Hello! It’s Celebi’ again with another Card of the Day. This time, Xatu from Unleashed takes center stage. This card was discussed near the beginning of the HS-on format as a counter to Machamp Prime – a card which has since then become rather obscure. But Xatu may be useful with the release of Emerging Powers and a card that could singlehandedly change the metagame.
(I’m sure you all know which card I’m talking about, but for those who don’t, I’ll have to leave you hanging for a while. ;)
Let’s get back to Xatu. Its basic form, Natu UL, is nothing special. It has 50 HP and a nasty Lightning weakness, making it susceptible to an Outrage donk from Zekrom BLW (with a PlusPower drop). Its attacks stink, and all it’s really good at is sitting on the bench for a turn, waiting to evolve.
Xatu itself has 90 HP, which is slightly lower than average for a Stage 1. One retreat cost is also average. Like Natu, is has a terrible Lightning weakness, but it also resists Fighting, which is nice.
Its first attack, Psywave, is the reason that I’m reviewing it. For one Psychic energy, its attack does 20 damage times the number of Energy attached to the Defending Pokémon. In this format, there won’t usually be more than three energy attached to a Pokémon, meaning that Xatu’s damage would cap at about 60 – which, while decent for the cost, just isn’t enough to be very effective since Xatu will likely be KO’d pretty quickly.
However, there’s a new Pokémon that needs at least three energy, if not more, to be effective. This Pokémon also has Psychic weakness. That’s right – I’m talking about Gothitelle. Her attack, for three colorless energy, does a base 30 damage plus 20 more for each Psychic energy attached to her.
That means that if Gothitelle has three energy, she’ll still only do 90 damage. Gothitelle players have to pile on the energies every turn in order to be able to attack for a significant amount of damage. But Xatu can swoop right in and OHKO a Gothitelle with at least 4 energies on it (80 damage times two for weakness, for a total of 160).
Xatu’s pros include the ability to OHKO one of the most popular cards in the format, as well as being able to attack for only one energy. However, it has several cons. The first is that it’s a Stage 1, meaning that you’ll have a Natu sitting for a turn, offering an easy Catcher Prize.
In addition, Gothitelle needs four energy to be OHKO’d by Xatu; chances are, if your opponent has four energy attached, that Gothitelle has probably already taken a couple of prizes and given them the lead.
Unfortunately, if not for Gothitelle’s Ability Item-locking you, Xatu would be able to take down a 3-energy Gothitelle with a PlusPower…which brings me to the last con.
The fact is, it’s really hard to get out a 1-of tech (which is what Xatu, if ever played, should be) under Item lock. A Gothitelle player’s strategy is to limit your setup while slowly getting set up themselves. Most decks, when unable to use important cards like Pokémon Catcher and Pokémon Communication, just can’t function properly.
Now, according to the PokeGym thread on Battle Roads winners, Gothitelle hasn’t won as many events as top decks like ZPS(T) and ReshiPhlosion, but it’s still a popular play and, if Gothitelle is prevalent in your metagame, Xatu may have some use.
That’s all, folks! I hope you enjoyed my review. What do you guys think about Xatu?
