Dual Ball (Unleashed UL #72) – Card of the Day

pokebeach.comHey guys! Today’s Card of the Day is none other than Dual Ball.

This card has received a lot of attention due to the new HS-On Rotation. Is it worth it? Let’s find out. Dual Ball’s text says to flip 2 coins, and search your deck for a Basic Pokémon for each heads.

People have been saying the Collector is much less powerful than it once was, and that Dual Ball should replace it, or at least earn more spots in your deck than Collector. In my opinion, that’s wrong. Let’s take a look at the ups and downs of the two:

Pokémon Collector

PROS:

  • Pokémon Collector guarantees you 3 Basic Pokémon.
  • There is no such thing as Supporter Lock, so you can use it under Vileplume.

CONS:

  • It takes your Supporter for the turn.

Dual Ball

PROS:

  • It’s a Trainer, so you can use as many as you want each turn.

CONS:

  • It’s flippy, so it doesn’t guarantee you anything.
  • It can be Trainer Locked.
  • You can only at most net two Pokémon.

As you can see, Dual Ball’s “CONS” list is much longer that Pokémon Collector’s “CONS” list, so it can now be said that Dual Ball is NOT better than Pokémon Collector.

However, this does not mean that Dual Ball doesn’t have potential. You can splash this into just about any deck, and it can help you. Now what are its main uses? Let’s put this into three categories: MD – BW, MD – CoL, and HS – BW.

MD – BW

pokebeach.comDual Ball is a card that often finds its way into Sabledonk builds, so it definitely has some potential here. It also might work well in Gyarados builds.

MD – CoL

No. Just, no.

HS – BW

Well, this is interesting. Dual Ball can be gold for some builds, and can be rubbish for others. I think that if you want to use Dual Ball, then try it out and see if it works with your playstyle. It’s entirely up to you.

Well, now that we know the pros and cons of Dual Ball, and Dual Ball’s uses, I think it’s time to give it the final grade. But since there’s 3 different formats that we’re able use it in, we’ll give it 4 scores.

MD – BW: 3.5 – 4 out of 5. Like I said above, Sabledonk and Gyarados can use it, and since most of this format’s metagame is speed (sans VileGar), I think Dual Ball has great potential here.

MD – CoL: 1.5 out of 5. It hasn’t seen competitive play for a reason.

HS – BW: 3 out of 5. Yes, no, maybe so; Dual Ball is an interesting card here that might or might not work, depending on your build.

TOTAL: 3 out of 5. It works well in 2 out of 3 formats, so I think that it deserves at least a 3.

Thanks for readin’, and I’ll see ya next time. Bye!

Check out my website at http://dcdane.webs.com/ !!! Join today!

Reader Interactions

9 replies

  1. Ian Sedelow

    I love how it doesn’t work in majestic dawn to call of legends. Despite the fact that gyarados, gigas, and donk decks are in that format. Not to mention the junk arm abuse. 

  2. Garrett Williamson

    If you think about the difference between md-col compared to md-bw. In md-col the is still the no trainer first turn but in md-bw there is meaning sabledonk is big and because of that trainer lock is a lot more popular. And in your cons for dual ball you mentioned that it gets trainer locked. So wouldn’t you think that it would be better in a format where trainer lock isn’t as big?

  3. wyeth miller

    Nice COTD! zane, this is a card i’ve been pondering for HGSS on
    I like your view on view on it : )

  4. the sidewalk

    I’m hoping that what this card lacks in consistency it will make up for in speed during the next format. For some reason, Kingdra comes to mind every time I think of this card. Maybe because I’ll be able to Dual Ball for Horsea, then Elm’s for Kingdra?

    • Dave Wilson  → the

      No, from my testing Elm’s tend to get in the way. I’ve noticed that supporter lines are best utilized as a source of raw draw muscle. In other words, it’s better to use dual ball/pokemon collector in combination with pokemon communication than to use Elm. I know that many players have talked about Kingdra but I am almost certain that this line will soon find its way into obscurity. The consistency of Dual Ball is made up with the ability to Juniper or Oak your hand. The most powerful weapon in the next format will be the ability to play out a hand and then either Juniper or Oak for a fresh hand; trainers like Dual Ball and Junk Arm will be important with this strategy.

  5. DrMime

    I love this card in HS-on. I agree that Pokemon Collector is a guarantee, but there are already so many ways to search for Basics–starters like Stantler & Pichu, Communication or Poke Ball in a pinch, and Dual Ball–that I like to save my Supporter for searching for evolutions, draw, and shuffle (for which there are fewer Pokemon/Item options).

  6. noxster

    Like you stated… This cards usefullness is determined by A, your deck. B, the format. havin run 3 in my build for Battle Roads… it bailed me out of a bad situation mare than enough times to justify a 5/5. Nice article aswell :)

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