Leaf Cape – Celestial Guardians
Date Reviewed: May 15, 2025
Ratings Summary:
Ratings are based on a 1 to 5 scale. 1 is horrible. 3 is average. 5 is great.
Reviews Below:
Otaku
The 11th best card of Celestial Guardians is Leaf Cape (A3 147)! It’s a Pokémon Tool that remains attached to the equipped Pokémon until that Pokémon leaves the field, or another card effect discards it. Leaf Cape’s effect only works for (G) Pokémon, and that effect grants (G) Pokémon +30 HP. This increases both their maximum HP and their current HP. This card is available as a ♦♦ rare.
There are no card effects that apply to all Trainer cards in Pocket1. We do have effects that apply to Tools in general, however. Both Pachirisu ex (A2 061, 183, 198) and Skarmory (A2 111; P-A 039) have attacks that do more damage if that Pachirisu ex or Skarmory has a Tool attached to themselves. Guzma (A3 151, 193, 208) is discards all Tools your opponent has in play. Rotom (A2 062, 164) does more damage when attacking something that has a Tool attached, Starly (A2 132) has an attack that discards all Tools attached to the opponent’s Active.
Tool counters seem better than Tool “support”2. Tool effects don’t neatly line up with Item or Supporter effects. I think they fall in between the two, in terms of raw power. That Tools much first be attached to a Pokémon you have in play, and that Pokémon can only have one Tool attached at a time, is both a blessing a curse. While it can restrict how quickly you can make use of Tools, a Tool in play doesn’t have to worry about being shuffled away by disruption.
Tools can often function like an Evolution card, in that they enhance something you already have in play. Yes, I would hope evolving does more for a Pokémon that what any Tool currently does, but (so far) no Tools are restricted to a single Pokémon or Evolution line. Being a “variable Evolution” has value in its own right. Which is almost spot on for Leaf Cape, since it raises the equipped Grass-Type Pokémon’s current and maximum HP by 30.
Increasing HP is not the primary benefit of evolving, but when an Evolution doesn’t have more HP than it’s prior Stage, it’s seen as a failing. We also know that increasing HP is a winning strategy, because Giant Cape (A2 147) already demonstrated this. Yesterday, one of the big issues I had with Poison Barb was how often it had to compete with Rocky Helmet Helmet (A2 148). It tried to avoid this by Poisoning, instead of doing damage, but ultimately, that wasn’t enough…
…but Leaf Cape does it right. By restricting itself to a single Type, and in turn, being 50% more effective than the generic option, it finds its niche in decks that are mostly or exclusively filled with Grass Pokémon. Pocket has, so far, been good about making small differences in HP matter. Whether you’re buffing your already big boys, or helping the small fries barely survive a hit, that’s can be a significant advantage in Pocket. It also doesn’t hurt that the Grass Type has healing to go with it.
Like all Tools, it can be a bit iffy to make room for Leaf Cape in your deck. Even when we narrow it down to surviving hits, maybe you’re better off with a Potion or other healing card. HP boosting effects, when they don’t directly contribute to survival, are also like healing in that even when you’ve used them, you may not have needed them. Lastly, remember that the extra HP goes away if it gets discarded, which can result in an unexpected KO from something like Guzma.
Rating: 3.5/5
Now it’s starting to really feel like a countdown. Leaf Cape isn’t some incredible, never before seen effect, but a more powerful version of an existing, proven card balanced out by becoming Type-specific. I’ve been enjoying it as I try out some older Grass-Types, and I’ve been seeing it used well by some of the newer ones.
1Such effects have existed on and off in the full Pokémon TCG since Base Set.
2Quotation marks because I’m not sure if Pachirisu ex and Skarmory should even count as Tool support.
We would love more volunteers to help us with our Card of the Day reviews. If you want to share your ideas on cards with other fans, feel free to drop us an email. We’d be happy to link back to your blog / YouTube Channel / etc. 😉 Click here to read our Pokémon Card of the Day Archive. We have reviewed nearly 5000 Pokémon cards over the last 25 + years!
