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#10 Blissey
(Mysterious Treasures)
130 HP on a Stage
1 with a cheap, effective attack that gains 30
damage from a Boost Energy make it not only
difficult to KO, but fast. Unfortunately, Gallade
becoming popular has turned this fighting weak
Pokémon from one of the best decks in the format to
nearly unplayable. |
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#9 Banette
(Secret Wonders)
With the ability
to evolve turn one from Shuppet’s Ascension, Banette
is a Stage 1 that applies early pressure on your
opponents. Combined with Cessation Crystal and
Crystal Beach, Banette can draw two to three prizes
before your opponent has developed a powerful
attacker. Spiteful Pain can be combined with
various discarding supporters like TV Reporter, or
even Sableye (CG). |
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#8 Delcatty
(Power Keepers)
Energy Drew has
been and always will be one of the best Poké-Powers
on a Stage 1 Pokemon. Simply put, three cards is a
lot of cards, and it allows decks to develop
multiple Stage 2’s and set up large, powerful
combinations of Pokémon. |
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#7 Absol (Secret
Wonders)
Perhaps the most
disruptive basic ever printed in modified, Absol’s
Baleful Wind attack not only can significantly slow
down a deck, but remove necessary resources from
your opponent’s deck. Sometimes even insignificant
seeming cards end up having a huge effect that isn’t
seen until later in the game. |
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#6 Furret (Secret
Wonders)
When asked about
Furret, U.S. National Champion Chris Fulop asked “Do
you remember how good Pidgeot (RG) was? This thing
let’s you use it twice for free.”
Keen Eye is one
of the best attacks ever printed on a card ever. 0
energy to pick two cards of your choice allows you
to run Stage 2 lines that would previously have been
too inconsistent to compete. |
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#5 Claydol (Great
Encounters)
Claydol allows
decks to run multiple evolutions and set up large,
powerful combos. It also works as a great counter to
the ubiquitous Team Galactic’s Wager.
Ohio’s Chris
Fulop commented that the popular supporting stage
one Pokemon like Delcatty (PK) and Furret (SW) are
actually seeing less play because this card has been
such a strong replacement. |
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#4 Stantler
(Secret Wonders)
One Stantler in a
deck can serve as a huge boost of consistency –
allowing each of your Holon Mentor and Roseanne’s
Research to bail you out of hands that have no
productive supporters. And because Lead requires
colorless energy, Stantler can fit in any deck. |
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#3 Magmortar
(Secret Wonders)
Texas’s John
Kettler, one of the highest rated players in last
year’s season, stresses that Magmortar’s ability to
abuse Scramble Energy make it one of the best
comeback cards in the game.
A stage one with
110 HP that works great with Scramble Energy, has a
situational second attack, and a decent Poke-Body
equals one thing: One of the best cards in the game.
Not only that, but its water weakness is nearly
irrelevant as Gardevoir (SW) /Gallade (SW) keeps
Feraligatr (SW) from re-entering the format. Magmortar
has even more things adding to its strength: a solid
basic and the ability to level up into a Pokemon
that can deal 100 to anything. |
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#2 Gallade
(Secret Wonders)
130 HP and two
solid attacks, as well as an effective type. The
only downside of this card is that Psychic Cut is
quickly weakened by the fact that so many Pokemon
have high HP nowadays. Fortunately, you can also
evolve Kirlia into Gardevoir, a Pokemon that
consistently deals 60 and shuts off powers. When a
deck has its largest threat one hit KO’d, and then
has it’s Poke-Powers disabled the rest of the game,
it is in serious trouble. |
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#1 Gardevoir
(Secret Wonders)
A solid
Poke-Power and an attack that disrupts the dozens of
decks that can be built to be focused on
Poke-Powers, Gardevoir by itself is a mediocre card.
However, just like Gallade gains strength from
Gardevoir, Gardevoir becomes more powerful with
Gallade.
Chris Fulop wrote
that Gardevoir’s strength comes from “an incredible
attack and a consistency boosting power,” but that
its biggest strength comes from the fact that “it is
in the same line as Gardevoir LV. X and Gallade.”
If either Gallade
or Gardevoir was removed from modified, I would have
excluded both from the list. But because of the
amazing synergy these cards give each other, they
have become the strongest cards in the game. |