EX Marks the Spot: The Top Ten Cards in the EX Sets

After the Neo sets and the small e-Reader sets, the next major group of cards released in the Pokémon TCG universe was the sixteen EX sets. It might be hard to pick the best card from so many sets, but it’s worth a shot. Let’s go!

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10. Beautifly (EX Ruby & Sapphire)

Aside from the cool art common to all holo cards, this card is a pretty decent addition to your deck. To start things off, Beautifly has a Poké-Body called Withering Dust that lets you not apply Resistance as long as Beautifly is in play. Since Resistance reduces the amount of damage you do to an opponent, to be able to simply ignore it is great. Beautifly’s two attacks, Stun Spore and Parallel Gain, aren’t bad either. Stun Spore, just like in the video games, can cause paralysis while Parallel Gain lets you remove 1 damage counter from each of your Pokémon.

9. Plusle (EX Dragon)

As a Pokémon Ranger fan, I obviously have a soft spot for Plusle. But that aside, this card is very good. Plusle’s Poké-Body, Chain of Events, takes full advantage of the new double-battle format introduced to the TCG by the Ruby & Sapphire set by allowing you to use Cheer On, Plusle’s main attack, after your partner attacks (but only once). Cheer On lets you remove one damage counter from each of your Pokémon, which would be a big help to your partner. Plusle’s other attack, Extra Circuit, lets you choose one of the opponent’s Pokémon and do 20 damage to it, or 40 if it’s a Pokémon-ex. Not bad.

8. Team Aqua Technical Machine 01 (EX Team Magma vs. Team Aqua)

This card is a fairly useful Trainer, though you have to discard it right after using it. It lets you choose one Special Condition to give to the Defending Pokémon. Though you need a Team Aqua Pokémon to attach this card to in order to use it – which means the card can only really be played with other cards from its set – the ability to control statuses is definitely a plus.

7. Ninetales ex (EX Hidden Legends)

Ninetales is usually a good choice, but this Ninetales is a really good choice. Its first attack, Intense Glare, allows you to switch 1 of your opponent’s Benched Pokémon with one of his or her Active Pokémon (though your opponent gets to choose which one). On top of that, the incoming Pokémon is now Burned and Confused. Nice! Ninetales’s other attack, Fire Blast, requires one fire energy to be discarded, but has a base damage of 100, which is almost unheard of in the TCG. Ninetales’s low one-energy retreat cost is also useful, in case things don’t go your way.

6. Phoebe’s Stadium (EX Power Keepers)

It doesn’t hurt to have a few Stadium Cards in your deck, as they can generally come in useful with their myriad abilities. Phoebe’s Stadium, based around Phoebe of the Hoenn Elite Four, is no different. It allows you to pay two less energies to retreat Psychic-type Pokémon. Unfortunately, there aren’t a lot of Psychic-types in Power Keepers to take advantage of this card, but the type makes sense since Phoebe is a Ghost-type trainer in the games, and Ghost-types are usually Psychic-type in the TCG. Plus, any card that makes it easier for you to retreat is worth having.

5. Lunatone (EX Legend Maker)

Lunatone is a highly underused Pokémon. But this Lunatone is a card that could be useful if used right. Its attack Moon Guidance lets you search your deck for a Trainer card and add it to your hand – something that’s always useful. Its second attack, Psyshock, has a chance of paralysis but causes 10 damage regardless, which isn’t too bad for a one-energy attack. Lunatone also has a Poké-Body, Sol Shade, which prevents any fire-types from using Poké-Powers, but you have to also have Solrock in play for it to work.

4. Milotic δ (EX Dragon Frontiers)

EX Delta Species introduced Delta (or δ) Pokémon to the TCG, and this Milotic is one of them. The strangest thing about this Milotic is that it is fire-type (whereas Milotic is water-type in the games). It has an interesting Poké-Power, Sharing, which lets you use the effect of a Supporter card in your opponent’s hand as the effect of the Poké-Power. The difficulty in this is that you wouldn’t know beforehand if your opponent has any Supporter cards in his or her hand, so using the power might end up useless. Unfortunately, these two things are all that makes Milotic δ interesting; its one attack, Flare, takes three energies and only does 60 damage.

3. Gardevoir-ex (EX Sandstorm)

Gardevoir is an interesting Pokémon that doesn’t seem to be seeing much use in the TCG yet, as far as I know. This particular Gardevoir has a couple attacks that make it worth using. Its first attack, Feedback, lets you put damage counters on your opponent’s Active Pokémon equal to the number of cards in your opponent’s hand. This is a nice revenge move if your opponent has a full hand or has just used some card like a Professor card or Gambler which lets him or her draw a bunch of cards. Gardevoir’s second attack, Psystorm, requires four energies but does 10 damage times the total amount of energy attached to all Pokémon in play. If either you or your opponent is playing an energy-heavy game, this attack could hit for a lot.

2. Latios ☆ (EX Deoxys)

You can only have one ☆ (Shiny Rare Holo) Pokémon in a deck, so if you need one, check out this Latios. Its first attack, Miraculous Light, does 10 damage and lets you remove one damage counter and all Special Conditions from Latios. This could be really useful in a pinch, especially since this Latios only has 80 HP. Its second attack, Shining Star, normally does 50 damage, but can do 150 damage if the Defending Pokémon is a Stage 2 Pokémon – though you have to discard all of Latios’s energy cards to do it, so it’s probably best as a hit-and-run tactic.

1.Mew ex (EX Holon Phantoms)

Who doesn’t like a good Mew in their deck? Mew is hard to come by in the TCG – generally only being released as promos and the like – so the chance for one in a normal deck is awesome. This Mew’s not bad on its own either. Its Poké-Power, Psychic Vision, lets you look at your opponent’s hand if Mew ex is on your Bench. This is a good set-up move for the Pokémon actually fighting, since it would attack after Mew uses its Poké-Power. Mew also has an attack called Devo Crush, which lets you force your opponent to remove the highest Evolution card on his or her Active Pokémon and put it back in his or her deck – and does 50 damage besides. Not too shabby. Mew’s regular attack, the 30-damage Super Psy Bolt, isn’t bad either.

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Thanks for reading my list this month! Next month, I’m going to take a look at the new HeartGold and SoulSilver TCG expansions in honor of the North American release of HeartGold and SoulSilver for the DS. ‘Til then, keep collecting!