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#6 Jirachi-EX
Since Uxie LA got rotated
back in 2010, the TCG has really suffered from a lack of
splashable Pokémon-based
search/draw cards that boost the consistency of decks
instead of leaving you at the mercy of having to draw
into the right Supporter. Well, now we have something
like that, but to call it a double-edged sword doesn’t
really do justice to the potential perils of using the
card.
Jirachi-EX
comes with a pretty awful attack and an astonishing 90
HP. Yep, that’s right, even less than
Celebi,
Victini and Shaymin –
EX Pokémon that are often considered too risky to play
because of their low hit points. Let’s be honest,
practically every decent playable attacker in the game
will have little or no trouble taking two Prizes off of
a Jirachi, and that’s a very
bad thing. And yet, there is a point where that 90 HP
becomes a positive . . . you see it makes
Jirachi-EX easily searchable
with Level Ball, and that is exactly what you want. This
is because Jirachi boasts
an Ability – Stellar Guidance
– which triggers when you put it into play from the hand
and it allows you to search your deck for any Supporter
card.
So Jirachi-EX gives you an
easily searchable way to get the Supporter you need when
you need it: Juniper for huge draw, N for disruption, or
maybe something more tech-y like Shadow Triad or
Skyla. This is great as it
gives you a lot of ways (Jirachi
itself + Pokémon search) to overcome that dreaded
Supporter drought that can result in decks failing to
set up or just running out of steam. Even a single copy
of this card in a deck can boost consistency by quite a
bit.
But
. . . that downside . . . it’s so very horrible. Two
very easy Prizes for your opponent,
and Arceus forbid that you
should ever be forced to start with it. The best place
for it is probably in a deck like
Blastoise which could use the help in setting up,
but will then just roll over the opposition once it
does. I really like what Jirachi
can do, but it will probably take a braver player than
me to run it.
Rating
Modified: 3.5 (this will both win and lose games for
those who choose to play it)
Limited: 4 (on the one hand, the Ability is even better
here where you won’t have many Supporters. On the other,
when it gets KO’d you lose half your Prizes . . . and
Catcher is in this set . . . )
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