DarkStar20
Front Page Editor
Impact Corner!
A look into the New HeartGold and SoulSilver Set!
A look into the New HeartGold and SoulSilver Set!
Time to Look through the Impact of the newest Pokémon set, HeartGold and SoulSilver! I have combed through the set, and evaluated my look on how these cards entering the format will impact the game. I hope you all enjoy, (And am sure that no one will agree with me 100%, that’s ok, I like a good Debate!)
~Higher Impact~
7. Many diehard Charizard fans will be really happy to see this card come into the format! The GS Ninetales gives a great opportunity to make the AR Charizard a viable deck! With its Roast Reveal Pokepower, you can create some draw power to your deck, while still having your tech be a fire Pokémon to contribute to Charizards Fire Formation Pokebody. Most other decks will just use the more standard Claydol for their stage 1 draw tech needs. But lets not overlook the advantages of; No hand cap with Ninetale’s power, it will work for you whether you have 2 cards or 9 in your hand, 90 hp up from 80 on Claydol, and only 1 retreat cost. For any fire deck, this tech is as or more viable than Claydol.
97. Pokémon Collector is going to be a card we see a lot of. Though in a lot of decks, it probably still won’t be as useful as Roseanne’s Research, but there is no reason a deck can’t have both cards. I’ve always thought that my deck would be better if I could play 8 Roseanne’s Research, and with this card, it will allow for more consistent starts, and is a great combination with the next card in the set, Pokémon Communication.
98 Pokémon Communication is useful for a lot of reasons, mainly though that it is a trainer. There are many useful combos with this, but one main one that come to mind is Pokémon Collector. With Pokémon Collector, I can grab 3 basics (possibly 1 or two I don’t really need) with my one supporter for the turn, and then use this trainer to put back one of those basics, and get back an evolved, level X, or even Legend card! This card is also a nice combo with cards like quickball, Pokémon rescue, or any other trainers that can get you back a Pokémon to then exchange using Pokémon Communication, even after having used your supporter for the turn. It's a card that I expect to see in nearly every top tier deck at states.
101. I really like Professor Oak’s New Theory. It’s as really nice mid-game draw supporter. For the non-Gengar decks that need to run Looker’s Investigation, or the decks that depend on the discards from Felicities Drawings, this is another reasonable choice for your draw supporters!
102. Double Colorless Energy (DCE) is a ridiculous card to enter the format right now. It makes GG viable, it powers up Flygon, it changes the face of Pokémon TCG. It’s simply the most Impactful card in the set. For many SP decks, you could play this card, and then Flint’s Willpower to attach a basic energy card to one of your SP’s to have an amazing turn one 3 energy attack! (Trash Bolt turn 1!) But that is only one of many reasons this card will be in nearly every deck at States. While some of the low energy using decks won't need it so much, (Shuppet, Gyrados, Beedril, Kindgra), this card gives an important tool to tank decks. With this, and expert belt from the last set, it's clear that tank decks are becoming more viable with each new set release. Watch for DCE to rocket a couple of tank decks to to the winners tables at States.
~Medium Impact~
Copycat
90. Copycat is back! (Supporter: Shuffle your hand into your deck, then draw a number of cards equal to the number of cards in your opponent’s hand.) This is affective against Shuppet! It’s also just another possible draw combo for whatever happens to be best for your deck. But in general people try to keep their hands down so they can get bigger draws from Claydol's Comsic Power, which limits the usefulness of this card. I would play Professor Oak’s New Theory before I played this.
Pokémon Reversal
99. Pokémon Reversal is useful (Trainer; Flip a coin, if heads, switch the defending Pokémon with one of your opponent’s benched Pokémon.) It’s flippy for certain, but it could be useful for stalling, or just aiming your devastating attacks on an important tech card, or a main attacker that your opponent is trying to preserve on the bench. I think it lacks consistancy to really have a place in most good decks though. It's more of a specialty card for those decks that really need it.
Professor Elm's Training Method
100. Professor Elm’s Training Method is decent, (Supporter; Search your deck for an Evolution card, show it to your opponent, and put it into your hand.) Some would argue that Bebe’s Search is more useful, but with Pokémon Collector to grab all your basics, this card is good. (But Bebe’s Search is better.)
Ampharos Prime
105. Ampharos (Prime) could have a place at the winner’s tables. Expecially if you couple it with any of the other good spread cards in the format with its Poke-Body, Conductivity, (Whenever your opponenet plays an energy onto one of his or her Pokémon, put one damage counter on that Pokémon.) Its attack is also decent, Lightnight Crush (1 electric and 2 colorless for, 40+ flip a coin, if heads it adds 40 more damage, if tails, discard an energy attached to the defending Pokémon.) Not bad with DCE in the format.
Blissey Prime
106. Blissey (Prime) could make for a fine combo with some of the cards in the format that require little or no energy, like Gyrados or Kingdra or Beedrill, with its Blissful Nurse Poke-Body (When you play Blissey from your hand to Evolve one of your Pokémon, You may remove all damage counters from all of your Pokémon, if you do, discard all energy attached to those Pokémon that had damage counters on them.)
Feraligatr Prime
108. Feraligatr (Prime) is being hailed as a new Water Pokémon God. With its Rain Dance Poke-Body, (As often as you like during your turn, you may attach a Water Energy card from your hand to 1 of your Water Pokémon), the sky is the limit for your water energy acceleration. I expect to see this joining a few water decks at states. This is a card I would have put in the High Impact section if I could think of a good water Pokémon that needed a lot of energy.
Meganium Prime
109. Meganium (Prime) is another nice Energy Manipulation card with its Poke-Power, Leaf Trans (As often as you like during your turn, you may move a Grass Energy attached to one of your Pokémon to another of your Pokémon.) With Tangrowth, Leafeon, and Sceptile, there are a lot of Grass energy manipulation cards in the format. I expect to see some cool grass decks at states!
Typhlosion Prime
110. Typholsion (Prime) and its Afterburner PokePower round out this pair of 3 with its ability to manipulate fire energy, (Afterburner: Once During your turn, you may search your discard pile for a Fire energy card and attach it to one of your Pokémon, then put one damage counter on that Pokémon.) I think this power is less affective as the other two previous ones, but it could be useful, and it has a nice attack, (Flare Destroy: 2 fire energies and 1 colorless energy for 70 and Discard an Energy card attached to Typhlosion, and discard an Energy card attached to the defending Pokémon.)
~Lower Impact~
1. Arcanine – The artwork for this card is Awesome! It’s too bad the card isn’t very good. It’s like every time they make a cool Arcanine card, it’s just not useful in any way in-game, just a shame…
Jumpluff
6. The Jumpluff is kind of cool, for prerelease and other limited format decks expecially. You could be looking at lot of damage with its Mass Attack! (1 Grass Energy, 10x number of total Pokémon in play.) It is a stage 2 Pokémon though, and it only has 90 hp.
Noctowl
8. Noctowl, yet another poor man’s draw tech, why not?
Raichu
10. (This one’s for Mr. Raichu.) Do you feel lucky punk? Raichu’s Irontail is a flip fest, (1 Colorless energy, flip until you get tails, for each heads it does 30.) Also, its thunderbolt does 100 for two energies and an all energy discard. (It's got 90hp and a x2 fighting weakness though, yuck!) But hey, 100 for 2 energies just isn’t that bad in a pinch.
Slowking
12. *Wonders whether to put in Slowking at all.* Second sight is a nifty power, (Once during your turn, look at either players top 3 cards and re-order them however you like.) This could be a good way to control both players game, but all it takes is one draw/shuffle card to really negate its power over the game. With the exception of extremely early game/bad starts, it won’t affect the winner’s tables any.
Ampharos
14. The Ampharos is kind of neat, Acceleration Bolt (1 electric energy for 30, search your deck for 2 basic energy cards, attach them to one of your Pokémon.) And then to follow up it has Thunder (1 electric and 2 colorless for 80, flip a coin, if tails Ampharos does 20 to itself.) The real perk is that it has 120 hp and only 1 for retreat cost, but again, it has double weakness to fighting, which will keep it out of a lot of decks at states I think.
Exeggutor
18. The Executor is explosive, with its Big Eggsplosion (1 psychic energy, flip a coin for every energy attached to Exeggutor, for each heads it does 40 damage) it could cause some havoc. There are many good energy acceleration cards in the format right now. But again, its double weakness to psychic, and low hp of 90, makes it far less affective in-game.
Hypno
23. Thanks to Hypno, you are getting sleepy, very sleepy. Its Sleep Pendulum Poke-power (Once during your turn, flip a coin, if heads, the defending Pokémon is now asleep), could be useful in-game with certain long-standing decks. Any tank deck could benefit from an extra turn of not taking damage from the opponent being asleep!
26. Mostly I just love the artwork on the Meganium, they should make more Pokémon cards with the artwork of the Pokémon looking like it just noticed that giant pile of its favorite Pokémon food on the other side of the clearing. Also though, its got 130 hp, and two decent attacks, Sleep Powder could be a good way to stall until Giant Bloom is ready, and with expert belt, it could be viable.
Persian
27. The Persian is a devious little Pokémon from this set. Sharpen Claws (for one colorless, flip 3 coins, for each heads, discard a card from your opponents hand without looking) could be an affective way to stall your opponent early game! Also, its sneaky attack isn’t too bad either, (2 colorless for 30, and if it has any dark energy attached, it does 30 more) with the SW Weavile’s Dark Engage, you could be doing 80 for two energies in not much time at all.
Pichu
28. Pichu’s Playground attack is interesting. (For no energy, Each player gets to search their decks for as many Basic Pokémon as they like, and put them on their bench, and then Pichu is asleep.) The first thing that comes to my mind is the Arceus Combo, but in general, if you have a strategy that just can’t be beat if you can get out a bunch of basics, this is your tech! But be warned, your opponent gets the same perks. (For a good combo, see card 6 in the set, Jumpluff.)
Fisherman
92. Fisherman, (Supporter; Search your discard pile for 4 basic energy cards, and put them in your hand.) This is an excellent way to get some energy back!
Poké Ball
95. Always good to see Poké Ball again!
111 – 114 I think the Legend Cards are overrated.
Good things:
They have lots of HP, nice powers to compliment their attacks, and big attack power.
Bad things:
They both have double Weakness. They are ‘unevolved’ Pokémon, meaning they can be target by Machamp’s Take Out and their attacks don’t affect Mewtwo with its Psybarrier. You can’t search for these cards with Rosanne’s Research or Pokémon Collector, but only cards that specificly say only ‘Pokémon’ or ‘Any Card’. (Unlike with Level X’s that at least had Premier Ball.) And you have to have both of them to play them! I just don’t see them being a bit hit in States.
But the Artwork is AMAZING!
115-122, I love the artwork background energies, innovative idea guys! (I just wished I got 1 in every pack, and one less common in every pack!)
~Final Analysis~
I’m pretty happy with this set as a whole. The things that really stick out for me are the Trainers, and Double Colorless Energy. DCE is going to really shake up what we consider to be ‘fast setup’ vs ‘slow setup’. It’s also going to result in faster game-play and quicker knockouts. The Trainers are strong, and abundant in this set. Even the more common trainers are at least useful in some way. I think we will see a lot of Pokémon Collector, Pokémon Communication and Professor Oak’s New Theory at States.
We are also going to see some new combos using the Prime cards, with the opportunity for easy healing and spreading damage, and the wild manipulation of energies, most of the Prime cards in the set will see play in some new Combos. The only real bummer with this set is that they are bringing back all the Pokémon to x2 weakness. That is really going to hurt the affectivness of the cards.
With the end of the year, and the next rotation drawing closer, each new card that comes out is a bigger impact for what we will see next season. But with over 1600 cards in the Modified format, this game is engorged with variety! We could see anything at States, and the only thing we can predict, is that we really can’t predict anything! But I really hope everyone has a fun time at States, I know I will! I can't wait to see how everything unfolds! Here's my overall ratings for the set though:
Impact for this Season: 3/10
Impact for Next Season: 8/10
I would like to give props to ShuckleLVX and Magic Mew for some help editing and discussion/argument in opinions with creating the article! I'll see you guys after the next set comes out!
-Jason
dark::colorless:20)
