Pyukumuku – Fusion Strike
Date Reviewed:
November 28, 2021
Ratings Summary:
Standard: 3.00
Expanded: 3.00
Ratings are based on a 1 to 5 scale. 1 is horrible. 3 is average. 5 is great.
Reviews Below:
Otaku
With the countdown over, it is time for some runners-up! Cards that made either Vince’s list, my list, or both our lists but not high enough to make the final, site list. The card that would have been our 16th-Place pick, if we’d done a longer countdown, is Pyukumuku (SW – Fusion Strike 077/264; SW – Black Star Promos SWSH169). This is a baseline, Basic, Water Pokémon with 80 HP, [L] Weakness, no Resistance, a Retreat Cost of [C], an Ability, and an attack. Pyukumuku is all about its Ability, “Pitch a Pyukumuku”. This Ability is one that is activated in your hand, not while on the field or in your discard pile. This means it won’t take up valuable Bench-space. To use Pitch a Pyukumuku, you reveal this card to your opponent, then bottom deck it. The only catch is that Pitch a Pyukumuku is clearly worded so that you may only use the Ability once during your turn. Yes, even if you have multiples of it or can get the same copy back into your hand.
Is drawing just one card really that good? Yes and no. One of the things about TCG’s is drawing the cards you need at the right time. Drawing more cards increases your odds of that, though it also brings you closer to decking out. We normally don’t have to sweat that last bit, but it only applies to Pyukumuku if you use it more than once a game. Now, since it sends itself to the bottom of your deck, it gets itself out of the way. Well, until you use any of the many effects that require you shuffle your deck. It isn’t a problem, so I think I’ve done my due duty warning about it.
Now we’ll discuss the rest of the card, keeping in my you’re running this for its Ability. Being a [W] type doesn’t mean much in Standard, but might be relevant in Expanded, thanks to Dive Ball (still need a deck with a strong Water presence, though). Being a Basic is mostly a good thing, as it means you can snag Pyukumuku from your deck with Quick Ball. There is a real drawback to this, though; you may be stuck with Pyukumuku as your opening Active, or your opponent might force it onto the field through a handful of other card effects. Being a baseline Pokémon means not worrying about Path to the Peak but worrying about Empoleon V. It also means you can bounce a Pyukumuku with Scoop Up Net, assuming you can spare the Item for such a task.
Pyukumuku has 80 HP, mostly relevant because it means Level Ball can fetch it from your deck. As you aren’t trying to put Pyukumuku into play, being an easy OHKO isn’t much of a problem. For that same reason, [L] Weakness and lack of Resistance will rarely matter. The Retreat Cost of [C] also shouldn’t matter often for these reason, but it is nice for when the worst case scenario happens. Finally, its one attack is “Knuckle Punch”. Priced at [WCC], it lets Pyukumuku do 50 damage to your opponent’s Pokémon. Even with Energy acceleration, this is bad. It is a filler attack, because – say it with me now – we’re running this card for its Ability.
So, what decks are already using it? I haven’t seen any. That could mean Pyukumuku is a 61st card, that one you’d run if you had room but you don’t so you won’t. It could mean we’re in an immature metagame, so players are still working out what decks (and what TecH) are needed. Meaning they might eventually work out a solid 59 card list, then slap Pyukumuku in to make it a full 60. We’ve sometimes seen this done with cards like Judge Whistle, which lets you draw one card (or instead, add a copy of Judge from your discard pile to your hand). I should be clear, I’m talking about decks that didn’t run Judge. Which is why Pyukumuku was my 10th-Place pick: a good card for almost any deck, assuming there’s room for it.
Ratings
- Standard: 3/5
- Expanded: 3/5
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