With the release of Fossil the deck scene is going to be in for some
major
changes.  Although I hate to admit it my Damage Swap will be dead, as
will
most Pokémon Power based decks.  However Raindance will probably be an
exception, due to Lapras and Articuno.  But the real winner will be
Haymaker,
so with that in mind, lets take a look at the best of the set...

Lapras: This card will be the salvation of Raindance, with a pretty
typical
Water Gun its an obvious card, but, the real great thing is Confuse Ray.

Confuse Ray pretty much ruins Mr. Mime's Invisible Wall.  Lapras is also

water's first BBP, something water desperately needed.

Magmar L 35: This card is in my opinion, the most useful in the set.
His
attacks aren't the most impressive, but the great thing is, Scyther now
has a
rival!  Although Magmar's attacks aren't amazing they are nonetheless
good,
and he is a great starter.  This guy will be in almost every deck,
especially
decks with Hitmonlee and Hitmonchan, Haymakers.

Hitmonlee: Not much to say here, he's a bench destroyer, although I
won't be
using him.  With only 60 HP he's way too vulnerable to Scyther.

Moltres: This card is pretty average at first glance.  But it's first
attack
is what really stands out, finally a way to destroy the opponent's
deck!  I
will personally run two, they are energy intensive which can be a
problem,
although that problem is muted by our next card...

Energy Transfer: This one lets you search for any basic energy card, no
drawbacks!  This is a must for multicolor decks, and I will run three.
I
really can't say enough about how useful this card is.

Articuno: This is the other Raindance savior.  The second water BBP, it
has a
resistance to fighting and no weakness!  Really useful, if its attacks
were a
bit cheaper it would make a great starter.

Muk: This is the one that will ruin most peoples decks, his power
cancels all
powers except his own, a sad day for Damage Swap...

Aerodactyl: Personally I hate this card and will not use it.  One hit
from
Scyther and he's gone.  However he's noteworthy, a solid Pokémon Power.
But
too risky, almost all decks run Scyther's, kind of ruining him.

Mew: Great combo for Aerodactyl, really great combo.  Too bad I won't be

using any.  Still, his first attack can come in handy.  One or two in
any
Psychic deck.

Old Man Fuji: This card is debatable, however I will probably use a few,
good
for saving Zards and things like that.  Too bad it goes back in your
deck,
although it can save you from stall decks!

Recycle: I like this one, its a chance, but I'll still use one or two.
Getting a card from your discard pile can be really helpful.

Haunter: Turns all attacks into coin flips...people are really gonna
hate
this one!  A perfect opportunity to use that Muk or Gust Of Wind!

Gengar: Great power, great attack, need I say more?

Gastly: He's way better than the other one!

Ditto: This one is questionable, but it has it's uses, a real danger to
Psychic decks.

Magneton: A HUGE improvement over the other one, this one has an attack
that
ignores resistance.  And it has a much stronger Self Destruct, I like
him a
lot.

Raichu: Useful in bench destroyers, although his attack is overcosted, I

liked the first one better.

Hypno: Another bench destroyer, with a power like Mankey's peek but
better,
this guy deserves a look, too bad Drowzee stinks so much.

Well, that's it, in my opinion these are the best cards of the set.  But
I'm
more than sure that some others will make a name for themselves!

Until next time...

Billy M
(tigerzvra315@yahoo.com)


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