With the launch of Mythical Island expansion to Pokemon Trading Card Game Pocketplayers will be keeping an eye out for new ex-cards. Traditionally with strong abilities, attacks, and HP totals, these cards are highly sought after. However, there is one former letter that falls to the bottom of the pile, becoming notable for all the wrong reasons. Gyarados ex is a Water type TCGP card that offers the player expensive and unrewarding attacks, making it the worst ex-card in the mobile game.
Water-type decks are extremely popular in competitions TCG Pocket battles. Due to this, Gyarados' ex maintained some excitement around it, although it didn't last long. Now that players have had ample opportunities to try out this card, the overwhelming negatives have taken over. Although this card has two interesting and visually appealing designs, the positives end there.
Former Pokémon TCGP Mythical Island Gyarados card explained
High but expensive attack
Gyarados ex is a Water-type Pokémon with some notable characteristics. Firstly, and most importantly, this card has an attack called Rampaging Whirlpool. This deals 140 damage, but comes with an ability. When used, This attack will discard a random energy from among all energy attached to the Pokémon in battle.. It can be either the player's or the opponent's, selected randomly. This card also has 180 HP, which is strong enough to resist most attacks available to opponents.
|
Card type |
Internship |
HP |
Attacks and Skills |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Water |
Stage 1 |
180 |
Furious whirlwind: 140 damage + discard a random Energy from among the Energy attached to all Pokémon (yours and your opponent's). |
Gyarados is a Stage One card, which means that it evolves from a smaller basic Pokémon – in this case, Magikarp. This fish-like Water-type Pokémon has a Mythical Island version and a Genetic Apex version, both with a tiny 30 HP. THE Genetic Apex version has an attack called Splash, which deals 10 damage. THE Mythical Island version has an attack called Leap Out that simply swaps the card for one on the bench.
What's wrong with the Gyarados Ex card in Pokémon TCG Pocket?
Several factors make this Ex card unworthy of its cost
There are several factors that make Gyarados ex the worst ex-card in the game. Pokémon TCG Pocketall of which are painfully obvious when used in a competitive battle. First, Rampaging Whirlpool is very expensive, costing four energy (three water energy and one colorless energy). This takes a long time to set up, making Gyarados ex susceptible to taking strong attacks from faster-acting opposing Pokémon such as Pikachu ex or Celebi ex. Furthermore, the attack's ability can be negative for the player, taking away the energy attachedmaking it risky for anyone who uses it.
Another notable downside is the fact that its pre-evolution is incredibly weak. With only 30 HP and useless attacks, Magikarp can be a risk when placed on both the Bench and Active Spot. If the player is unlucky and has to wait a long time for Gyarados' ex to be drawn from the deck, Magikarp's weaknesses can put them in a worrying position.
Better options make Gyarados Ex a bad choice
There are much better options for water-type decking
With the existence of some high-powered Water-type cards in the game, Gyarados ex becomes obsolete. Players won't want to waste their time and energy on an ineffective card when Articuno ex and Starmie ex are better decks. It should be noted that Misty will help with the energy production of the former Gyarados, but with its risky ability, this supporter card will be better used on another Water-type card. One could even argue that the original, non-ex Gyarados would be stronger in a deck than its ex counterpart.
When Starmie ex, Articuno ex, and Blastoise ex can deal massive damage with a simpler setup, Gyarados' Ex becomes a strategically bad decision. This card seems unreliable and situational at best. To use this card effectively, players must have the time and support to build it on the bench or utilize the Misty Supporter card. When other tactics and cards are considered, both options are useless.
Overall, if players want to use a strong Water-type card, they should look elsewhere. Other options are available with similar HP and damage. Water deck users should direct their attention to faster-acting, aggressive cards, such as Articuno ex, which can deal 90 damage for three energy. Gyarados ex will be too slow and expensive to compete with meta decks in Pokémon TCG Pocketespecially since 180 HP will seem very small compared to the Celebi ex's infinite attack potential.