other rogue Basics. But it's also pretty good when you're just finishing up a game and can get the LV. X out. 100 for 1 energy is unprecedented. 2. It works SLIGHTLY better with the LV. X. Let's be honest, though. Unlike most other LV. Xs Machamp's is very strategic and can't just be rushed onto him. Playing Machamp LV. X after KOing they're best chance of using Machamp's Poke-Body against it is the best way of keepin' it around. Rage, though having a heavy cost, will let you KO other giants on their side, and Hurricane Punch will do an average of 120 for 2. It also has one lower retreat. BUT the other Machamp still has Dynamic Punch, a great attack even without the LV. X, and REVENGE, which gets INSANELY good with the Bigger Big guy. KOing your Hurricane Punching 'Champ IS going to cost them their active now, no matter what. So, in the end, I'd say a mixture of both, even if only one copy, is better than just going all out on one Machamp. Lucario is still the best lil' buddy I think, too.

Gyarados:.........Yah. THIS isn't the one you should be using. 10 more HP is nice, but Tail Revenge will be hard to make worthwhile (AT least 2 Magikarp in the discards to make it okay, which will be hard to pull off with one already on the field), Wreak Havoc is low damage, with an effect that will probably only help the opponent, Dragon Beat is good but Extremely expensive, especially considering that 100 might not KO them. I may be wrong here, but I just don't see this card being used much.

Gengar: Dusknoir's partner Gengar. This version is FAAAAR more powerful than the earlier one. Free retreat and a Poke-Power? Yes please! Fainting Spell is one of the coolest Poke-Powers, and clearly very useful. It mirrors the legendary Base Set Gastly. Shadow Room is like an improved Starmie's Core Flash. It's the reason you could possibly see this guy paired up with some spreaders. Who doesn't want to snipe and then possibly STILL KO their active with the same Pokemon? Poltergeist is iffy, and only should be used when Seriously needed, earlier in the game the better. You'll be seeing this card with Dusknoir, probably already.

Drifblim: An Evolved type of starter, Drifblim kind of changes the style up by getting energy also on your Call For Familied guys, for free. Delivery is also situational but could be game saving. Ominous Wind is actually pretty good, with a heads it can pose a tough problem onto the opponent. I could see this guy being in an AMU or some other type of deck revolving around Basics (Regigigas?). The ability to use Lifting and then retreat will help out aloth of Basic LV. Xers.

Drapion: ANOTHER Pokemon looking for redemption, the first Drapion just didn't bring enough to the table to be used. Weezing couldn't add enough damage for it, and even though the 100 HP was nice it got KO'd before really giving you any sort of advantage. With any luck, the extra 10 HP and the change to Dark type, which is going to have some interesting interactions with these new Ghosts and older Psychics, will let it see some play. Unfortunately, it does still look bleak. Scorpion Grapple is WEIRD on an Evolved Pokemon, but I guess it's just a optional stall tactic, Cross Poison is good with 2 or more heads, terrible with one, but at least on average you'll get 2. And Derail is going to depend on how much Warp/Cyclone/Multi energy is going to be played after Stormfront. You COULD team it up with Darkrai. Automatic 90 for Derail is good, and 2 heads and 2 energy with Cross Poison is powerful. I don't see it finding any other partners than Darkrai, but this card IS better than the last version.

Cherrim: AND THE WINNER FOR MOST EASILY PLAYED STORMFRONT CARD GOES TO: CHERRIM!!!!!!! "OMG I NEVER thought I'd win this.....umm.... I'd like to thank the sun for giving it's support all these years......" Cherrim is the most splashable card in Stormfront. It's simple. Play it with a Grass or Fire Pokemon that hits the Active and you get a free permanent Pluspower. This guy is SOOOOO easy. Cherrim is another Pokemon that saw NOOO play, so it with this easy power now is cool. ANY deck that uses Fire or Grass can benefit from Cherrim. Magmortar, Infernape, Leafeon, Torterra, ALL OF IT CAN USE CHERRIM. Bellosom becomes a supported BEAST with Cherrim in the picture. Vespiquen has an obvious partner here. There's not much to say about as the whole card is just for Sunny Day.

Bronzong: REALLY??????? ANOTHER Bronzong? Why? We have THREE now. But regardless, this new Bronzong has some big shoes to fill. While it's first predecessor was unplayed, it's most recent one was found EVERYWHERE. But this card CAN amount to it's last version, but in a different, more important way. First things first, it's Poke-Power has such a variety of uses for different decks that I won't even begin to get into all that. Let's just say it's really helpful. Strange Spin is clearly situational, but Cycler can help set it up when needed. The cool thing on this guy is the aptly named, Heavy Potential. While it does cost 3 energy, this attack can lead to alot of damage being put into play. You can Still combo this with Froslass, and the new Raichu LV. X is an interesting team-up for it. This gong will see a fair share of play.

That's all for now!!!!!! Look for the Holo Rares (plus nonHolo Dusknoir) and the LV. Xs in my next article!!!!! If you'd like to talk to me about one of these cards, or any others, feel free to email me at Summonerofillusions@yahoo.com. I reply to every even-numbered email I get, so with a little luck you could be a winner! Or an ODD man out (AHAHAHAAAHAHAHAH-(*ahuha-cough)......