Snow Leaf Badge – Evolving Skies
Date Reviewed: September 14, 2021
Ratings Summary:
Standard: 2.00
Expanded: 1.00
Ratings are based on a 1 to 5 scale. 1 is horrible. 3 is average. 5 is great.
Reviews Below:
Otaku
Snow Leaf Badge (SW – Evolving Skies 159/203) is our subject today. This Pokémon Tool can be attached to any Pokémon but its effect are worded so they only apply to Pokémon V with “Leafeon” or “Glaceon” in their names. So it can do what it does for Leafeon V, Leafeon VMAX, Glaceon V, and Glaceon VMAX. If we get any other varieties of Pokémon V that have one or both of those names in there, Snow Leaf Badge will work for them. It will not work for any Glaceon or Leafeon cards that are not Pokémon V, nor for any Pokémon V that lack “Glaceon” or “Leafeon” in the name. So… what does it actually do?
The Glaceon V/VMAX or Leafeon V/VMAX with Snow Leaf Badge attached to it has neither a Retreat Cost or a Weakness. Either of these effects has been worth a Tool in the past, so something that does both even with so few legal targets is still pretty solid. Well, unless the few compatible Pokémon already have no Retreat Cost and/or no Resistance, or something else about them means the Tools effect isn’t that good. So far, we’ve only reviewed Leafeon V, and we will be reviewing the rest (sooner or later), so I’ll just stick to what Snow Leaf Badge does for the Pokémon in question, as opposed to how good or bad those Pokémon prove. With that said, Snow Leaf Badge seems… all right.
Leafeon V and Leafeon VMAX are [R] Weak, which used to be one of the worst, but seems more middle of the pack now. Plus, Leafeon V seems like more of a Bench-sitter to me. Leafeon V’s Retreat Cost is only [C], and Leafeon VMAX’s is only [CC], and neither have effects that make me think you’ll need to retreat them over and over again. So… yeah, Snow Leaf Badge is a metagame call for Leafeon VMAX, and probably not needed for Leafeon V alone. Both Glaceon V and Glaceon VMAX have Retreat Costs of [CC] and [M] Weakness. While this means Snow Leaf Badge is a little more helpful. Based on the earliest tournament results I’ve seen, Metal decks are still very much a “thing”, and especially Glaceon VMAX goes from a 2HKO to a OHKO for Zacian V (thanks to Weakness). Glaceon VMAX also might have more of a reason to retreat, so at least one Snow Leaf Badge makes sense, given the metagame.
What about the Expanded Format? Not seeing anything that would make Snow Leaf Badge more important. If anything, it seems too specialized with all the other Tools you can enjoy. Still might have niche usage, but overall I expect less of them here. In the end, this means low scores for Snow Leaf Badge but remember it can all change with the right Glaceon V/VMAX and/or Leafeon V/VMAX (or other, hypothetical future releases). So it still has potential, and shouldn’t be forgotten.
Ratings
- Standard: 2/5
- Expanded: 1/5
Vince
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