Probopass – Rebel Clash Pokemon Review

Otaku

Probopass (SSH – Rebel Clash 131/192) is worth a single Prize when KO’d, and has no specialty mechanics.  As a Metal type, it has access to potent type support, though it isn’t especially good at exploiting Weakness.  You’ll even crash into Resistance against some strong metagame decks (Pikachu & Zekrom-GX).  Probopass has 140 HP, meaning it can survive small attacks, and even some medium ones, but most decks even remotely focused on damage can probably score a OHKO.  [R] Weakness is dangerous, and means just 70 damage scores a OHKO.  -30 [G] Resistance is appreciated, but not likely to come in handy all that often.  A Retreat Cost of [CCCC] is massive, and a pain to pay, but you can always use switching effects, and it qualifies you for stuff like Buff Padding.

Probopass knows two attacks.  “Gravitational Drop” requires just [M] to use, and does 10 damage plus another 30 per [C] in the Retreat Cost of your opponent’s Active Pokémon.  This means a paltry 10 damage against targets with a free Retreat, 40 with a Retreat Cost of [C], 70 with a Retreat Cost of [CC], etc.  Even 40 for one Energy is decent in terms of just damage for the Energy, but once we actually consider metagame decks, you’re going to need to swing for 130 damage (hitting stuff with a Retreat Cost of [CCCC]).  “Heavy Impact” offers 120 for [MMC], which isn’t bad either, though I really wish it was [MCC] so Twin Energy was an option.

Probopass is a Stage 1, evolving from Nosepass and… nothing we have for Nosepass in Standard or Expanded is really worth discussing.  Just know that they’re all Basic [F] type Pokémon.  If your deck already includes Ditto {*} and either Aurora Energy or Rainbow Energy, you could even TecH just Probopass into your deck, presumably to swing at something with a hefty Retreat Cost.  If you’re building a deck around Probopass,you can include cards like Galar Mine to raise your opponent’s Active’s Retreat Cost, but be aware that in both formats, there are plenty of great cards that can decrease Retreat Cost as well. Worst of all for Probopass are cards like Float Stone, or the “Thunderclap Zone” Ability on Zeraora-GX; they zero out Retreat Costs, overriding any other effects that increase it as well.

Gravitational Drop, used against a Pokémon with a Retreat Cost of [CCCC] means 130 damage.  Galar Mine bumps it up by [CC], so the attack now does 190 damage… smaller Basic Pokémon V are KO’d, but not all of them.  Of course, I did specify “Basic”, so you could tack Absol (SM – Team Up 88/181) onto our combo, so that its “Dark Ambition” Ability raises our target’s Retreat Cost by another [C], hitting that key 220… which doesn’t sound bad until you remember we began with the max printed Retreat Cost and assumed no counters.  Expanded adds what we need – more ways to increase Retreat Costs – but then adds in many more counters, so it just doesn’t seem worth it to me.

Probopass isn’t all bad, though; currently, it is more or less one supporting Pokémon away from having a sporting chance in competitive play.  It also is good in the Limited Format; you might have Galar Mine, and even if you don’t, odds are your opponent has Retreat Costs they can’t lower.  Plus, Probopass is going to be more durable, due to the (likely) lower damage output of whatever your opponent is running.  Even if Gravitational Drop is only good for 40 or 70 against most opposing Pokémon you see, Heavy Impact’s reliable 120 for three is also better here.

Ratings

Standard: 2/5

Expanded: 1/5

Limited: 3/5

Probopass can punish high retreat costs, but those tend to come attached to higher HP scores, so the net result is still falling short of key KO amounts.  You can run other cards to raise your opponent’s Retreat Costs, but remember that, just as a natural result of how the game works, most opponent’s already have an incentive to run low Retreat Cost Pokémon and/or effects that lower the Retreat Costs of Pokémon.  It ain’t all bad news for Probopass, but it definitely isn’t good news, either.