News September's SM4 Set: 'The Awoken Hero' and 'The Transdimensional Beast'

Lanstar

The Cutest of Ladies
Member
Let me think... A Milotic Stall deck: Lead with Tapu Koko for spread damage, then keep spamming Mercy with Milotic, while using hammers/disruptions as your opponent keeps having to reset everything to a point of decking out of resources.

If the right support appears, that could be rather cruel.
 

bangiras

Aspiring Trainer
News Staff
Member
PlatinumDude, good catch on Kommo-o. He's fixed now.
Pete, the Altaria lets you choose any Dragon Pokemon (including evolved Pokemon). If it was a coin flip for a single basic, it'd be pretty bad.

Two other small edits, Marowak chooses as many energy as are attached to the opponent's Pokemon, you don't have an option to pick fewer energy than that (if you have fewer, you take as many as you can).
Wigglytuff does the extra damage if ANY of your opponent's Pokemon has a Darkness Energy attached. I think she is pretty decent.
 
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Mega Altaria

Hard-hitting Bug
Member
This set is kinda bad tbh.
I like the synergy between oranguru and gorgeist, it's pretty cute.
I could see the evolutions Beedrill finally becoming playable now with this Kakuna.
Why are Kartana GX, Registeel, and Counter Catcher the most playable cards here?
Also, I think the metal Genesect EX is going to be pretty playable now
 

Kyrushi

Squirrel
Member
Is no one going to point out that Crawdaunt discards TWO energies with no coin flips or anything? Because that's pretty ridiculous. I know it's costly, but with Max Elixir and Aqua patch being popular cards I can see this being a nasty way to shut down your opponent. Team Flame Grunt or Plumera can absolutely decimate your opponent's ability to do jack combined with this card.

(Yes, i'm aware gardevoir doesn't care.)
 

ArK9UnitChief

Aspiring Trainer
Member
I'm really interested in the Altaria. Maybe the translation is worded wrong, but it says "Search your deck for a Dragon pokemon and put it one your bench." Doesn't say basic dragon, curious!
 

RealSlim

Dragons Breeder
Member
I'm really interested in the Altaria. Maybe the translation is worded wrong, but it says "Search your deck for a Dragon pokemon and put it one your bench." Doesn't say basic dragon, curious!
It's not curious, other cards in the past made you put into your bench Evolved Pokémon. But Altaria is still a Stage 1 and Dragon cards lost Double Dragon Energy... it's not that great at all.

The more I look at this set, the more it looks uninspired.
 

Shishigami

Aspiring Trainer
Member
Lots of more fun and cute direction with minimalist art. Yet at the same time, toooons of cards and art especially that don't look exactly new at all and you would swear you would had seen them before (and probably have). Slightly clawing some hope to see anything different with the style of Ultra and Secret rares yet to be seen...

Dear Water Pokémon Master, in your 14 years of covering the TCG, what was the first time the website has done this secret preview and what reason for? Was it Steam Siege for Worlds last year??
 

Mr. Rhyperior

The Drill Pokemon. An evolve form of Rhydon.
Member
  • Weedle/Kakuna/Beedrill - Now Beedrill will get 3-4 Geodudes. Because Kakuna act as Frogadier. 1/3/3-4
  • Exeggcute/Giant Exggutor - Ok. Still the same thing as I score Exeggutor. 2/2-3
  • Cacnea/Cacturne - could be a little gimmick. 2/2
  • Karrablast/Escavalier and Shelmet/Accelgor - Not worth playing. Their attacks are Trubbish. 2 Each
  • Cubone/Alolan Marowak - This seems good. 3/3
  • Numel/Camerupt - Too much expensive. 1/1
  • Magikarp/Gyarados - Amazing! I'll increase my score to Gyarados by 3-4. 3-4/3-4
  • Staryu/Starmie - Good gimmick but as a S1 escape Pokémon, not recommended. 2/3
  • Remoraid/Octillery - Spec. Energy hurts when discarded by benefitting the atk. 2/2-3
  • Swinub/Piloswine/Mamoswine - OMG! Prof. google loves this! 2/2/2
  • Corphish/Crawdaunt - not recommended. 1/1
  • Feebas/Milotic - A risk-taking attack just to recover damage bench. Just use Acerola instead. 2/2
  • Shellos/Gastrodon - 120 for 3 and can be buffed by Strong Energy, that is nice! 2/3
  • Regi Quartet - A good deck to be making with. 3(Ice)/3-4(Rock)/4(Steel)/3-4(Gigas)
  • Pikachu/Aloraichu - Yay! 2/3
  • Alolan Geodude/Graveler/Golem - Good attacks, especially the GX but it's too expensive. I increase Golem's score to 3. 2/2/3
  • Emolga - Good atk but the HP is depressing. 2-3
  • Gastly/Haunter/Gengar - It's a Stage 2. Too hassle. But nice ability though. 2/2/2-3
  • Misdreavus/Mismagius - A Giratina's atk but low on damage. 3/3-4
  • Chimecho - Blocks Broski and Lele to be played, same problem as Emolga. 2
  • Spoink/Grumpig - Okay! 2/3
  • Pumpkaboo/Gourgeist - good in Expanded but in standard, you shouldn't. 2/3
  • Oranguru - if the first atk was C, that would be amazing. 3
  • Salandit/Salazzle - Too Underpowered. 3/3
  • Nihilego GX - 3 Geodudes. I said it before
  • Mankey/Primeape - 0 Geodudes
  • Stufful/Bewear - Everybod loves Bewear. 2/3
  • Houndour/Houndoom - 2/2
  • Deino/Zweilous/Hydreigon - I already mention it before. 2/2/2-3 (At least, Hydreigon and Kommo-O got its second and first Regular Rare, respectively in the English Set)
  • Guzzlord GX - Good atks too expensive. 3-4
  • Buzzwole GX - Good on its own. 4
  • Aron/Lairon/Aggron - Good atks for big dmg. but it is a Stage 2. 2/2/2-3
  • Mawile - 1
  • Kartana GX - A must-have in every deck. 5
  • Jigglypuff/Wigglytuff- 2/2
  • Xerneas - Okay, a non-GX atkr. 3
  • Jangmo-o/Hakamo-o/Kommo-o - Not as same as Lucario. 2/2/2-3
  • Miltank - Seems interesting. 3
  • Starly/Staravia/Staraptor - Ehh. 1/1/2
  • Swablu/Altaria - OMG, it's great! Victini/Noivern ! 2/3-4
  • Minccino/Cinccino - Remember how Undaunted Togepi's Attack becomes silly? 2/2-3
  • Bunnelby/Diggersby - Ehhh. 1/1-2
  • Type: Null/Silvally + Memory cards - Okay, I am convinced. 2/3-4 + 3-4
  • Dash Pouch - Field Blower is everywhere. 2-3
  • Gladion - good prize-seeking card needs to deserve 4 Geodudes.
  • Lusamine - I decrease the score by 4 because it's a supporter version of VS Seeker.
  • Seeking Red Card - Bye Red Card! 3
  • Ultra Space - Nobody cares special conditions and a metadeck revolving it. Just play lots of Basics. 2-3
  • Ravaged Plains - Dragons are still underpowered. 3
  • Counter Catcher/Energy - Great Strategic Card! 5 Geodudes each.
  • FAs - Always good, I never played it.
  • SRs - Where is my SR Water Energy??! That is the only SR Energy we need, Yes, In Korea, you can get this in their ETB, but hey, you know what I mean.
Still no Durant, Throh, and Zangoose. Still a weird set with no counterparts from previous 2 Sets.
 
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Kietharr

Aspiring Trainer
Member
Milotic is probably the most interesting new revelation imo, not because it's super amazing or anything but because it allows for some hitherto impossible stall strats in combination with Koko Promo. Once you get a flip down you can keep your opponent from building a field pretty well, and every time you shuffle them they lose the items they used to get set up like candies and ultras, and in an evolution centric meta it's realllly slow to recover from that.

Marowak gives Kiawe/Ho-oh some extra support. The fact that there's no Alolan Cubone lets you also run the bodyguard one. I don't think that the Gourgeist/Oranguru combo is quite fast or consistent enough for standard. Could work in expanded with eco arms and Elesa but in Expanded you have tool drop anyways. Kakuna actually makes Beedrill EVO playable though I'd hesitate to call it a good deck. Gladion really helps with that style of deck but you can still easily get destroyed by prizes.
 

Xeynid

Aspiring Trainer
Member
"Let's make an energy card that can help stage 2 non-gx Pokemon be good

THEN RELEASE A BUNCH OF BAD STAGE 2'S!"

Bee duplicates seems cool though.
 

Dark Espeon

Dark Avatar
Member
  • Feebas/Milotic - A risk-taking attack just to recover damage bench. Just use Acerola instead. 2/2

No. it is a reuseable Plea GX but it only affects one Pokémon at a time and it has to have damage to it. This should not be that difficult with Tapu Koko around. This sure is one of the better cards in this set. it is a shame that Feebas is that terrible.
 

Sean Timmons

Aspiring Trainer
Member
Milotic seems pretty interesting and I don't know how Gyarados is in expanded but I imagine that Magikarp buffs it.

I'll probably be trying out Camerupt/Fliptini
 

Lord Goomy

Got Goomies?
Member
My highlights:
Cincinno, the first card to interact with your opponent since Cecil Juniper.
Alolan Marowak, for its pretty dang good fire type support, ecspecially when playing against Gardevoir and Darkrai.
Altaria, putting Goodra and other Stage 2 Dragon Types directly onto the bench
Numel, my friend loves numel.
Of course, all the GX's.
But, alas, there is no Goomy, nor Goodra GX.
Guzzlord, possibly the ONLY deck to play 56 energy.
 

Kietharr

Aspiring Trainer
Member
Milotic seems pretty interesting and I don't know how Gyarados is in expanded but I imagine that Magikarp buffs it.

I'll probably be trying out Camerupt/Fliptini

Magikarp would be interesting for gyara AOR, but Shining Celebi makes the flail magikarp the best one.
 
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