Cards of the Day – Gallade 4 & Gallade 4 LV.X (Rising Rivals RR 20 & 106)

Welcome to another review from SixPrizes.com! Today will be a bit different layout for the COTD. Traditionally, I pick one card that is one of a few things:

pokebeach.com1. Known main attacker
2. Tech
3. Staple
4. Interesting for some other reason

However, today’s cards fit into the forth category. I was just going to review Gallade 4 LV.X, but since neither it nor its basic form is very well known, I decided that, in order to give you a true understanding of the card, I’d need to review them both. On to the review!

Let’s start with the basic form, Gallade 4. It has a kinda low 80 HP for a Pokémon SP, meaning it’s well in 1HKO range for Garchomp C LV.X, the Psychic weakness is bad because of Gengar SF’s popularity. Other Pokémon that will hit it for weakness are Mewtwo LV.X, Nidoqueen RR, Uxie LV.X and a few others. One little bonus is that it’s Psychic type, meaning it can hit Uxie LV.X for weakness. It has the usual, but still disappointing no resistance and an average one Retreat Cost. So far, we’re off to a bad, bad start. Let’s check out it’s attacks.

Gallade 4’s first attack, “Chop Up” for PC (Psychic and an Energy-Gain) will do a 20 damage plus 10 to each of your opponent’s Pokémon. It’s not a terrible attack, but it’s not going to win it’s place in many decks with that attack alone. Unfortunately, it’s second attack, “Feint” for PCC will do 50 damage with the slight bonus of ignoring resistance. It has a very flexible attack cost, being able to use a Psychic and Double Colorless Energy or a Psychic, Colorless and an E-Gain. Sadly, it won’t matter much as you’ll rarely be using this attack. Unlike Garchomp C LV.X, Gallade 4 LV.X’s basic form isn’t really that great.

Now, let’s get to it. Gallade 4 LV.X is a Basic LV.X Pokémon with 100 HP, which is a bit low when comparing it to other basic LV.Xs, such as Luxray GL, Blaziken FB, Garchomp C and Dialga G. It has a x2 Psychic weakness which doesn’t get any better when it levels up. It has a Poké-Power, “Blade Storm” which lets you put one damage counter on each of your opponent’s Pokémon upon it’s arrival to the field. This is actually not a bad Poké-Power at all, helping you power up it’s attack, “Aimed Cut”, which does a minor 40 damage for the expensive price of PCC. Again, DCE and E-Gain can still be used here. However, regardless if you use one of those two cards or not, it will require two energy drops to power up. In addition, “Aimed Cut” will do 10 damage for each damage counter on the defending Pokémon.

pokebeach.comThese two cards were obviously intended to be played in a spread deck that puts damage on all of your opponent’s Pokémon so you can 1HKO them with “Aimed Cut” and/or another attacker. However, there are a few flaws with that idea, and they are Nidoqueen RR, Garchomp C LV.X and Poké-Turn. Nidoqueen will keep removing damage until you don’t have the ammunition to keep spreading, most likely giving them the win, Garchomp C LV.X will heal all of their Pokémon SP and Poké-Turn will scoop up their mortally damaged Pokémon before you can get the KO.

Nidoqueen has died down in play quite a bit this rotation, but still sees a good chunk of play. However, Garchomp C and Poké-Turn are just as popular as ever, with some that would argue that Garchomp C is seeing more play than ever. Sure, you can Power Spray “Healing Breath”, but if you can’t, you’ll probably end up scooping. Also, Poké-Turn and Nidoqueen can’t be Sprayed, meaning that you’ll only be able to counter 1 of the 3 big counters to your deck most of the time.

If those three cards were gone, this deck would have a great shot at being a tier 2-3 deck. There may be some way, either with the cards out already or with some new cards to give Gallade 4 a fighting chance against these cards, but right now, I just don’t see it.

Rating 3/5 (Good card, but the meta is just really stacked against it)

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Reader Interactions

31 replies

  1. Peter Bae

    I think it’s an okay card too. Poke-Power can get sprayed, but thats why you got the poke-turns xD
    I’d pair it up with a tech line of DGX to shut off nidoqueen’s body, and have a secondary attacker like T-Tar Prime to further help spread + hit a lot. T-Tar Prime can also use double Colorless so you can make a semi SP deck using 2-2 Gallade 4, 1-1 DGX, and maybe like 2-2-2 or 2-1-2 , even 3-2-3 t-tar prime to do a big chunk of dmg xD, however, it prob won’t be consistent enough to compete in the meta. I do like the card tho, always found it interesting

  2. David Ho

    I personally think Gallade is too slow for spread decks. If running it, I would add Joteon from RR is better, cuz next turn you can switch out for a Raichu GL from the same set (30x for each damaged bench). Both attacks only require one Lightining energy and a pokepower (sadly powerspray-able). This, with a benched Gallade 4 would put 20 on opponents bench, and hit for about 150 damage your next turn.

    • Peter Bae  → David

      Raichu GL is 30+ just to let you know XD. You do realize that would take 2 turns at least. Attack with raichu for no energy (with e gain) doing 10 to each (using your attach for the turn on Gallade 4), next turn switch out, lvl up, attach another energy or use Bronzong G to galactic switch. I think its pretty fast considering you can do 150 turn 2. Also with Spiritomb (the psychic one with poke-Power) can put 10 more dmg on every pokemon with damage counter, which could be a good tech, however, it is not a SP XD reading your comment, I kinda wanna make a rogue deck xD

  3. Peter Bae

    Pokemon 21
    4 Raichu GL
    2-2 Gallade 4 Lv.X
    1-1 Dialga G Lv.X
    1 Crobat G
    1 Dragonite FB
    1 Promocroak
    1 Azelf
    2-1 Uxie Lv.X
    1 Toxicroak G
    1 Skuntank G
    1 Unown Q
    1 Bronzong G

    Supporters/Trainers/Stadium 28
    4 Cyrus’s Conspiracy
    3 Pokemon Collector
    3 Bebe’s Search
    2 PONT
    1 Aaron’s Collection
    4 TGI Poketurn
    3 TGI Energy Gain
    3 TGI SP Radar
    3 TGI Power Spray
    2 Pokemon Contest Hall

    Energy 11
    2 Double Colorless
    2 Lightning Energy
    3 Psychic Energy
    2 Metal Energy
    2 Warp Energy

    LOL trial deck?

        • Dakota Streck  → Peter

          My suggestions:
          4 E-Gains
          Raichu can be easily KOed, so a 4th one is near vital.

          Cut Skuntank and Bronzong
          This would help the deck be a bit faster and more consistent. I’d suggest adding in a Smeargle and perhaps another Lightning Energy or SP Energy.

          That’s about all I can come up with atm. There are other changes I could recommend if I had tested the deck out, but that’s what I’d do at first glance.

          I assume the idea is to get a Gallade 4 Lv.X in play, then use the Raichu to keep hitting them, then use Gallade 4 Lv.X to finish them/

        • Peter Bae  → Dakota

          Smeargle would definately be a nice addition to the deck. And ya the point of the deck is to use Raichu to start spreading turn 1, gallade 4 as a main attacker doing big damage, raichu also acts as a secondary attacker. Ill prob end up cutting the Skuntank G and Bronzong G for another E gain and smeargle. I also think that Spiritomb LA is a good tech when I need that extra 10~20 damage xD

        • Martin Garcia  → Peter

          if the point of the deck is to spread, maybe you could try infernape 4 instead of raichu.
          Also, the solrock from triumphant seems like it could really help with both nidoqueen and garchomp C

    • Peter Bae  → Julliant

      it’s interesting cucz i just submitted an article on Solrock from triumphant and Lunatone from Supreme Victor for card of the day like 10 min ago. Id say yes, but it is not that good cuz it takes up 2 bench space

      • Tom Hansen  → Peter

        Still, the attack of lunatone can be pretty usefull with it’s spread against zero retreaters (Garchomp C, Luxray GL, Crobat G, unown q’d smeargle etc.).
        Also you don’t have to get it out, just to counter Nidoqueen and Garchomp C lv. x mby.

  4. Poet Larsen

    Hey what about the Dusknoir from stormfront that has the body that allows you to put a damage counter on each of your opponents pokemon with energy. Not to mention The lv.x that becomes a stadium and puts one damage counter on each of your opponents pokemon between turns. (Like poisoning) Even Gengar Lv.x helps spead.

  5. Karol Nowak

    Okay, now that’s one nice card in my opinion.

    I remember back when the translation for this card was revealed in Dec. 2008. Everybody was going crazy over this card because of the fact it took the advantage of spread really well. Not only that, but it could also hit for a lot of damage with Aimed Cut. Many people were going so crazy over it that it was even more popular than Luxray GL at the time. In fact, during this time, you could pretty much say Gallade 4 Lv.X was the best SP. That would change however when Rising Rivals was released internationally. People realized Nidoqueen’s potential, and before long, Gallade became one of the best to one of the worst since Nidoqueen was the ultimate counter to spread decks at the time. Then, Garchomp C Lv.X came out, and that further added to the problem.

    Now, it is October 2010, and I think it is a different world for Gallade 4 once again. This time, Nidoqueen has seen a huge drop in popularity, leaving only Garchomp C as a threat to it. Despite this, Gallade actually has a chance now. How? Well, with Nidoqueen gone now, Gallade will actually have an easy time against most non-SP decks now. After all, it has an amazing spread Poke-power that can also abuse PokeTurns to make it more effective; also, now with DCE and Expert Belt out in the current format, Gallade can hit for even harder damage with Aimed Cut. Machamp is also rampant around this time, and Gallade’s typing actually is quite good against him. A simple 60 plus 1 Crobat drop or Blade Storm drop + Lucario GL is enough to OHKO a Machamp. That’s what I really like about it. Gallade’s psychic type really gives it a good chance against one of SPs’ biggest enemies compared to a deck like Luxchomp. Moreover, with the new Solrock coming out soon, Solrock actually helps to make spread decks effective once again. The body can prevent each player from removing damage counters off their Pokemon, so Garchomp and Nidoqueen get hurt by it, and that Solrock might help Gallade more, just like how Solrock might help other spreaders.

    Indeed, as of now, Gallade seems to have some unrecognized potential. Of course it may not be as good as cards like Luxray GL, but now Gallade has all the tools that could make it viable. With people see the true potential? Only time will tell.

  6. Robby Gill

    3 absol prime
    3-1 gallade 4 lv x
    1-1 dialga g lv x
    2-1 garchomp c lv x
    1 uxie
    1 azelf
    1 unknown q.

    2 miasma valley
    3 pokemon collector
    2 bebe’s search
    2 proffesor oaks new theory
    2 aaron’s collection
    2 seeker
    4 cyrus’s conspiracy
    4 poke turn
    3 power spray
    3 energy gain
    2 sp radar
    2 junk arm

    2 dark
    4 pyschic
    2 steel
    4 double colorless
    2 warp

    this is what i tried running, i know this is a little late but i hope you guys are still interested in this deck.
    i used absol and miasma valley so pokemon took 20-40 damage when they hit the field. main attack was chop up, while constantly poketurning gallade x. i would usually take 3 prizes in a turn and everything else was knocked out with aimed cut.

    dragon rush is great for tanks, snipe for 80, aimed cut fot 120. if anything has over 200hp im already in trouble.

    i love the deck. gallade 4 lv x is one of my favorite cards. but seeker/poketurn/ssu is the enemy for this deck. healing can be stopped. ive thought of teching 1 spiritomb ar, so after i poketurn gallade so they cant use trainers, then unknown q him to the bench lv up junk arm poketurn again. but i always have such a full bench.

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