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Pojo's Pokémon Card of the Day

 

Top 10 XY Cards

#4 - Delphox  

- XY

Date Reviewed:
February 18, 2014

Ratings & Reviews Summary

Modified: 3.88
Limited: 4.00

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

Back to the main COTD Page

Combos With: See Below

Baby Mario
2010 UK National
Seniors
Champion

#4 Delphox 

At #4 on our list is a card that brings something to the game that has been missing for far too long: consistent, practical, non-Supporter draw power. There may be better cards in the set, but I don’t think any of them has made me as happy as Delphox. 

Just to explain, I hate the fact that we are completely dependent on Supporters for draw. It makes too many matches dependant on who draws what Supporter, especially in the early game. I really miss the days when we had Holon’s Transceiver, Pidgeot FRLG, or Claydol GE to bring consistency and stability to a deck. Now Delphox is by no means the universal solution to this problem. It’s a Stage 2, so it’s not like it can be splashed into any deck, but for those lists that can run it, it provides tremendous support. It does this through Mystical Fire (basically the same thing as Magnezone Prime’s Magnetic Draw): once during your turn, you can draw cards until you have six in your hand. The benefits of Mystical Fire are huge: you will always have fuel for discarding cards like Ultra Ball or Dowsing Machine; you are no longer at the mercy of late-game N; and best of all, you have the means for steady, consistent draw all through the game, regardless of whether you can hit that Juniper/Colress/whatever. 

So what else is good? Well, Blaze Ball is a more than decent attacking option. It’s a Fire version of Keldeo EX’s Secret Sword, doing 50 plus 20 more for each Fire Energy attached, which gives it the ability to OHKO anything in the game. Of course, you most likely won’t want to risk your draw engine plus a ton of Energy very often, but it’s there if you need it to deal with a pesky Safeguard Pokémon, or it can be used for a relatively cheap OHKO on a Fire-Weak Pokémon like Genesect EX or Cobalion EX. 

A must-play for Emboar decks, and I would honestly consider at least teching this into anything that uses Rare Candy. It feels ungrateful to wish this was a Stage 1 (which I kind of do), so for now I’ll, just say ‘thank you Pokémon’. Thank you for a step in the right direction. 

Rating 

Modified: 4.25 (we have gone far too long to go without this kind of card)

Limited: 4 (if you can get it out, brilliant) 


HEZ
Intro to
Unlimited 150

Delphox #26

Modified.
If you’d asked about this card just a few days ago I would have said, “yeah it’s good, draw power on a reliable Ability combined with a powerful attack… but it’s a Stage 2”. Traditionally, bench-sitting draw Pokémon have been Stage 1s and since B&W, most main attackers have been Basics, backed up by a Stage 2s Ability. You could play it alongside Emboar and Rayquaza EX as a draw engine, but running two Stage 2 lines is risky in this format where aggression takes precedence over setting up. No one wants to have a Tepig on the bench, a Rare Candy in hand… then to topdeck a Delphox.

But the future looks bright for Delphox! The previews for the new Wildfire set seem to be offering Fire types some much required support with Supporters like Blacksmith giving Delphox energy acceleration without having to play two Stage 2s in one deck. Such a stand-alone attacker and draw engine reminds me of the incredibly popular Magnezone Prime from just a few years ago.

Regardless, whether Delphox takes the position of draw-engine and backup attacker in another deck or it can find enough support in Wildfire to fight alone any Fire deck is going to continue to have an uphill struggle if Blastoise-based decks continue to be so popular but the balance could be tipped if Genesect decks take the lead. Ultimately, it may not be new Fire supporting cards that make Delphox playable but shifts in the metagame between Water and Grass decks.

Unlimited 150.
Like any newly released evolved Pokémon, Delphox is going to have a bit of trouble fitting in in U150 until it gets some more good versions. That said, a 1-1-1 line could be playable in a Fire deck that already runs a solid Stage 2 line as setting up two Stage 2s is a little easier in this format. With something Typhlosion or Blaziken providing acceleration it can take the lead as an attacker or it can hang back on the bench and draw cards. This flexibility is what will make Delphox worth playing. Draw-engine Pokémon draw hate like no other type of Pokémon and whether you’re playing the classic Claydol engine or the more Fire-specific Ninetales you can expect them to get KO’d at least once during a game, so having a backup is always a good idea. Then, once it’s drawn you a few cards it can suddenly jump into offensive mode. Combined with Mewtwo delta (Delta Species) you can shift huge amounts of energy onto Delphox to nab a surprise KO on a threatening Pokémon, five energy being enough to one hit KO almost anything that gets played.

Definitely one to watch, with a little more support in its evolution line it could join Typhlosion and Blaziken as one of the truly playable Fire starter Pokémon.

Ratings.
Modified: 3.5
Unlimited 150: 3


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