Name:
Primeape
Set:
Fire Red/Leaf Green
Card#:
28/112
Type:
Fighting
Stage:
1 (Evolves from Mankey)
HP:
70
Weakness:
Psychic
Resistance:
None
Retreat:
None
Attack#1:
(CC) Toss [30x]
You may discard from you hand as many Technical Machines and
Pokémon Tool cards as you like. This attack does 30 damage
times the number of cards you discarded.
Attack#2:
(FC) Low Kick [40]
Name:
Mankey
Set:
Fire Red/Leaf Green
Card#:
38/112
Type:
Fighting
Stage:
Basic
HP:
50
Weakness:
Psychic
Resistance:
None
Retreat:
C
Attack#1:
(C) Mischief
Shuffle your opponent’s deck.
Attack#2:
(FC) Light Punch [30]
Attributes:
Primeape has a pretty weak history.
So weak, in fact, that I am just going to say that if you have
to play one, this is probably it. Anyway,
Primeape is a Stage 1 Fighting Pokémon. It Evolves from
Mankey, which has also had a lack luster history (although one
Brock’s Mankey used to be almost a staple for a brief time).
The Fire Red/Leaf Green Mankey might be the best of the
bunch-Mischief isn’t too great unless you couldn’t use Light
Punch or your opponent uses a deck ordering card (think Oracle
or Pokédex-style cards). Light
Punch, on the other hand, is a solid attack for a little guy (it
pays for 25 damage but receives 30), and it has a solid 50 HP,
so you might consider using it. Back to
Primeape itself. Fighting
types are making a comeback in a big way. Hidden Legends
Machamp and the emergence of Team
Magma as not only a good deck, but possibly the top deck (how
did we miss that-I know people who tested it and didn’t nearly
so well) in the game means this type might once again be
feared. Also, please, try Armulligan
(Fossil Mulligan deck based around Armaldo
for Modified)-it’s sick fun! It also helps that, Weakness for
it is actually more commonly seen than Resistance to it. Moving
to HP, we see 70. This is absolute minimum my experience has
taught me, that a Stage 1 can get by with (barring a nearly
broken effect). In other words, it’s like the “D-“
of HP-it’s passable, barely. Now we come to Psychic
Weakness-unfortunate, but expected. No Resistance is the worst
Resistance. Finally, we see a perfect free retreat. Nice.
Abilities: The
first attack isn’t bad; it just isn’t good. You burn a
non-renewable resource for Toss. You also can’t squeeze that
many TMs and Tools into the standard deck set up. In Unlimited,
you have access to cards that can recycle them, but also cards
that do more damage just as reliably for fewer resources. In
Modified, you can’t recycle those Trainers (at least not
easily), and there are both easier and stronger things to run.
The second attack is a straight forward attack with a good
Energy for Damage ratio. Sadly, it’s not enough to redeem the
card’s abilities.
Uses/Combinations:
In constructed formats, you could combine it with
Skyridge Xatu,
as both make excellent use of Technical Machines and that
Xatu can recycle Trainers. Raticate
from Fire Red/Leaf Green also has Trainer recycling abilities.
It is even Modified friendly. I
don’t know how good it would be though-to get said Trainers back
requires using an attack.
This card’s main purpose is in draft. There, Low Kick becomes
devastating. There is even a Tool in this set-Exp. All. If you
pull multiples of that Tool and this line, it might be good for
a nasty surprise. The Mankey also appears to be a solid pick
here as well: quick, cheap damage, and this set does contain
cards that let your re-arrange your part of deck. Raticate is
also in this set…
Ratings
Unlimited:
1.75/5-Too much effort for too little return.
Modified:
2.5/5-About the same, but at least you might win through ways
other than total opponent incompetence or luck.
Limited:
3.75/5-Looks to be a good pick, as I stated earlier.
Summary
Even being the best Primeape doesn’t
make it so great.
