There are a number of great cards in the set, admittedly not as many as the previous set Rebel Clash but enough to change the state of the game, especially with how much help Dark types are getting from this set. They won't be the only one getting new tools though so the others won't be left out.
And like the previous time, these are my own opinions, aka the opinions of an unproven player who does enjoys building decks whether it's good or not (AND I'VE NOT DONE ANY TESTING FOR THIS SET). My ideas are my own opinions, what I think could be good but may be bad to others or vice versa, take it with a pinch of salt since I'm coming into this set a bit blind and have been asking others for their opinion on most of these cards anyway. My ranking is dependent on these card's playability and what deck ideas you could build off them.
R - Rare
RH - Rare Holo
UC - Uncommon
UR - Ultra Rare
Similar to: None[L][L][C] Thunder Jolt: 160 damage. This Pokemon does 30 damage to itself.
It's a mill card. Some joker will get lucky and hit heads and somehow, poof! 11 of our cars are gone. Not my favourite card from this set but you know some joker will try this out.
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Similar to: Other MimikyusAbility: Heal Stop
Your opponent’s Benched Pokemon can’t be healed.
[P][C] Claw Slash: 30 damage.
It's another Mimikyu that stops something but this time, instead of stopping GXes from using their ability if they have a damage counter, this one stops benched pokemon from being healed. This is quite relevant as it stops your opponent from healing with Mallow & Lana, one of the best cards in the game going at the moment. So this will see play in decks trying to two-hit others. If Dragapult was still around, this would be an auto inclusion in my deck.
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Whenever a player’s Active Pokemon moves to the Bench during their turn, put 2 damage counters on that Pokemon.
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[R] Searing Flame: 20 damage. Your opponent’s Active Pokemon is now Burned.
[R][R][C] Vengeful Flame: 100+ damage. If your Benched [R] Pokemon have any damage counters on them, this attack does 100 more damage.
It's not just old powerful EX attacks seeing a return, attacks from old GXes are making a return too. Drampa's old Bersek makes a comeback in the form of Houndoom V. It was a powerful attack back then but with Vs and VMAXes exceeding the damage it can get up to (200 for Houndoon), it might not be as popular as it once was. Plus, for Houndoom the damage has to be on a Fire type. Still, 200 damage for just three energies is better than most Fire type attackers!
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Ability: Numbing Vortex
Whenever your opponent attaches an Energy from their hand to 1 of their Pokemon, put 2 damage counters on that Pokemon.
[L][C] Electro Ball: 70 damage.
The ability looks famimiliar doesn't it? It's the same for Gengar from Crimson Invasion but that Gengar never saw play, mainly due to being a Stage 2. Arctozolt is a Stage 1 that evolves from a Fossil so that makes it easier to get it out onto play and since the ability stacks, I'm fairly sure this will see play in some deck. If Welder decks is still the best decks, you can bet this will see play, giving them 6 damage counters from their own energy attachments and that's just from one Arctozolt!
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Ability: Dark Squall
As often as you like during your turn, you may attach a [D] Energy from your hand to 1 of your Pokemon.
[D][D][C] Jet Black Fang: 130 damage.
Deluge is back but this time, it's for Dark types. More proof that this set was built just to make Dark types the best type in the game again. This type of ability has been hit or miss lately. Strong with Blastoise for Water type, saw some play for Magnezone for Steel types, no play at all for Magnezone for Lighting types. I do think Hydregion will see play as there as countless of Dark type attackers for it to power up, be it Sableye V, Eternatus VMAX, Malamar VMAX, Umbreon & Darkrai-GX, Greninja & Zoroark-GX to name a few.
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Similar to: Combo of other cardsAbility: Metal Skin
This Pokemon gets +20 HP for each [M] Energy attached to it.
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Fliptini is back, but now in the form of a Stadium so you don't have to waste a bench space for it. Fliptini always did see play in certain decks and for the same reason, so will Glinwood Tangle. Toxtricity from this set will the biggest beneficiary of it. Cards that needed a coin flip to put you down to 10 HP like Xatu and Kartana will like this and since it's a stadium, it goes really well with the Garbodor that
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[C][C][C] Swoop Across: This attack does 30 damage to each of your opponent’s Pokemon. (Don’t apply Weakness and Resistance for Benched Pokemon.)
[C][C][C][C] Heavy Storm: 160 damage.
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As long as this card is attached to a Pokemon, it provides [C] Energy.
The attacks of the [C] Pokemon this card is attached to do 20 more damage to your opponent’s Active Pokemon (before applying Weakness and Resistance).
Strong Energy is back, but in a rare twist, Colourless type finally has some sort of help, something I don't think I've ever seen. I don't think it'll see as much play as Strong Energy as it doesn't hit anyone for weakness but there are some good colourless attackers who wouldn't mind using the extra 20 damage, Salamence V and Dubwool V being the two that springs to mind.
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[C][C] Adversity Slash: 30+ damage. This attack does 50 more damage for each of your opponent’s Pokemon V and Pokemon-GX in play.
[G][C][C] Smash Turn: 70 damage. Switch this Pokemon with 1 of your Benched Pokemon.
We've seen this style of attack before in the past, Mega Lopunny & Jigglypuff-GX being the latest and it's always been good. Evil Admonition is similar in a way and that attack was always good, especially with Weavile so there's no reason why this Golisopod won't be good as well.
It's not just hurting decks that uses a lot of GXes but Vs as well and most decks will have at least one or two in play at any points (unless it's a rouge single prize attacking deck like Blacephalon). And it's just for two colourless energy so it could be teched into any deck! This could be one of the better rouge attackers to come out of this set, don't underestimate Golispod. Let's work out the numbers:
- Opponent has 1 V or GX in play, you do 80 damage
- Opponent has 2 V or GX in play, you do 130 damage
- Opponent has 3 V or GX in play, you do 180 damage (Crobat and Dedenne down)
- Opponent has 4 V or GX in play, you do 230 damage (Most basic GX down)
- Opponent has 5 V or GX in play, you do 280 damage (Tag Teams down)
- Opponent has the full 6 V or GX in play, you do 330 damage (Some VMAXes down)
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As long as this card is attached to a Pokemon, it provides [R] Energy.
The [R] Pokemon this card is attached to gets +20 HP.
Heat Fire Energy isn't the same as Shield Energy but the idea is there. You still technically take less damage but this time it's because you've got more HP to help you. This combined with Big Charm or Toughness Cape could make some Fire attackers like ReshiZard-GX, Torkoal V, Centiskorch VMAX and Blacephalon UNB even more trickier to deal with.
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Switch your Active Pokemon with 1 of your Benched Pokemon. If you do, draw 3 cards.
Do an effect and draw 3 after it? Sounds familiar? Yup Welder had that before and now Bird Keeper does. I do like the switching out option as attackers like Zacian V, ReshiZard-GX, Salamence VMAX and Hoopa wouldn't mind the help.
Or if you're feeling stuck, you could even switch Jirachi up to find something extra you might need before hitting with your attacker. For that, I'm sure Bird Keeper will see some fringe play. It could also see play in a meme deck as Rowlet, Starly and Swanna all attack for free if you used it.
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[C] Sonic Double: This attack does 40 damage to 2 of your opponent’s Pokemon. (Don’t apply Weakness and Resistance for Benched Pokemon.)
[C][C][C][C] Max Wings: 240 damage. During your next turn, this Pokemon can’t use Max Wings.
In some ways, Salamence VMAX is a little bit similar to TinaChomp-GX. Sonic Double is Linear Attack but instead of one, you hit two Pokemon! Max Wings hits for 240, the same amount as TinaChomp-GX's second attack if there was a damage counter with the side effect of not getting to use it the next turn, similar to ReshiZard-GX and Zacian V but we've seen on many occasions how those decks were able to overcome that.
And that 240 number could go up with the new Powerful Colourless Energy. There will come a point where you'll do enough to take out other VMAXes, along with some tools and some snipe damages. And like I mention in Salamence V, the possibilities are endless being a colourless attacker.
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As long as this card is attached to a Pokemon, it provides [D] Energy.
The [D] Pokemon this card is attached to has no Retreat Cost.
Hide Darkness Energy does remind me of Mystery Energy, but instead of 2 less retreat cost, now you get completely free retreat cost. As if Dark types needed more help from all the cards they are getting in this set, they get a Float Stone for themselves! Every Dark type decks will use this. There's no reason not to.
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Search your deck for an Energy card and a [D] Pokemon, reveal them, and put them into your hand. Then, shuffle your deck.
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[D] Assault Gate: 90 damage. If this Pokemon wasn’t moved from your Bench to the Active Spot during your turn, this attack does nothing. This attack isn’t affected by Weakness.
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Once during each player’s turn, that player may draw cards until they have 3 cards in their hand.
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Ability: Forest Camouflage
Prevent all damage done to this Pokemon by the attacks of your opponent’s Pokemon V and Pokemon-GX.
[G][C] Split Arrow: 90 damage. This attack does 20 damage to 2 of your opponent’s Benched Pokemon. (Don’t apply Weakness and Resistance.)
We've seen abilities like this before but Decidueye is still a Stage 2 pokemon. The plus side is, unlike Hoopa, this block GX, V and VMAXes. So anyone trying to beat this will need single prize attackers to deal with Decidueye. The ability is somewhat different as effects from attacks can still go through unlike in the past, with the above Hoopa as an example.
Keep with tradition, Decidueye is once again a spread damage attacker, something that is up my alley. This could see play with someone like ADP-GX to help with the damage boost (and even attach energy) or even Rillaboom decks as an out to completely shut a certain deck down. Or it might be all on it's own but hey, we've see Obstagoon work quite well in the past few months with a similar style of ability so who is to say Decidueye won't see the same amount of success as the best rouge option.
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[C][C][C] Claw Swipe: 100 damage.
[R][R][R][C][C] G-Max Wildfire: 300 damage. Discard 2 Energy from this Pokemon.
One of the things that made Reshiram & Charizard-GX so good was that it was able to hit it's GX move for 6 Fire Energies for 300 damage. Now imagine that, with one less energy attachment and it's not a one-time GX move. That's Charizard VMAX. Only reason I've got Mega Charizard next to it is that it's 300 damage was not a GX move, so similar in some ways and also for 5 energies.
Some might say it's a bit too much for something that doesn't even one-hit KO most VMAXes but there are plenty of other tools to help get that number, including Zigzagoon, Band, Burning Scarf to name a few things. It might not be the best Fire-type option to come out of this set but 100% you can bet I will play this and try to make this work being the Charizard/Charmander-fanatic that I am. I've made Charizard TEU work, I've made ReshiZard work, I'm gonna try to make this work as well. Sadly that may never happen in real life looking at the price of just this VMAX.
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The Basic Pokemon this card is attached to gets +50 HP, except Pokemon-GX.
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[L][C] Paralyzing Bolt: 50 damage. Your opponent can’t play any Item cards from their hand during their next turn.
[L][L][C] Super Zap Cannon: 190 damage. Discard 2 Energy from this Pokemon.
Oh god, Seismitoad EX is back in the form of Vikavolt V. This card saw play almost everywhere during it's time in the standard format, be it in a deck by itself or as a tech choice. Vikavolt V will be the same, there'll be a deck just for it and it'll show up as a tech choice in other decks.
Item lock has always been annoyingly strong so this, for sure, will see play. The one good thing is that Electropower and Thunder Mountain Prism will rotate soon so Vikavolt V won't be able to abuse those tools as often as possible. Even without it, I do expect to see Vikavolt V being played, Item Lock style attacks will always find a way to be relevant in the game.
Similar to: Nothing- For 2 Fire Energy, you're doing 120 damage
- For 3 Fire Energy, you're doing 160 damage
- For 4 Fire Energy, you're doing 200 damage (2-prize GXes are in trouble)
- For 5 Fire Energy, you're doing 240 damage (with a bit of help, TAG Teams are down)
- For 6 Fire Energy, you're doing 280 damage (ADP down)
- For 7 Fire Energy, you're doing 320 damage (some VMAXes are in trouble)
- For 8 Fire Energy, you're doing 360 damage (Everybody dies)
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Flip a coin. If heads, attach a basic Energy card from your discard pile to 1 of your Basic Pokemon that isn’t a Pokemon-GX.
Similar to: these two cards below
Ability: Eternal Zone
If all of your Pokemon in play are [D] type, you can have up to 8 Pokemon on your Bench, and can’t put non-[D] Pokemon into play. (If this Ability stops working, discard Pokemon from your Bench until you have 5.)
[D][C] Dread End: 30x damage. This attack does 30 damage for each of your [D] Pokemon in play.
Eternatus VMAX is easily the best attacker to come out of the new Darkness Ablaze set. Many of these cards are ideas reused from a previous card but what make this one even better is that it's using TWO ideas combined into one. Sky Field always saw play with Mega Rayquaza EX and that deck saw a lot of success so you know Eternatus will be good. You might think needing your bench to be all Dark types could be a bit much but let's not forget Crobat V is also in the set.
With 8 Dark pokemon in the field, you're hitting 270 damage, enough to take down most Tag Team GXes. But since you're a Dark deck, Galarian Zigzagoon (and even Galarian Obstagoon) will see play in this deck just to help make those numbers even greater, possibly enough to take out a VMAX in one shot. This would have been the best card from this set if not for something even better.
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Ability: Dark Asset
When you play this Pokemon from your hand onto your Bench during your turn, you may draw cards until you have 6 cards in your hand. You can’t use more than 1 Dark Asset Ability each turn.
[D][C] Venomous Fang: 70 damage. Your opponent’s Active Pokemon is now Poisoned.
You've seen this before. You know what it does. That's why it's number 1 on the list. Shaymin EX is back in the form of Crobat V. The ability is the same with one major difference, you can only use it once which for me is the correction change to make. Shaymin EX has been causing issues in Expanded just because it can be used over and over again in the same turn. Consistency boosting cards like these will always be good and will always be expensive. Just look at Tapu Lele-GX and Dedenne-GX. This card will see play in every possible deck from now untl it rotates. Just as Shaymin EX did before.
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