SET REVIEW!!
Quick Synopsis: I know a lot of people are probably going to kill me for saying this, but I don't think this is something that can be denied; Gaia Volcano and Tidal Storm are so far the best XY sets, and this is coming from someone with a bias towards Generation 3! There is literally no competition. Minimal bulk cards, amazing artwork, focus on Stage 2 support, you name it, they got it! Now, what about the cards themselves? I mean, if you're taking the time to read this, you probably want to hear about all the cards, right? Well, let's start with Gaia Volcano!
Gaia Volcano Cards
Sceptile
Sceptile is quite a good acceleration card. I don't think it will replace Virizion-EX for the 2014-15 season (aside from Budget Decks), but I know this guy has a lot going for him. An extra attachment and heal per turn is just too good to pass up, so I'd say that this guy is probably the better Sceptile in this set, but what about the other..?
Ancient Sceptile
Despite the fact that this Sceptile has Omega Barrier, the attacks are only fairly good. None of them will instantly Knock-Out a 180HP Pokemon-EX, unless Weakness is considered. I think Grow Healing Sceptile decks might consider using 1 of these as an alternate attacker, but that's really the only use 1 see for it at the moment.
Breloom
What, Breloom? This guy looks interesting! A Grass-Type that uses Fighting Energy, similar to PLB Abomasnow. I think this guy could easily find his way into Landorus-EX and Donphan decks as a counter to Water Types, and to be honest, the attacks aren't awful. They're what they need to be in order to make him a good card, next!
Trevenant-EX
Probably the worst EX in this set. Wood Blast is just not a decent replacement for the 'bread and butter' that is currently Virizion/Genesect. I do think that this guy could see a lot of play with Sceptile during the 2015/16 season, once all of BW rotates out.
Ninetales
This is a surprisingly good card! You can use this to either stop your opponent from laying down Stadium cards for Primal Groudon to use, or you can put down the new Silent Lab Stadium and lock it in place! This is defenitely going to be used a lot, I can guarantee it!
Ancient Magcargo
One of the more surprising cards from this set, honestly. I think it's fairly good, because that attack will take any opposing Metal or Grass EX down in a single fire! (get it?) Do I think it will see major play? Probably not. Unlike Bouffalant DRX, you need to use FIre Energy, so this guy can be a bit slower than usual.
Blaziken
Even though most Blaziken cards are really good (Blaziken ex, Blaziken FB Lvl X), I'd say this one is probably one of the 'not as great' ones. On paper, it doesn't look awful. 2 for 100 is actually really good, and you could always use the first attack to power up another Blaziken FUF, which I assume will start seeing some more play once this set releases. Still, unless you decide to run 1 of this guy in another Blaziken deck, this guy just doesn't do much else.
Camerupt-EX
So, the history of Black/White started with Magnezone Prime/Emboar, and now it's ending with CameruptEX/Emboar, eh? Seriously, guys. This guy's going to be good. Even though discarding Energy might be hefty, you only have to discard equal to the amount you want to deal. So, there are always those situations where you could Lysandre out a Jirachi-EX and burn it for just a single discard!
Manectric
I find this guy to be interesting. Instant Paralysis is cool, but the discard required means that you'll have to use something like a combo with Eelektross (more on that later) and an Alpha Growth Stage 1 to be able to consistently Paralyze. I doubt Manectric will see play, but I do think it would be fun to use this guy in a rogue deck sometime!
Ancient Nidoqueen
Seems strange that she doesn't have an accompanying Nidoking. Oh well. With the help of Dimension Valley and Muscle Band, Nidoqueen can Dynamic Punch for 180 damage on just 2 Energy! What a steal! Nidoqueen is very, very strong, and I know a lot of people will use her. The thing that frightens me, though, is how she falls prey to a single Mewtwo-EX, which pretty much every deck uses 1 of nowadays.
Rhyperior
Even though the attack cost is pretty bad for a Stage 2, I'd say that Rock Tumble is an overall quite nice attack. If you wanted to, you could try it in unison with Mew-EX and Dimension Valley! This one won't be a Championship winner, but he does look pretty fun to use, so I thought I would mention him here.
Ancient Rhyperior
Seriously, guys. This guy is really great. Rock Wall stacks, so if you really wanted, you could have 3 Rhyperior and a Hard Charm on a Furfrou, to reduce all damage by 80! Actually, don't do that. Instead, use Regigigas PHF! More HP, better attacks, it goes without saying. There are defenitely a lot of other combo options for Ancient Rhyperior, but I think that Regigigas will be the most fun idea to use
Ancient Medicham
Okay, another really good attacker. Seriously, pretty much every Omega Barrager is good, and this one is probably the best attacker out of all of them! WIth 2 Machamp on your Bench and a Muscle Band, you hit that magic 180, just like Nidoqueen! It still has a big 'kick me' sign on the back of it that Mewtwo-EX is staring at, but I do feel that this guy is a force to be reckoned with!
Solrock
Well, I guess searching for Special Energy is cool. I don't think it's very viable, but I do find this guy to be particularly unique when it comes to those kinds of attacks, and it might become a 1-of tech in Donphan.
Primal Groudon-EX
No foolin', guys. This guy is an absolute tank. 240HP is amazing, and the attack cost is easily ignorable with the help of Landorus FUF. With a Focus Sash, it is pretty much impossible to OHKO this guy. If you happen to be in a bad match-up against Virizion/Genesect, a Megalo Cannon with a Muscle Band will only bring you down to 10HP, and you can't be Hypnotoxic'd, Lysandre'd, Megaphone'd, Hammer'd, Grunt'd, or anything! This one is a keeper that will go on to be the star of many a deck!
Hippowdon
Considering that Fighting Types have so much power enhancers, I'd say this one is defenitely worth it. Stopping EX's is always good, and it isn't that hard to hit amounts like 120 or 140. I like for what it is, so I'd say it's defenitely worth your time.
M. Aggron-EX
Bronzong is a thing, so there is literally no reason NOT to play this guy. Potential for OHKO's, Bronzong Support, and you could even throw in a Reshiram, Zekrom, or Kyurem for bonus recoil absorption! I haven't looked into it a lot, but I do think that this guy could be just as good as Primal Groudon!
Ancient Excadrill
What was Japan thinking when they printed this? You won't be using this guy for attacking, you'll be using him to stock up on Transferable Energy! If he happens to survive the following turn, then you can manipulate that energy however you like with things like Hydreigon, Energy Switch, Aromatisse, and Eelektross! (more on him later)
Aegislash
A better Leavanny! Though, I'd say that Weakness Policy is the better card to use. Setting aside a 2-1-2 line and 2 Rare Candy in your deck just doesn't seem like a good Weakness-stopping idea, when you could just run a single Weakness Policy. I could see this guy as a 1-of in standard Aegislash decks (which might become better with Bronzong), but it's otherwise not great.
Flygon
Whoops, I dropped Reggie's GIF...
This card is fantastic, and probably one of the better Draw Support stage 2's! You can shuffle for yourself to get a fresh hand, or you can disrupt your opponent! Defenitely worth the Stage 2 slot, and probably going to see a bit of play at the very least!
Bouffalant
This feels like another Drifblim PLB. Specifically used for countering a specific archetype and removing Special Energy. I think he's really good, and being a Basic is a great benefit for this guy! I'd expect about 40% of most decks to run at least 1 of these!
Repeat Ball
I think this could become another Staple search card, and I feel the best use for this one is in decks that use a lot of EX's to constantly attack, like Yveltal variants and Seismitoad variants. As for other decks, I'd say just stick with Ultra Ball!
Weakness Policy
This will be a staple as a one-of in pretty much every deck. Stopping Weakness with a single Tool is great, and I can't think of a single deck that won't benefit from this!
Team Mates
Leave it to the Pokemon Company to make the best Supporters be the ones of cute girls... *rolls eyes* (*cough* Skyla *cough* Korrina *cough*)
So, Twins, eh? I think pretty much every Donphan Deck and Stage 2 Deck will make use of this. I know from research that Twins was used in pretty much every slow setup deck, and I think that it's defenitely worth it to play this card!
Maxie's Hidden Trick
Placing my bets, this card will be called "Maxie's Last Resort" in English!!!
Aside from maybe a 1-of in Fighting Decks, the card requires way too much preperation to be good. Lowering your hand down to just 1 card is incredibly tough, so it will kind of be a semi-staple for Fighting Decks. Same goes for Archie's Trump Card. No point in reviewing the same card twice, am I right?
Memory Shrine
While I do find this to be a bit better than Celebi-EX, the trouble with Stadiums is that there is always the risk of losing it to an opponent. Still, there are probably a lot of crazy combinations you could come up with! Night March Gourgantic Gourgeist (which is already a pretty popular deck), Raging Hammer M. Aggron, and more!
Scorching Earth
Defenitely one of the better Stadiums in recent times. The draw support it gives is very helpful, and I think it will find it's way into pretty much every Blacksmith and Emboar deck! Aside from Landorus, it's pretty otherwise pointless to discard Fighting Energy for the effect.
Shield Energy
While the effect is certainly good, I doubt it will be used, since it can't be recycled with Bronzong and it's too susceptable to Enhanced Hammer.
Tidal Storm Cards
Beedrill
This card came out of nowhere! I have no idea what this card does. Does the KO occur at the END of your next turn? If your opponent moves the target to the Bench, do they still get the KO? Aside from maybe a lock combination with Dragalge/Laser, I wouldn't expect this card to ever see a whole lot of play. 120HP just isn't what it used to be...
Ludicolo
A free Catcher per turn? That's interesting. While Ludicolo is defenitely a good card, I don't think it will see major competitive play since Lysandre is just much more consistent. Otherwise, good stuff.
Ancient Swampert
I'm being dead serious here, guys. Swampert is universally great. Alpha Growth allows you to power up a 160 damage Hydro Pump in just 2 turns, and diving search is just amazing in combo with Slurpuff PHF! Even better, you can make use of the fact that the card is moved to the top of your deck by playing Ether! Move an Energy to the top of your deck and viola! This guy is too good to ignore, and is easily one of the best cards from this set!
Ancient Ludicolo
It's an interesting attacker. The trait, in combination with the second attack, can consistently do moderate damage. The issue I see here is that Grass Type Weakness is just too much for this guy. With Swampert, you can go super speedy, so the Grass Weakness isn't awful. With Ludicolo, you have to leave yourself vulnerable for a turn just to get the damage boost. I'd say this guy is only mediocre right now.
Wailord-EX
OMC DONPHAN HAS NEW PARTNER 4 THE WIN!!!!!
oh my crud
Actually, it's a really broken wall. With Max Potion still in the format, it will rarely get OHKO'd, aside from the occasional G-Booster or Ancient Sceptile. Even without Max Potion, you can still use some of the newer cards in this set to recover HP. I'll get to those in a second...
Ancient Whiscash
I already did a pretty in-depth look at this card a while back, so I'll just give a brief synopsis here. You can use it with the Unova Dragons. There really isn't much else to this guy, and I doubt that it will see an explosive amount of play.
Milotic
Another really good engine! Getting cards from the Discard is great, and this can be pretty much used in any deck. I don't know if it's the 'end-all' support card, but the decks that do end up using it will make great use of it! Why Milotic cards are always good, we'll never know...
Huntail
I didn't even notice this guy was a Holofoil! Did they just pass out free lottery tickets to everyone and that was used to determine the Holos? Anyway, the card is good for what it's supposed to do. I find that running a 2-2 line might be good in almost any Alpha Growth deck, since the damage output is quite high.
Primal Kyogre-EX
Defenitely just as good as Primal Groudon! While Groudon is stronger and sturdier, Kyogre is much quicker and focuses on covering your opponent's field quickly and surely. While Alpha Growth is a very helpful addition, I think Blastoise is the overall better option. 2 bonus Energy per turn isn't as good as unlimited. Again, the Grass Weakness can be a problem, but I think that it should balance out to be fine, with Weakness Policy now in the format!
Lanturn
Using the same focus as Breloom, Lanturn is specifically meant to be an Yveltal and Lugia answer in Water Decks. The thing is, I doubt anyone will use him much, since Raichu XY can do pretty much the same thing! It does have the benefit of slightly more HP and an Agility-like attack, though.
Eelektross
Lightning Types finally get the support they need! Seriously, you can combo this guy with so much! You can use it in unison with that Excadrill, or even a Pokemon with Alpha Growth! There is so much use for this guy, and I think that the fact you can move any basic Energy with the effect makes it even more universally powerful! If you ever meet me in person, you can bet I'll be playing a Toolbox deck with Excadrill/Eelektross!!
Starmie
When Mewtwo-EX rotates, this might be the next Psychic any-attacker. It works with colorless Energy, and it isn't that hard to get the desired amount of damage you need, even though there's always the matter of luck involved. The free retreat cost is another helpful asset!
Sharpedo-EX
This card is another pretty good EX. The guaranteed Energy removal makes it a nice combo with the next card in this review! (Crawdaunt) There isn't much other heavy use I can think of for this card. I know it will defenitely find another combo in the near future, but I can't think of one right off the top of my head...
Crawdaunt
Garbodor won't be around forever. When it finally is out of the picture, Seismitoad-EX will probably be using Crawdaunt a lot, and it makes sense. The capability to shatter Energy continuously with an Ability is very helpful, and Bench space probably won't ever be a huge issue here, since you could just use AZ or Cassius to move it back to the deck. Good card overall!
M. Gardevoir-EX
This card is really great in combination with the already-broken Aromatisse, but the issue of Metal Weakness is awful. Bronzong variants have been getting really popular, and having only 210HP on a Mega Evolution just isn't that great. You would probably have to run Weakness Policy and Masquerain PLB to consistently keep yourself defended. Otherwise, this is probably one of the better Mega's in recent times! I don't know if it's as good as the Primals or Mega Manectric, but it's close!
Ancient Kingdra
As a standalone attacker, Kingdra is good. The Alpha Growth Trait in combo with it's really powerful attacks makes it a strong card overall. The discard isn't that big of an issue, and can actually be used to your advantage quite effectively! With PLF Kingdra, you can come in for an almighty finisher attack, dealing around 80 to 120 damage for a single Energy with the bonus of recovering the Energy! I like cards that combo well with previous prints, and Kingdra is defenitely one of those cards.
Fresh Water Set
Potion is going to need another eratta to make it useable again because Fresh Water is a really nice Item! 20 off of all your Pokemon is a decent amount, and the 'good' Alpha Healers in this set (by that I mean Ludicolo and nothing else) can get 40 back from it. For sure a good card!
Dive Ball
Did they really have to print this? I personally would have favored a Net Ball, but I digress. I don't know if it will replace Ultra Ball, but I know that any deck that uses Water Types for primary attacking (Swampert, Keldeo-EX, Seismitoad-EX, Primal Kyogre) will run at least 1 or 2 copies!
Professor Birch's Observations
It is only an average Supporter, really. 7 cards off of a Supporter that needs a coin flip can easily be reached with Juniper, Colress, and others! 4 cards is only okay, and can be reached by so many other methods, like Flygon and Bicycle! I don't think this card will ever be competitively used, and it really is a shame.
Silent Lab
Taking away an Ability, but making it only affect Basics was a great idea. Sure, it will make Jirachi-EX, Exeggcute, and much more quite obselete, but it's still balanced. Too bad that fatty Garbodor still kills it off. Seriously, why did that card need a reprint?!?
Undulating Ocean
Oh, that's cool! A stadium that heals off Water Types and... wait, Lightning Types? I guess it makes sense since Lightning is commonly associated with bad weather...
I do enjoy this card a lot, but I feel like it gets harmed a little bit by being a Stadium. I also would have liked it more if it healed Pokemon that have L or W Energy
attached to it instead, so it could help out Kingdra.
Wonder Energy
This is a quite good card! You can manipulate it with Fairy Transfer, and it stops Hypnotoxic Lasers and much more! I don't have a full list of everything it stops, but pretty much anything from an attack, aside from damage, that is directly done to the Pokemon is stopped. This includes things like Special Conditions, Retreat Prevention, but doesn't stop Item Lock or hand-reshuffling.
