Working with LEGENDs

The Pokémon LEGENDs are powerful cards that can quickly turn the tide of a game. Both Pokémon LEGENDs cards have incredible moves and high HP, so they can take damage as well as deliver it. But they are quite different from any other cards you've ever seen in the Pokémon TCG. Here are some tips about how to use these cards correctly.

A Class by Themselves

So, what kind of Pokémon are these Pokémon LEGENDs? First off, they're neither Basic nor Evolved Pokémon. And they're not Pokémon SP or Pokémon LV.X cards. In fact, they're a brand-new category of card entirely: Pokémon LEGEND. What's great about this new category is all of your opponent's attacks and abilities that target a specific kind of Pokémon, such as Lunatone (Supreme Victors, 32/147), whose Marvel Eyes Poké-Body prevents damage from Pokémon LV.X, have no effect. However, this also limits you in certain ways as well. For example, you can't use Pichu's (28/123) Playground attack to call out a Pokémon LEGEND card because that attack works to find only Basic Pokémon. Also note that, because Pokémon LEGENDs are not Basic Pokémon, they cannot be played during the set-up phase at the beginning of the game!

One Card or Two?

When Pokémon LEGEND cards are in your deck or in your hand, they are considered two cards, even if together they form one Pokémon. If you have a card such as Poké Ball (95/123) that says, "Search your deck for a Pokémon...," you can retrieve only one of the two cards that make up a Pokémon LEGEND. However, you play both of the cards from your hand at the same time, at which point the two cards are considered one Pokémon. So, if your opponent has Delibird (39/123) that uses its Hail attack (which does 10 damage to each of the opponent's Pokémon), it does damage to your Pokémon LEGEND only once. And if your Pokémon LEGEND gets Knocked Out, both cards get sent to your discard pile, where they are once again considered two cards. But your opponent gets to draw only one Prize card!

Strength in Numbers

The rules of the Pokémon TCG state that you can have only four of any one kind of card in your deck (unless the card specifies otherwise). Because both cards of a Pokémon LEGEND are the same name, you can have only two pairs (four total cards) of a particular Pokémon LEGEND in your deck. However, you can have two Ho-Oh LEGEND pairs and two Lugia LEGEND pairs in your deck at the same time, because the names of the two Pokémon are different.

What You Can Do

The most important strategy you can implement while building a deck based on Pokémon LEGEND cards is to bolster them with cards that have non-specific instructions. For example, Furret (21/123) might be a good choice because its Find a Friend attack does not specify what kind of Pokémon you add to your hand. By comparison, the Pokémon Collector (97/123) Supporter card will not help you at all because it works only to find Basic Pokémon.

Additionally, the attacks of Pokémon LEGENDs require quite a bit of Energy. Double Colorless Energy (103/123) works wonders for Ho-Oh LEGEND's Bright Wing attack because Ho-Oh LEGEND's Sacred Rainbow Poké-Body will turn that Colorless Energy into Fire Energy. And Rainbow Energy (104/123) is useful for Lugia LEGEND, which requires three different types of Energy to unleash its massive Elemental Blast attack.

Armed with a clear understanding of the rules regarding Pokémon LEGENDs, as well as a strong strategy for how to build your deck around these powerful Pokémon, you'll be ready to take on any challengers, thanks to the new Pokémon LEGENDs!