If one is going to do a head-on comparison, do a head-on comparison. Spin it (that is, cherry pick which aspects you are comparing) and I'll kick into CotD mode and do a detailed analysis to point out the spin. Since I already actually did, I'll send it to Kayle via PM, and if he decides to simply delete it, well I'll will have made the key points here, so honestly that would be a reasonable response. :lol:
Most already knew Garchomp easily outperforms Slaking, but the questions are "By how much?" and "Why?".
A lot of players are wondering how successful it will actually be. I am still trying to avoid becoming a skeptic, but it looks like Garchomp will be one of those decks that is hard to beat if it sets up fast and is hard to win with when it doesn't... and the ratio of those scenarios one-to-the-other may keep it from being a reliable tournament winner (though always a threat to face).
The card has 150 HP, does 100 damage for 4 energy, and discards an energy. It has 4 retreat and a weakness to a common tech attacker.
Garchomp has 140 HP, does 100 damage for 1 energy IF you have the Altarias out. It has 1 retreat and a weakness to itself.
Nothing stated about Slaking was incorrect, but if you're doing a straight-up head-to-head, you don't get to factor Altaria, and if you're including supporting Pokemon, Garbodor or other possible partners for Slaking like Mew EX must be included. Cards face off against cards, combos against combos, and decks against decks. This wasn't even needed to prove a point; Mach Cut is a great attack; it may hit for only 60% of the damage of Crushing Blow, and it may only discard Special Energy, but it also only requires :fighting: and not :colorless::colorless::colorless::colorless:.
Fighting Weakness is one of the worst in the coming format, but Dragon-Type Weakness is one of the few that may legitimately be
worse. If you're going to emphasize the "common tech attacker", then you need to bring up that Garchomp isn't Mewtwo EX. What do I mean?
Mewtwo EX became the only Psychic Pokemon worth playing (not that a lot were all that good before it debuted). The Japanese tournament results and reports from early testing indicate Garchomp will merely be one of several Dragon-Type Pokemon worth playing, and thus will be getting drilled by several other tournament winning Pokemon. That is why players dwelt on Mewtwo EX "...only being Weak to itself".
Garchomp is MUCH faster even when factoring in Altarias, much more easily swarmed, much more tactical thanks to its more agile retreat, it packs access to a secondary attack that will do even more damage (for only a second energy, no less), and it doesn't have a crippling Ability that you need to work around in order to hit most of the format.
Correct, but don't leave out that it does appear to have just as
resource intensive a deck build as Garbodor/Slaking, and doesn't
shut down the Abilities some of the hyped decks right now. Note that Garbodor Slaking isn't shutting down the entire decks, though; you can shut down Dark Trance but if Darkrai EX is already ready to go, it can slug it out with Slaking and still come out ahead (though at least discarding Energy off of it may slow down a second Darkrai EX). Slaking are so slow to prepare, though that it would be hard to keep pressure on, and of course if Garbodor is KOed or switched off... we know who wins.
The are only two reasons you would build a Slaking deck and not a Garchomp deck. Either you don't have the money to build a meta deck, or you just don't care to play the best card and want to smack someone with Slaking. There is no argument that Slaking is in any way superior to Garchomp.
I could make other comparisons. This is the most apt IMO.
Who has said otherwise? If my conjecture that a Garbodor/Slaking deck could be strong if the set-up issues (including Energy acceleration) could be addressed... that isn't like saying it is better than Garchomp right now (if it would be even then).
