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Pojo's Pokémon Card of the Day

 

Top 10 New Pokemon Cards of 2016

#1 - Fighting Fury Belt
- XY: Evolutions

Date Reviewed:
Dec. 30, 2016

Ratings & Reviews Summary

Standard: 4.67
Expanded: 4.25
Limited: 4.50

Ratings are based on a 1 to 5 scale.
1 being horrible.  3 ... average.  5 is awesome.

Back to the main COTD Page


aroramage

Well, this shouldn't really surprise anyone that much. Fighting Fury Belt topping the list this year is a lot like when Muscle Band topped the list of 2014. Maybe we just like damage boosters here at pojo...

In any case, Fighting Fury Belt has a lot of things going for it. It adds more damage to hit magic numbers, sure, and it's a generic Tool that can be run just about anywhere, but it's also got the added benefit of boosting one's HP, something Muscle Band didn't do at all! And while Fighting Fury Belt adds on less damage than Muscle Band does, it does give an extra 40 HP, which is a LOT to consider. That's the sort of number that can push OHKO to 2HKO to 3HKO!

That being said, it does limit itself in another way. Yes, it's mostly generic otherwise, but it can only be tacked onto a Basic Pokemon. Not that that stopped it from seeing play, just kept it out of most decks. Humorously, Night March could run it for Joltik if they wanted to...not that it would matter that much in terms of damage output, but I like the idea of this little electric spider wearing this oversized belt and being able to survive a round or two because of it. But the main benefit is for those Basic Pokemon-EX that could operate on their own, since Megas and BREAK Evos can't use it.

It's balanced, it's powerful, it's not exactly format-defining, but it's prevalent, and that's why Fighting Fury Belt managed to scrap out a clean 1st place! 

Rating 

Standard: 5/5 (I rated this a bit lower the first time around, considering at the time it came behind Psychic's Third Eye) 

Expanded: 4.5/5 (can you believe people didn't really play Psychic's Third Eye?)

Limited: 5/5 (I've barely seen it in any deck lists as of late!) 

Arora Notealus: Certainly Fighting Fury Belt has held the attention of a lot of folks for a long time. Maybe not always in the foreground, maybe not even in most decks, but it's been there. And just like Max Elixir, it's always waiting for those decks that need it most to come claim it. 

Weekend Thought: I hope you all have a great New Year's! It's been a long and at times troublesome year, but when I look to the future, I see a lot of promise and growth. For the games we play, the cards to come, the excitement that awaits - it's going to be a heck of a time for a while. Do you agree with the Top 10 of this year?  Think there ought to be something higher? Or maybe something lower? And you got someone to keep warm against? For some areas it ain't that bad, but I hope you chilly people don't stay frosty! Maybe frothy with a cup of cocoa or something. 

And from Pojo, I wish you all the best in the year to come! Keep thinking of new strategies, keep collecting your favorites, and always keep evolving ;)


Otaku

At last we come to our number one card, and it is Fighting Fury Belt (XY: BREAKpoint 99/122).  This Pokémon Tool has no attachment restrictions beyond the usual, but its effects will only apply to Basic Pokémon.  Said effects are +40 HP and +10 to damage done by attacks of the equipped Pokémon, before applying Weakness or Resistance.  This was our number two pick from its set and really should have been number one; a single Tool that gives a small boost to offensive and a decent boost to defense isn’t unprecedented, and the modern format favors the card more than prior to rotation, but even back then it was quite obviously good.  While the HP bonus is larger and thus more likely to affect how many turns (or at least how much effort) is required for your opponent to KO the equipped Pokémon, until this year’s rotation the Standard Format - like the Expanded Format both then and now - had multiple means of blocking, discarding, or negating Pokémon Tools.  There were also more Pokémon Tools for which Fighting Fury belt had to compete for deck space, but it proved effective enough to either share deck space with or replace Muscle Band, let alone Assault Vest, Giant Cape, and/or Hard Charm.  The main reason not to run Fighting Fury Belt in your deck is because you are focusing on a non-Basic Pokémon as your main attacker: Greninja BREAK, Trevenant BREAK, various Mega Evolutions, etc.  There are also some Basics that may be better served by a different Pokémon Tool, like Float Stone.  Even though Expanded play has more competition and counters for it, Fighting Fury Belt remains a great card here as well.  It can turn what seems like a filler card into a fierce fighter in Limited, making it a great pull there as well. 

Ratings 

Standard: 4.25/5 

Expanded: 4/5 

Limited: 4/5 

Summary: We end our top 10 countdown, our week, and our year with a surprisingly short and sweet review.  Well, by my standards at least.  Fighting Fury Belt will often not alter how many turns you or your opponent needed to score a KO, but it matters enough that your deck will usually be better off for its presence, unless you’re focused on attacking with a non-Basic Pokémon. 

Fighting Fury Belt amassed a total of 29 voting points, topping two out of three personal lists (including my own) and still coming in second on the third and final list.  This means it beat out our second place finisher, Greninja BREAK, by a solid five points.


Zach Carmichael
Had this at #2 on his Top 10 List


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