Pokemon Square Off.....Fennekin vs. Froakie

I'll admit now that my knowledge of Pokemon is sort of limited.  I have been playing the TCG with my boys for about two years...I have a humble collection.  It all fits in one little tin.  

Prior to that there was a cartoon on, of course, and then there was the video games.  I didn't care for the original game, which I had on my Gameboy Color way back in the day...I think the cartoon is a bit cutesy...And we saw a movie about MewTwo, which made the then five year old SpartanSmurf #1 cry it was so emotional.

So if if I seem a little off on these reviews, excuse me!  Also, readers should note that there are no sanctioned Pokemon TCG tournaments within a hundred miles of where we live...So we usually just play casual, where anything goes...irregardless of what would be legal in a tournament.  )I do not think either of these decks would hold up in a serious tournament anyway)

My two children recently got these two decks.  You can read my unboxing reviews here and here!  They matched a two out of three, and here was the results!

ROUND 1

SpartanSmurf #1 wins coin toss

The new rules say if you go first, you can’t attack first on that turn

The basic Pokemon out, Fennekin on SpartanSmurf #2, Froakie on SpartanSmurf #1 Honage and Farfetch’d on the bench.

SpartanSmurf #1 plays Tierno, kind of like Cheren...(You get to draw three cards)

Fenekin gets the first attack in, with Scratch.  This requires only one Fire energy.

SpartanSmurf #1 gets the first evolution….His Froakie becomes Frogadier.  He uses “Water Dripping” Which requires only a water energy.  Fennekin is weak to water.

Live Coal from Fennekin to Frogadier….a two energy attack.

SpartanSmurf #1 Aqua Waves…..Knocking out Fennekin.  (Not surprising)  That required two water and one other.

SpartanSmurf #2 does nothing.

SpartanSmurf #1 Aqua Waves again, knocking out Pansear

SpartanSmurf #2 plays Furfrou, and attacks with Tight Jaw, which paralyzes Fogadier.  This buys some time for SpartanSmurf #2.

SpartanSmurf #2 Sharp Fangs Frogadier for 50, a three energy attack, which knocks out Frogadier.

SpartanSmurf #1 puts out Pawniard.  He cuts Fufurfrou for 20.

SpartanSmurf #2 uses tight jaw, paralyzing Pawniard (and hitting for 20)

SpartanSmurf #2 knocks out Pawniard with sharp fang.  Looks like Furfrou is a BEAST.

SpartanSmurf #1 plays Honage, a steel Pokemon.  His attack takes two energy, including a steel.  This is a dangerous attack, which lets you flip tip you get a tails to hit for 30X.  But he fails.  (Continuous Slash)

Furfrou knocks out Honage

SpartanSmurf #1 plays Panpour.  He tries fury swipes, which is similar to continuous slash, but does 10 X each head from three flips.

SpartanSmurf #2 plays tight jaw to Furfrou  again paralyzing him.

SpartanSmurf #1 wins plays a poke ball, and wins a flip.  He gets out another Honage

SpartanSmurf #1s next Pansear attack was collect, which apparently isn’t as good as it used to be.  (SpartanSmurf #1 says it used to let you draw three cards.)

SpartanSmurf #2 knocks it out with sharp fang.

SpartanSmurf #2 does tight jaw, but loses the flip.  So no paralysis.

SpartanSmurf #1 evolves Froakie on the bench.

SpartanSmurf #2 used sharp fang, knocking out Honage.

SpartanSmurf #1 advances his Froadier from the bench.  He plays down a Pawniard

SpartanSmurf #2 tight jaws SpartanSmurf #1’s Frogadier.

SpartanSmurf #2 sharp fangs the Frogadier, drawing his last prize card!

ROUND 2

SpartanSmurf #1 wins the coin toss.

SpartanSmurf #2 plays Inkay as his first Pokemon

SpartanSmurf #1 plays Pawnard and Bidoof on the bench, with another Pawniard as his attacker.

SpartanSmurf #1 puts a steel energy on Pawniard

SpartanSmurf #2 puts a darkness on Inkay, and pecks for 10

SpartanSmurf #1 cuts Inkay for 20

SpartanSmurf #2 pecks for 10.

SpartanSmurf #1 plays Tierno

SpartanSmurf #1 evolves Pawniard into Bisharp…Then uses Wicked Jab.  This costs only 1 energy, and allows a coin flip to paralyze the enemy, but he loses the coin toss.

SpartanSmurf #2 now has Furfrou and Inkay on the bench.

SpartanSmurf #1 plays crushing hammer, and takgets the Furfrou on the bench.

SpartanSmurf #1 knocks out SpartanSmurf #2’s Inkay

SpartanSmurf #2 advances his other

SpartanSmurf #1 does Tierno, and loads his bench with Froakie, Skitty, and Farfetch’d  He Metal Claws Inkay, knocking it out. 

SpartanSmurf #2 plays Furfrou, and sharp fangs Bisharp to knock him out.  SpartanSmurf #1 advances Froakie

SpartanSmurf #1 wins a flip with a Poke ball and evolves Froakie into Frogadier. 

SpartanSmurf #1 Water drips Furfrou.

SpartanSmurf #2 uses the new Pokmaon catcher, to switch out Frogadier with Pawniard.  (nowadays this card requires a coin flip)  SpartanSmurf #2 tight jaws and wins the flip paralyzing Pawniard

SpartanSmurf #1 plays Poke ball again, but loses the flip.

SpartanSmurf #2 sharp fangs the stunted Pawniard for 50, knocking it out.

At this point, the two trainer are at a tie with prize cards

SpartanSmurf #1 plays a Froakie to the bench.  Then uses his active Frogadier to aqua wave Furfrou for 40 plus 20 more by winning the coin flip once.

SpartanSmurf #2 tight jaws and wins the flip, paralyzing the Frogadier

SpartanSmurf #2 tight jaws again, but loses to flip.

SpartanSmurf #1 uses Frogadier to water drip Furfrou and knock him out.  SpartanSmurf #2 advances a slugma from the bench.

SpartanSmurf #2 plays Tierno.  Then Poke Ball, but loses the flip.  He combustions Frogadier.

SpartanSmurf #1 then aqua waves, and knocks out the slugma, finishing off all of SpartanSmurf #2’s pokemopn.

ROUND 3

SpartanSmurf #1 wins the toss

After Lunch!

SpartanSmurf #1 gets two Froakies.  SpartanSmurf #2 gets Fletchling and Furfrou.  Fletchling is the active Pokemon

SpartanSmurf #1 plays Tierno, and gets Farfetch’d and the stage 1 andStage 2 of Froakie, Frogadier, Greninja

SpartanSmurf #2 gets another Fletchling.

SpartanSmurf #1 aqua-edges Fletchling for 80.  SpartanSmurf #2 advances another fletchling from the bench.

He razor winds.  It deals 20 damage to the Grenninja

SpartanSmurf #1 aqua edges the fletchling, knocking it out.  SpartanSmurf #2 advances Furfrou.  He Tight Jaws Greninja, paralyzing it.

SpartanSmurf #1 Poke ball, loses.

SpartanSmurf #2 puts energy on Slugma.  Then tight Jaws.  But loses the flip and fails to paralyze.  the Greninja.  IT now has 60 damage.

SpartanSmurf #1 has been evolving the other Froakie on the bench.  Now he has two Greninjas!  (It should be noted that SpartanSmurf #2 has accused him of cheating.  I am not so sure.)

SpartanSmurf #1 Aqua-Edges Furfrou.  Now it has 10 life left.

SpartanSmurf #2 tight jaws but fails to paralyze again.  Looks like curtains for Furfrou

Naturally, the Furfrou gets knocked out.  SpartanSmurf #2 advances a Slugma.  Weak sauce.

SpartanSmurf #1 swings for 160 (Slugma is weak to water.)

Summary.

These two decks are balanced against each other pretty good.  The Fennekin deck really took advantage of the Furfrou, colorless “blah blah blah” Pokemon.  I never got to see Fennekin actually get going.  But it stood no chance agains the water attacks of Froakie and his evolutions, and I predict that most of the time it never will.  So the champions of the Fennekin deck are the colorless Pokemon, and Froakie and his ilk are the champions of the Froakie deck.  If these decks were taken to a tournament, they would lose.  They don't have enough synergy.  And at least to me, that is what wins the Pokemon TCG...cards that work together.