RE: (1) Set List and 51 Stormfront Scans [10/20-10/22]
Actually, these are cards we got a little early through "sources". These aren't just what the cards will look like when they are printed, but these are actually the cards being scanned onto the computer. Some cards will be RH because the supplier only has thouse cards in RH.
Conductive Quary is the only card that has a better name than it's Japanese Counter part. Awesome. It sounds so cool, just say it slowly. Say duct with T sound at the end. Let the ive in Coductive hand in the air, and than roll Quary off that last strands of ive in the air. This truely is a beautifull card.
(Yes, I do have my moments)
Machamp, Gengar, and Dusknoir (spirit pulse) turned out to be normal rares. PUSA just had to make the three greatest cards in the set be Rares, didn't they? It was nice that Kingdra was Holo Rare and elusive in the packs, but now that these guys are Rares, I go -___-"
And to make matters worse, Empoleon and Infernape are Holo Rares. These two cards are kind of mediocre. Empoleon isn't that great, and it's energy stall can easily be played around with any energy acclerator (except Leafeon Lv.X), and it can be played around with anything that moves around energies, like Stark Mountain or Energy Link.
Infernape is worse. It gains a weakness to Psychic first of all, which is not good. It's power is not that great, because it is only of the Shinou starters that has to have a flip upon Level Up, and the Power really will only help you get in one blast. It needs to be leveled up if it wants to use Heatran Lv.X. Good luck setting up a Basic Lv.X and a Stage 2 Lv.X which needs 4 energies to attack.
Torterra is the best of the Shinou starters. It could see decent play as a tech in Torterra for faster evolution, but I can also see it as a tech in Cherim varients for added speed, with a Lv.X in the deck as well in the case Torterra would ever need to attack. It's attacks are also great as well.
I'm glad Misami Valley (not sure if that is spelled correctly) is not being printed in this set. Seriously, with Gengar and Dusknoir strong in the metagame and Bronzong and Yanmegga varients(either combined with Gengar or Dusknoir or used in some other spread deck) somewhere in the mix of things, Misami Valley would just be over kill. "Please, do drop that Baltoy so that I can OHKO it next turn with Gengar." I wish it wouldn't be printed, but, that won't really work, will it?