Pokémon TCG: Sword and Shield—Brilliant Stars

2008-11-12 Energy Link SF 83/100

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Energy Link is a fairly interesting Tool from SF. It acts as a free "Energy Trans" between two Pokemon, providing that each have one attached. This is less useful than it sounds however, as you not only need to keep both Pokemon alive, but its usefulness it situational at best, and again, you need 2 out to work. Energy Switch is usually superior, as it doesn't need multiple copies out to work, even if its effect is good for one time.

Modified - 3/10 (Ok, but Energy Switch is superior despite only working once)
Limited - 1/10 (If you get 2 somehow, you can consider using it, but odds are you'll only get 1 at best, so it's worthless)
Unlimited - 1/10 (Worthless here)
 
The fact that it has to be attached to 2 Pokemon is what makes this card very hard to play. If you only have 1 in hand you would usually keep it there until you had the other in hand or else you run the risk of having the Pokemon it's attached to being Knock-Out and ruining your combo. Especially in this format where there is very few cards that recover tools. There is Marley's Request (SF) but that leaves the option to your opponent. Any smart/good opponent will not give you the tool if they see that it'll be beneficial to you. It would have been better in a format with Quagsire D (DF) that could get back the tools for you from the discard pile, especially with Quagsire being a stage 1 and only needing a 1-1 tech to be effective.
 
Its a good card. If you have a wailord for instence on 10 hp you can quickly move them all to another pokemon. I really like the card. 8/10
 
There are some nice theoretical combos for this ... Blissey, Togekiss, Rayquaza, Electivire, and such come to mind. It's really neat with SSU.

The problem being is that Unown G is going to be much more needed in the face of Gengar, Dusknoir, TS2, and the condition attackers in format. Since you can't have both attached Link gets the short end of the stick. The fact that we have other cards that grant regular energy movement for Fighting, Fire, Metal, Lighting, and Grass even without this limits it's playablity even more.

5/10
 
good energy accelerator. attach the first one you can get to electivire/rayquaza/tyranitar/whomever, and the second to you attackers when you get them.

hard to find a place in most decks for this, though, so i doubt it will be play.
 
Could also be used in a Typhlosion deck in lieu of Heatran Lv. X in order to use Firestarter energies onto your active pokemon. This + Stark Mountain allows you to replenish your active without switching pokemon around.

If only we were back in Base Set where a bunch of Stage 2's weren't using single energy attacks. Kindle Flareon will never be viable...
 
It can be good in energy recycling decks, like electric/fire decks that run rayquaza, and in decks like Tyranitar. After you speed gain/Darkness Drive, you can move the energy to your active for big damage. You can also use fun "hit-and-run" combos with Tyranitar, Energy Link, and Moonlight Stadium: When one of your T-tar is about to go down, retreat for free, then move all (hopefully) 5 energy to the new T-tar and continue the beating. Of course, energy link combos take a good bit of luck to pull off, because we have no reliable way to search for tools.

I would give it an 8/10, but the luck factor bumps it down to 6/10. Still, a decent card.
 
I think you need 4 and something to cycle through your deck looking for it, like Uxie Lv.X or Claydol - I don't think you could pull off the search with an 'attack' searcher like Jirachi or Budew - it would cost a prize too often by putting a weak PKMN in the active.

That said, attach one to your accelerator/tag-team partner on the bench, then hope to draw one for your attacker when the time is right.

You have to like Motor Drive Electivire as a partner for this card and Electivire LvX as a way to clear your opponents Energy Links, other tools (except GUARD) and stadiums off the field.
 
amazing in decks like blissey and elective types when u get em down.....id say as good as pokeblower in its own way....
 
Oh please don't get me started on how great this card is. Do not tell me "Oh chances are you don't often get two of them" well you do! If you have four in your deck chances are you get all of them out. With claydol they come out pretty fast. The ONLY downfall with this card is that as soon as it's in the discards it's out of the game.

8/10
 
I can safely say I would makeout with this card if it wasn't "frowned" upon.

Seriously, this card is amazing, but as some have said, it is a HARD card to put into any deck given you should put in 4 of them, that takes away the other essential cards.
 
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