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Pojo's Pokemon Card of the Day

Sudowoodo - Aquapolis


Date Reviewed: 1.19.04

Ratings & Reviews below

Ratings are based on a 1 to 5 scale
1 being the worst.  3 ... average.  
5 is the highest rating.

AuSeNsTrAk  Sudowoodo. That's one hell of a name.

Meh. Another card that's good in draft only.

Unlimited decks already run their own powerhouses. Copy is pointless. Don't bother with it here.

Modified decks COULD run this, as a decent fighting starter. Water hasn't gotten too hot yet, so weakness shouldn't be much of a problem. It's kinda splashable...but there are MUCH better options around.

Draft is where it's GREAT. Draft decks run 2-4 colors. If you're lucky enough, you'll either face an opponent's colorless pokemon, face a pokemon whose energy you're running or just find an attack that you can copy. The search attack lets you power it up nice and fast too.

Unlimited: 1/5 useless
Modified 2/5 COULD work as a starter, but don't bet the farm on him winning games for you Draft 4/5 Search? Good. Fast power up? Good. hp? Pretty good.

The bottom line: Draft him. That's. about. it.
Otaku

Name: Sudowoodo
Set:
Aquapolis
Type:
Fighting
Stage:
Basic
HP:
60
Weakness:
Water
Resistance:
None
Retreat:
CC
Attack#1:
(C) Copy
Choose 1 of the Defending Pokémon’s attacks.  Copy copies that attack.  This attack does nothing if Sudowoodo doesn’t have the Energy necessary to use that attack.  (You must still do anything else required in order to use that attack.)

Attack#2: (F) Energy Draw
Search your deck for a basic Energy card and attach it to Sudowoodo.  Shuffle your deck afterward.

Name: Sudowoodo
Set:
Neo Revelation
Type:
Fighting
Stage:
Basic
HP:
60
Weakness:
Water
Resistance:
None
Retreat:
CCC
Pokémon Power:
Mimic
As long as Sudowoodo is your active Pokémon, it copies all of the Defending Pokémon’s attacks, including their costs.  This power can’t be used if Sudowoodo is Asleep, Confused, or Paralyzed.

Attack: (CC) Slam [20x]
Flip 2 coins.  This attack does 20 damage times the number of heads.

Name: Sudowoodo
Set:
Neo Genesis
Type:
Fighting
Stage:
Basic
HP:
60
Weakness:
Water
Resistance:
None
Retreat:
CCC
Attack#1:
(F) Flail [10x]
Does 10 damage times the number of damage counters on Sudowoodo.

Attack#2: (FC) Rock Throw [30]

Attributes:  Sudowoodo is probably a good card to be, since the other two just weren’t so hot: very little competition for it.  It is a basic, which is great-it would only be better if it had a “Baby” stage and a Stage 1 Evolution (it’s all about options).  It is a Fighting Pokémon, which is a mixed blessing: there is Fighting Weakness out there, but many Pokémon in Dragons are Resistant, as are of course others.  There are few strong Fighting decks out there: in Modified, that is mainly due to lack of play.  I can name three Fighting Pokémon that can all play partner to Sandstorm Xatu (for solid decks): Armaldo, Expedition Golem, and Aquapolis Nidoking.  In Unlimited, there just aren’t  lot of good ones left, and then, they have the Hitmon- family (including their pre-Evo Tyrogue) for support.

All Sudowoodo have 60 HP.  This is solid for a Basic Pokémon, but to be fair, Sudowoodo should probably be in the 70-90 HP club.  Why?  In the Game Boy Pokémon games, it has good HP, but also solid Defense, Special Defense Stats and Speed scores as well.  Also, since it doesn’t evolve, 60 is really a touch low.  Next up is Weakness.  Sudowoodo was the first pure Rock-Type, and as such, Water, Grass, Fighting, Ground, and Steel are all weaknesses for it in the GB games.  Sadly, only Water has been used so far on all Sudowoodo.  It’s not the worst, but Fighting or Metal might be better in the current TCG environment.  Sadly all have no Resistance: Normal (Colorless), Fire, Flying (Colorless), and Poison (Grass) are all possibilities, though Fire or Colorless would be best (since “real” Grass Pokémon would should do double).  But instead, we get nothing, naturally the worst resistance.  Retreat was 3 on older versions, but at least went down to a slightly manageable 2 for this version-low enough you can actually pay it.  You might want to let it go down swinging.

Abilities: This versions makes a bizarre sort of sense with what it can do.  The original had what would (in the current Modified) be considered decent attacks that just focus on damage.  Flail’s a great way to go out, and Rock Throw actually is discounted-you pay for just 25, but get 30!  It can learn both in the GB games, and they function similarly.  Now look at this one: it has Copy, which lets it copy your choice of the Defending Pokémon’s attacks, and Energy Draw, to help you power-up for Copy!  It has an attack (Mimic) that works a little like Copy in the GB games.  Now look at the Neo Revelation Sudowoodo.  It looks kinda like a cross between the two-it has a Pokémon Power, Mimic, which again is similar to Mimic in the GB games.  It has Slam, which, like in the GB game gives just damage (though with less variability and more accuracy).  So that version gives you the ability to rip your opponent’s best moves or to hit them if they haven’t got anything good.  Of them, I like Copy better than Mimic-the end results are the same, but there are more things that trouble Pokémon Powers than attacks, in my opinion.   Mimic “writes” an attack onto the card for you to use, thus both things that affect attacks and Powers cause problems for Mimic.  Energy Draw would be better as a Poke-Power though, since then you could use it and then attack the same turn.  The other attacks are all of equal use in my eyes, as sometimes you want that solid 30, other times Flail would be a great counter, but Slam is also colorless and can get up to 40 damage! 

Uses/Combinations: Decks that used Rainbow Energies already might benefit from this-almost every deck you face, you can copy something good.  Without Rainbow, you can still copy, but it will likely be slow.  The big problem is it has got a trick that needs more HP to be useful-by the time it can copy anything good, it’s probably dead or close to it. =/ It might be decent for Sceptile TecH though: Trans some Grass and a few Rainbow to it (after dropping it freshly), and watch them squirm, especially if they can’t OHKO it.

Ratings

Unlimited: 1.75/5-As usual, it can do stuff, but something else (Clefable) does it much, much better.  I didn’t comment on it too much for this format for that reason.

Modified: 2.5/5-I see some use for it.  The Sceptile TecH I’ve seen run Solrock for Fighting TecH, as do most decks that need a little Fighting.  This might be a touch better since it might be able to go for speed KO’s.  Ironically, the others might be decent here as well.

Limited: 3.5/5-Late game, against Evos, it may not do so hot.  If you get it early though, look out!  Most decks here will run at least 2 energy types.  With the strong Colorless Pokémon in some of the recent sets (even the “old-new” stuff like WotC’s last 3 sets), making even more colorful decks will be a snap.  Now factor in that your opponents will also have mostly colorless Energy costs on their stuff, and Energy Draw.  You should be able to set up fast and nuke most of what they get while it’s still under-powered.  Like I said though, if they can set up anything big, it will probably eat you first and/or be too hard to copy.

2-on-2: 2.75/5-Easier to Copy stuff here.

TMP: 2.65/6-Easier to like in 2-on-2, but you will risk this taking twice the hits.

Summary

Sudowoodo, like too many basics, has attacks that are really meant for big guys.  If it had a little more HP, it might stand a shot.  Still, it might have some use.

-Otaku (nintendotaku@hotmail.com)

Patriarch Well, this is a very interesting card, we'll say...interesting...

Well, we've got a 60 HP Fighting Pokemon that's basic...sounds relatively decent so far. However, don't let the copy attack mislead you, as it isn't nearly as good as it may seems to be. Since it states that it may only copy one of the Defending Pokemon's attacks, you have less of a realm than say...Expedition Alakazam *kicks self for missing the review for that guy -.-""*

Then again, maybe you COULD make this a tech tool in a Kabutops ex deck. However, Energy Draw reads that you must have to search for a BASIC energy card, and attach it to Sudowoodo. Nevertheless, just chock some rainbows in there, and you might get a few surprises! However, in my opinion, speed and consistency are what count, not a lucky surprise every now and then.

Bottom stats aren't too hot for what you get: Weakness to water, no resistance, and CC retreat.

Unlimited (125/5): My lord, this thing will be torn to shreds by so much...however, on the other hand, you COULD copy so much of theirs! My mood on this thing actually swayed from 1 to 1.5, and then to a balance! What is the potential of Copy? It's whatever your opponent's potential is, plain and simple.

Modified (2/5): This is like one of many: it has such high potential, but crashes and burns. Why play this when there's so much better? An extra draw card could work wonders in a tight spot...He won't make thing too good for you, I assure. There's the random factor, which is never in one's favor.

Limited (3/5): Amidst the harshness from the last two formats, he's actually a neat guy in limited! I wouldn't necessarily say he's a top pick, but with Energy draw,you never have to worry about being at a loss!
Ralphy
Oh wow?! Another Clefable. Wait, this card is a basic, in Modified, it has to be too good to be true. And, yes, it is. Actually, this card isn't worth the foil that was printed on it.
 
Unlimited- I don't see a use. I guess you could toss it into a Haymaker being that those already have many energy types in them already, or you could just not and play Clefable. Besides, in order for this card to work right, you need to play fighting energies to search out the other energy types, and who plays fighting in Haymakers anymore anyway? 1.25/5 here.
 
Modified- Well, maybe this isn't so bad here. If you know going into a match that you will play big fire, then toss some fire energies into your deck, and you can use all of their big attacks against them. Of course, their attacks will KO you so this isn't always the best idea. Changing energies before each battle isn't a good idea either. So this card isn't very useful at all. 2/5 just for the hell of it.
 
Limited- Well, if you draft a ton of colorless pokemon or pokemon with splashable attacks, you can just put any old energies into your deck and then Sudowoodo becomes very playable. Those Pokes that your opponents thought they were sly drafting, become your Pokemon, well the attacks anyway. And you can use the attacks first by attaching two energies per turn with Energy Draw. Just make sure you put some fighting energies in also. 3/5 here.

 


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