JPN Dark Rush Set Scans & Translations!
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Am I the only one that looks at Jolteon and sees a bit of potential? Yes, you have to discard a (L) energy to do the full 60 damage, but it's only one energy! Easy KOs against Yanmega Primes and Tornadus (w/o Evolite), and it can OHKO Empoleon DR and Evolited Tornadus with a Pluspower. All of those pokemon are frequently seen (or will become so in Empoleon's case). Team it up with Donphan Prime (assuming that we get the Eeveelution in our May set) and you hit a fair portion of the metagame for weakness and STILL have room in the deck to add some other pokemon like BW Zoroark.
Yes, it's brittle at only 90 HP, but the 60-for-one-energy attack, electric typing, and the free retreat are nothing to scoff at, either. Hell, even Pin Missle might see some use with Flip-tini (though I'm less optimistic about that). It could even see use with Eletrik/Raikou EX as an early attacker.
Yes, it's brittle at only 90 HP, but the 60-for-one-energy attack, electric typing, and the free retreat are nothing to scoff at, either. Hell, even Pin Missle might see some use with Flip-tini (though I'm less optimistic about that). It could even see use with Eletrik/Raikou EX as an early attacker.
Shino Bug Master
Front Page News Editor
So hateful in the Christmas season! Besides, its not about how many cards are playable, but the quality of those playable cards! Infact,t his is one of, if not, my favorite hs-on set, because every card seems to have an interesting trait to it! Very few vanilla cards in this set, which i really really appreciate!
Although Raikou ex is all of my hate xD
Cards I see as at least somewhat viable:
Carnivine (partnered with Vileplume)
Empoleon (good card)
Raikou EX (teched in Zekrom)
Plusle/Minun (one of the few hand refreshing options after Cleffa gets rotated)
Electoss (teched into decks already running Eels)
Espeon (Cobalion counter in Mewtwo EX)
Aerodactyl (permanent Pluspower under Trainer Lock)
Sableye (the only reliable method for recovering trainers after Junk Arm is rotated)
Darkrai EX (maybe not now, but in the future)
Zoura (hands down, the best Zoura in format)
Dark Patch (Dark acceleration)
Dark Claw (Speaks for itself)
Jimu and Sabu (If we get BW-on, there won't be many better supporter options)
Twist Mountain (making fossils playable)
Sure, there isn't anything that'll merit it's own deck (aside from Empoleon), but there are LOADS of decent or better techs.
Of those i see 5 that I even mentioned anything good about them. Doubt this set will get very good reviews, so to speak.
HornetsBasketballFan
Active Member
Aerodactyl is a 'Basic' bro
Anyone referring to it as "zekrom donk" obviously doesn't understand the deck.
JPN Gallade
New Member
I'm going to be very honest. This set is utterly terrible. I mean, there aren't that many good cards overall. I can only name a few of them, to which I'll explain why I think they are good.
Empoleon- Easily one of the best cards in the set. His power lets you discard a card from your hand and draw 2 cards. With multiple Empoleons out, Empoleon can easily become one of the best drawers in the format, making him really consistent to use. Not only that, but his attack is just like Jumpluff's. It does 10 damage times the total number of Pokemon out in play. Indeed, the combination of a great ability and attack makes him a very good card. The only problem? Lightning weakness. With so many good lightning Pokemon like Magnezone, Zekrom EX, Zekrom BW, and Raikou EX, Empoleon is going to have a tough time in this format. Whether it will be a top tier deck or not remains a question.
Heatmor- A direct counter to Durant, Sweet! For only one fire, it does 10, but if the defending Pokemon is Durant, then it does 60. If Durant ever becomes suddenly popular, I can see many decks teching this card in easily.
Raikou EX- The only good EX Pokemon in this set. His second attack is the reason why. You discard all lightning energies attached to him, and you can pull of a 100 damage snipe. With Eelectrick, he can become a force to be reckoned with. It is also the card that may well the answer to Reuniclus thanks to his sniping capabilities. To be honest, I see this card as the new age Garchomp C, and I can really see this card making a competitive scene.
Plusle- Seems like we have a new Cleffa. The first attack shuffles your hand into your deck, and then you draw 4 cards. If you have a Minun out though, you draw 8 instead. While it does seem pretty good, the fact it needs an energy is a problem compared to Cleffa, yet the higher HP is good considering it is so easy to get KOd by Kyurem.
Darkrai EX- Now this EX I would have to say is more decent than broke. The ability is useful in giving Pokemon with darkness energies attached to them free retreat, and its attack is nice. It can hit for 90 and a 30 snipe, but it takes 3 energies to do so, which is the problem. While it can hit pretty hard with special darks and Darkness Claw attached, it takes time to set him up, so it looks he might be more of a bench sitter for now. I'm curious to see what kind of impact this card will have in the game. Will he be broken, or will he not see the day of light?
Tornadus EX- At first, this card looks like its really good. It can hit for 60 if there's a stadium in play for only a DCE, and it can hit for 100 with no major downside, but the lightning weakness is what kills it. So many lightning Pokemon can easily take this down, like Magnezone and Zekrom. Being an EX, it has the two prize card rule, so being KOd by a :lightning: Pokemon is a massive pain. For that reason, this card won't see much play.
Crash Hammer- Discard a special energy attached to the defending Pokemon. Brilliant... NOT AT ALL. Lost Remover is by all means way better. You can rid of a special energy on any of your opponent's Pokemon, and it goes to the Lost Zone, where it can never be recovered. Yep, Crash Hammer is definitely worthless.
Dark Patch- It's OK, but I wish it can do the same for special dark energies too.
Rare Candy still keeps the stupid first turn rule. Oh man, there went the chance to make stage 2s broke again, and it now looks like ALL fossils will have the "bottom of the deck" rule.:nonono:
Darkness Claw- Increasing damage output by 20 for dark types? Sweet! With special darks, expect dark types to have a better time being attackers!
Bad Team's Jim and Sabu- I like the disruption effect if offers, but the flip is what kills this card. For that reason, it won't make the competitive spotlight.
Twist Mountain- Well, at least there's a way to play down Restored Pokemon without having to play the fossil. Only problem? The flip. For that reason, it won't be that much of a good card, but expect some restored Pokemon to have a slight increase in play because of this card.
And as for everything: I like the fact Gardevoir from the previous set is a shiny Pokemon. Archeops I respect too, but a golden Pokemon Catcher? OK, it looks cool, but I honestly don't want to see it in a format after BW-on, so that card is a little bit of a problem. Also, where's Gallade? There was no Gallade in the previous Japanese set, and yet again we still don't have a new Gallade. When will we ever have Gallade in the TCG again?:frown:
Yep, this is a pretty bad set overall. Hopefully, the two Dragon sets that'll be coming in March will offer many good cards compared to this.:nonono:
Empoleon- Easily one of the best cards in the set. His power lets you discard a card from your hand and draw 2 cards. With multiple Empoleons out, Empoleon can easily become one of the best drawers in the format, making him really consistent to use. Not only that, but his attack is just like Jumpluff's. It does 10 damage times the total number of Pokemon out in play. Indeed, the combination of a great ability and attack makes him a very good card. The only problem? Lightning weakness. With so many good lightning Pokemon like Magnezone, Zekrom EX, Zekrom BW, and Raikou EX, Empoleon is going to have a tough time in this format. Whether it will be a top tier deck or not remains a question.
Heatmor- A direct counter to Durant, Sweet! For only one fire, it does 10, but if the defending Pokemon is Durant, then it does 60. If Durant ever becomes suddenly popular, I can see many decks teching this card in easily.
Raikou EX- The only good EX Pokemon in this set. His second attack is the reason why. You discard all lightning energies attached to him, and you can pull of a 100 damage snipe. With Eelectrick, he can become a force to be reckoned with. It is also the card that may well the answer to Reuniclus thanks to his sniping capabilities. To be honest, I see this card as the new age Garchomp C, and I can really see this card making a competitive scene.
Plusle- Seems like we have a new Cleffa. The first attack shuffles your hand into your deck, and then you draw 4 cards. If you have a Minun out though, you draw 8 instead. While it does seem pretty good, the fact it needs an energy is a problem compared to Cleffa, yet the higher HP is good considering it is so easy to get KOd by Kyurem.
Darkrai EX- Now this EX I would have to say is more decent than broke. The ability is useful in giving Pokemon with darkness energies attached to them free retreat, and its attack is nice. It can hit for 90 and a 30 snipe, but it takes 3 energies to do so, which is the problem. While it can hit pretty hard with special darks and Darkness Claw attached, it takes time to set him up, so it looks he might be more of a bench sitter for now. I'm curious to see what kind of impact this card will have in the game. Will he be broken, or will he not see the day of light?
Tornadus EX- At first, this card looks like its really good. It can hit for 60 if there's a stadium in play for only a DCE, and it can hit for 100 with no major downside, but the lightning weakness is what kills it. So many lightning Pokemon can easily take this down, like Magnezone and Zekrom. Being an EX, it has the two prize card rule, so being KOd by a :lightning: Pokemon is a massive pain. For that reason, this card won't see much play.
Crash Hammer- Discard a special energy attached to the defending Pokemon. Brilliant... NOT AT ALL. Lost Remover is by all means way better. You can rid of a special energy on any of your opponent's Pokemon, and it goes to the Lost Zone, where it can never be recovered. Yep, Crash Hammer is definitely worthless.
Dark Patch- It's OK, but I wish it can do the same for special dark energies too.
Rare Candy still keeps the stupid first turn rule. Oh man, there went the chance to make stage 2s broke again, and it now looks like ALL fossils will have the "bottom of the deck" rule.:nonono:
Darkness Claw- Increasing damage output by 20 for dark types? Sweet! With special darks, expect dark types to have a better time being attackers!
Bad Team's Jim and Sabu- I like the disruption effect if offers, but the flip is what kills this card. For that reason, it won't make the competitive spotlight.
Twist Mountain- Well, at least there's a way to play down Restored Pokemon without having to play the fossil. Only problem? The flip. For that reason, it won't be that much of a good card, but expect some restored Pokemon to have a slight increase in play because of this card.
And as for everything: I like the fact Gardevoir from the previous set is a shiny Pokemon. Archeops I respect too, but a golden Pokemon Catcher? OK, it looks cool, but I honestly don't want to see it in a format after BW-on, so that card is a little bit of a problem. Also, where's Gallade? There was no Gallade in the previous Japanese set, and yet again we still don't have a new Gallade. When will we ever have Gallade in the TCG again?:frown:
Yep, this is a pretty bad set overall. Hopefully, the two Dragon sets that'll be coming in March will offer many good cards compared to this.:nonono:
I'm baffled by all the people calling this set "bad". Let's look at our Emerging Powers set. The good cards in it were:
Tornadus
Thundurus (although took a while to find it's place)
Gothitelle
Catcher
Cheren
Those are the only cards that made a significant impact. Beartic & Crushing Hammer are arguably alright, as well. So that's 7 good cards in the 98 card set.
Now let's look at Dark Rush. Good cards are:
Empoleon (built in draw? Jumpluff's attack? Yes please.)
Raikou EX (100 snipe? Awesome!)
Espeon (format dependent, but still very strong)
Aerodactyl (a fossil, but also a basic, plus we have twist mountain)
Darkrai EX (Good, not broken, attack, fantastic ability, mostly a support card but a very strong one)
Zorua (Ascension = yes please)
Zoroark (as ascension Zorua, fantastic support with Special Dark, Darkness Claw, and Darkrai, can be uses with Foul Play Zoroark, does 120 fairly easily for a DCE, 140 with Darkness Claw.)
Dark Patch (fantastic energy accel for Darkness types, like T-tar Prime, Darkrai, and Zoroark.)
Rare Candy (yes, a reprint, but a staple card regardless, and a very powerful one)
Darkness Claw (+20 damage for darkness types with no drawback, cancels out Eviolite)
Twist Mountain (helps the - very powerful - fossils become more playable. Aerodactyl and Archeops are scary cards for anyone if they hit the field)
That's 11 great cards in a 69 card set. Arguably more, depending on who you ask. Sounds like a good set to me.
Tornadus
Thundurus (although took a while to find it's place)
Gothitelle
Catcher
Cheren
Those are the only cards that made a significant impact. Beartic & Crushing Hammer are arguably alright, as well. So that's 7 good cards in the 98 card set.
Now let's look at Dark Rush. Good cards are:
Empoleon (built in draw? Jumpluff's attack? Yes please.)
Raikou EX (100 snipe? Awesome!)
Espeon (format dependent, but still very strong)
Aerodactyl (a fossil, but also a basic, plus we have twist mountain)
Darkrai EX (Good, not broken, attack, fantastic ability, mostly a support card but a very strong one)
Zorua (Ascension = yes please)
Zoroark (as ascension Zorua, fantastic support with Special Dark, Darkness Claw, and Darkrai, can be uses with Foul Play Zoroark, does 120 fairly easily for a DCE, 140 with Darkness Claw.)
Dark Patch (fantastic energy accel for Darkness types, like T-tar Prime, Darkrai, and Zoroark.)
Rare Candy (yes, a reprint, but a staple card regardless, and a very powerful one)
Darkness Claw (+20 damage for darkness types with no drawback, cancels out Eviolite)
Twist Mountain (helps the - very powerful - fossils become more playable. Aerodactyl and Archeops are scary cards for anyone if they hit the field)
That's 11 great cards in a 69 card set. Arguably more, depending on who you ask. Sounds like a good set to me.
TheRolesWePlay
New Member
A few notes I'd like to throw out there at the naysayers of many of the cards, some of the cards (like Plusle) are only bad because there are more preferred cards in the HS-on format, but consider BW-on some of these cards get a lot better when other cards are removed from the format. Sableye may become popular, or at least a potential techs. Plusle when Cleffa is gone has a semi-decent shuffle attack, and an amazing one with Minun in play (which isn't horrible itself either)
As for anything else I point you to the post above
As for anything else I point you to the post above
Truth be told I don't like Plusle regardless of the format. Shuffle, draw 4 for 1 energy is very mediocre. Drawing 8 with Minun out makes it very good, but that's 2 entire spots that could be taken by far more important pokemon. So they are either cheap prizes or wasted bench space. I find the Cons outweigh the Pros.
Sableye, while interesting, does seem to have problems in a format with N as well. Maybe not a bad card, but with N around I don't see it being viable now.
TheRolesWePlay
New Member
They aren't staple worthy, but I think some people saying they're horrible is uncalled for when some of the reasoning is based on a card that may or may not be legal soon after it's release.
You think that by saying that a previous set is 'worse' in your eyes means that this is better.
No.
You put ZORUA AS A GREAT CARD???
This itself invalidates this argument.
EP was terrible, it had a few good cards. But it's miles ahead of this crap.
Tornadus defined a tier.
Catcher defined a format
That enough is to make this set pale in comparison.
Raikou EX, Zoroark, Empoleon, and Darkrai EX will affect the format just as much as Tornadus and Catcher, I guarantee it.
Also, yes, listing Zorua may have been a little silly, I suppose, but I felt it noteworthy.
TheRolesWePlay
New Member
Just because you think cards in the set aren't good doesn't mean that the set is bad. While some of the cards in the set (made of 70 or so cards mind ) you may not have a lot of game changing or game defining cards does not mean it's a bad set. Also some of the cards you've criticized are for reasons that I find unsatisfactory, and as such here as some counter arguments to some of them.
Emploleon: yes it's weak to Electric, but it can also be played alongside counters, such as Donphan for it's poorer match-ups as it requires only one energy and still has a useful ability.
Espeon: Depending on how the format turns out it can make a nice simple counter against otherwise destructive decks, and is not meant to be used against regular decks that would use it for easy kills.
Aerodactyl: A consistent Plus Power seems rather impressive to me when that could easily snag an OHKO against several Pokemon, and if a way to get it out consistently is made then it's well worth it IMO. (Also even if they kill it then you can Twist Mountain it back into play)
Zorua/Zoroark: You underestimate these guys, a :dark: deck could put it to good use, and Ascension may be a game changer for Zoroark, both new and old, as don't the BW one can use EX attacks at a cheaper cost both in terms of energy and prizes.
Dark Patch: Then I guess the hype of Eelecktrik is wrong then.
Dark Claw: Dark Patch plus Pokemon like Tyranitar, and Zoroark? Those can safely OHKO an EX with a Plus Power or special :dark: energy.
Twist Mountain: Useful for more stable Archeops builds, and for Aerodactyls (who can easily come back if KO'd thanks to said stadium)
Are they perfect? No, but they aren't horrible. This set has primarily support instead of big bad attackers like previous sets have, which isn't a bad thing IMO.
HornetsBasketballFan
Active Member
Darkrai EX not good? pppfffffttt, you're doing 3 for 90 + any special dark / darkness claw, oh and 30 to the bench? hmm, plus the fact that doing it two 2 seems pretty easy considering Dark Patch speed him up beyond belief? Yea, seems like possibly the 2nd best card in this set, and a possible huge metagame card.
Also, Darkness Patch is completely busted if Junk Arm is still in the format when this come out. Play darkness patch, junk arm a dark and random card for darkness patch. Get 3 energy in a turn? And people complained about ZPST, have fun with 90 + 30 to a bench turn1.
Twist mountain, although being flippy, you hit it once, and my cripple your opponent. Even witht he presence all the big bad basics, a lot of decks winning still need to evolve. that extra ten with areodactyl could be make or break against trainer lock as well.
Did you really think they'd change rare candy less than a year ago, and change it back already? If it get changed, it won't happen till the entire BW Blocks are rotated.
Also, there was a Gallade last format. It'll be back soon enough.
Also, this set isn't as bad as everyone has been saying. It's not Noble Victories or Triumphen caliber, but it's a solid set. Better than CoL or Emerging Powers.
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