POKEMON TRADING CARD GAME ONLINE / 12 DEC 2015

Share. BEST POKEMON

10
BREAKTHROUGH
CARDS
Zoroark, Giovanni's Scheme and more.
BY JOSHUA YEHL Pokmon

TCG: XYBREAKthrough has been legal for a couple weeks now, and

another set means another roundup of the best cards for competitive use. To help us out, Pokemon
guru Simon Narode will be lending his expertise. He's placed high in numerous big tournaments,
peaking with a 2nd place finish at the 2013 World Championship, not to mention finishing 7th place
at this year's.
Funny enough, even though Breakthrough introduces the new Pokemon Break cards, none of them
made this list. Narode thinks theyre a cool new mechanic because they encourage players to evolve
into powerful Pokemon instead of just using EXs, but this first wave of Breaks didnt offer anything
immediately playable in the competitive scene. Just like Megas, we expect for the first few to be
underpowered before getting ones that are a bit more powerful.
It's also worth noting that while these are the 10 best cards in the set, Narode thinks that the set isn't
very strong overall, although that's not entirely a bad thing, as it helps with the power creep the
game has been experiencing.

10. Empoleon

Empoleon might seem a lot like Machamp, but Narode asserts that its better for a few key reasons.
One, its a fast-acting card that immediately impacts the board by pumping up your Basic attackers.
All of the best attackers right now are Basics (i.e., EXs), many of which already have strong attacks,
so this 20 damage boost can help them reach new numbers. A Seismitoad-EX with Muscle Band
and Empoleon using Quaking Punch for 70 damage each turn is no laughing matter. Add in
LaserBank and its pretty much a nightmare for your opponent.
While Empoleon isnt broken by any means, its a solid card and a good option to use with Archies
Ace in the Hole. In fact, he is one of several useful Stage 2 Water types, so he would be at home in
a deck based around Archies that picked out the right Water Pokemon (Empoleon, Swampert,
Blastoise) for the right situation.

9. M Mewtwo EX

There are two different M Mewtwo-EX cards in this set, but Narode gives the edge to the Y variant.
Its Psychic Infinity attack can quickly rack up a lot of damage. Thanks to the two colorless energy
cost, it can take advantage of any types energy acceleration, whether its Bronzong, Xerneas, or
Blastoise.
Being a Mega Pokemon gives it a nice bulk. Even though 210 HP is below average for a Mega, its
still a tough number for some decks to reach, especially in one hit. Thats why you should evolve it
from the Damage Change Mewtwo-EX. That way, you can play down Shrine of Memories and not
only transfer all of its damage to the opposing Pokemon but heal it, too.
Interestingly, Psychic Infinity isnt affected by Weakness, so it cant blow up opposing Mewtwo-EXs
like in the days of old. This is a big downside, and hurts this cards chances of thriving in Expanded
because the original Mewtwo-EX can take it down pretty easily, but it still has plenty of potential in
Standard.

8. Raikou

Any Pokemon with an unlimited damage cap is one worth considering, but that's not all Raikou has
going for it. It's a powerful Basic Pokemon that can trade blows with EXs, meaning that he could
potentially earn a 2 for 1 Prize trade in your favor. Its Ability essentially means it can take a 130
damage attack and ol'd starfish-face will still survive, which is nothing to sneeze at. That extra
survivability helps Raikou take advantage of its attack, giving you an extra turn to stack another
energy on it to boost its damage output. Six energy is the magic number, as that OHKOs the 170 HP
EXs that plague the battlefield. Seven, if you want to take down the likes of Seismitoad-EX and
Lucario-EX. That's quite a lot of energy, so to help in getting that much out in a short span of time,
there's the next card on our list

7. Magnezone

We all saw the watery might of Blastoise help Jason Van Wagner take 1st at this year's World
Championship, so it's safe to say that any Pokemon with a similar ability is one you ought to keep on
your radar. Magnezone does the same thing but for Lightning energy. While Lightning doesn't have
quite the same support as Water at the moment, namely a card like Archie's Ace in the Hole to get
him out as early as Turn 1, Magnezone is a card that begs experimentation in order to take
advantage of its potentially game-breaking ability.
Even without an Archie's equivalent, using evolution shortcuts like Wally and Evosoda to get him out
quicker and the new Fisherman supporter to fill your hand with Lightning energy are options to
consider with this magnetic 'mon. Raikou is an obvious partner for Magnezone, although it's not
quite as powerful as the Blastoise/Keldeo-EX combo.
Narode says that using an Eelektrik engine is currently superior when it comes to quickly getting out
Lightning energy, but with the right support in future sets, Magnezone could one day be the better
pick.

6. Burning Energy

Fire type Pokemon have finally received their special energy, and it's tailor-made to make up for the
downside of their most commonly seen gameplay mechanic. Most Fire types have to discard Fire
energy in order to use powerful attacks, but with Burning Energy, it comes right back. Now Pokemon
like Camerupt-EX and M Houndoom-EX can swing for big numbers, and instead of having to wait a
turn or two to power back up, they can just keep on swinging.
Burning Energy is of course limited by only having four in a deck, and the usual suspects like
Enhanced Hammer and Ageislash-EX, but having a Fire type that can consistently deal out big
damage is definitely something to keep an eye out for.