Sceptile ex Single Card Strategy

One of the perks of the EX Crystal Guardians expansion is the arrival of the first Delta Species Pokémon-ex. This allows for some exciting Supporter card opportunities when it comes to searching your deck for Pokémon. Prior to this release, Professor Elm’s Training Method was the only way to search for Pokémon-ex Evolutions. Now comes Sceptile ex (96/100), the first Delta Species Pokémon-ex. Therefore, you can now use the Holon Researcher Supporter card to search your deck for this powerful Pokémon. This gives you a singular strategy when searching for the Basic, Stage 1, and Stage 2 Pokémon in this evolutionary line.

Sceptile ex has a very interesting Poké-Body—Extra Liquid turns off the Poké-Powers of both player’s Pokémon-ex. In addition, all Pokémon-ex pay 1 additional Colorless Energy to use their attacks. This may come as a surprise to your opponents as they launch their attacks while thinking they have enough Energy, only to find out that they still need one more. The downside of this Poké-Body, of course, is that it also impacts Sceptile ex. As long as your opponent does not have a Cessation Crystal in play, Sceptile ex’s Power Revenge attack requires 3 Energy to use. (Remember that Extra Liquid is not cumulative.)

Sceptile ex’s attack, Power Revenge, is quite devious as well. It will routinely dish out 60 damage, which would be perfectly acceptable for a Stage 2 Pokémon. However, it does 60 damage plus 10 more for each Prize card that your opponent has taken. Thus, as the game goes on, Sceptile ex is not only fast but a heavy hitter as well. As your opponent is working on retrieving that last Prize card, his or her Pokémon could be taking 110 damage every turn! This will help you catch up in a hurry should you fall behind.

The drawback of Sceptile ex is its Weakness to both Grass and Fire. At 140 HP, this Pokémon can be Knocked Out in a single hit by a Fire or Grass Pokémon that can do 70 damage. And with Venusaur being quite popular right now, this could happen more often than you might like.

The benefit of Sceptile ex is the use of its Delta Species traits to take advantage of a traditional Psychic Pokémon versus Psychic Pokémon match-up. Usually the fight goes back and forth, with huge damage being dealt on each side, hammering at each other’s Psychic Weakness. But Sceptile ex turns that battle into a one-sided slugfest against other Psychic Pokémon by having a different, non-traditional Weakness. And this can be countered by adding other Pokémon to deal with the ones Sceptile ex is most vulnerable to.