Two new Pokemon cards have been revealed for the upcoming Inferno X expansion. Potentially, these cards may also be included in Phantasmal Flames, but players might not be missing out if that doesn't happen. For better or worse, it doesn't look like either of these cards is going to set the world alight.
Rotom ex
Ability: Multi Adapter
Your Pokemon with "Rotom" in their name may have up to 2 Pokemon Tool cards attached to them. (If this Pokemon loses this Ability, discard Pokemon Tools from your Pokemon until only 1 remains.)
Thunderbolt: 130 damage. Discard all Energy from this Pokemon.
Rotom ex doesn't look like it's going to see much play outside of pet or rogue decks. Rotom ex’s Multi Adapter ability definitely has the potential for antics due to the myriad of combos that are currently or will be available within the standard rotation of the competitive scene.
One such humorous combination is just running two copies of Power Glass on Rotom ex. Essentially a five-card combo, Rotom ex can essentially knock out rivals in about two turns. Given the fact that Rotom ex is a Basic-Stage Pokemon, that’s not a bad deal all things considered.
Rotom ex even plays well with its non ex counterparts. Some of them even scale in damage according to the number of Tool cards attached to all your Pokemon, like the Mow, Heat, and Wash Rotoms from Destined Rivals. With Tools designed to help boost the viability of Single-Prize Pokemon like Brave Bangle, it really feels like TPCi (The Pokemon Company International) wants to breathe new life into Standard.
Zacian
Limit Break: 50+ damage. If your opponent has 3 or fewer Prize cards remaining, this attack does 90 more damage.
Unfortunately for this Zacian, outside of certain formats (like Gym Leader Challenge), there’s just a lot more going against it in Standard. Credit where credit is due, though, a two-energy-cost attack that can potentially hit for 140 damage while on a single-prize body is respectable.
That said, players attending prerelease events could potentially look for this card as a one-time tool to get an edge. Most of the time, pre-release events have players work with a limited card pool alongside the new cards that are the focus of the event. Zacian, for lack of potential staple powerhouses, could clinch some unexpected knockouts if played well.
While Zacian might be suffering under the shadow of its bigger ex and Mega Evolution rivals, there may come a time (or format) that Pokemon like Zacian will enjoy center stage. It will depend on how TPCi plans to curate the upcoming format once the next yearly rotation begins.