Card of the Day: Dark Patch
Shallow and/or spam posts are not allowed.
Dark Patch (DE # 93) {4/19/12 - 4/20/12}
- Thread starter Vulpix Yolk
- Start date
Shallow and/or spam posts are not allowed.
RE: Dark Patch (DE # 93) {4/19/12}
You guys know the drill.
You guys know the drill.
So let's start with the basics. Energy acceleration for Darkness Pokemon! Woo! I'm just glad to see energy acceleration spread around to types that do not have it. So this is basically a one shot Dyanamotor for Darkness energy as it goes from discard to benched Pokemon with the added restriction that the energy must be attached to a darkness pokemon. That restriction is of course disappointing but so many cards in the new set seem to be focused on decks where being monoblack is the way to go so this may not be a huge stumbling block.
So unlike most energy acceleration out there, this one is on a trainer card which has its pros and cons. After all, you don't have to worry about your opponent Catchering and KOing your energy accelerator Pokemon. However, you do have to worry about Trainer Lock. Moreover, you are limited to doing this trick 4 times, or at most eight while Junk Arm is around. Also there is the little matter of getting energy in the discard in the first place, but if you've been following ZekEels at all then you already know that cards like Juniper, Sage's Training, Junk Arm and the upcoming Ultra Ball can jump start you on that score.
There is no question that Dark Patch will make Darkness based decks faster. The big question is will it make darkness decks fast enough to keep up with the other energy accelerators in the game? My gut feeling is that with Junk Arm in the rotation, Dark Patch will allow darkness decks to keep pace with the meta. When/if Junk Arm goes though, I'm not sure that this will be enough to keep pace with the like of Eels.
So unlike most energy acceleration out there, this one is on a trainer card which has its pros and cons. After all, you don't have to worry about your opponent Catchering and KOing your energy accelerator Pokemon. However, you do have to worry about Trainer Lock. Moreover, you are limited to doing this trick 4 times, or at most eight while Junk Arm is around. Also there is the little matter of getting energy in the discard in the first place, but if you've been following ZekEels at all then you already know that cards like Juniper, Sage's Training, Junk Arm and the upcoming Ultra Ball can jump start you on that score.
There is no question that Dark Patch will make Darkness based decks faster. The big question is will it make darkness decks fast enough to keep up with the other energy accelerators in the game? My gut feeling is that with Junk Arm in the rotation, Dark Patch will allow darkness decks to keep pace with the meta. When/if Junk Arm goes though, I'm not sure that this will be enough to keep pace with the like of Eels.
1. What is the purpose of this card? Does it bring anything special to the table?
Look at this card. It's just beautiful, is it not? Dark Patch allows any Darkness pokemon a chance in the spotlight - Pokemon has introduced a form of energy acceleration that I haven't seen before. It will single-handedly force the birth of a top tier deck, and add an entirely new venue of opportunity for darkness cards that come out in the future.
2. What kind of combos or decks would this card do well with?
Dark Patch works with only one card type - {D}. Similar to Eelektrik, it allows you to take basic energy from your Discard Pile and put it on to your benched Pokemon. Whereas Eelektrik is an infinitely better engine due to it's consistency and speed (attaching 2-3 energy a turn to keep up with the prize trade is unheard of), Dark Patch takes away the risk associated with running Tynamo (30 HP / Free Retreat one here) and an Eelektrik with a retreat cost of 2. It keeps your early game a little more safe, and alleviates about 3 spots in your deck for other cards to be added.
Dark Patch will go hand in hand with one of the most hyped decks from Dark Explorers - Zoroark / Darkrai. Due to the deck's low attacking energy costs (2 {D} or DCE for Zoroark, 2{D} 1{C} for late game Darkrai), Dark Patch will be a solid contender to Celebi and Eelektrik decks.
3. Final Thoughts
Dark Patch has raised a type that has been long forgotten into the light. Because of it, all Dark typed pokemon, both in the past and in the future, have to be looked at under a different lens. Regardless if the hype works out for Zoroark / Darkrai, and regardless if the dark cards that come out in the future are a little lackluster, Dark Patch is a champion and I thoroughly appreciate it.
Card Score: 9/10
Card Art: 5/10 (I mean.. what can I say?)
Edit: I would like to note that Dark Patch will fall far, far behind Eelektrik's acceleration once Junk Arm is rotated out. Junk Arm allows Dark decks to discard basic darkness energy, along with being able to take Dark Patches out of the discard for more use. I would rate Dark Patch a 7/10 at that point, since it will still continue to see play, but it won't be anywhere near as strong.
Look at this card. It's just beautiful, is it not? Dark Patch allows any Darkness pokemon a chance in the spotlight - Pokemon has introduced a form of energy acceleration that I haven't seen before. It will single-handedly force the birth of a top tier deck, and add an entirely new venue of opportunity for darkness cards that come out in the future.
2. What kind of combos or decks would this card do well with?
Dark Patch works with only one card type - {D}. Similar to Eelektrik, it allows you to take basic energy from your Discard Pile and put it on to your benched Pokemon. Whereas Eelektrik is an infinitely better engine due to it's consistency and speed (attaching 2-3 energy a turn to keep up with the prize trade is unheard of), Dark Patch takes away the risk associated with running Tynamo (30 HP / Free Retreat one here) and an Eelektrik with a retreat cost of 2. It keeps your early game a little more safe, and alleviates about 3 spots in your deck for other cards to be added.
Dark Patch will go hand in hand with one of the most hyped decks from Dark Explorers - Zoroark / Darkrai. Due to the deck's low attacking energy costs (2 {D} or DCE for Zoroark, 2{D} 1{C} for late game Darkrai), Dark Patch will be a solid contender to Celebi and Eelektrik decks.
3. Final Thoughts
Dark Patch has raised a type that has been long forgotten into the light. Because of it, all Dark typed pokemon, both in the past and in the future, have to be looked at under a different lens. Regardless if the hype works out for Zoroark / Darkrai, and regardless if the dark cards that come out in the future are a little lackluster, Dark Patch is a champion and I thoroughly appreciate it.
Card Score: 9/10
Card Art: 5/10 (I mean.. what can I say?)
Edit: I would like to note that Dark Patch will fall far, far behind Eelektrik's acceleration once Junk Arm is rotated out. Junk Arm allows Dark decks to discard basic darkness energy, along with being able to take Dark Patches out of the discard for more use. I would rate Dark Patch a 7/10 at that point, since it will still continue to see play, but it won't be anywhere near as strong.