Reshiram-GX – Dragon Majesty Pokemon Review

aroramage

And now for the fiery piece de resistance that comes within the Fire support of Dragon Majesty – A GIANT DRAGON!!

Reshiram-GX is a Basic Fire Pokemon-GX, 180 HP, with a Water Weakness, no Resistance, and a Retreat Cost of 2. Flame Charge searches your deck for 2 Fire Energy to attach straight onto Reshiram-GX, which is perfect for leading up into Scorching Column, a 4-for-110 that Burns the Active Pokemon. And for some real fireworks, there’s Vermilion-GX, a 4-for-180 move that lets you attach up to 5 Fire Energy in your hand to your Pokemon in any way you see fit.

The promise of these cards is…awfully tempting sometimes. Flame Charge offers an easy start-up, and it can get Reshiram-GX going really fast…but then there’s Scorching Column. Sure, technically it can deal 110 and then Burns for 20 to deal 130 damage total…the first time around. After that, it’s a little dependent on that Burn sticking around to do the full 2HKO that it’s offering. Not to say that Reshiram-GX isn’t capable of the 2HKO, but it’s a 2HKO with a stipulation as to how to achieve it. Otherwise, he needs that little extra boost. And Vermilion-GX, while powerful, still needs you to have Energy in hand and Pokemon on the field to attach it to in order to be at its best.

It’s not to say Reshiram-GX is bad, but compared with other Pokemon-GX, he’s on the side of those that have potential but need a little help. Kind of a common thread here, don’t you think?

Rating

Standard: 2.5/5 (there’s a lot of stuff that makes Reshiram-GX appealing)

Expanded: 2.5/5 (but it’s stuff that comes at a little bit of cost in some way or another)

Limited: 3.5/5 (and it’s those little bits and pieces here and there that begin to add up)

Arora Notealus: Reshiram-GX is fine for whatever you want to use him for, but I feel like he’s just another Pokemon-GX that can do his best moves in 2-3 turns, something that usually with other Pokemon-GX means they’ve gotten some damage in and are hitting for more than 110, even with the Burn damage being a factor.

Weekend Thought: What’re your thoughts on this week’s cards? Think some of them have a place in your decks? What interesting combos could you work out with these cards? Are they good as the main attackers, as secondary attackers, or just general support? Would they be worth the space in your deck?

Vince

We end the week with Reshiram-GX (Dragon Majesty 11/70). As a GX Pokemon, usual traits include improved stats, possibly better attacks or abilities, a GX attack, gives out two prizes, and may be helped or excluded by other cards. Being a Basic is the best for the usual reasons, saving deck space as well as being put into play easily as opposed to evolutions. Being a fire type means exploiting weakness found on most grass and metal types, as well as benefiting on type specific support from other cards. Having 180 HP is moderately durable except when facing Water Pokémon. A retreat cost of three is high, but searchable by Expanded only item, Heavy Ball.

Reshiram-GX has three attacks. Flame Charge costs C and lets you search your deck for 2 R energy and attach it to this Pokémon, making a cumulative attachment of RRC, assuming the minimum. Scorching Column costs RRRC for 110 damage and inflicts the Burn Special Condition. Since the burn places two damage counter in between turns, this attack is an effective 130 damage before your opponent start flipping a coin. Vermillion GX also costs RRRC for 180 damage and you get to attach up to 5 R energy to any of your Pokemon.

So how do we use it? Flame Charge isn’t something to be using up an attack for unless you lacked Kiawe or have no other option of other attack. Scorching Column has no other drawbacks other being a four energy attack, as it takes Gardevoir-GX a single Fairy energy and a Choice Band to OHKO it (wow, that makes it even dangerous). Vermillion is a one time deal, but if your setup is interrupted in any way or form, (Knockouts or forced bounce beyond your control) then the investment means nothing. I’m pretty sure someone will eventually make this Pokémon work as a feature Pokemon, but I can’t see it.

• Standard: 3/5
• Expanded: 3/5
• Limited: N/A (would be 4.5/5)

Other cards spoiler: Apparently there’s a Dedenne-GX whose ability is to dump your hand and draw six cards. If that holds true, then it will be a staple of nearly all decks and makes Shaymin-EX obsolete. All I can say is that Sycamore is back, but in a different way.

Otaku

Looks like I’ll have to make this a Five-Minute Friday Review… because I almost forgot about Reshiram-GX (Dragon Majesty 11/70, 65/70, 71/70)! To start off with my overall thoughts on the card, that’s pretty appropriate. As a Basic, [R] Type Pokémon with 180 HP, [W] Weakness, no Resistance, and a Retreat Cost of [CC], it has a solid foundation EXCEPT in a crowded field. We don’t have a lot of need for such cards right now, and what need there is seems nicely filled by Ho-Oh-GX and Turtonator-GX, with a few other Pokémon waiting in line. Basically, you’ve got Volcanion-EX decks in Expanded and Ho-Oh-GX/Kiawe decks in Standard. Even if you try to build something a little less played, like a Blaziken (Dragon Majesty 6/70), the other two I mentioned are already strong candidates… so does Reshiram-GX do enough to give one of those two the boot?

Reshiram-GX has three attacks. First up is “Flame Charge” for [C], which has you search your deck for two [R] Energy cards and attach them to Reshiram-GX. This is only plausible a fraction of the time; if your opponent has a solid attacker ready to go, Reshiram-GX is going to be at least half-KO’d before it can utilize those Energy cards. Possibly OHKO’d… we still have competitive attackers that hit harder based on the Energy attached to one or both Active Pokémon. The [RRRC] cost for “Scorching Earth” means you can’t use it with Double Colorless Energy; not a major concern given the first attack or Kiawe, but still a little worrying as Reshiram-GX is just doing 110 damage with Burn via this attack. So an effective 130 for four Energy ain’t bad but neither is it really good; this much Energy for solid 2HKO potential unless you’re attacking into Weakness. It is enough that Choice Band and another damage buff (Professor Kukui) can give you OHKO potential; again, functional but underwhelming for all we’re putting into this combo. “Vermillion-GX” is your GX-attack and has the same cost as Scorching Earth and does 180 damage while attaching up to five [R] Energy from your hand to your Pokémon.

This is the card’s selling point; use Kiawe on it, make sure you’ve got the needed Fire Energy cards in hand the next turn and attack for a probable OHKO while readying your next attacker… preferably NOT another Reshiram-GX. Still, that is at the cost of your GX-attack so I’m not really sold. Reshiram-GX isn’t bad, but it isn’t very good, either.  I’m not sure if Blacksmith can even help it in Expanded, since it needs [RRRC] for its two main attacks.  Enjoy it in Limited, assuming you find a way to play a Limited Format event using this mini-set, but Water Weakness is pretty dangerous to have given this expansion’s composition.

Ratings

• Standard: 2/5
• Expanded: 2/5
• Limited: 4/5