Kash Top 30 List: Favourite Video Games

Since I'm turning 30 this year, I thought why not create a few Top 30 lists of things that I like or have done so I've done a few list that covers my interest in just about anything, be it Motorsports, Pokemon, Wrestling, Gaming and also some general things. This one however might have come at the worst possible time.

Yes I know what's going on with the world at the moment with the Covid-19 pandemic which means all of us are most likely stuck at home under quarantine trying to avoid contacting this virus. What's the best thing to do when you're stuck at home? Play some games of course! Most of us are gamers in one way or another and this lockdown has gotten me back to playing my PS4 and Switch (along with the PC games like Football or Motorsport Manager, Uno or the usual, Pokemon Trading Card Game online). 

I've been playing video games for as long as I can remember. I've had my fair share of consoles not named X-Box but as you'll see, I don't play a lot of games to be fair. But here's my favourite of the whole lot, be it PS games, PC games or even older GameBoy stuff. Some entries might not be just one video game but the series itself. I'm always on the lookout for new games to try as well.

#30 - WWF Attitude (PS1/N64)

Not the greatest game on the N64 but WWF Attitude is one of the first games I played as a kid, a lot of fond memories playing this with my brother and my cousin when we were just kids wanting to re-live the action of our wrestling heroes. 

#29 - Jet Moto 2 (PS1)

Another game that I can remember playing early on during my childhood, this was a fun racing game to get my started on my obsession with racing games. I wished there was a newer version of Jet Moto.

#28 - Lego Racers (PC)

If you told 10 year old me that there was a game combining my love of Lego with my love of Racing, you don't need to give me a second invitiation to get this game. Short game but it was so much fun to play, especially to build your own Lego race car! This is one of the games I'd love to download again just to play it one more time.

#27 - Pokemon Trading Card Game (GameBoy and PC)

I was big into everything Pokemon as a kid so sure enough, I got into the card game, spending way too much of my lunch money on them. The Gameboy version was always so much fun! I think I've replayed it at least three times now and still enjoyed it. Little did I know that 20 years on, I'm now playing Pokemon TCG competitively in real life and on the PTCGO online circuits too. The love for the game all started here.

#26 - Need for Speed Underground (PS2)

Need for Speed series wasn't my favourite racing series of the lot but I did like playing Underground, it was completely different to what I was used to. The idea of being able to customise my own car was really neat, adding decals and neon as well! The story mode was nice too. The drift driving, not so much.

#25 - NASCAR 2005 Chase for the Cup (PS2)

Yes, I'm not a big fan of NASCAR and I don't watch it anymore. But I did really like this game mainly for it's career mode. Racing through 3 different tier series was fun and owning 3 different teams later one was a lot of fun too. I spent more time on this game when I really shouldn't. The new My Team mode in F1 2020 is an upgraded version of this.

#24 - Star Wars Battlefront (PS4)

A Star Wars game! Sure the Campain mode was lacking but I still had my fun playing the game. I'm usually not the biggest fan of multiplayer modes but this sure had one of the better multiplayer options for any FPS type games around. Wish they could make a similar game with a proper storyline mode, icing on the cake if that happened.

#23 - Pro Evolution Soccer 3 (PS2)

PES was a nice alternate football game but it just wasn't as good as FIFA for me personally. What I did like about PES was the numerous amounts of things you could customise in the game, from players to teams and I really enjoyed that side of things. 

#22 - F1 Career Challenge (PS2)

I liked F1 Career Challenge more for the fact that they had 4 years worth of car packed in one game and with one of the better career modes for an F1 game. I probably spent way too much time on this game than I should have during my teenage years. 

#21 - Grand Theft Auto V (PS4)

I wasn't the biggest fan when I first saw GTA San Andreas but having tried GTA V for myself for a bit, I changed my mind. The game was fun, just having the chance to explore a wide world doing anything you wanted was freedom, something I've never had in any game. A guilty pleasure game for sure.

#20 - FIFA Street (PS2)

Fifa Street was fun! Football games can get tiring at times but this never felt tiring. Even my brother who wasn't a big football fan enjoyed playing this, that says alot! It reminds me of the time playing street soccer with my friends and it was nice to do the same in the gaming world. They need to re-make this game!

#19 - Motorsport Manager (PC and Switch)

I'm a sucker for management games and when I found out about Motorsport Manager, I lost my mind. This just felt like the game built specifically for me, being a big fan of Football Manager and Motorsports. I've always been wanting a mix of these two and here it is. It took me a while to get used to the game but when I did, I was hooked. I enjoyed it so much I bought a Switch version for it!

#18 - Def Jam Fight for NY (PS2)

This was a really fun alternate fighting game. I did spend maybe too much time on Def Jam fight for NY but why wouldn't you when there was so much to do in the game? It's not quite my usual WWE games but it felt close enough. 

#17 - TOCA Race Driver 3 (PS2) / Grid Autosport (PS4)

Ok I'm cheating a bit here but I had a hard time picking one over the other so why not include both together since Grid Autosport reminded me so much of TOCA Race Driver 3. Any racing game that lets me try out many different series and the challenge of working your way up from the minor leagues to the biggest series is always a big plus for me. Both had IndyCar in their games too, a major plus for me.

#16 - Rise of Tomb Raider (PS4)

I've not played much adventure/puzzle games before this but Rise of Tomb Raider made a fan out of me not just for the series for that genre as a whole, I'm now actively looking out for different adventure and puzzle games to try just because of how much fun I had playing this game. And the story was amazing, should be made into a film!

#15 - WWE 2K14 (PS4)

No WWE 2K game can match this one, which is a shame as we've had loads since then but none felt more fun as this. The unlimited number of ways you could customise your shows, belts, PPVs and my favourite one, story was the main thing that kept me playing the game. I just like creating things and seeing how it goes. Loads of diffrent modes on it too, shame how they never kept it like these ones. 

#14 - Project Cars 2 (PS4)

Project Cars was fun! It was something new to me and I enjoyed it right away. Maybe the best driving game around in terms of the driving/racing side of things. Another nice escape from reality to race some of the best machinery in the world. And loads of different categories of cars and racing series to try is alway a plus for me. And they have IndyCars in all of their versions so far. PC3 will be the next game I buy for sure. 

#13 - Mario Kart (Nintendo DS and Switch)

It's Mario Kart, why would you not like it? Funnily enough it's the only Mario game on this list but I've always liked Mario Kart more than the others. It was the go-to game (apart from Monopoly Deal) for me and my friends to kill our time during our Army service and also during Pokemon League. 

#12 - Mortal Kombat X (PS4)

Of the fighting games, be it Tekken, Street Fighter or Mortal Kombat, I've always been more of a fan of the Mortal Kombat series. Sure it's the more gory version but it's the most fun for me. I have been playing MK since MK4 on the PC. Yes I might have been a little young for it but it was still fun. MKX was just awesome, maybe the best one yet with so many different things to do to keep getting back onto the game.

#11 - Killzone (PS3)

Halo may be good for those Xbox fan boys but I don't think it can match Killzone. Wasn't too used to FPS games when I first got it but I've been hooked ever since, getting all 3 versions on the PS3/4 and even the PSP version which was more of a 3PS game. I enjoyed the series so much I bought a book detail the story from the game, I was that big of a fan of Killzone.

#10 - WWE SmackDown Vs Raw 2006 (PS2)

As you've seen, I do love my wrestling games but SvR 06 will always be one of my favourites of all time. Loads of match types and one of the best rosters too but the thing that got me was GM mode, easily my favorite mode to play on the game and I probably spent most of my time on it. I love manager games so this was a major hit for me, making up my own storylines with the wrestlers and seeing how everything plays out. WWE, please bring back GM Mode, specifically something close to 2006's version.

#09 - Gran Turismo 4 (PS2)

I do love my racing games and Gran Turismo 4 had to be the best of the lot from the series. I did get 5, 6 and Sport but nothing felt close to the PS2's GT4. It was close to perfect with all the events and thousands of cars to collect. I sure hope PS5's GT7 will be close to this.

#08 - Batman Arkham Knight (PS4)

Before Arkham Knight, I've never really played much adventure/puzzle games but this got me hooked. So hooked I ended up buying the two previous Batman games on the PS3 just to have more fun with the series. As someone who grew up watching the cartoon series, it was nice to relieve some of the stories though this brilliant game, especially Batman and Joker, whose version played by Mark Hamil, is still my favourite Joker of all time. 

#07 - Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (PS3)

I wasn't expecting much when I first got Call of Duty 4 Modern Warfare but it turned out to be one of my favourite games I've ever played. I wasn't never really into FPS games before trying this and apart from Killzone, I don't think I've enjoyed an FPS game quite like COD4. Everything about it was spot on, from the campaign to the online multiplayer and even the offline splitscreen multiplayers, it was the go-to game for me and my American cousins whenever we were around together. 

#06 - Burnout 3 Takedown (PS2)

If I don't feel like racing proper, Burnout 3 Takedown was my go to game to wreck havoc! One of the most fun games I've ever played on the PS2, I still hope for someone to do a re-make of it for PS4 or PS5. It's also one of the few games I completed everything in the game. And the soundtrack on Burnout 3 might be one of the best in any game!

#05 - Championship/Football Manager (PC)

For as long as I can remember, I've always enjoyed wasting my time playing Championship or Football Manager. It is just too addictive. My earliest memory of it was playing CM 00/01, seeing my cousin play it before I got hooked onto it myself. FM 2009 and 2012 were ones I played the game the most. I did get back into playing FM 2020 during isolation and forgot how much fun it was. I've always like the idea of building my own team together and seeing how everything works out.

#04 - FIFA 2004 (PS2)

FIFA used to be one of my favourite games of all time. I used to play it alot on the PC when I was kid during 1998-2001 period and then getting back onto it for PS4 starting with FIFA 2004 which is probably my favourite one of all time still. It was the most fun I had playing football, especially with the career mode. I loved playing World Cup 98 and FIFA 2001 as well. Shame FIFA isn't as fun as it used to be. 

#03 - F1 2020 (PS4)

As you can tell, I love me my F1 games and even though F1 2020 is the newest game in my library, it's already one of my all time favourites. Sure, the Codemasters version of F1 games have not been great since 2014 but it's slowly getting good again. 2020 has the new My Team mode which I'm really enjoying. Like I mentioned for Nascar, I do enjoy the idea of owning my own team and making all the decisions to get the team going forwards. 

#02 - Pokemon Heart Gold/Soul Silver (Nintendo 3DS)

Ok sure, if I included more Pokemon titles on this list, it might look a bit boring so I thought I'd just have one to represent the whole lot. I've played the Pokemon games for as long as I can remember, never once missing a gen. Pokemon Crystal was the first ever game I can remember owning so it'll always hold a special place in my heart but HGSS has to be my favourite of all time. The Gen 2 games were probably my favourite just because we could go to two regions, double the fun! The adventure was probably the most fun I had of the games I've played, with Platinum and BW2 being the next closest. 

#01 - WWE SmackDown! Here Comes the Pain (PS2)

The very first PlayStation game I ever owned is still honestly, my favourite game of all time. Apart from Pokemon, F1 and formerly FIFA, I've always bought WWE games, they were always the most fun. If you looked at my gaming library, most of them would be wrestling games anyway. 

But Here Comes the Pain was just another breed, easily the best wrestling game I've ever played. Controls were easy to learn, fun to play, the roster was stacked and it had probably my favourite career mode which is amazing as there was no voice-over but it didn't need it! I like this game so much I own two copies of it, one of which I bought in Canada 10 years ago and still have not opened it. 

Kash Top 30 List: Cards from Darkness Ablaze

Even though we're in a strange times where there won't be any official Pokemon TCG event going for the next three months, there's still a lot of to be excited about the new set coming out today in Rebel Clash. With many online tournaments going on, players will still be wanting to get some of these cards, either in real life or on PTCO. So why not keep the Top 30 List gimmick going with the best 30 cards, in my own view, from the latest Sword & Shield base set of Darkness Ablaze?

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.

Side note, prices are taken from Troll and Toad as pre-order prices on the 1st August 2020. As always, prices are for the lowest rarity.
R - Rare
RH - Rare Holo
UC - Uncommon
UR - Ultra Rare

Also for this list, I'll do a little something different. Many of these cards are ideas from the past (be it from Roaring Skies, Sun & Moon or even Team Up) either being re-used again or changed up a little bit so I'll add a picture of the old card that is similar to the new card right next to it.

#30 - Toxtricity - 63/189 - R - $0.75

Similar to: None

[C][C] Risk Taker: Flip a coin, if heads discard 5 cards from the top of your opponent’s deck. If tails, discard 5 cards from the top of your deck.

[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.

#29 - Familiar Bell - 161/189 - UC - $0.49

Similar to: 

Search your deck for a Pokemon with the same name as a Pokemon in your discard pile, reveal it, and put it into your hand. Then, shuffle your deck.

Repeat ball is back but instead of searching for one that is the same in play, now it's one that is the same that is discarded. Had to discard one of your bigger VMaxes early on? Bell might just help you get another one much quicker then. Will it see much play? Probably not as you still need to have something in the discard for it to work and that is not as reliable as having someone already in play. Does help with plays on trying to thin out your decks though.

#28 - Mimikyu - 81/189 - R - $0.49

Similar to: Other Mimikyus

Ability: 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.

#27 - Spikemuth - 170/189 - UC - $0.49

Similar to: 

Whenever a player’s Active Pokemon moves to the Bench during their turn, put 2 damage counters on that Pokemon.

Spikemuth is eeriely similar to the old Team Magma's Secret Base but instead of placing 2 damage counters on any Pokemon entering play, this time it's 2 damage counters on a Pokemon switching from the active. But like before, this can easily be played around. Scoop Up Net can save you that 2 damage counter. With Shrine of Punishment about to rotate, this might be a likely Stadium replacement for some decks, albeit not a very good one.

#26 - Houndoom V - 21/189 - UR - $3.99

Similar to: 

[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!

#25 - Arctozolt - 66/189 - R - $1.29

Similar to: 

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!

#24 - Hydreigon - 110/189 - R - $0.99

Similar to: 

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.

#23 - Big Parasol - 157/189 - UC - $0.49

Similar to: 

As long as the Pokemon this card is attached to is in the Active Spot, prevent all effects of attacks from your opponent’s Pokemon done to all of your Pokemon. (Existing effects are not removed Damage is not an effect.)

Big Parasol does remind me of Wonder Energy but for it to protect all of your pokemon in play, it has to be attached to the active. An effect like this have always seen some play, the latest being Stealthy Hood. It does save you from spread damage from say Dragapult VMAX or damage spreading effects like Giratina or Zigzagoon and even things like Phione gust won't effect you. I can see this card being played in a Control/Stall/Mill style of deck mainly.

#22 - Galarian Stunfisk - 128/189 - UR - $3.99

Similar to: Combo of other cards

Ability: Metal Skin
This Pokemon gets +20 HP for each [M] Energy attached to it.

#21 - Mad Party - ???/189 - ?? - $??.??

Similar to: 

Mad Party: 20x damage. This attack does 20 damage for each Pokemon in your discard pile that has the Mad Party attack

Sure, Pokemon are on this thing to bring back old concepts, but did they really need to bring Night March back? They already tried Lost March and that failed. I don't really see Mad Party being good either with all these VMAXes being too big for them to handle. At least they didn't reprint Battle Compressor. This will see play just because it's Night March reborn, and it used to be successful so there's that.

#20 - Glinwood Tangle - 162/189 - UC - $0.49

Similar to: 

Once during each player’s turn, after that player flips any coins for an attack, they may ignore all results of those coin flips and begin flipping those coins again.

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

#19 - Salamence V - 143/189 - UR - $5.99

Similiar to: 

[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.

I'll be very honest, I like Salamence V more than I like it's evolution. The fact that it has Flying Flip is a big plus for me. I would play that in most of my decks just to give myself some ways to boost my damage on certain attacks. 

Salamence V is colourless so the possibilities are endless. Play it in a Welder deck? Go for it. Or a lighting deck with Tapu Koko Prism? Why not? What about Dark decks with all the help they've got? Be my guest. Heck why not even Frosmoth. And it's also got Powerful Colorless Enegy to play with, meaning it'll hit 50 to the active.

#18 - Powerful Colorless Energy - 176/189 - UC - $0.75

Similar to: 

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. 

#17 - Golisopod- 18/189 - HR - $0.99

Similar to: 

[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)

#16 - Heat Fire Energy - 174/189 - UC - $0.75

Similar to: 

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. 

#15 - Bird Keeper - 159/189 - UC - $0.75

Similar to: 

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.

#14 - Salamence VMAX - 144/189 - UR - $12.99

Similar to: 

[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.

#13 - Hide Darkness Energy - 175/189 - UC - $0.75

Similar to: 

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.

#12 - Piers - 165/189 - UC - $0.75

Similar to: 

Search your deck for an Energy card and a [D] Pokemon, reveal them, and put them into your hand. Then, shuffle your deck.

My favourite character from the Sword & Shield game has a decent card at least! The dark type rock and roller in many ways is similar to Korrina but instead of finding an Item card, you get an energy card. Not just dark energy, any energy card! That includes special energies which is a good thing.

Eternatus will use this, Obstagoon will use this, Spiritomb will use this, Sableye will use this, Dark Box (if it's still alive) will use this. It could search out certain techs too like Absol. And let's not forget that Crobat V is a dark type, likely to be the card mostly searched for this.

#11 - Hoopa - 111/189 - HR - $0.75

Similar to: 

[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.

It's not just old EX and GX attackers being reprinted, even basic attackers that saw a lot of play just a year ago is making a comeback, this time it's Hoopa (who always seem to have a good card). Zapdos saw a lot of play just one year ago with the likes of other lighting type decks as well as it's own deck along with single prize attackers. So...rinse and repeat. 

Hoopa will be a secondary attacker for Dark type decks, most likely Eternatus VMAX and see play in it's own single prize deck, likely Spiritomb. It could be even a tech in decks that plays Aurora Energy needed one quick attacker for certain situation. The one downside for Hoopa is that is has to move during your turn, if not it's not even doing 10 damage.

#10 - Rose Tower - 169/189 - UC - $0.99

Similar to: 

Once during each player’s turn, that player may draw cards until they have 3 cards in their hand.

Remember Instruct Oranguru? It's back, but this time in the form of a Stadium. Oranguru was widely played so this will as well for similar reasons, with Stamp and Marnie still being prevalent in the format. Refreshing your hand, even to just 3, is still better than not having that option, you might just draw into the exact thing needed to win you the game. 

The downside of this is that your opponent could get use out of it and then use their own stadium to leave you with nothing to work with. Goes really well with the next card on this list...

#9 - Rose - 168/189 - UC - $0.49

Similar to:

Attach up to 2 basic Energy cards from your discard pile to 1 of your Pokemon VMAX. If you attached any Energy cards in this way, discard your hand.

Rose isn't the same as Red & Blue but the idea is there. Attach 2 energies to a specific type of Pokemon and discard cards to make it work? Yup. Red & Blue however didn't see much play. Rose I do think will as it helps every possible VMAX decks out with energy attachment that used to be missing. Think Malamar VMAX, Inteleon VMAX, Stonjourner VMAX or Copperajah VMAX just to name a few. 

Two free energy attachment has seen a lot of success for Welder, but the condition of throwing your hand away to attach two from your discard could prove tricky. Good thing Rose Tower is also in the set. I can see a deck utilising this along with Silvally-GX to refresh your hand right after the attachment, that might be the best way to utilise Rose from my own thinking.

#8 - Decidueye - 000/189 - HR - $1.99

Similar to: 

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. 

#7 - Charizard VMAX - 174/189 - UR - $174.99 WTF

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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.

#6 - Toughness Cape - 160/189 - UC - $0.75

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The Basic Pokemon this card is attached to gets +50 HP, except Pokemon-GX.

This is pretty much Fighting Fury Belt but instead of doing 10 more damage, you get 10 more HP. The best part about this is that GX can't use it so beefy Tag Teams won't have the chance to abuse the +50 HP effect. Like FFB before it, this will see play in many different decks. 

Vikavolt V will be more than happy to use this to annoy even more people, Spiritomb now has an even higher damage output with Cape, Blacephalon UNB will get even more irritating to deal with as a 170HP pokemon and certain decks will have Zacian V as a 270 HP bench sitter and not a 220 HP bench sitter.

#5 - Vikavolt V - 60/189 - UR - $8.99

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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.

#4 - Centiskorch VMAX - 34/189 - UR - $18.99

Similar to: Nothing

[C][C] G-Max Centiferno: 40+ damage. This attack does 40 more damage for each [R] Energy attached to this Pokemon. You may attach a [R] Energy from your discard pile to this Pokemon after calculating damage for this attack.

The thing I like most about Centiskorch VMAX is that, unlike most cards on this list, this concept is somewhat new. Sure we've seen attackers hit big for however many energies they've got on them but not someone who hits big numbers AND attaches an energy to itself after it as well. Centiskorch VMAX might just end up being the best Fire type-deck in the new set as it'll have an unlimited damage cap. Let's work out the numbers:

• 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)

With those kind of numbers, and Welder being the main engine, you know I have to try this deck out. I'm a Welder fan so this will be one of the first few things I'm testing for the new set.

#3 - Turbo Patch - 172/189 - UC - $1.49

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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.

Sure, Turbo Patch isn't the same as Max Elixir but it's similar enough, and Max Elixir saw play in many different decks for the entirety of it's existence. Instead of hoping to hit one energy off the top 6 cards in your deck, now you're hoping to hit a 50/50 chance to attach an energy to one of your non-GX basic from the discard pile. Now, I'm not a fan of coin flip myself but this one is way better than some silly Crushing Hammer as it speeds up my game if I get it. And you can even attach to your active unlike Max Elixir. 

With an effect like this, you know this card will see play. I'm just more curious to see which decks will make the best use of it. Sableye V will love this, fighting decks will finally have some acceleration and Fire decks wouldn't mind having this to help Heatran-GX get more fire energies to take down these VMAXes.

#2 - Eternatus VMAX - 117/189 - UR - $37.99

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.

#1- Crobat V - 104/189 - UR - $39.99

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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.