Previews for the paired upcoming Pokémon TCG sets Black Bolt and White Flare are flying fast, revealing new illustration rares and ex cards for the Gen 5-themed release.
Alongside fossil Pokémon and other Unova faves comes a new card for a legendary Pokémon (or rather, a Mythical) Genesect. This metal type Pokémon card is one of the best ‘mons revealed for the set so far – and while much of this Pokémon set remains shrouded in mystery, it already seems playable on a competitive level.
Only the Japanese version of the card has been revealed, so we’re relying on the proxies made by JustinBasil for the translation here.
Genesect ex has a 150 damage attack that also reduces incoming damage by 30 HP. But given that it’s relatively squishy, it’s unlikely that you’d play him with a plan of attacking.
Instead, Genesect ex’s usefulness comes from sitting on the bench activating its ability, Metal Signal. This lets you search for up to two Metal type evolution Pokémon and pop them into your hand.
In the right deck, that essentially makes it a better ultra ball – though not being able to get basics is obviously a big drawback. With item lock strategies becoming more and more common (Black Bolt and White Flare has a brand new one, Jellicent ex), Genesect ex definitely seems like a strong alternative.
It’s hard to see exactly where Genesect ex will fit, since we don’t know how the meta will have shifted with the newest Pokémon sets. Right now the most meta-relevant metal deck is Archaludon, and since that card pulls energy out of the discard pile, it would actually rather run Ultra Balls than Genesects in order to enable the discard.
There are still plenty of good possibilities, however. Genesect could partner with Revavroom to enable a more consistent draw engine (ho, ho) or it could be great with Steven’s Metagross. Only time will tell for sure!
Genesect has a habit of appearing on outrageous cards. While it is very good, the new Genesect ex can’t hold a candle to Genesect V, which was one of the best Pokémon cards in its meta a few years back. Not only could Mew VMAX use its attack to hit for 210 HP for just two energy, its ability offered card advantage like nothing else in the game.
We’ve lots of new Pokémon releases on the horizon now, from the imminent Team Rocket set Destined Rivals, to a set featuring Mega Charizard X we know next to nothing about. What are you most looking forward to – come discuss on our Discord!
For more great reads, you should also check out our guide to the most expensive rare Pokémon cards or find out how many Pokémon there are.
Source: Wargamer
