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Yes, I know we seem to be getting set after set after set from Pokemon; yes, I know having three mortgages on a house in this financial climate is tantamount to complete bankruptcy; yes, I know I’ve just got around to writing the review for Astral Radiance. But… There’s a new set, and you had me at ‘Lost’. The Lost Origin set was too good to resist.
Mama Pokemon is a cruel mistress and she needs a new pair of shoes.
You Know Where You Are?
If the last four months for Pokemon TCG were a meme, it would be that one with the kids in the pool, one being cosseted by their parent, one struggling and a second picture with a skeleton at the bottom of the ocean (don’t bother, I’ve already posted it). To say we’ve been spoiled for choice is an understatement. It seems like a few scant weeks since the Pokemon Go set dropped, but here we are with the latest set, Lost Origin, and just to keep us on our meta-toes, there’s a new/old sheriff in town – the LOST ZONE!
For all those veteran players out there, this is nothing new. First appearing in Pokemon: Platinum back in 2009 (that doesn’t seem so long ago, but there it is), the Lost Zone is the discard pile and then some – put simply, there’s no coming back from the Lost Zone. This does sound pretty severe but it turns out throwing your cards out of the game completely does have its advantages. Throughout its history, the Lost Zone has been linked with several pokemon, but one stands (stands? Can it stand? Does it have legs?) above the rest – the awesome Giratina!
Giratina is definitely the poster-beast of Lost Origin, gracing one of the pack arts, and is taken from the Japanese set Lost Abyss, which makes up much of this set along with Dark Phantasma, along with left overs from Time Gazer, Space Juggler, Battle Region and VMAX Climax. There have been some omissions, some which beggar belief (NO WAILORD?!? ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!?) but for the most part, the choices make sense. Apart from the obvious (note: I hope the corporate who thought leaving out Wailord from this set was a good idea gets really bad bunions. That is all). The set stands at a not insubstantial 196 official, 21 secret rares and 30 trainer gallery cards, which is big… but still not as big as Refuse… sorry, Fusion Strike. Which is reassuring.
You’re In The Lost Zone, Baby
Lost Origin is the third set to contain the Lost Zone mechanic, and as in previous iterations, it is a mechanic that will bring changes to the meta and success to some… but at a not insignificant risk. Put simply: burning through your cards is BAD. Unless it isn’t.
This set does introduce a number of pokemon, items and supporters that play to this risky strategy, and it is almost guaranteed that there will be decks a plenty popping up. But the curious thing is… not all of them will be based around the Lost Zone. Steps back in amazement.
I am not going to go for a deep dive on Lost Origin (see meme reference) but I can’t talk about anything to do with the new set without mentioning at least a few of the cards, particularly Giratina and Aerodactyl VSTAR and Rotom V. Starting with Aerodactyl, it has an attack that drops three cards into the Lost Zone for 200 damage, but has a very nice VSTAR attack that turns off your opponent’s V abilities while it remains in active – disruptive! Rotom V has an attack that does 30 damage for every tool you chuck from your hand into the Lost Zone but has an ability where you can draw three cards and end your turn – constructive! But the star of the show is, unsurprisingly, Giratina VSTAR, with an attack that does 280 damage for three energy when you drop two of them into the Lost Zone and a VSTAR attack that OHKOs anything for two energy – destructive! No, really – this card is a complete monster.
This is all very well and good and will burn through your deck faster than cutting the cards with a light sabre, but there are plenty of support cards that make these cards worthwhile – Mirage Gate attaches two energy to any pokemon if you have seven or more cards in the Lost Zone; Fantina reduces attacks by 120 if you have 10 or more cards in the Lost Zone; Colress’s Experiment allows you to draw five cards, keep three and send two to the Lost Zone; Lost City sends all defeated pokemon to the Lost Zone. Yep, they’re going all in, and I haven’t even mentioned Lost Dustbuster… I mean Vacuum or Toolbox.
There are also some not so beefy Pokemon that will benefit from the Lost Zone too. Cramorant’s 120 damage may not be massive but when it is free if you have four or more cards in the Lost Zone? Consider my interest piqued. And Porygon 2 for one energy does 20 damage for each tool in both players Lost Zone. Behold! The rise of the trashemon!
Sometimes
But it’s not just the Lost Zone cards that are getting in on the act, and there are a couple of load and dump cards that may prove to be interesting, especially considering that they are non-V cards and therefore in a pauper player’s (me) price range.
First up is that cheeky squirrel, Greedent. It has a two-energy attack that does 60 damage, which is not amazing. What is amazing is that you discard your hand and if you discard more than five cards, it does 150 more damage. Now, does anyone remember what Bibarel does? Draws cards until you have five in your hand? ACTIVATE GOD-POKEMON MODE!
Then there’s Hisuian Arcanine. It has a free attack (my favourite cost) that does 10 damage. Unless you have no cards in your hand, in which case it does 160 damage. Stupid attack? Stupid attack.
Not quite as stupid as Hisuian Electrode V’s attack though, and this is one of my favourites. It has a two-energy attack that does 120 and dumps the energy, which is… okay. But for free (for freeeee!), this pokemon does 100 damage for each special effect (poison, burnt etc.) on it. So, if this pokemon is burnt and poisoned, it does 200 damage, because a pokemon can’t attack when asleep or paralysed (forget confusion – it’s too risky). WRONG. Wind-up Arm allows pokemon to attack when asleep or paralysed. If only there were ways to poison, burn and paralyse your own pokemon… hello Parasect, what’s that? Poison and paralyse both active pokemon when evolved? And you’ve brought Spicy Curry (Astral Radiance), which heals 40 but inflicts burn on your pokemon? Don’t mind if I do – please take 300 damage for NO ENERGY.
Okay, sorry, my dive got deeper than I anticipated, but I have to mention my Rogue of the Set – Finneon and Dewgong. Finneon has an ability that allows you to attach any number of water energy in your hand to and pokemon with Swim Freely; Dewgong has Swim Freely. It also has an attack that does 40 damage for each water energy on your pokemon, which are then shuffled into the deck. With the return of Lady, Capacious Bucket and Energy Lotto being a thing, this definitely has potential…
Anyway, better do the review…
You’re Gonna Buy!
It is a generally held belief that the three-pack blister provides the most economic route to Pull City (yeah, gotta work on that name) as most of the time you will pull a holo or better – not guaranteed, but most of the time. I know this would probably not bear up under intense scrutiny by probability, but it’s a nice thing to think. Regardless of the truth behind these beliefs, you can be sure that you get three booster packs from Lost Origin, a promo card and a coin for flipping.
The coin in this set is one of the new large format and as far as I can remember hasn’t appeared in the small format either – a rather fetching Farfetch’d in all its leek-y glory. The promo card is either Regigigas or Weaville, as featured previously on the cover of Japan’s Pokemon Fan magazine – not the really good Regegigas from Astral Radiance, sadly, but a Regigigas nonetheless.
The three packs are the usual format: one energy, eight common/uncommons, a reverse holo/Trainer Gallery/Radiant and a rare, which could be anything from a non-holo rare right up to an alternative art. The usual rule is that, if you have a white-backed code card, you won’t get anything spectacular in the rare slot, but if you get a black-backed card you should at least get a holo-rare (but with luck, something a bit spicier). Seeing as this set features Trainer Gallery and Radiant cards, this doesn’t necessarily mean that a white-code is a bust.
So, what did I get? Well, what I didn’t get was any Finneons or Wind-up Arms, so even though those are common/uncommon cards, the size of the set might make it hard to get hold of them from boosters alone. I did however pull a Sableye holo and a Giratina VSTAR Gold (one of the ‘chase’ cards from the set), suggesting perhaps that the rumours are true! Though the Giratina is a thing of true beauty, the Sableye should not be dismissed. Not only does it have a ridiculous attack (if you have 10 cards in the Lost Zone, for one Psychic energy Sableye can put 12 damage counters on your opponents pokemon in any way you like – a real game breaker if used at the right time), but it’s status as a Lost Zone card means that the holo effect oozes out of the illustration. Very pleasing.
Lost: In Translation
Pokemon seem to be upping their game with each set this year and Lost Origin continues the trend by serving both the meta and the collector. The Trainer Gallery has some real treats (Gengar, Orbeetle, Eternatus and the Gold Chunky Pikachu cards are particularly impressive) and there are some interesting mechanics coming out from both Lost Zone and otherwise. Even the non-holo rares aren’t bad, with non-holo Comfey and its draw-and-Lost-Zone ability making it essential for any Giratina deck. But please, PLEASE… why did you get rid of Wailord?
