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This is my first new article in quite some time. This article is on Pachirisu from the newly released set Great Encounters. Don't forget that you can comment on the article and discuss successes with the card, other strategies, etc.

Name: Pachirisu

Type: Lightning

HP: 70

(C) Call For Family
Search your deck for up to 3 Basic Pokemon and put them onto your Bench. Shuffle your deck afterward.

(C) Smash Short 10+
If the Defending Pokemon has a Pokemon Tool attached to it, this attack does 10 damage plus 30 more damage. Discard that Pokemon Tool card, look at your opponent's hand, and discard any Pokemon Tool cards of the same name you find there.

Weakness: Fighting +20

Resistance: Metal -20

Retreat: C


Analysis

HP: 70 is pretty good for a non-evolving Basic. Use Leftovers if you want to extend it a bit more.

Weakness: The only real Fighting-type threat currently is Gallade, since it can OHKO Pachirisu without flipping any Prizes. Otherwise, you should be safe.

Resistance: Metal is not commonly used, so it's not going to help that much.

Retreat: One is standard for most Basics, and since both of Pachirisu's attacks only use one (C) energy, you won't have to waste extra Energy just to retreat it.

Call For Family: First, a brief history lesson. The last time an attack that put three Basics on the Bench was Dunsparce from WAY back in EX: Sandstorm. Back then, Dunsparce was almost required in every tournament-worthy deck. Now with Pachirisu doing essentially the same thing, it will definitely be run in fours in every tournament-worthy deck.

Smash Short: This attack can be lethal if timed correctly. Since this attack only costs one (C) energy, you can keep attacking with Pachirisu even after your Bench is full and still prepare your Bench to attack. Possibly doing 40 damage for a single Energy AND discarding Pokemon Tools can really screw up your opponent's strategy, since Pokemon Tools are very difficult to recover.

Combos

None, this card is one of those cards that doesn't require any other cards to work properly (except Basics, of course!)

Ratings

Unlimited: Since most of the big attackers in this format are Basics, Pachirisu can set them up quickly, however, there are lots of Trainers that can search them out just as easily. 8/10

Modified: Since no other card in the format can get three Basics on the Bench for a single Energy, Pachirisu will be seen in just about every deck. 10/10

Limited: If you manage to pull a Pachirisu, definitely put it in your deck. you won't be disappointed. 10/10

Conclusion

Pachirisu will definitely be seen in tournament caliber decks, so expect to see a lot of it.

Isn't the Call For Family move a bit strong? If you got an unlucky hand at the start of the game, as a base level Pokémon it can be played right away and with the move only requiring one C energy card you can play the move right away.

It pretty much destroys any decks looking to take out opponents hard and fast doesn't it?

Though Smash Short looks like a nice little move and 70 HP for a basic Pokémon is nice, Pachirisu doesn't seem like a really great card. Granted, I don't play the TCG so I might be talking a load of rubbish here but with no evolving potential and only one damaging attack that, unless under certain circumstances, does only 10 damage, why have it in your deck over a different basic Pokémon?

Pikachu3828 wrote:Though Smash Short looks like a nice little move and 70 HP for a basic Pokémon is nice, Pachirisu doesn't seem like a really great card. Granted, I don't play the TCG so I might be talking a load of rubbish here but with no evolving potential and only one damaging attack that, unless under certain circumstances, does only 10 damage, why have it in your deck over a different basic Pokémon?

I have to agree. I can see where you're coming from with this being a good card, Raikou Trainer, but I'm a competitive TCG player and if I had to pick a Basic electric type from the Great Expectations set I'd go with Rotom. It has the same amount of HP as Pachirisu and although it takes longer to power up it's much stronger over all. Telebeam deals a decent 30 HP with the possibility of double that and paralysis, while Astonish gives you some valuable insight on what your opponent has planned, with the bonus of 20 HP damage too.

wurmple54 wrote:Isn't the Call For Family move a bit strong? If you got an unlucky hand at the start of the game, as a base level Pokémon it can be played right away and with the move only requiring one C energy card you can play the move right away.

It pretty much destroys any decks looking to take out opponents hard and fast doesn't it?

Umm... isnt that the point? to stop decks destroying you fast

Now i'm no competitive battler in TCG (or much in the actual games), but i see this as a supporter card. You throw this out, use the call move to bench (any?) 3 pokemon, then either use it to stall as you power up one of the bench or retreat and switch, throwing out one of the 3 you've just benched. the latter stratagy leaves Pachirisu on the bench for a while, and when you need to find more pokemon in your deck for your bench, throw it out, rinse and repeat. Seems like a good deal to me.

The basic point of Pachirisu is that you start with it in your opening hand, and start filling up your Bench. This is especially good if you go first, since you can't play Trainers, Supporters, or Stadiums, and Pachi does the work of a Supporter (namely Holon Mentor) for a single Energy. If you play four in a deck, the chance of starting with Pachi increases, then later you can use the remaining Pachis as discard bait (i.e. TV Reporter, Felicity's Drawing, etc.)

I didn't mention this in my article, but there's another card (hopefully) coming out in the next set (called Majestic Dawn) that would combo well with Pachirisu, which is Phione. It's first attack, for 1 of any Energy, can search your deck for an Evolution card, and place it on the matching Basic or Stage 1 card. Since Phione is a Basic itself, Pachi can search it out, so next turn you can start evolving, and get your main attacker going quckly, without relying on Rare Candy.

Basically, what I'm trying to say here is that setup is very important in this game if you want to be competitive. The faster you can get your main attacker out, the better chance you have of winning.

Forgive me for bringing this up but isn't the name of the forum 'Card of the Week'? This card was added exactly a month ago today.