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Pojo's Pokémon Card of the Day

		Krookodile #66 Dark Explorers Date Reviewed: July 24, 2012 Ratings & Reviews Summary Modified: 2.50 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
Combos With:

Baby Mario 2010 UK National Seniors Champion	Krookodile (Dark Explorers) We continue our week of reviewing Dark Pokémon (well the set is called Dark Explorers) with a look at Krookodile. He seems to be one of the more popular Generation V designs, and he usually gets a card that is at least interesting, so let’s hope that trend continues. Krookodile is a Dark Type Stage 2, which means he gets a lot of support in the form of Dark Patch, Dark Claw, Darkrai-EX’s Dark Cloak and (until the rotation) Special Dark Energy. All of this is very good. His HP of 150 isn’t bad either as there isn’t much around that can OHKO him unless they are hitting for Weakness. Speaking of Weakness, Fighting isn’t the best at the moment, largely due to Terrakion NVI, but at least the Psychic Resistance is handy against Mewtwo-EX. Both of Krookodile’s attacks are fairly expensive, so you might well need those Dark Patches if you choose to play him. The first, Dark Clamp, costs one Dark and two Colourless Energy and does 60 damage. That’s a long way from being special, but at least you get an effect that prevents the Defending Pokémon from Retreating. That can help set up some two-hit KOs unless your opponent can find a Switch from somewhere. Kookodile’s second attack, Bombast, is quite unique: for the steep cost of two Dark and two Colourless Energy, it will do 40 damage times the number of Prize cards you have taken. Of course, to make things worthwhile you really need to have taken 3-5 Prizes by the time you use Bombast, and this kind of puts Krookodile into the category of a ‘win more’ card (if you want to look at it negatively) or a useful finisher (if you want to take a positive view). Either way, this makes him quite niche as you won’t be getting the best out of the card until relatively late in the game. The fact that Krookodile is a Stage 2 with huge Energy costs means that he is not exactly going to be a surprise drop either. Your opponent will see this play coming from a mile away and could plan accordingly by preparing their tech Terrakion or using Pokémon Catcher to drag up and KO the Basic. For this reason, it’s going to be hard to justify the use of this card, even in a Dark deck. The fact that it is a Stage 2 which require a lot of deck space and Rare Candy makes him even more difficult to run. Although Krookodile has a kind of superficial appeal, the effort it takes to use him is really not worth the reward. He’s great when you have taken a lot of Prizes and are fully set up with a ton of Energy available . . . but how often will you need him in that situation? Rating Modified: 2 (a card that you will only need when you don’t need it) Limited: 2.25 (playing with four Prizes makes Bombast less attractive, but if you can get him out, he’s big and can take a few hits)
virusyosh	Hello once again, Pojo! Today we're continuing our reviews of Dark Explorers by reviewing Krookodile, one of the Stage 2s in the set that might be able to see some play once the format rotates...maybe.   Krookodile is a Stage 2 Darkness Pokemon. Dark types are more playable than ever right now, with Dark Explorers providing them with amazing support in the forms of Darkrai-EX, Dark Patch, and to a lesser extent, Dark Claw. Additionally, Dark types can benefit from the damage increase given by Special Darkness Energy. 150 HP is good for a Stage 2, meaning that Krookodile should be able to take nearly all unboosted attacks, only falling to the huge attacks of things like Reshiram- and Zekrom-EX. Fighting Weakness is a major problem against Terrakion, who will easily OHKO with Land Crush or Retaliate as a revenge KO. Psychic Resistance is awesome against Mewtwo and other less-commonly seen Psychics. Finally, a Retreat Cost of 3 is just about what we'd expect for Krookodile, but is still rather high, so be sure to use something like Switch in order to move this croc from the Active spot.   Krookodile has two attacks. Dark Clamp deals a somewhat lackluster 60 damage for a Darkness and two Colorless, while also preventing your opponent from retreating during your opponent's next turn. While this attack isn't bad for the Limited format, you'll expect more out of a Stage 2 in Modified in most cases. However, that isn't to say that this attack can't be useful in that format as well, only it's less likely with the presence of cards like Switch. The Intimidation Pokemon's better attack is Bombast, which does 40 damage times the number of Prize cards you've already taken. Unlike Shaymin-EX, this is a card that gets stronger as you progress in the game, eventually topping out at 200 damage for two Darkness and two Colorless in a standard match. While the attack's damage potential is quite impressive, you're likely not going to want to power up Bombast until you've taken at least three Prizes, as the damage output won't be worth the trouble until that point. However, as a late game attacker, Krookodile can be quite powerful, especially with help from Special Darkness and Dark Claw.   Modified: 2.25/5 Krookodile isn't bad by any stretch, only it's likely to be overshadowed by other options. Dark Clamp is rather unimpressive here, but can be used in a bind to deal a bit of damage and cause some disruption. Bombast is much better here, however, chances are you won't be able to get the most out of the attack given the relative speed of the current format. Once Modified rotates to BW-on, however, Krookodile might be able to make an appearance in decks utilizing Darkrai-EX and other Darkness support; however, there are generally better options for this as well, like Hydreigon from Dragons Exalted or even current partners like Terrakion and Tornadus-EX. Overall, Krookodile is a solid, yet somewhat underwhelming Pokemon to use in the Modified format.   Limited: 3.75/5 Krookodile is quite solid in Limited. 150 HP is always great to have in this slower, relatively low-damage format, and both attacks are useful here as well (although Bombast isn't nearly as useful as it has potential to be in Modified, due to Limited only having a maximum of four Prizes). Colorless Energy requirements and Darkness support also make things easier for the dark sand crocodile, specifically powering up its expensive attacks. In summary, Krookodile isn't the best Stage 2 in Dark Explorers Modified, but with the right support and clever playing, it could easily win you a game or two.
Mad Mattezhion  Professor Bathurst League Australia	Krookodile (Dark Explorers)   Today we have big reptile that evolves from yesterday's card. Introducing Krookodile!   This is the third printing Krookodile has had in the TCG, and is the first to pay homage to its Dark half. With Dark Patch and Darkrai EX around, that is definitely a good type to be.   In the staying healthy department, Krookodile is well served with a hefty 150 HP and Psychic resistance that will stand it in good stead, especially against Mewtwo EX. Reshiram EX, Zekrom EX, Groudon EX and Terrakion NV can get a 1HKO, but no other current attacker is going to put Krookodile down before you can get a shot off. Even better, you can use Leavanny NV to remove the Fighting Weakness which Groudon and Terrakion prey upon, while the other two Krookodile are Fighting types that can be used effectively against Zerkom EX if you include them in the build.   On the negative side, Krookodile is a Stage 2 with expensive attacks, so it isn't going to come online quickly and it will cost you a lot of extra Item cards such as Rare Candy, Poke'mon Communication and Dark Patch. As such, an opponent is still going to be happy taking a 2HKO against Krookodile simply because it is unlikely that you will have a spare Poke'mon powered up for when it bites the dust.    The Fighting Weakness is an added burden but you'll just grin and bear that, while the hefty retreat cost is easily fixed by Darkrai EX so all in all, Krookodile DEX is a healthy looking critter as it will indeed need to be if it wishes to compete at the top tables.   Lacking Abilities, Krookodile will have to rely on its attacks. Dark Clamp is a sub-par effort, costing [d][c][c] to deal 60 damage and prevent the opponent retreating manually. While you can power this up in a single turn with a Dark Patch and a Double Colourless Energy as well as pick a choice target to lock with Poke'mon Catcher, there are so many similarly costed attacks that deal twice that damage that t just seems anaemic.   So Dark Clamp is less than brilliant but still serviceable in certain situations. Bombast is a similarly situational attack, but it has a lot more power to throw around. For the cost of [d][d][c][c], you deal 40 damage to the Defending Poke'mon for every Prize card you have already taken. While this is completely useless in the early game when you haven't yet taken any Prizes, the damage progresses from lousy to substantial through to ludicrous as the game goes on. At the 3-Prize mark, the addition of Dark Claw boosts Krookodile up to 140 damage per attack, enough to KO any non-EX that isn't wearing Eviolite. Take 1 more Prize while wearing the Claw and you can now eliminate healthy Poke'mon EX provided that they are unarmoured. Take the fifth Prize and you can now easily crush any opposition you face with or without Dark Claw, which will win you the game since the sixth Prize is the last!   Krookodile DEX is an effective closer for any purely Dark deck (which is great since the other halfway decent Dark types are either snipers or glass cannons) and fits the same role in a Krookodile themed fun deck alongside its BW cousin (which gives great type coverage but suffers from being a tad slow). If you are going to branch out into other energy types however, there are several other vicious beaters that don't suffer from being either a Stage 2 or having low damage in the early game. Most players find the 150 damage offered by Reshiram and Zekrom to be enough and the extra effort necessary to get decent use out of Krookodile will turn most players off the idea, but don't count on never having to face it either!   Modified: 3.75 (the rotation is coming soon which with the loss of cards like Poke'mon Collector, Junk Arm and Rainbow Energy will put a dent in the dominance of the Rainbow EX decks currently owning the field, so maybe a pure Dark deck with Darkrai and Sableye DEX will hit the tournament tables. In that case, Krookodile is the only Dark option for EX-slaying damage currently available so it would have to have some presence in the deck, if only as a 1-1-1 insurance policy)   Limited: 3 (Bombast is a lot weaker here with the lower Prize count, but Clamp becomes excellent, especially if you have a Dark Claw attached. Hope for a strong evolution line!)   Combos with: the sniping potential of Mandibuzz BW, Darkrai EX and Hydreigon NV which get the early KOs necessary to make Bombast worth the investment.
Jebulous Maryland Player	Krookodile   Krookadile is a Stage 2 Dark Pokemon with 150 HP.  It is weak to Fighting, resistant to Psychic, and has a 3 retreat cost.  This is the evolution of yesterday's COTD, so we'll see how it improves.  You can search it with Heavy Ball (same with the Stage 1, so running 4 Heavy Balls wouldn't be a bad idea).  You can as Rare Candy into it, bypassing the awful Stage 1 we looked at yesterday.  The high HP makes it less likely to be OHKOed (thought a Terrakion out for revenge will).   'Dark Clamp' does 60 damage for 1 Dark and 2 of any Energy.  It also has the effect that makes the Defending Pokemon unable to retreat. The amount of energy needed for this attack isn't worth it in my opinion (1 Dark and 1 Colorless would be fine).  For a Stage 2, if I invested time and effort to get it out, I want good effects/attacks. This attack is good if the Defending Pokemon is a low HP basic (and would get knocked out) or something with high HP, but no Energy on it.  If it has energy on it, it will be attacking Krookodile back (and not really wanting to retreat).   'Bombast' costs 2 Dark and 2 Colorless Energy.  It does 40 times the number of prizes you have taken.  Early game this attack is not great.  I can think of 2 scenarios: 1) build it up on the bench, and 2) build it up as the active.  If you build it up on the bench, your active will have to claim prizes in order for this attack to get stronger. This means you have to spend turns getting the attacker powered up, getting this Stage 2 built up, and powering this Stage 2 up.  That won't happen quickly (though Dark Patch helps).  The other scenario is building it up as the active.  So unless it can claim easy prizes (competitively I don't think it can), you will still have to wait for it to power the attack up.  Late game, it will steam roll anything it wants (given you are winning).   I like the concept of 'Bombast', which is a very aggressive attack (it pushes you to claim prizes fast, and it gives you more attack as you do so).  The fact that it's on a Stage 2... well that makes it less usable.  Shaymin EX is similar (though it's based on opponent's prizes), but Shaymin EX is a Basic and only needs a couple of energies to use its attack.  But then again, they are different types, so maybe you can't fit Shaymin EX into that Dark deck you have.   I like 'Bombast', just not on this Pokemon.  Hopefully other Pokemon will be given similar attacks.     Modified: 1.5/5 Limited: 3.5/5 Combo's With: ...   Questions, comments, concerns: jebulousthemighty@yahoo.com