Carl’s Cache – The 30 Hottest Cards! PART 1

pokebeach.comHello 6P.com and welcome to my second article, this time covering a topic that I haven’t seen too much of lately.

With summer now officially here, and with the Midwest/East Coast boiling, as well as most schools being done for the year, and with no other Article like this, I thought this would be a fun article to write. This article will turn out to be two Articles, one from 30-16 and the next one 15-1.

First, since I am trying to say what the 30 hottest cards for the summer, I need to explain how I picked them. Granted most of this article is based on opinion, but I think it will generate a good discussion.

I graded each card in 3 areas (all on a 5 point scale):

1. Hype. Simple, how much hype has a card gotten, doesn’t mean its good or bad but pure hype. For example, Emboar would score very high in this category.

2. Playability. How playable the card is, so Pokémon Collector would score really high in this category.

3. Price. This is easy enough, the actual price of the card, this is graded by using Troll and Toad prices with ebay.com prices. So Magnezone Prime would score very high in this category. Also to note, reverse holo card values are included in this list.

I then added the three scores together and came up with this list. I won’t post the scores because that would seem to be redundant and boring, but if you request them I will show the scores of particular cards.

Honorable Mention: Shuckle HGSS Promo #15

Shuckle Promo right now is by far the most sought after promo and with good reason, his Body “Fermenting Liquid” lets you draw a card each time you attach energy to him, giving it great synergy with Emboar’s “Inferno Fandango” Ability.

The one thing holding this card back is that to use those energies for something other than draw you have to use either Lost Burn, or some sort of Super Scoop Up, Seeker, and Unown Return engine to reuse the energies, and this card is quite restricted to the decks it can be in; really only with Emboar decks will this card see play.

#30 – Rare Candy

pokebeach.comTo kick off my list, I’ll name an old favorite that has been reprinted many a time, Rare Candy. In B/W this card’s ability got a bit hampered and now more represents Pokémon Breeder.

Despite that, Rare Candy will still be a staple in any deck with Stage Two’s and will remain a card that players go, “It’s good that Pokémon reprinted Rare Candy.” This card has been a key in balancing the format and will continue to do so next year.

#29 – Pokémon Communication

Another card recently reprinted, Pokémon Communication, is next on my list. With the lack of Bebe’s Search and Professor Elm’s Training Method being a supporter, Pokémon Communication will likely be the primary way to get out Evolutions.

This card also combos very well with Pokémon Collector, get a basic you don’t want and then just use this card to get a needed Evolution card. The card also can dump unwanted Pokémon out of your hand to draw more with Magnezone Prime. Lastly, it can also be reused with Junk Arm, giving it another added plus.

#28 – Judge

One of the best Supporter cards last format, it should be even deadlier now. With the lack of Uxie and the SP engine, getting your opponent down to four cards can be crippling, especially on turn one. The card also is way to get a free attack with Yanmega Prime, or be a hand refresher with Cleffa and Magnezone Prime.

I expect this card’s usage to rise, especially with the new B/W rules where you can play a Supporter turn one, and your opponent will be behind before they even get a turn. The card can fit into a lot of decks, and with their being less “out” cards I expect to see it rise in play.

#27 – Steelix Prime UD

pokebeach.comThe first Pokémon on the list, Steelix is a card that saw an increase in play last year as a LuxChomp counter. However this year with Emboar and Reshiram’s popularity it is hard to see the card being as successful.

That said, this is a card that is gaining hype because it has good match ups against decks that aren’t fire, similar to last year, unfortunately those types of decks will be more prevalent this year causing him to topple.

This card is still an absolute tank and even got a little bit of support from Klinklang, which could be an okay tech in this deck. The card also doesn’t get 1HKO’d by anything except fire and can beat a lot of the fast decks, such as Cinccino and Jumpluff easily.

Still a card worth having, and could be a great metagame choice if Emboar isn’t popular in your area.

#26 – Lost World

The only Stadium card to crack the Top 30, and is arguably the most hyped card of the 2011 season. It is the only card that gives a new win condition in Pokémon and it is almost always partnered with Gengar Prime. So far, in the USA, it has been a flop but with a new, slower format this card is expected to succeed to a higher degree than in the MD-on format.

The biggest problem with the deck, is that it has a near auto-loss to the ZPS (Zekrom/Pachirisu/Shaymin) deck because of the low amount of Pokémon. However, against most decks it can randomly hit Pokémon more often that last format, due to the hampering of Rare Candy and not as many ways to just dump off Pokémon, lastly with most decks running a lot more evolutions than basics, and with most decks with 20 or more Pokémon, Spooky Whirlpool is likely to be more effective.

The card also benefits from the lack of Dialga G, and easy to tech in Dark Pokémon in the format that are fast, Weavile G, Absol G LV.X, and Honchkrow SV.

#25 – Professor Juniper

pokebeach.comThe first B/W exclusive card on the list, Juniper is one of the most hyped Supporter cards in the format, right behind Pokémon Collector and Seeker, and this card is in direct competition with Professor Oak’s New Theory and Copycat for best drawing Supporter in the game.

Being able to draw seven new cards is just a wow factor in Pokémon, and with the discard you won’t draw into the ones you don’t want, and you can also set up some cool tricks with Junk Arm, Energy Retrieval and Fisherman this way. Won’t be played in all decks, but will most likely be huge engine in faster decks like ZPS, Donphan and Cinccino. This card is seen as a high-risk, high-reward card.

#24 – Sage’s Training

This card is in general seen as Juniper’s little brother, but it is rated slightly higher because more people are willing to play a card that doesn’t force them to discard their whole hand and picking 2 out 5 there is a good chance you’ll get something you want and the card can still do cool tricks with Junk Arm and other cards that manipulate the discard pile. In short, Sage’s Training is a conservative version of Professor Juniper.

#23 – Alph Lithograph 4

The only Alph Lithograph to make the Top 30, and the only playable one, the card simply lets you look at your prizes. Some feel that the card can make an impact if a deck is running a lot of techs or needs something specific, but in general I would say it isn’t worth the deck slot. The card can be pretty nasty when used with Rotom from Undaunted, letting you refresh your deck and draw into what you need.

#22 – Twins

Another Supporter that has already seen a lot of play, particularly in VileGar, LuxChomp and Magnezone, it’s the second best comeback card in the format and will be used in many decks in HGSS-on, notably LostGar and MagneBoar.

The ability to get any two cards is amazing, especially in a format where the search has dropped off drastically compared to the last one, the instant loss of Cyrus’s Conspiracy, Bebe’s Search and Luxury Ball, all make this card that more appealing. Lastly, the card also can help to take full advantage of starter Pokémon, meaning if want to start with one you can let it get Knocked Out and be okay with Twins.

#21 – Junk Arm

pokebeach.comJunk Arm, one of the cards that saw a huge jump in play because of the MD-B/W rules implementation, it was used to abuse Poké Turn and Super Scoop Up, while also allowing for Uxie to set up for more and getting Magikarps in the discard for Gyarados. This card for HGSS-on could very well have its own engine, because of its versatility you can essentially run more 1 or 2 liners of trainers and use them more because of the match up or state of game.

It also is great for setting up for Magnetic Draws and re using PlusPowers for faster decks. It should be considered a staple card for HGSS-on. Lastly, this card gets a lot better in this particular format because trainer-locking appears to be down, without Spiritomb and Dialga G being there, this card is inherently better.

However, some are trying Vileplume variants, that said it doesn’t seem they’ll be relevant enough to stop this card.

#20 – Shaymin UL

This card is sizzling right now, the S in ZPS, this is used only to move Pachirisu’s energies to Zekrom. Not played right now in other decks, but could be because of his overall versatility. The ability to shift energies could be an advantage in this format, especially if the deck can also abuse Switch and Seeker, but with that said the card once viewed as Bronzong G’s little brother may finally have a chance to shine.

But as of right now his price depends on two things: Zekrom’s hype and how well Zekrom does at Worlds and Nationals, I would start getting these guys now because last second at Nationals the price tag could be pretty ridiculous for a Holo rare.

#19 – Cleffa HS/CL

A cute and little Pokémon that has literally been broke from the time of Neo. Eek could very well be the best free attack ever and combined with free retreat, and the possibility of invincibility makes the perfect starter. The card also combos well with Judge, similar to how it used to combo with Lass. Expect this to be a common staple card in many top decks, as it will be competing with Smeargle as the top starter Pokémon in HGSS-on.

#18 – Mew Prime

pokebeach.comAnother cute and small Pokémon, this is another starter Pokémon, but this one also can be the star of his deck. Mew has been hyped since Triumphant and has seen play in mainly two decks: Gyarados and Rhyperior LV.X, they both had free attacks that could hit for massive damage, Mew would “See Off” and then hit for usually 100 or more damage.

The problem for this card was Dialga G LV.X, with that card gone Mew is though to do better and specifically with one card, Gengar Prime, its original partner. With the hampered Rare Candy it is now just as fast, and efficient to send Gengar to the Lost Zone and use Mew as the attacker.

Unfortunately, Mew is very frail and easy to 1HKO. The second partner Mew has been hyped with is a bit unorthodox, but just as cool: Jumpluff HGSS, another Pokémon that takes one energy card to attack with. Jumpluff was a top-tier deck before the loss of Claydol and relied on its ability to get out many Jumpluff along with a draw engine.

Now, with Mew Prime it is able to “swarm” easily and just use Collector to fill up the field with more Mew and other starter Pokémon or techs, because the attacker is now a basic the recovery of the deck is amazing, Revive and Junk Arm can now be abused heavily. Another cool thing about the deck is that it easily gets a 1HKO on Rayquaza Deoxys Legend, something most decks can’t do.

MewPluff is also one of the few “Pressure” decks, meaning it can consistently get a KO on Pokémon without worrying about next turn, Zekrom can almost do that but it runs out of recovery and steam. I expect this card to be hyped and played, but in my opinion his frailness will hold him back.

#17 – Entei & Raikou LEGEND

This card has seen better days, and is one of the few on this list that gets worse with rotation. When it first came out it was the most hyped card of Unleashed because of its Thunder fall attack, which would usually either send the game to sudden death, or give you the win.

It peaked at Nationals with LuxChomp, giving the deck another cheap way to win, however people quickly learned to play around it, and its value, along with usage, dropped sharply. Now, with the lack of Pixies and Powers being replaced by abilities he isn’t even the best Legend in format, let alone the best game finisher, that said it is still a good card and deserves to be on this list.

Lastly, ending on a positive note for this card, it is a rock solid counter to ZPS.

#16 – Zoroark BW

pokebeach.comThe last card for this article, Zoroark is one of the most hyped cards coming out of the B/W set, right on Emboar’s and Zekrom’s tail. In my opinion, it could be the most versatile card in format because of the added consistency it can add with Nasty Plot, and its Foul Play.

Foul Play is what most of the hype is about, it can use your opponents’ attacks and can achieve easy 1HKOs, the best part, it only requires DCE, so it is extremely splashable into any deck.

Unfortunately the card has a big downside, a weakness to fighting, Donphan literally runs this card over and its weakness is well, its biggest weakness and could be the one thing that prevents this card from being a universal tech.

So that is the end of the first half of the 30 Hottest Cards in HGSS-on, or better yet, the 30 cards that YOU want in YOUR trade binder :)

You’ll note that most of the cards in this article were trainers, and that’s mainly because while, they are staples their price range just isn’t as high as most Primes.

However there are some, in their RH versions, that make the cut in the next article, and of course most of the high level Primes are featured as well.

Hoped you like it and Part 2 should be in about a week, right before my Florida vacation.