The Pokemon TCG Plasma Series has come to a close, leaving us with Plasma Blast as we eagerly anticipate the New X and Y Collection which is set to release in Japan December 2013. With that, lets review what this set has brought to the table as I talk about some of my favorite cards from Pokemon Plasma Blast.
Top 3 POKEMON EX CARDS
1. Genesect EX
Genesect EX is by far one of the best cards from this set. In fact, the only weakness I can see on the robotic beetle is the fact that it doesn’t have a resistance attached to him. Red Signal allows Genesect to control the battlefield as the player can switch a opponent’s active Pokemon by simply placing a plasma energy on Genesect. This, in turn with Megalo Cannon which does a 100 damage to the active Pokemon and 20 damage to a bench Pokemon can cause some nasty crowd control. Get rid of the Pokemon that you don’t want to fight, and then poke at it while you destroy the weaker Pokemon of your choosing. It really can turn into a nasty combo if players allow it to be.
2. Virizion EX
Virizion is another great EX Pokemon that can really give your team a defensive advantage. Verdant Wind is coupled beautifully with Emerald Slash. Special Conditions can always end your Pokemon a little earlier then you would had hope. Not only does this Pokemon allow protection from that, but the move Emerald Slash insures that you will get that advantage on at least three Pokemon, including Virizion. Get the energy on the Pokemon, and then get Virizion back on the bench. The one coloroless retreat cost encourages this combo, and she is easy enough to take care of on the bench considering her 170 HP and resistance to water.
3. Palkia EX
Finally, Palkia EX is another great offensive/defensive Plasma Pokemon. Although I wouldn’t recommend running with riot control Genesect EX, this Pokemon has it’s own niche. Strafe is a nice last resort move as it allows players to inflict 50 damage, and then switch with a bench. However, Heal Dimension is the spotlight on this card. Heal Dimension not only inflicts 80 Damage to the active Pokemon, but it also heals Palkia for 20 Damage per plasma energy attached to it. Building this Pokemon up can be nasty as Palkia could potentially turn into a near indestructible Pokemon if decks don’t have the right counters. Opponents of Palkia will want to build up a dragon of their own to take this down, but good luck with that heal rate.
Top 5 POKEMON
1. Cradily
A great Pokemon that can help build up your bench very fast. Cradily lifesplosion can be a great for starting games, or even a mid game savior. The move Spiral Drain is also nice considering it deals average damage while healing 20HP. 120 HP with a water resistance helps as well. Overall, a great Pokemon for speedy decks.
2. Genesect
Another good starting Pokemon that has good support and offensive abilities. Call For Family allows players to build up their bench, while Jet impact can do a possible 100 damage in case a certain threat comes up. Due to Jet Impact 3 energy cost, you can at least expect to get 6 green energy on some of your bench Pokemon. Only issue here is again, no water resistance.
3. Drifblim
What I love about Drifblim is the effect it can have on some of the team plasma Pokemon. Going aganist a team plasma deck, you can expect Drifblim to use derail without any/much energy attached to it. This allows you to focus your energy on the bench as Drfiblim continues to swing at the big threats for 70 damage. Not only that, but considering the fact that Derail makes the defending pokemon lose a special energy, it really is a great card to run against team plasma decks.
4. Haxorus
Another great offensive Pokemon against Team Plasma, this card just outright destroys the deck. Haxorus has a good amount of HP, and it can instantly knock out any Team Plasma Pokemon. Outside of that though, it doesn’t do much although Dragonaxe is a great move on it’s own. The only downside I see is that there are no resistances, but regardless Strike of the Champion can take down any threat coming from a Genesect EX.
5. Aggron
Aggron is great for multiple reasons. First off, the psychic resistance and 140 HP give it enough bulk to last awhile. Next, it can output a lot of damage. Knock Back itself can break combos, but Aura of the land can stop them from ever even happening. If players are running steel, make sure to throw a Aggron in there. It is a great card all around and I think it will be responsible for a lot of broken combos.
TOP 3 BEST TRAINER/SUPPORT CARDS
1. G Scope
Another great card that helps destroy pokemon on the bench. Combined with Genesect EX Plasma ability and this could be a game winner. Especially if the opponents bench has been unproperly prepared. A great card, with the only downside being there can only be one in your deck and it can only be used on Genesect EX. Still though if you run Genesect EX I highly recommend this card.
2. Sliver Mirror
This is a great card that can help counter some of the Team Plasma threats. Prevent damage and effects is worth it alone, and there really isn’t much to talk about with it. It’s a great card that can stop Genesect or any other Team Plasma combos in their tracks.
3. Iris
Iris is one of those cards that are great as a last resort. If opponents are down to their last prize card, this can help the player make sure it stays that way for the rest of the game. With the possibility of 50+ extra damage, this could really end up changing the path of the game in a pinch.
Collected Opinion
Plasma Blast is a great closing to the Plasma Series. There are a lot of cards that allow player to take a new spin on the Plasma Deck, and their are also a lot of cards that allow players to strengthen themes stronger in prior sets. Genesect EX is quickly becoming one of my favorite EX Pokemon, and overall the set had a lot of strong cards. The only downside is that the set only has 101 cards in it (5 of which are simply alternate art of others), and some cards in the set work almost too similairly to others. Overall though Plasma Blast was a great closing set to the Plasma series and contained some cards you can expect to see in your local Tournaments
