EX Power Keepers: Super Energy!

By Kim Cary

A fundamental rule of the TCG is that you can only attach one Energy card during your turn; however, sometimes there are attacks, Poké-Powers, or Trainer cards that let you break this rule. These abilities are among the most powerful in the game, and many winning deck strategies are built to get around the Energy attachment limit. Pokémon with Poké-Powers that let you attach extra Energy include Typhlosion ex (EX Unseen Forces #110), Meganium ex (EX Unseen Forces #106), Flygon ∂ (EX Holon Phantoms #7), Dragonite ∂ (EX Delta Species #3), Altaria ex ∂ (EX Dragon Frontiers #90), Metagross ∂ (EX Delta Species #11). And now, Blaziken (EX Power Keepers #5) and Gardevoir (EX Power Keepers #9) join this distinguished roster. Let’s see how you combine their Poké-Powers with other cards in your deck.

Fire-type Pokémon are notorious for needing to discard Energy in order to attack. Blaziken can help them replace that Energy and keep right on attacking. Blaziken’s Firestarter Poké-Power adds a Fire Energy from your discard to one of your Benched Pokémon. Better still, each Blaziken can use Firestarter once per turn—so if you have two Blaziken in play, you can attach two Fire Energy to your Benched Pokémon!

Now all you need to do is get Energy into your discard pile and Pokémon onto the Bench. Arcanine ex (EX Legend Maker #83) needs two Fire and a colorless Energy to do 100 damage… but you must discard two Fire Energy (or one React Energy). You can power up a Benched Arcanine ex using Blaziken’s Firestarter Poké-Power, and then send Arcanine ex out to attack. Next turn, take the Energy discarded by the Active Arcanine ex and attach them to a different Benched Arcanine ex, switch or retreat the Active Pokémon, and attack for 100 damage again! Other Pokémon that can make use of Firestarter include Slaking (EX Power Keepers #13), Rayquaza ex (EX Deoxys #102), Lugia ex (EX Unseen Forces #105), and Latias  (EX Deoxys #105).

Gardevoir's Poké-Power, Psy Shadow, let’s you search your deck for one Psychic Energy and attach it to any of your Pokémon at the cost of adding two damage counters to that Pokémon. To successfully use Psy Shadow, you’ll have to do something about that damage. Including a Gardevoir (EX Emerald #4) with the Heal Dance Poké-Power in your deck let’s you remove those two damage counters. On the other hand, you could use that damage to power rage-type attacks. Use Psy Shadow on Gardevoir ∂ and then use its own Energy Jump Poké-Power to move the Energy around as needed. Then, when Gardevoir ∂ (EX Delta Species #6) has taken enough damage, bring it out and use its Psychic Rage attack to damage any Pokémon in play. Other Pokémon that can make good use of the Psy Shadow Poké-Power include Magneton (EX Power Keepers #16), Latios  (EX Deoxys #106), and Slaking (EX Power Keepers #13).

Trying out combinations of powerful abilities like Psy Shadow and Firestarter is a big part of learning, winning, and having fun with the Pokémon TCG. There are lots more out there. What other combos can you find in EX Power Keepers?