Cosmic Eclipse is a monster of a set, the biggest in the history of the game so naming a top 30 was already difficult enough. These are my own opinions, aka the opinions of an unproven player who does enjoys building decks whether it's good or not. My ideas are my own opinions, what I think could be good but may be bad to others or vice versa. My ranking is dependent on these card's playability and what deck ideas you could build off them.
But I have to give an honourable mention to a few cards:
- Firstly Emboar. It's a stage 2 fire attacker that uses FCCC for a straight up 160. But the ability does let you attach any basic energy you see from the top 8 cards of your deck, which I enjoyed doing in pre-release. It even gave me an idea to pair this with Reshiram & Zekrom-GX just for the heck of it.
- Lycanroc has a nice ability but there aren't that many fighting weak pokemon with 240hp or less for it to kill off apart from Dedenne-GX or Silvally-GX.
- Sunflora's first attack gives your Grass and Fire attackers in the next turn a free attack, no energy attachments needed. That has to be good somewhere.
- Rapidash is a personal favourite for it's "Jet Punch" attack and free retreat cost but that's about it.
- The other Mimikyu in the set has the attack "Impersonate" which could give you a second second Supporter in a turn, specifically cards like Steven's Resolve or even Welder
- Oricorio-GX seems good for decks that suffer from Reset Stamp. The problem, most of them uses Green engine and the other being ReshiZard that already has Zebstrika to deal with that. Still plan on testing this to see which deck works well with this.
- And lastly Roller Skater. Discarding an energy to draw 4 cards seems nice, especially for Malamar but would even Malamar want to use this?
And now my top 30 list of cards from Cosmic Eclipse:
Side note, prices are taken from Troll and Toad as pre-order prices on the 28th of October 2019. As always, prices are for the lowest rarity.
R - Rare
RH - Rare Holo
UC - Uncommon
UR - Ultra Rare
#30 - Excadrill - 115/236 - RH - $0.49
[F] Eleventh Hour Tackle: 30+ damage. If you have 3 or fewer cards in your deck, this attack does 150 more damage.
[F] Drill Bazooka: 120 damage. Discard 4 cards from the top of your deck.
A single prize attacker that can effectively take KOs on things like Pikachu & Zekrom-GX, Silvally-GX, Dedenne-GX and also the likes of Raichu & Alolan Raichu-GX and Mega Lopunny & Jigglypuff-GX with the help of Diancie/Fighting Dojo?This will surely be experimented by some players for a rouge deck, be it by itself or with another parter, of which I can't think of one at the moment. It's second attack also works nicely with the first attack in mind.
#29 - Flareon - 25/236 - UC - $0.25
Ability: Power Cheer
The attacks of your Pokemon-GX that evolve from Eevee do 30 more damage to your opponent’s Active Pokemon (before applying Weakness and Resistance). You can’t apply more than 1 Power Cheer Ability at a time.
[R][C][C] Flamethrower: 90 damage. Discard an Energy from this Pokemon.
Of the three Eeveelutions in the set, I liked this the best so that's why it's here but it makes no difference. If you're adding this into your deck, mostly likely you'll have Vaporeon as well and perhaps Jolteon.An Eeveelution box is now a possibility with 4 Eevee-GXes and 4 Eevees, which means all three non-GX can be used to help power up say a Flareon-GX or a Glaceon-GX. Whether it'll be good remains to be seen.
#28 - Flygon-GX - 110/236 - UR - $2.99
Ability: Sandstorm Protection
As long as this Pokemon is your Active Pokemon, any damage done to your Pokemon from your opponent’s attacks is reduced by 30 (after applying Weakness and Resistance).
[F][F][F] Desert Hurricane: 120+ damage. If there is any Stadium card in play, this attack does 120 more damage. Then, discard that Stadium card.
[F][F][F] Sonic Edge GX: 220 damage. This attack’s damage isn’t affected by any effects on your opponent’s Active Pokemon. (You can’t use more than 1 GX attack in a game.)
I actually think Flygon-GX is great. As a Stage-2 fanatic, I like this! The attack cost, not so much but it's not impossible with the help of Karate Belt and if your Vibrava is able to survive a turn, Red & Blue.The first attack is the main selling point. With just a Diancie on board, you are able to KO the likes of Gardveoir & Sylveon-GX and get rid of their pesky Choatic Swell or Power Plant that may be bothering you in that match. The GX is great as well. The main reason I have it down this low is, well, Stage 2 problems and the awkward attack cost. The likes of Groudon, Zygarde and the older Silvally-GX could help fix that.
#27 - Guzma & Hala - 193/236 - UC - $0.79
Search your deck for a Stadium card, reveal it, and put it into your hand. Then, shuffle your deck.
When you play this card, you may discard 2 cards from your hand. If you do, you may also search your deck for a Pokemon Tool and Special Energy card, reveal them, and put them into your hand.
The first of a few of the new Tag Team supporters on this list. The ability to search out any stadium you need cannot be ignored. The second effect of getting a Tool and Special Energy may be great but some decks might skip this effect entirely if they don't have much tool or special energy options.
For a deck like Mewtwo & Mew-GX, you could search out a Chaotic Swell to stop an incoming Power Plant, an Amulet to make it a 2-prizer and a draw energy to get you another card. All that while discarding two potential attackers might seem great.
A deck like Spiritomb might really like this as it helps them to search out the likes of Shrine of Punishment, Rainbow Energy and Hustle Belt all in one go. Blacephalon UNB might use this to grab Heat Factory Prism, Beast Energy and Beastite. Even Malamar could use this to get Recycle Energy, Power Plant and Spell Tag. I'm curious to see how this will see play in the upcoming format as I'm not as keen on this as the other Tag supporters.
#26 - Mimikyu - 97/236 - R - $1.49
Ability: Shadow Box
Pokemon-GX that have any damage counters on them (both yours and your opponent's) have no Abilities.
Pokemon-GX that have any damage counters on them (both yours and your opponent's) have no Abilities.
[C][C] Perplexing Tail: 20 damage. Flip a coin. If heads, your opponent’s Active Pokemon is now Confused.
Mimikyu's role will be just a bench sitter but a really good one at it. It's attack is rubbish but the ability can shut off many great GXes in the game, if there is a damage counter on it. That isn't hard to pull off with the likes of Shrine of Punishment, Spell Tag and two different Weezings but both with the ability to spread damage across the board. It won't be difficult to pull off the spread damage to shut off those abilities which makes this Mimikyu even more dangerous.
Here's a list of things you would stop with this Mimikyu:
Here's a list of things you would stop with this Mimikyu:
- Mewtwo & Mew-GX's Perfection ability, the main reason this will see play
- Silvally-GX can't refresh opponent's hand size
- Volcarona-GX can't spread damage
- Zeraora-GX can't give pokemon with Lighting energy free retreat
- Jirachi-GX doesn't remove psychic weakness
- Weavile-GX can't move around Dark energies
- Latios-GX can attack even without a full bench
This will likely see play in Malamar to help in the Mewtwo matchup and also those non-GX decks that tend to struggle against it. Some sort of control/stall deck might use this to stop some of these abilities from messing up their strategies.
Ability: Smug Face
Prevent all effects of attacks, including damage, done to this Pokemon by your opponent’s Tag Team Pokemon, Ultra Beasts, and Pokemon with Special Energy attached to them.
Prevent all effects of attacks, including damage, done to this Pokemon by your opponent’s Tag Team Pokemon, Ultra Beasts, and Pokemon with Special Energy attached to them.
[D][C][C] Claw Slash: 120 damage.
[D][C][C] Stalking Claw GX: This attack does 120 damage to 1 of your opponent’s Pokemon. Don’t apply Weakness, Resistance, and any other effects on that Pokemon. (You can’t use more than 1 GX attack in a game.)
A great wall Pokemon against certain decks. Decks like Pikachu & Zekrom-GX, Mewtwo & Mew-GX and Gardevoir & Sylveon-GX might struggle against this due to being a Tag Team-focused deck. Blacephalon-GX, Blacephalon (UNB and COE) and Ultra Necrozma-GX won't hit it as well being Ultra Beasts.
Not many decks are using Special Energies now so that won't do much. Decks that have a strong GX attacker or a non-GX that can take big one hit KOs will have a better time against this. Other than that, there's not much going for this card, I personally wouldn't play it as there's plenty of ways to get around this ability.
This card provides [C] Energy.
When you attach this card from your hand to a Pokemon, you may draw a card.
A generic colourless energy but one that provides a draw. If it does sees play, it's likely to be in decks that needs to draw cards out like a Stage-2 deck like Gallade or a natural draw engine like Sawsbuck.
Control decks could play this for Oranguru as it can work well with Magcargo's Smooth Over to get whatever card they need. Mewtwo's Mind Report ability also works well with Draw Energy to help you draw out the supporter you just put on top of your deck.
#23 - Solgaleo & Lunala-GX - 75/236 - UR - $3.49
[P][P][P][C] Cosmic Burn: 230 damage. This Pokemon can’t use Cosmic Burn during your next turn.
[P][P][C]+ Light of the Goddess: 200 damage. If you played “Lillie’s Best Effort” from your hand during this turn, during your opponent’s next turn, prevent all effects of attacks, including damage, done to each of your Pokemon. (You can’t use more than 1 GX attack in a game.)
When your TAG TEAM is Knocked Out, your opponent takes 3 Prize cards.
The attack might look awkward but it's possible to charge it up with Malamar, likely the only deck to use this. Three Malamars plus a Recycle Energy and Malamar decks will finally have another big hitter in the decks, and one that can cleanly KO Tag Teams, with some help from Spell Tag.
One might argue that Giratina & Garchomp-GX already does. The GX is amazing, but you have to play a really terrible card in Lille's Full Force. Also does have a psychic weakness.
One might argue that Giratina & Garchomp-GX already does. The GX is amazing, but you have to play a really terrible card in Lille's Full Force. Also does have a psychic weakness.
The attacks of the Ultra Beast this card is attached to do 10 more damage to your opponent's Active Pokemon for each Prize card you’ve taken (before applying Weakness and Resistance).
The more prizes you take, the more effective this becomes. Could help Blacephalon UNB, Naganadel and Ultra Necrozma-GX reach numbers they had tend to struggle before. Works nicely with the new Buzzwole from this set which adds 20 for each prize you've taken. If you've taken 4 prizes, Buzzwole would be doing 60 + (20x4) + (10x4) = 180 damage, that's a KO on any Dedenne-GX!
As good as it sounds, it might not see much play as Blacephalon-GX tends to depend on Lysandre Labs. Decks that had used Pheromosa & Buzzwole-GX to get their final two prizes may include this to make their final prize an easier target.
#21 - Arceus & Dialga & Palkia-GX - 156/236 - UR - $12.99
[W][M][C] Ultimate Ray: 150 damage. Search your deck for up to 3 basic Energy cards and attach them to your Pokemon in any way you like. Then, shuffle your deck.
[M]+ Altered Creation GX: For the rest of this game, your Pokemon attacks do 30 more damage to your opponent’s Active Pokemon (before applying Weakness and Resistance). If this Pokemon has at least 1 extra [W] Energy attached to it (in addition to this attack’s cost), when your opponent’s Active Pokemon is Knocked Out by damage from those attacks, take 1 more Prize card. (You can’t use more than 1 GX attack in a game.)
The first attack cost may look very awkward to power up but with the likes of Victini, N's Resolve and Magnezone, it is possible to get this charged up in no time. Over in Japan it's seen play with mostly Keldeo-GX, Victini and Blastoise & Pipulp-GX. The GX is too good to ignore, giving a free Choice Band and an extra prize is an effect not to be messed with.
Keldeo-GX could easily knock out any non-GX for 2 prizes with the GX effect. Weakness to Fairy is relevant with Gardevoir & Sylveon-GX set to jump into Tier 1, which may give you a reason to have a back-up metal attacker like Lucario & Melmetal-GX or Celesteela-GX.
#20 - N's Resolve - 200/236 - UC - $0.75
Discard the top 6 cards from your deck. Attach all basic Energy discarded in this way to 1 of your Benched Dragon Pokemon.This will only see play in the likes of Reshiram & Zekrom-GX and Arceus & Dialgal & Palkia-GX decks but it could work also for the likes of Ultra Necrozma-GX, Rayquaza-GX, Dragonite-GX, Turtonator and Giratina & Garchomp-GX just to name a few great Dragon attackers in the game right now that uses a lot of energies.
#19 - Raichu - 67/236 - R - $0.49
[C] Nuzzle: Flip a coin. If heads, your opponent’s Active Pokemon is now Paralyzed.
[L] Powerful Spark: 20x damage. This attack does 20 damage times the amount of Lightning Energy attached to your Pokemon.
One of the better non-GX attackers to come out of this set. Having Nuzzle is broken with Emolga in mind to help set up your board. Pachirisu from Ultra Prism helps to charge up energies on all the Nuzzle pokemon. You could choose to go for a Naganadel route or even a Magnezone route to power up your
Raichu's attack.
With 12 energies on board, you are doing 240 damage and with just one Electropower, you're KOing a Tag Team pokemon, which shows how powerful this Raichu can be. Could be one of the better non-GX decks in the meta when the set releases.
The maths works out fine for Raichu to take down some of the big decks if you can set it up:
- 4 Lighting Energy - 80 damage (Jirachi or Glaceon-GX with 4 Electropower)
- 6 Lighting Energy - 120 damage (Silvally-GX with Amulet)
- 8 Lighting Energy - 160 damage (Dedenne-GX or Gardevoir & Sylveon-GX with Amulet)
- 10 Lighting Energy - 200 damage (Heatran-GX)
- 12 Lighting Energy - 240 damage (Pikachu & Zekrom-GX or Reshiram & Charizard-GX and 1 Electropower)
- 14 Lighting Energy - 280 damage (Arceus & Palkia & Dialga-GX)
Can you tell I like these kind of attackers? Anything that add the maths for big damage, I'm in! I'll be giving this a try for sure.
#18 - Mallow & Lana - 198/236 - UR - $0.75
Switch your Active Pokemon with 1 of your Benched Pokemon.
When you play this card, you may discard 2 cards from your hand. If you do, heal 120 damage from the Pokemon you switched to the Bench.
A great healing option, especially for GX decks. Any deck that has a Jirachi might use this for the free retreat while healing their pokemon and searching for another card with Jirachi. Greens decks will likely use this in combination with Great Potion to completely heal their attackers.
The discarding option once again helps decks like Mewtwo & Mew-GX, which might want to consider this in an attempt to counter the new Mimikyu. Also good in Reshiram & Zekrom-GX to help discard the energies need to charge Naganadel up while healing your main attacker.
This would be perfect for decks that have an attacker that needs to reset for a turn (Reshiram & Charizard's Flare Strike attack for example). Switch back to Jirachi, find whatever you need and ReshiZard is able to hit for a big attack again. Pikachu & Zekrom-GX decks will use this as Zeraora-GX already gives them a free retreat with the ability, giving Raichu & Alolan Raichu-GX a second turn of paralysis and 160 base damage.
#17 - Lana's Fishing Rod - 195/236 - UC - $0.49
Shuffle a Pokemon and a Pokemon Tool from your discard pile into your deck.
Finally we get a non-Supporter pokemon recovery. This will most likely see play in non-GX decks but some GX decks might sneak in one or two to save a certain attacker for the later game. Works nicely for Malamar decks as you can recover an Inkay/Malamar and bring back one more Spell Tag.
Stage 2 decks will play this to recover those Basic pokemon that had to take an early KO. Tools such as Escape Board, Karate Belt, Island Challenge Amulet, Silvally's Memory cards and Choice Helmet are great tools to recover later on in the game.
Stage 2 decks will play this to recover those Basic pokemon that had to take an early KO. Tools such as Escape Board, Karate Belt, Island Challenge Amulet, Silvally's Memory cards and Choice Helmet are great tools to recover later on in the game.
Ability: Double Type
As long as this Pokemon is in play, its type is both [P] and [F].
As long as this Pokemon is in play, its type is both [P] and [F].
[C][C] Power Cyclone: 120 damage. Move an Energy from this Pokemon to 1 of your Benched Pokemon.
Maybe the best non-GX stage 2 attacker to come out of this set. Unlike many other stage 2 decks, Gallade can use Mysterious Treasure along with Pokemon Communication to set-up. The dual typing is neat, giving you a good matchup against Pikachu & Zekrom-GX, Silvally-GX, Mewtwo & Mew-GX and also free KOs on Dedenne-GX.
The combo of Diancie Prism and also Fighting Dojo does help to boost its damage and bring it closer to KOing some of the more relevant GXes in the game, and it can use Spell Tag to make those big knockouts more reachable.
#15 - Charizard & Braixen-GX - 22/236 - UR - $14.99
[R][R][R][C] Shiny Flare: 180 damage. You may search your deck for up to 3 cards and put them into your hand. Then, shuffle your deck.
[R]+ Crimson Flame Pillar GX: Attach 5 basic Energy cards from your discard pile to your Pokemon in any way you like. If this Pokemon has at least 1 extra Energy attached to it (in addition to this attack’s cost), your opponent’s Active Pokemon is now Burned and Confused. (You can’t use more than 1 GX attack in a game.)
Yup another good Charizard card, so that's a plus from me (big Charizard fan here). It's not as good as Reshiram & Charizard-GX but the ability to search out for 3 cards is amazing. Sadly, that could mean this turns into some sort of a control/denial deck. It could also work in a Greens style deck like how "GreenZard" worked in the past two quarters.Welder box may also use this to search out the pieces for their next big attack while taking an easy KO on a Dedenne-GX for example. One idea I'm working on for this is to grab out a Rare Candy, Charizard TEU and Welder to get that working next turn. Yes, I'm still trying to make my favourite card of all time work in this big basic format.
#14 - Cynthia & Caitlin - 189/236 - UC - $0.99
Put a Supporter card from your discard pile into your hand (excluding any Cynthia & Caitlin or cards discarded by this card).
When you play this card, you may discard 1 card from your hand. If you do, draw 3 cards.
Perhaps the better supporter retriever in the game compared to Lusamine. It does only get you one supporter back but it does give you the ability to draw 3 cards jut for discard one card.
Greens decks will surely add this to their decks to give them a 5th Greens if they need it in a match or retrieve any other important supporter for the specific match, be it Welder or Mallow & Lana. The ability to just draw 3 cards will make it see more play like how Welder has been popular in many decks, even those that aren't naturally a fire deck.
Malamar could even include this to save a Cynthia while drawing 3 extra cards and discarding either a Giratina or Psychic Energy.
#13 - Guzzlord - 136/236 - RH - $0.99
[D] Mountain Munch: Discard the top card of your opponent’s deck.
[D][D][C][C] Red Viking: 120 damage. If your opponent’s Active Pokemon is Knocked Out by damage from this attack, take 1 more Prize card.
Great non-GX attacker for Dark Box and Beast Box decks, not hard to power it up with the use of just two Beast Rings. Taking a KO on a non-GX for two prizes?
Yup that's why this card is highly rated. This will find a spot in Dark Box. Someone might even want to make this as their own rogue deck with say Mismagius or Magneton to get you into your beat ring turn to take those extra prizes. Word of caution, if you are playing against a Dark Box next format, never let your Tag Teams at 150HP, this thing will take 4 prizes off you.
#12 - Professor Oak's Setup - 201/236 - UC - $0.75
Search your deck for up to 3 Basic Pokemon of different types and put them onto your Bench. Then, shuffle your deck.
The ideal set-up for some decks may be to grab a Jirachi, a Ditto Prism and one of your basic pokemon for the stage 2 attackers. Another idea could be a Chikorita, a Mudkip and an Alolan Vulpix to set up those stage 2s right away. And my personal favourite, a Jirachi , a psychic Litwick and a fire Litwick to get that Chandelure deck going.
It's also good on other non-gx decks. Quag/Nag could use it to grab Poipole, a Water Wooper and a Fighting Wooper. Even Malamar could use this to grab a Ditto Prism, a Psychic Inkay and a Dark Inkay. This will see play in many different kinds of decks while others might still prefer Elm's Lecture (specifically decks using a Pidgeotto engine). One big note, this card can get you a Basic GX as well if there's one you really need to get onto the bench right away, perhaps an Eevee-GX or Oricorio-GX.
#11 - Choatic Swell - 187/236 - UC - $1.79
A very disruptive stadium that can ruin a lot of game plans. A great addition to decks that tend to suffer against the dreaded "Power Plant + Reset Stamp" combo, namely Reshiram & Charizard-GX Ability and Mewtwo & Mew-GX. Decks that don't really rely on any stadiums may tech this in.
This will also see play in decks that tend to counter-react to their opponent's gameplan, namely Gardevoir & Sylveon-GX and stall decks. Know that your opponent relies on Viridian Forest, Ultra Space and Giant Hearth, this will slow those decks down.
This card alone will be the reason why Marshadow will see more play soon. Decks may tech in a "stadium killer" to help get rid of this, for example Durant's and Flygon-GX's first attacks.
#10 - Island Challenge Amulet - 194/236 - UC - $0.49
Pokemon Tool: Attach a Pokemon Tool to 1 of your Pokemon that doesn’t already have a Pokemon Tool attached to it.
The max HP of the Pokemon-GX or Pokemon-EX this card is attached to is reduced by 100. If this Pokemon is Knocked Out by damage from the attacks of your opponent’s Pokemon, they take 1 less Prize card.
This card is so good, it's already banned in Expanded. Some will love it and some will hate it. The option of turning some GXes into a one prizer will screw up some decks. A great idea would be to attach this to your Dedenne-GX on the bench and turn it into an unappealing 60HP one prize bench sitter. Big one hit-KO attackers like Blacephalon-GX, Heatran-GX and Ultra Necrozma-GX could use this to deny a prize from your opponents.
This will see more play in Tag Team decks. Mewtwo & Mew-GX has already seen success with Shedinja so except some to try this out instead. I've already seen how annoying a Gardevoir & Sylveon-GX can be using this to mess up your opponent's game plan. Dragon-GX attackers may use this to better deal with Gardevoir & Sylveon-GX as they are unlikely to play Lysandre Labs themselves which would ruin their own tool strategies. Another cool combo would be with Scizor-GX, needing just one damage counter to activate it's ability with an Amulet attachment.
#9 - Blacephalon - 104/236 - RH - $2.49
[P][C] Depth Bomb: Put 4 damage counters on your opponent’s Pokémon in any way you like. If your opponent has exactly 3 Prize cards remaining, put 12 damage counters on them instead.
This card is busted, plain and simple. This makes Malamar way too good. I've tried to skip the 3 prize turn and paid the price for going into that turn unprepared. As if the spreading game plan of Malamar wasn't already scary enough for some decks, this adds even more options now. This is virtually a second Cross Division-GX for Malamar!
Unfortunately, Malamar is the only viable spread deck going right now as other decks may have a harder time to power this up. Using Welder may be a bit awkward for some but that is one way of getting it ready, and with that in mind, Mewtwo & Mew-GX might actually try this as a way to deal with non-GX decks. Could work well with other spread options like Volcarona or Weezing in mind. Any deck using Beast Ring should at least consider it.
#8 - Red & Blue - 202/236 - UC - $1.29
Search your deck for a Pokemon-GX that evolves from 1 of your Pokemon in play and put it on that Pokemon to evolve it. Then, shuffle your deck. (You can’t use this card during your first turn or on a Pokemon that was put into play this turn.)
When you play this card, you may discard 2 cards from your hand. If you do, search your deck for 2 basic Energy cards and attach them to the Pokemon you evolved.
Really good for certain set-up decks, be it stage 1 or stage 2 but I really wished they did not include the GX part, if not this card would be incredible. Not only can it get an evolution pokemon out from your deck, you can power it up right away. The discarding options makes it a sure inclusion in Silvally-GX decks.The deck that I see it being used most frequently is Dark Box as it helps to get Weavile-GX out and finds you two more Dark Energy to help charge up your attacker. It could also work in a Quagsire/Naganadel deck with someone like Silvally-GX or Naganadel-GX. Other targets this card could go for are the likes of Volcarona-GX, Glaceon-GX, or even perhaps stage 2s like Flygon-GX or Solgaleo-GX.
#7 - Rosa - 204/236 - RH - $3.49
You can play this card only if 1 of your Pokemon was Knocked Out during your opponent’s last turn.
Search your deck for a Pokemon, a Trainer, and a basic Energy, reveal them, and put them into your hand. Then, shuffle your deck.
I LOVE THIS CARD. Rosa is easily my favourite supporter from this set. My favourite number is 7 and that's why I specifically put it here, my one biased thing on this article. Rosa is Teammates reborn but with an additional search.Teammates was my favourite supporter when I first got back into the game. The comeback potential was always the selling point for me. This helps out stage 2 decks a lot. You can pretty much find your stage 2 attacker, the basic energy you need and the rare candy you need or if you have one already, you could opt for a Great Catcher to gust someone out.
It can see play in other decks too. One example is Malamar (although I would advise against it), searching out your next attacker, a Spell Tag and a Psychic Energy. Rosa has seen play in GX decks over in Japan too, that just shows how good it is. I can see decks like Blacephalon-GX, Mewtwo & Mew-GX and Arceus & Dialga & Palkia-GX using it. For Blacephalon, to get their Beast Ring and maybe the Naganadel they were missing. For Mew2Mew, the attacker they need and perhaps a Great Catcher or Mysterious Treasure to discard it. For ADP, perhaps the 3rd energy they need and maybe a reset stamp to disrupt your opponent.
#6 - Mega Lopunny & Jigglypuff-GX - 165/236 - UR - $8.99
[C][C][C] Jumping Balloon: 60+ damage. This attack does 60 more damage for each of your opponent’s Pokemon-EX and Pokemon-GX in play.
[C]+ Puffy Smashers GX: Your opponent’s Active Pokemon is now Asleep. If this Pokemon has at least 4 extra Energy attached to it (in addition to this attack’s cost), this attack does 200 damage to 1 of your opponent’s Benched Pokemon. (Don’t apply Weakness and Resistance for Benched Pokemon.) (You can’t use more than 1 GX attack in a game.)
This card is simply amazing. It's already great being a colourless attacker, meaning it's spalshable in any deck but it's first attack is too good to ignore in what is basically a "Big Basic" format that we are in right now. This card has already seen play in Japan with the likes of Welder decks, Malamar, Gardevoir & Sylveon-GX, Pikachu & Zekrom-GX and even the new Arceus & Dialga & Palkia-GX deck.It's one hit-KO potential cannot be ignored and having a fighting weakness is not the worst thing to have at the moment. So how do the numbers work?
- Opponent has 1 EX/GX in play = 120 damage
- Opponent has 2 EX/GX in play = 180 damage (Blacephalon-GX)
- Opponent has 3 EX/GX in play = 240 damage (Pikachu & Zekrom-GX)
- Opponent has 4 EX/GX in play = 300 damage (Mewtwo & Mew-GX)
- Opponent has 5 EX/GX in play = 360 damage (Arceus & Dialga & Palkia-GX with Choice Helmet)
- Opponent has 6 EX/GX in play = 420 damage (NO-ONE SURVIVES)
So even playing an opponent who has just 3 GXes in play is already asking for trouble! Unfortunately it's 240 HP means it will fall to a similar board position of it's own. This card will see a lot of play in the next few formats while GXes still remain supreme. It is somewhat ironic that the new "Tag Team Killer" is a Tag Team itself.
#5 - Tag Call - 206/236 - UC - $1.49
Search your deck for up to 2 TAG TEAM cards, reveal them, and put them into your hand. Then, shuffle your deck.
I personally dislike this card for one reason. As if Tag Teams needed any more help, here comes Tag Call. This pretty much confirms the dominances of the Big Basic attackers while our poor non-GXes still have not received much help. The messed up part is that it doesn't just help you find a Tag Team GX, it can also get you the new Tag Team supporters as well.
I have already seen how consistent Gardevoir & Sylveon is by using this to search out a second attacker and a supporter it needs to either heal up (Mallow & Lana) or bring back a Greens (Cynthia & Caitlin). Some may play it just to search out the two supporters, with Cynthia & Caitlin the most likely option to help get that extra draw power or Guzma & Hala for that all important stadium at that specific turn.
Set-up decks like Dark Box may use this to help find one of their big attackers and Red & Blue to start powering that attacker up with the help of Weavile-GX or even Silvally-GX. This card will see a lot play in many different decks and for different targets too.
I have already seen how consistent Gardevoir & Sylveon is by using this to search out a second attacker and a supporter it needs to either heal up (Mallow & Lana) or bring back a Greens (Cynthia & Caitlin). Some may play it just to search out the two supporters, with Cynthia & Caitlin the most likely option to help get that extra draw power or Guzma & Hala for that all important stadium at that specific turn.
Set-up decks like Dark Box may use this to help find one of their big attackers and Red & Blue to start powering that attacker up with the help of Weavile-GX or even Silvally-GX. This card will see a lot play in many different decks and for different targets too.
#4 - Volcarona-GX - 35/236 - UR - $7.99
Ability: Scorching Bomb
Once during your turn (before your attack), you may discard a [R] Energy from your hand. If you do, put 2 damage counters on 1 of your opponent’s Pokemon.
[R][R][C] Backfire: 160 damage. Return 2 [R] Energy from this Pokemon to your hand.
[R] Great Heatwave GX: Discard an Energy from each of your opponent’s Pokemon. (You can’t use more than 1 GX attack in a game.)
As an energy acceleration deck fan and a spread deck fan myself, I really like this card. The ability is the almost the same as Decidueye-GX but at the price of a Fire Energy, which can be fixed with Giant Hearth, Fiery Flint or Fire Crystal and it does help Victini's Infinity attack as well. The attack also hits for some nice numbers and can play around certain decks. Ignore the GX attack, it's rubbish.
Volcarona-GX could see play in it's own deck and also a tech in other decks like Reshiram & Charizard-GX to help fix the numbers for it's Flare Strike. Two "Bombs" later and Flare Strike will knock out most Tag Teams. It can also help spread some damage to help someone like an Alolan Ninetales to knock out smaller benched pokemons to take two prizes in one go. A fun idea I had was to pair this up with Weezing to help spread the damage around first before hitting everyone on the bench with Weezing. Volcarona also works well with the new Red & Blue supporter since it needs 3 energies. I'm very interested to see how this will see play in the new meta as this is probably my favourite GX card from the set, which says a lot considering there is a playable Charizard-GX card in there.
#3 - Silvally-GX - 184/236 - UR - $11.99
Ability: Disc Reload
Once during your turn (before your attack), you may draw cards from your deck until you have 5 cards in your hand.
Once during your turn (before your attack), you may draw cards from your deck until you have 5 cards in your hand.
[C][C] Buddy Brave: 50+ damage. If you played a Supporter card from your hand during your turn, this attack does 70 more damage.
[C][C] White Knight GX: If your opponent’s Active Pokemon is an Ultra Beast, that Pokemon is Knocked Out. (You can’t use more than 1 GX attack in a game.)
Octillery lives again, now in the form of Silvally-GX. The mention of Octillery is all I need to show how good this Silvally will be, especially since it has a decent attack to boot as well as a GX attack that is amazing against specific decks. This is one card I'm really interested to build a few decks around, especially with the new Volcarona-GX with Alolan Ninetales-GX, a call back to ZDT from the previous format. It has seen play in Japan with the likes of Glaceon-GX, Arceus & Dialga & Palkia-GX and Persian-GX.
It pairs really well with Red & Blue since you're discarding cards to activate the second effect and you can re-fill your hand to 5 cards after it. Decks like Quagsire might use this as well to fix it's age old problem of drawing cards (and with the help of Red & Blue, get more energies out for Quagisre to move around). Other partners for Silvally-GX could come in the likes of Volcarona-GX (in a similar vein to the old Zoroark/Decidueye deck of old), Dark Box and perhaps Glaceon-GX. Decks that tend to suffer from Reset Stamp may want to consider Silvally-GX to help fix that issue (along with Choatic Swell to stop Power Plant).
The fact that it is a colourless attacker means it's splashable in any deck. Need a draw supporter? Splash in a Silvally-GX. Most decks will likely play it just for the ability. Let's not forget that the Memory cards are still in use for Silvally-GX to help it cover against certain match-ups. The threat of Power Plant might hurt this card though.
The fact that it is a colourless attacker means it's splashable in any deck. Need a draw supporter? Splash in a Silvally-GX. Most decks will likely play it just for the ability. Let's not forget that the Memory cards are still in use for Silvally-GX to help it cover against certain match-ups. The threat of Power Plant might hurt this card though.
#2 - Great Catcher - 192/236 - UC - $1.99
You can play this card only if you discard 2 other cards from your hand.
Switch 1 of your opponent’s Benched Pokemon-GX or Pokemon-EX with their Active Pokemon.
There's not much for me to say about this card deck building wise because this WILL BE PLAYED IN ALMOST EVERY DECK. The only ones that might go against it are Greens deck with the option of Custom Catcher and ReshiZard Ability with Ninetales (I've tested it, Ninetales is still the better option here).
This card is simply amazing, every other deck now finally has a gusting option and discard cards does help some decks out as well, especially Malamar, Mewtwo & Mew-GX, any deck using the Naganadel engine and Pikachu & Zekrom-GX to name a few. Need an easy two price option? You see a Dedenne-GX? There's your free two prizes. It's easily searchable as well with the likes of Greens, Volkner, Bills, Alolan Ninetales-GX and Jirachi in mind. I don't really have to talk much about this card, it's too good to ignore and it will see play. It'll likely end up being the card that wins you games, much like "Guzma for the Win" in the previous format.
This card is simply amazing, every other deck now finally has a gusting option and discard cards does help some decks out as well, especially Malamar, Mewtwo & Mew-GX, any deck using the Naganadel engine and Pikachu & Zekrom-GX to name a few. Need an easy two price option? You see a Dedenne-GX? There's your free two prizes. It's easily searchable as well with the likes of Greens, Volkner, Bills, Alolan Ninetales-GX and Jirachi in mind. I don't really have to talk much about this card, it's too good to ignore and it will see play. It'll likely end up being the card that wins you games, much like "Guzma for the Win" in the previous format.
#1 - Reshiram & Zekrom-GX - 157/236 - UR - $22.99
[R][L] Thunderflame Dream: 90x damage. Discard up to 3 in any combination of basic [R] and basic [L] Energy cards from your Benched Pokemon. This attack does 90 damage for each card discarded in this way.
[R][R][L][L]+ Cross Break GX: This attack does 170 damage to 1 of your opponent’s Benched Pokemon. If you played “N’s Resolve” from your hand during this turn, this attack also does 170 damage to another 1 of your opponent’s Benched Pokemon. (Don’t apply Weakness and Resistance for Benched Pokemon.) (You can’t use more than 1 GX attack in a game.)
I'm sure many others will say Great Catcher is the best card from this set and it may very well be, but for me it has to be "ReshiRom". Not just for it's one-hit KO potential, everyone knows about that. But more for the amount of support it has. It has the two best typing support in the game right now with:
- Fire (Welder, Fire Crystal, Giant Hearth, Fiery Flint, Turtonator, Heatran-GX)
- Lighting (Volkner, Tapu Koko Prism, Zeraora-GX, Pikachu & Zekrom-GX, Raichu).
- Dragon (Mysterious Treasure, N's Resolve, Altaria for anyone brave enough to try it)
- Still unconvinced? How about the Naganadel line that pairs nicely with ReshiRom's attack. Not just that, Beast Ring is searchable by Volkner too
So many options for this card to choose from! There will surely be many different variants of this deck to come, others might go the Turbo route with N's Resolve (one I particualrly wouldn't recommend as I've felt the pain of whiffing those energies/discarding important resources), or the Naganadel route. Or perhaps a PikaRom route? Maybe a Magnezone route? Or one that I'm working on right now, Charizard TEU with ReshiRom! Yup.
Only time will tell which is the better version but this deck will be tier 1, maybe even challenge for the title of BDIF. Sadly it does have a horrible match-up to Gardevoir & Sylveon-GX, a deck that's poised to jump into Tier 1 itself with the release of this set as well. Any deck using Choice Helmet will ruin ReshiRom's strategy which may see a reason to include Lysandre Labs.
I'm looking forward to see which new cards will make a big impact in our standard format and which will see play for the next 3 months or so. Exciting times ahead with the release of the new format and especially for those of us here in Asia as our big tournaments are all being held during this format with the Singapore SPE and the Malaysia Regional, which means most of us are taking this format a lot more seriously than usual. Hope this has been of some help to whoever is reading and will help make your decisions easier on which cards to include in your decks. Thanks for reading!
Only time will tell which is the better version but this deck will be tier 1, maybe even challenge for the title of BDIF. Sadly it does have a horrible match-up to Gardevoir & Sylveon-GX, a deck that's poised to jump into Tier 1 itself with the release of this set as well. Any deck using Choice Helmet will ruin ReshiRom's strategy which may see a reason to include Lysandre Labs.
I'm looking forward to see which new cards will make a big impact in our standard format and which will see play for the next 3 months or so. Exciting times ahead with the release of the new format and especially for those of us here in Asia as our big tournaments are all being held during this format with the Singapore SPE and the Malaysia Regional, which means most of us are taking this format a lot more seriously than usual. Hope this has been of some help to whoever is reading and will help make your decisions easier on which cards to include in your decks. Thanks for reading!
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