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Well now that I've had some sleep
and more daylight to work with,
GIRATINA-EX!!
Objectively better than his
original EX version printed back in Dragons Exalted,
Giratina-EX is basically one giant roadblock for all
sorts of cards your opponent can play. He's even become
the headliner of his own decks, combining with other
lock-cards like Seismitoad-EX in Expanded and Vileplume
in Standard! Together these cards can make things for
your opponent very, very difficult.
And that's been proven in several
regionals that have cropped up over the last few months!
And why wouldn't it? Giratina-EX is practically
anti-meta! From Renegade Pulse which keeps him from
taking damage from any Mega-EX's attacks, to Chaos Wheel
which locks the opponent's usage of Tools, Special
Energies, and Stadiums, Giratina-EX is quite the force
to be reckoned with! You keep your Stadium in play
longer, your opponent can't boost their attacks with
Muscle Band, and they can't power through with Special
Energies! That's a lot of aid in just one attack!
Granted, Giratina-EX is not without
flaws. The main chink in his armor is attacking with
non-Megas, which there are still a great variety of
despite what recent sets have come out with. Vespiquen
can, with the right set-up, one-shot Giratina-EX with
ease, and Jirachi (you know, that promo that came out?)
can discard a Double Dragon Energy you attached to him
and not have to suffer any repercussions for it, given
the opponent a chance to fight back.
He may not be as potent or as
dominant as Seismitoad-EX once was, but there's no
denying his niche locks have a major effect on any deck
that faces Giratina-EX!!
Rating
Standard: 4/5 (he's still got a lot
of power against Megas and other decks, and given the
different combinations he could be with, he'll be around
for a while!)
Expanded: 4/5 (he's got less protection with less Megas
forcing their way in, but Chaos Wheel is still a
dangerous threat to maintain)
Limited: 5/5 (Rule 1 of drafting a Pokemon-EX in
Limited: ALWAYS run your Pokemon-EX in Limited)
Arora Notealus: Giratina-EX is one
scary dude, and I'm not just saying that for appearances
- if you're not prepared to face off against it, he'll
dominate the match! And that could be scary...
Weekend Thought: On that note, hope
those of you who do celebrate it have a Merry Christmas!
And for those who celebrated Hanukkah already, hope it
was a good one too! And as for the rest of us...merry
Festivus!
Next Time: We're gonna take this TO
THE SKIES!!
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