The Pokemon Company International (TPCi) continues the reveals for its twin expansion, Black Bolt and White Flare, with new ex Pokemon.
Meloetta ex
Ability: Live Debut
If you go first, this Pokémon can attack on your first turn.
Echoed Voice: 30 damage. During your next turn, this Pokémon's Echoed Voice attack does 80 more damage (before applying Weakness and Resistance).
Probably the most unique ex on this list, Meloetta breaks a fundamental rule in the Pokemon Trading Card Game (TCG).
Wholly reliant on the controlling player winning the coin toss and going first, Meloetta ex can immediately begin the match in a favorable position.
Only needing a single Psychic-type energy to get going, Meloetta ex’s 30 damage doesn’t look too enticing at first glance. Neither does the follow-up 80 damage invoke a lot of confidence in an ex Pokemon.
Depending on the opponent’s starting Pokemon, however, a different kind of picture is painted. Small starters like Budew and Joltik immediately get knocked out.
Beefier openers like Gimmighoul will be able to tank the opening hit, but they would need to evolve immediately or risk a knockout by the second turn.
Meloetta ex puts a different kind of pressure if it can get the first punch in. Card and turn sequencing will have to change to make up for the fast and eventual respectable damage this Pokemon will dish out.
It won’t win a match on its own, but Meloetta ex could be run as an odd tech choice just in case you do win the coin toss and go first.
Excadrill Evolutionary Line
Drillbur
Mud-Slap: 10 damage.
Corkscrew Punch: 30 damage.
Excadrill ex
Penetrating Drill: 60 damage. This attack also does 60 damage to 1 of your opponent’s Benched Pokémon that has any damage counters on it. (Don't apply Weakness and Resistance for Benched Pokémon.)
Rock Tumble: 200 damage. This attack's damage isn't affected by Resistance.
Excadrill comes in as an ex Pokemon with a fairly powerful design that is held back by how little support Fighting-type Pokemon have at the moment.
As a Stage 1 Pokemon, Excadrill’s damage output already rivals leading Stage 2 competitive staples, Gardevoir ex and Dragapult ex. Unfortunately, Excadrill needs all Fighting-type energy to start its offensive.
As mentioned, at the moment, there are very few energy acceleration tools for Fighting-type Pokemon in particular.
Creative players might be able to use Giovanni’s Charisma to not only buy a little time for Excadrill, but also slightly speed up the activation of Rock Tumble.
As powerful as the leader of Team Rocket can be, he’s still under the limiting factor plaguing the use of all Supporter cards, the once per turn clause.
Should a player be able to work around this roadblock, Excadrill’s Rock Tumble is one of the most damaging attacks to the active slot.
Two-hundred damage can take out most Pokemon in 2 hits, and Excadrill itself is robust enough to survive at least one reprisal.
It may not be Excadrill’s time to shine, but there may be something an intrepid deck builder can do to make this a viable rogue strategy.
Especially since there can be some antics to be had with board manipulation and the fact that Excadrill can hit already damaged benched Pokemon.
Whimsicott Evolutionary Line
Cottonee
Absorb: 10 damage. Heal 10 damage from this Pokémon.
Whimsicott ex
Energy Gift: Search your deck for up to 3 Basic Energy cards and attach them to your Pokémon in any way you like. Then, shuffle your deck.
Wonder Cotton: Your opponent reveals their hand. This attack does 50 damage for each Trainer card you find there.
It looks like Excadrill’s prayers may have been answered.
While not as powerful as Joltik’s energy acceleration capabilities, the Whimsicott line offers a more versatile energy package. This allows Whimsicott to search for any combination of basic energy cards.
This is on top of a more robust body while enjoying the same one-energy barrier to entry for its search.
There is one key difference, though, and that’s Whimsicott is a Stage 1 Pokemon. So, a player would need to go through a few more hoops before their energy acceleration comes online.
In a pinch, Whimsicott can actually fight back and pretty cheaply at that. The conditional damage output may not be the best.
With how modern Pokemon decks are built, however, even a random shot from Whimsicott might be able to average out a hundred damage or so.
Hydreigon Evolutionary Line
Deino Body Slam: 20 damage. Flip a coin. If heads, your opponent's Active Pokémon is now Paralyzed. Darkness Fang: 50 damage. Zweilous Double Hit: 40× damage. Flip 2 coins. This attack does 40 damage for each heads. Pitch-Black Fangs: 100 damage. Hydreigon ex Ability: Greedy Eater If your opponent’s Basic Pokémon is Knocked Out by damage from an attack this Pokémon uses, take 1 more Prize card. Dark Bite: 200 damage. During your opponent's next turn, that Pokémon can't retreat.
If any Pokemon on this list needs help in generating energy, it’s Hydreigon ex.
With a five-energy barrier-to-entry, three of which are Darkness-type, Hydregion ex might be more trouble than it’s worth for a Stage 2 Pokemon.
Thankfully, this Pokemon is not without its good points. Hydreigon ex has a very robust body, one of the largest in the TCG at the moment. Should Hydreigon ex knock out a basic level Pokemon, that’s an extra prize card to be had.
The extra prize card that Hydreigon ex can get is already a powerful tool for advancing the game state.
This ability likely stacks with ex Pokemon rules, meaning that knocking out a basic ex Pokemon already puts the controlling player at match point.
With how a lot of modern decks run a lot of utility basic ex Pokemon like Fezandipiti ex, then someone might be able to take advantage of Hydreigon’s powerful, if a little clunky, package.