HS - Unleashed Featured Cards
info courtesy of Pokemon.com

Politoed

Politoed (7/95) is all smiles when it has the support of other Water-type Pokémon. When your Bench is loaded with Water-type Pokémon, you can take advantage of Politoed’s Leap Frog Poké-Power, which lets you swap out the Active Pokémon with one of them. Essentially, it allows you to retreat your Active Pokémon for free, provided the Pokémon that’s taking its place is a Water-type.

Your Water-type Pokémon in play will also pay off when it’s time for Politoed to attack with Big Chorus. Flip a coin for each Water-type Pokémon you have in play—and you’ll do 30 damage for each heads. With a full Bench of Water-type Pokémon, you’ll average 90 damage, with the chance to do a whopping 180 damage! Even if your coin flips come up a little short, Politoed’s 120 HP will help it stay in battle for another turn. Or, use the Leap Frog Poké-Power to keep Politoed out of danger! Looking for good Water-type Pokémon to use with Politoed? Keep Kingdra (85/95) in mind: its Spray Splash Poké-Power can be used from the Bench and give a little extra punch to Politoed’s attacks.

Roserade

With an effective Poké-Power and a devastating attack, the Grass-type Roserade (23/95) delivers a one-two punch that will send your opponent reeling! Its Energy Signal Poké-Power works when you attach an Energy card to Roserade: when you attach a Grass Energy card, the Defending Pokémon is Confused; when you attach a Psychic Energy card, the Defending Pokémon is Poisoned! What’s more, if you attach a Rainbow Energy card (HeartGold & SoulSilver, 104/123) to Roserade, the Defending Pokémon is affected by both Special Conditions!

On top of this, Roserade has an attack that, with enough Energy behind it, can take out just about any Pokémon it faces. Its Power Blow attack does 20 damage for each Energy attached to Roserade, creating the potential for a most devastating attack. Let Roserade build up Energy while sitting on your Bench (using Energy Signal every turn, of course), and then move it up to the Active spot to blast the Defending Pokémon!

Kingdra

Do you frequently find yourself needing that last bit of damage to Knock Out your opponent’s Pokémon? Kingdra Prime (85/95) is here to fill that void! This Stage 2 Pokémon’s Spray Splash Poké-Power lets you put a damage counter onto any one of your opponent's Pokémon each turn. Compare this to the Flash Bite Poké-Power of the often-played Crobat (Platinum, 47/127), which you can use only when that Pokémon comes into play. And with multiple Kingdra Prime in play, each one delivering damage with this Poké-Power per turn, you won’t fall short again! Kingdra Prime can also quickly apply some heated pressure with its Dragon Steam attack: for only 1 Water Energy, Dragon Steam sears the Defending Pokémon for 60 damage (though it does only 20 damage if your opponent has any Fire-type Pokémon in play). For very little Energy, Kingdra Prime can turn the tide of a battle in an instant!

Lanturn

Being able to change type has all kinds of advantage, as you’ll discover when you play Lanturn Prime (86/95). This Stage 1 Pokémon can use its Underwater Dive Poké-Power to become a Water-type Pokémon during your turn. The obvious advantage is that you can match up against the Defending Pokémon’s Weakness—if your opponent has an Active Fire-type Pokémon (most of which have Weakness to Water-type Pokémon), use Underwater Dive to double the damage that Lanturn Prime does! You can also use Underwater Dive in conjunction with other abilities, including Politoed’s (7/95) Leap Frog Poké-Power or Big Chorus attack! Lanturn Prime is far more than a type chameleon, however; this Pokémon can also shock your foe for serious damage. Its Powerful Spark attack does 40 damage plus 10 more for each Energy card attached to all of your Pokémon, including Lanturn Prime. Since Powerful Spark costs 3 Energy to use, by itself the attack already does 70 damage. Add in all of the Energy attached to your Benched Pokémon, and the sky’s the limit as to how much damage Lanturn Prime can ultimately inflict!

Steelix

With its huge body and ragged teeth, there’s nothing subtle about Steelix Prime (87/95). This Steel-type Pokémon will lock down even the most hardened opponent with fear. Steelix Prime can first ding the Defending Pokémon for 30 damage with its Energy Stream attack, which also lets you dig through your discard pile for an Energy card and attach it to Steelix Prime. Once Steelix Prime has 2 Metal Energy and 3 other Energy attached, it’s time to unleash Gaia Crush, a devastating 100-damage attack that will also let you choose and discard any Stadium card in play. On top of this one-two punch, Steelix Prime is also hard to take down: its Perfect Metal Poké-Body prevents Steelix Prime from being affected by Special Conditions, and its 140 HP gives in long-term endurance in battle! And if that’s still not quite enough to keep Steelix Prime in your game, try attaching the Metal Energy (Platinum, 100/111) Special Energy card to it to reduce damage from attacks against it by 10, making Steelix Prime an even harder foe to tangle with!

Tyranitar

That sound you hear isn’t the roar of mighty Tyranitar Prime (88/95) getting ready to attack—it’s the moan of your opponent when you put this hard-hitting Pokémon into play! Tyranitar Prime has three attacks, each with its own advantages. First, Darkness Howl does 20 damage to every Pokémon in play that isn’t a Darkness-type Pokémon. So, load up your Bench with other Darkness-type Pokémon, and Darkness Howl will rock your opponent’s entire line-up for only 1 Darkness Energy. Then continue to pummel the Defending Pokémon with Tyranitar Prime’s Power Claw attack, a 60-damage attack that can’t be avoided or reduced in any way. And if that’s not enough, take on the toughest foes with its Megaton Tail attack, which devastates for a phenomenal 120 damage! The only downside to Megaton Tail is that you must also discard the top three cards from your deck, but what a small price to pay for thrashing your way through your opponent’s defenses! Consider using Double Colorless Energy (HeartGold & SoulSilver, 103/123) to quickly power up both Power Claw and Megaton Tail, each of which require two Colorless Energy. And don’t forget to use the Special Energy card Darkness Energy (Platinum, 99/111) to add a little extra damage to Tyranitar Prime’s already fearsome attacks!

Ursaring

Ursaring Prime’s (89/95) razor-sharp claws aren’t just for show. This Stage 1 Pokémon has the brawn to back up its bite. Ursaring Prime is best once it’s been in battle for a bit: its Berserk Poké-Body kicks in to add 60 damage to Ursaring Prime’s attacks once it has at least 1 damage counter on it. Of course, there are a lot of other ways to add a damage counter to Ursaring faster, including attaching a Rainbow Energy (HeartGold & SoulSilver, 104/123), having Ursaring Prime on your Bench when Tyranitar Prime (HS—Unleashed, 88/95) uses Darkness Howl, or using Typhlosion Prime’s (HeartGold & SoulSilver, 110/123) Afterburner Poké-Power to transfer Energy to Ursaring Prime. Ursaring Prime’s attacks require a good deal of Energy, but Double Colorless Energy (HeartGold & SoulSilver, 103/123) will help you unleash them quicker. Hammer Arm’s 30 damage isn’t a backbreaker on its own, but the Berserk Poké-Body turns it into an effective weapon. But why stop there? For only 1 more Energy, you can thump your opponent with the Megaton Lariat, an attack that does a raw 60 damage and has the potential to deliver 120 damage K.O. blows when the Berserk Poké-Body kicks in!

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Entei & Raikou LEGEND

The Legendary Pokémon Entei and Raikou form an attack team with two types, Fire and Lightning, and with Weakness to Water and Fighting. Entei & Raikou LEGEND (90/95 & 91/95) benefits from having two attacks that require little Energy to do a great deal of damage. Detonation Spin delivers a whopping 90 damage while requiring only 1 Fire Energy and 1 Colorless Energy to use (though you’ll have to discard a Fire Energy when you attack). Its second attack, Thunder Fall, also costs only 2 Energy: 1 Lightning Energy and 1 Colorless Energy, but you’ll have to discard all the Energy attached to this Pokémon LEGEND at the end of your turn. Still, the attack has great potential: it does 80 damage to every Pokémon in the field that has a Poké-Power... yours as well as your opponent’s! Be sure to use it at the right time or you could risk Knocking Out some of the Pokémon you have on your own Bench! As with the other Pokémon LEGENDs in HS—Unleashed, when your opponent knocks out Entei & Raikou LEGEND, he or she gets to take 2 Prize cards. Fortunately, an impressive 140 HP and free Retreat Cost will help keep Entei & Raikou LEGEND enduring deep into the game.

Suicune & Entei LEGEND

The Suicune & Entei LEGEND (94/95 & 95/95) displays a fascinating combination of Water and Fire types. Like the other two Pokémon LEGENDs, this duo has two Weaknesses—Lightning- and Water-type Pokémon will hit it for double damage. So, when faced with the Lightning- and Water-type Raikou & Suicune LEGEND, Suicune & Entei LEGEND risks taking quadruple damage! Both of Suicune & Entei LEGEND’s attacks are potential game-changers. First, Torrent Blade can wash over any of your opponent’s Benched Pokémon for 100 damage. The attack costs 2 Water Energy and 1 Colorless Energy, and the only penalty for using the attack is that 2 Water Energy attached to this Pokémon LEGEND must be returned to your hand (not to your discard pile, which is good news). Then, heat up the battle with Bursting Inferno, which not only does 80 damage to the Defending Pokémon but leaves the Defending Pokémon Burned as well. With the two attacks, you can take your pick of targets, but no matter what you choose, Suicune & Entei LEGEND is sure to be a force in your deck!

Raikou & Suicune LEGEND

Raikou and Suicune are a powerful combo with the Lightning and Water dual-type Raikou & Suicune LEGEND (92/95 & 93/95) cards. Like the Pokémon themselves, Raikou & Suicune LEGEND’s attacks form a harmonious balance: Thunderbolt Spear does a vicious 150 damage to the Defending Pokémon while Raikou & Suicune LEGEND itself takes 50 damage. However, this Pokémon LEGEND’s other attack, Aurora Gain, lets you remove 5 damage counters from it while doing 50 damage. Thus, the collateral damage that one of the attacks causes is repaired by the other attack! And with 160 HP to shore it up, it’ll be hard to Knock Out the stalwart pair—when it’s at full strength, you could use its Thunderbolt Spear and your opponent would still have to come up with 110 damage to Knock Out Raikou & Suicune LEGEND!