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Pojo's Pokémon Card of the Day

 

Excadrill #57

Emerging Powers

Date Reviewed: Oct. 18, 2011

Ratings & Reviews Summary

Modified: 1.75
Limited: 3.13

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

Baby Mario
2010 UK National
Seniors
Champion

Excadrill 57/98 (Emerging Powers)

Bet you didn’t see this coming did you? Yes, today we review the other Excadrill from Emerging Powers. Which one is best? Hmmm . . . this is going to take some figuring out.

Today’s card has 120 HP, which is 10 more than yesterday’s. That fact, combined with the useful Lightning Resistance, means that Zekrom would have to drop two PlusPowers to get a OHKO, though of course Reshiram wouldn’t need to bother. Being a Fighting Type is pretty good right now too: Magnezone, Cinccino, and Zoroark all fear Fighting Pokémon, and the Water Resistance isn’t too much of a drawback either: it’s certainly better than the more common Psychic Weakness which would make a match up against Gothitelle even more unpleasant than it already is.

Excadrill’s Dig attack costs [F][C] and does 30 damage . . . which is most definitely subpar. It does have the nice effect of giving you a coin flip for next turn immunity from damage and effects though. This can be useful and annoying for your opponent (even though it is unreliable), but it’s nothing like the unbreakable wall it appears to be: Pokémon Catcher, Yanmega sniping, Muk’s Sludge Drag (in Mew-based decks) are all extremely common ways of playing around it.

In yesterday’s review, Excadrill got compared to Donphan Prime and was found to be inferior. Today’s card practically forces the same comparison once again. This is because, just like Donphan, it has an Earthquake attack. Excadrill’s version actually does slightly more damage than Donphan’s (70 as opposed to 60), while doing the same 10 spread to your own Bench. Unfortunately, it costs quite a bit more. While Donphan does it for a single Fighting Energy, Excadrill requires [F][C][C]. Ok, so you can easily pay for it with a Double Colourless, but you are still looking at two Energy attachments, and on a less durable Pokémon too.

It’s even harder not to see today’s Excadrill as a poor man’s Donphan . . . maybe because that’s exactly what it is. It’s certainly easier and cheaper to get hold of, but it’s slower, and won’t stick around as long. With Donphan itself seeing a slight decline in play (which looks set to continue when strong Water Pokémon like Kyurem and Cryogonal are released in the next set), the value of Excadrill seems even more dubious.

Rating

Modified: 2 (Maybe this is a slight improvement on yesterday’s card, but I don’t consider it playable)

Limited: 3.25 (easier to make the attack lock stick here, but the Bench Damage from Earthquake will eventually hurt you)

virusyosh

Hello once again, Pojo readers! Today we're reviewing the second Excadrill from Emerging Powers.

Excadrill is a Stage 1 Fighting Pokemon. Much like yesterday, Excadrill's primary competition in Modified is Donphan Prime, therefore Excadrill has to do something better than Donphan in order for it to warrant a deck slot. 120 HP is great on a Stage 1, matching that of Donphan Prime and will probably keep Excadrill alive for at least one unboosted hit (although the dragons still sadly OHKO). Water Weakness is a problem against Beartic and Samurott (who will OHKO you), Lightning Resistance is good against Zekrom and Magnezone, and a Retreat Cost of 2 is fairly decent and easily payable, but chances are you'll still want to use a Switch anyway.

Excadrill has two attacks, Dig and Earthquake. Dig deals 30 damage for a Fighting and a Colorless Energy, with the "Agility" protective effect: if you flip heads, you prevent all effects of attacks, including damage, done to Excadrill during your opponent's next turn. Not bad for the cost (and especially nice in Limited), but these types of attacks are generally too unreliable in Modified to be of much use. 30 damage for two Energy is a little low in Modified as well, even with the potential protection.

Earthquake is nearly identical to Donphan Prime's, although Excadrill's version does 70 damage for a rather expensive Fighting and two Colorless, dealing 10 damage to each of your Benched Pokemon. This attack can be nice in Limited for steady damage output, but Donphan Prime's Earthquake is strictly better in Modified, so if you want a hard-hitting Fighting-type in Modified, go with something like Donphan, Machamp Prime, or even Gigalith in the right deck.

Modified: 1.5/5 This Excadrill is totally outclassed by Donphan Prime, even more than yesterday's Card of the Day. If you're thinking about using this Excadrill in Modified, use Donphan Prime instead.

Limited: 3/5 Excadrill #57 is serviceable in Limited, although it's not a standout. Dig provides a nice potential protective effect, allowing you to power up Earthquake and start dishing out 70 damage a turn (which is very good for the Limited format). Just keep in mind that Earthquake does damage your Bench, so you may want to draft high HP Pokemon along with Excadrill, or have some way to heal the damage, like Max Potion.


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