PokeCommunity Card of the Day (July 9th, 2011) - Yanmega TM 98/102

[donavannj]

Welcome to PokeCommunity's (Un)Official Card of the Day series!

Basically, this is a series of threads where you rate a given card based on several factors, including how useful it is in various decks, which cards it combos well with, and its art. So, basically, you're rating all aspects of the card.

Card of the Day for July 8th, 2011 - Yanmega (Prime) 98/102 HS Triumphant Set

Spoiler:

(This pic is just being used to show the art. I can't find the power cable for our scanner here at the moment, otherwise I'd have used a scan)

Card details:

Spoiler:

Name: Yanmega
Set: HS Triumphant
Collector's Number: 98/102
Rarity: Prime Special Rare Holo
Illustrator: Nariko Hatta
Pokedex Entry: n/a
Type: Grass
Evolution Stage: Stage 1
HP: 110
Ability: n/a
Poke-Power: n/a
Poke-Body: Insight - If you have the same number of cards in your hand as your opponent, the attack cost of each of Yanmega's attacks is 0.
Attack 1: (1 Grass 1 Colorless) Linear Attack - Choose 1 of your opponent's Pokemon. This attack does 40 damage to that Pokemon.
Attack 2: (2 Grass 1 Colorless) Sonicboom - This attack's damage isn't affected by Weakness or Resistance.
Weakness: Electric x2
Resistance: Fighting -20
Retreat Cost: 0

Some questions to get you started:
What decks is this useful in?
What cards does it combo well with?
What do you think about the card's capabilities?
What do you think about the card art?

Now get your rate on!

 

[Rocket_Executive]

This card is proving to be really useful in this format. With baby pokemon everywhere, specifically cleffa, tyrogue, and mime jr., this thing is invaluable as a bench-sniper. It has the potential to set up long before the opponent does with its Insight pokebody, making it able to attack for no energy cost as long as you either judge, copycat, or just play out your hand until you have the same cards as your opponent. If sniping baby pokemon doesn't seem that useful, keep in mind that every deck in the top 16 at Canadian nats had cleffa. The HP seems neutral at first, not as high as stage 2 pokemon but high for a stage 1, but 110 HP is actually really relevant in this format given its weakness to lightning. Its only real threat is from magnezone prime, and that extra 10 HP forces magnezone to lost zone one more energy to get the knock out.
It does have its drawbacks, namely the fact that it can only do a maximum of 70 damage with its best attack, which is quite low compared to other top tier pokemon. You also aren't always going to be able to get the same amount of cards in your hand as your opponent, which means you have to take three turns to set up that second attack. That's why it has to be paired with another pokemon that can either hit harder or add damage like kingdra prime.
The art is ok but yanmega is just an ugly pokemon.
8/10

 

[piecemeal]

I give it 7/10 solely on the basis of the art. Maybe the overall shininess of the prime is blinding me, but the effect is good. It looks like it's powerful and swooping down from the sky, and the colors are striking. Rocket Exec, I don't agree that Yanmega's ugly, but I will give you "weird-looking" :)

 

[Rocket_Executive]

Looks like it took at least second place at U.S nats, and I've heard it rumored that all the decks in top 8 had yanmega in them. We'll see how well-used it really was when the reports start coming in.