If
you think this review is too long to read, just skip
straight to the scores and summary for a concise overview.
Name:
Exploud
Set:
EX Emerald
Card#:
2/106
Type:
Colorless
Stage:
2 (Evolves from Loudred)
HP:
120
Weakness:
Fighting
Resistance:
None
Retreat:
CC
Attack#1:
(C) Collect
Draw 3 cards.
Attack#2:
(CC) Body Slam [30]
Flip a coin. If heads, the Defending Pokémon is now
Paralyzed.
Attack#3:
(CCC) Hyper Voice [50]
Attack#4:
(CCCCC) Mega Throw [60+]
If the Defending Pokémon is a Pokémon-ex, this attack
does 60 damage plus 40 more damage.
Name:
Loudred
Set:
EX Emerald
Card#:
35/106
Type:
Colorless
Stage:
2 (Evolves from Whismur)
HP:
80
Weakness:
Fighting
Resistance:
None
Retreat:
CC
Attack#1:
(C) Body Slam [10]
Flip a coin. If heads, the Defending Pokémon is now
Paralyzed.
Attack#2:
(CCC) Double-edge [50]
Loudred does 10 damage to itself.
Name:
Whismur
Set:
EX Emerald
Card#:
23/106
Type:
Colorless
Stage:
Basic
HP:
50
Weakness:
Fighting
Resistance:
None
Retreat:
C
Attack#1:
(C) Tackle [10]
Attack#2:
(CC) Rollout [20]
Attributes:
EX Emerald Exploud is a Stage 2 Colorless Pokémon.
It is one of two Exploud currently in existence, and both
are legal for Modified. Looking at them, I feel they could
both easily be squeezed into the same deck, so they
compliment each other more than compete; a definite bonus.
As a Stage 2 Pokémon, Exploud will need some cost
breaks and good stats to offset the difficulty of getting it
into play. Being Colorless is more or les a neutral trait,
but not in the way it used to be: now that Colorless
Weakness and Resistance exist, you have to pay attention,
but the pros and cons seem to balance out.
Exploud
has 120 HP, which is as good as it gets for something that
isn’t a Pokémon-ex. Fighting Weakness is not a happy thing
since “Rockdown” uses Dark Tyranitar, plus we have
Monarchy (Nidoking/queen), Machamp,
Magma, and now Medicham ex as potential headaches.
Sadly, there is no Resistance to offset it, but apparently
that just isn’t how it works. Last bottom stat is Retreat,
which is only (CC). For such a large Pokémon, this is
pretty good, although on its own it would merely be
“average”; neither enough to seriously hamper retreating,
but at the same time high enough to keep you from retreating
frequently.
Of
course, I can’t fail to mention its lower Stages. The ones
in this set aren’t spectacular, but neither are they
horrid. The Loudred has all the same stats except
for 40 less HP (that is 80). For a Stage 1 that Evolves
further, this is more or less “average”; it is neither an
advantage nor a disadvantage. Both attacks are solid, and
have a slight cost break: Body Slam should cost a
non-Colorless Energy and Double Edge should be priced (CCCC)
for the damage it does. Whismur is the definition of
“vanilla”: a 50 HP basic, Colorless Pokémon with Fighting
Weakness, no Resistance, a Retreat Cost of one, and two
attacks that are just (C) for 10 and (CC) for 20. The basic
template for a Basic Pokémon, I believe. I would be tempted
to use the old EX Hidden Legends Loudred due to the
only difference between the two, the attacks: the old one
can do 20 with a chance to Confuse (both Defending Pokémon
if it is 2-on-2), and Light Punch which does a straight 40
for (CCC), but that boils down more to personal preference.
EX Emerald Whismur is my choice for Whismurs:
the EX Hidden Legends version can merely do 10 and force
your opponent to switch out their Active, which usually does
little. One might as well have the option of higher damage.
Abilities:
Again, Exploud gets four, count them, four attacks!
Remember back in the day when two was the max? What makes
it really matter is that the attacks are done in a matter
that they feel different enough to warrant being separate
attacks, as opposed to a “composite, variable attack, like
Watergun: that attack, which usually does X damage for a set
amount of Energy, then extra damage for each Water Energy
attached but not used to pay for the attack acts like three
similar attacks that just have an extra Water Energy in the
cost but do X more damage.
The
first attack is Collect, and I like it. Early game, you
either want attacks that help you set up, or that will
grossly inconvenience your opponent. Collect belongs to the
former category: if you get Exploud out early enough, say
via Rare Candy, it will help you set up quickly
unless your luck or deck build is so horrid. Three cards is
quite a bit.
Body Slam is probably the least of the attacks: while still
a good deal (10 more damage and a shot at Paralysis than
paid for), it really is only there so you can attack for two
Energy, or for a desperation measure (pray to Paralyze the
thing that will otherwise KO you next turn).
Hyper Voice is a great deal: a solid 50 damage when you’ve
only paid for 30. Simple and sweet.
Finally, Mega Throw, the big daddy of the attacks. It
requires (CCCCC), which means the normal “10 points of
damage for (C), 30 for (GG)” rules are bent. I’d say (CCCCC)
should probably be worth 60 points of damage; a bonus of 10
points to offset such a huge cost. This attack gives this.
Then it adds a nice bonus: against a Pokémon-ex, you’ll hit
for another 40 points of damage, totaling 100 points of
damage!
Separately, these are nothing special, but all four together
are indeed worth the hassle of running a Stage 2 line as
your decks focus.
Uses and
Combinations:
This is a big Colorless Pokémon; so naturally, Boost
Energy is a great combo. The first three attacks can be
at your disposal, at least for a turn, if you drop a Boost
on it. DRE might not be that bad an idea, since you
aren’t hitting the bench, and after that, a Boost
would give you access to any attack. Likewise, you can add
any useful Pokémon of any Type to it, since you won’t have
to worry about two Energy types at that point.
The
only real “specific” combo I can think of is running it with
the old EX Hidden Legends Exploud, where it is a
welcome addition: both are solid openers, but this one seems
to be the best finisher if it comes down to a real drag out
battle. Surprise! Time Machine should help too.
Ratings
Unlimited:
2/5-You could use it, but it would require building a
deck around it, and said deck doesn’t appear to be very
strong.
Modified:
3.5/5-It works well with the old Exploud, but again,
the deck doesn’t seem like it will be strong enough to stand
up to the other heavies in the format. Much better than in
Unlimited, though.
Limited:
4.5/5-Assuming you draft a decent line to go with it, it is
fantastic. Draw power, stall power, solid power, and raw
power versus Pokémon-ex. As you can see, that pretty much
covers what you’d want for Limited. Rare Candy is
even in this set!
Summary
The
new Exploud is a solid addition to the Exploud
line specifically and Pokémon in general. Its variety of
attacks makes it to be well rounded, but it doesn’t hit hard
enough, fast enough to be a break out star.
