Pokeballing: The Dragons Are Coming

Early this year it was announced that a brand new Pokemon type was entering the OCG, the Dragon type. This marked the first time since Dark and Metal were released in Neo Genesis and Neo Discovery so many years ago. The Pokemon world filled up with questions, such as what was this new type gonna look like and how were they going to work a potential Dragon Type energy. Now we stand five months after the types announcement and if your like me your very underwhelmed. So far most of this amazing and exciting new Pokemon type has been very bland to say the least. Dragon Pokemon have almost always been known to be very heavy energy attackers with horrible energy requirements, and thus far this new type has only just taken them from being horrible colourless Pokemon with Colourless weakness to horrible Dragon type Pokemon with Dragon weakness.

There are a few exceptions to this revelation and now that the Dragon type is set to make a summer debut on North American shores its time to fill you in. Dragons Exhalted will be our next English set and last set before a possible set rotation in September could take us to a possible Black&White on format.  According to a post on Pokebeach this set is going to include cards from the introductory Dragons Selection set in Japan and The first Dragon Era set as well.

Now for those of us who keep up with set releases in the OCG you already know whats great in this set and whats so so. For those of us who only keep up with English releases then Pokeballing is about to enlighten to the like 3 good Dragons you will wanna keep your eyes peeled for.

3. Gabite – Dragon – HP80
Stage 1 – Evolves from Gible

Ability: Dragon Call
Choose 1 Dragon-type Pokemon card from your deck, show it to your opponent, and put it in your hand. Shuffle your deck afterward. You can use this Ability 1 time during your turn.
[W][Fg] Dragon Slice: 20 damage.
Weakness: Dragon (x2)
Resistance: none
Retreat: 1

First off we don't like Gabite for Dragon Slice, we like Dragon Call. In the Dragon deck should you choose to build it this will provide the only search you will need as it will get the other 2 good dragons that this set will bring us.


2.  Altaria – Dragon – HP70
Stage 1 – Evolves from Swablu
Ability: Battle Song
As long as this Pokemon is in play, your Dragon-type Pokemon’s attacks do an additional 20 damage to any Active Pokemon.
[W][M][C] Glide: 40 damage.
Weakness: Dragon (x2)
Resistance: none
Retreat: 1

Altaria brings it Battle Song Ability allowing all our Dragons attacks to be Dark Claws. This is actually really cool and I like ability's like this that would do what a Pokemon Tool would do as now I can have a Dragon Type Dark Claw and attach a Eviolite or a EXP Share too.


1. Rayquaza-EX – Dragon – HP170
Basic Pokemon
[C] Heaven’s Call: Discard the top 3 cards from your deck, and if there are any Energy cards, attach them to this Pokemon.
[Fr][L] Dragon Burst: 60x damage. Discard either all Fire Energy or Lightning Energy cards attached to this Pokemon. This attack does 60 damage times the number of Energy discarded in this way.
When Pokemon-EX has been Knocked Out, your opponent takes 2 Prize cards.
Weakness: Dragon (x2)
Resistance: none
Retreat: 1

This card along with Mewtwo EX and Darkrai EX will now be referred to by me as The Three Kings. If a set rotation does indeed happen in September then you will wanna be playing one of these three cards. Dragon Burst is almost as retarded maybe even more so then X-Ball on Mewtwo, hands down. The energy requirements are a Fire and a Lightning, two of the most popular types for energy Acceleration (Afterburner/Inferno Fandango, and Dynamotor). Skyarrow Bridge or Darkness Cloak can give this monster free retreat and just like that my mind is blown.

Unfortunately that's where this set peaks for the Dragon type, which makes me sad. Sure the stupid energy match ups can be cured by the two new energy we are getting in this set

Blend Energy WLFM – Special Energy
This card provides 1 [C] Energy. As long as this card is attached to a Pokemon, it provides either [W], [L], [F], or [M] Energy, but only 1 Energy at a time.

Blend Energy GRPD – Special Energy
This card provides 1 [C] Energy. As long as this card is attached to a Pokemon, it provides either [G], [R], [P], or [D] Energy, but only 1 Energy at a time.

In the end, however the fact that the attacks these Pokemon have do not justify the energy required makes these two cards useless as of right now.

I know I am being very negative about this and I wish I could tell you that this refreshingly new type will bring many new and exciting decks to the tcg. Unfortunately I can only hope that the set after this one can save this potential new destructive force from providing more then a Dragon King to go with our Psychic and Dark Kings.