Article #1: Rocket's Raikou ex

[Raikou Trainer]

This was originally written in early 2006, so combos, ratings, etc. will be outdated.

Name: Rocket's Raikou ex

Type: Darkness

HP: 100

Basic Pokemon

Poke-Power: Lightning Burst - Whenever you attach a (D) Energy from your hand to Rocket's Raikou ex, you may choose 1 of the Defending Pokemon and switch it with 1 of your opponent's Benched Pokemon. Your opponent chooses the Benched Pokemon to switch. This power can't be used if Rocket's Raikou ex is affected by a Special Condition.

(LCC) Thunderous Blow (40+) Does 40 damage plus 10 more damage for each (L) Energy attached to Rocket's Raikou ex.

Weakness: Fighting

Resistance: None

Retreat: (CC)

Number: 108/107

Rarity: EX Holo


Analysis

HP: 100 is the minimum that a Basic Pokemon can have to become a Pokemon ex, so it's fitting that Rocket's Raikou ex has that much. To extend it's HP some more, you can use healing cards like Potion and Heal Powder. You can also increase its HP by 20 by using Rocket's Hideout.

Weakness: Fighting types can cause problems for Rocket's Raikou ex, so if you see one, get Raikou out of there or try to KO it quickly.

Resistance: Rocket's Raikou ex doesn\'t have one, so there's nothing I can say about it, can I?

Retreat: Two Energy is an acceptable amount for a basic Pokemon ex. You can use cards like Balloon Berry and Switch to negate this cost and get away for free.

Poke-Power: This power was used before on the Raikou from Neo Revelation (holo version), but returns for this version. The only difference is that it activates when you attach a Darkness Energy to it instead of a Lightning. Anyway, it's useful if you want to force your opponent to switch their Active Pokemon. The only downside to this Power is that your opponent can choose which Pokemon that gets sent out, so don't use this Power if your opponent has Pokemon that can cause problems later on.

Attack: This attack if priced perfectly for the damage it causes. It even counts the Energy used to pay for the attack, so if you have three Lightning Energy attached, that's 70 damage for a measly three Energy! In addition, you can pile on the Energy and cause even more damage. However, I wouldn't reccomend piling a ton of Energy onto it, otherwise, if it gets KO'd, all those Energy will be useless, so be careful.

Combos

Dragonite (Delta Species)- It's Poke-Power can retrieve Lightning Energy from your discard pile and attach them to your Benched Pokemon, which will help Rocket's Raikou ex power up faster. Multiple Dragonite = good for Raikou!

Rocket's Hideout- This stadium from Team Rocket Returns will boost Rocket's Raikou ex's HP to 120, which is much better than 100.

Ratings

Modified: In this format, the focus is to deal a ton of damage quickly, so be careful if you face a deck that specializes in this. 100 HP might not be worth the 2 Prizes you place on the line for using Rocket's Raikou ex. 6/10

Unlimited: Fighting types are dominant in this format, namely Tyrouge (Neo Discovery) and Hitmionchan (base), so be on your guard. Also, Gust of Wind is much better than Raikou's Poke-Power. 5/10

Summary

Rocket's Raikou ex is a tough card to use, but with the right strategy and cards, it can be a force to be reckoned with.