The Pokemon TCGO versus ladder has reset, which means it is time for a new reward. This time the reward for winning versus matches is the sneaky Darkrai EX!
A wild Darkrai has appeared!
Become Your Opponent’s Worst Nightmare with Darkrai EX
The Darkrai EX card has the potential to offer a lot of return on your energy investment. However, it will take a substantial upfront cost to make him worthwhile. But there is good news! This energy does not all need to be attached to Darkrai EX in order for him to become the late game powerhouse. All you need is a bit of patience and a decent stall Pokemon, and soon it will all pay off. Let’s take a closer look at this card.
First thing you may notice is the impressive 180 HP bulk. This is on the higher end of the basic EX cards, and should ensure that you have time to set up Darkrai EX. There is also a resistance to Psychic-type Pokemon, which should help his survivability a bit more.
To me, the highlight of Darkrai EX is the move Dark Pulse. A two energy investment for just 20 damage may not seem like much, but pay close attention to the effect. Dark Pulse does 20 additional damage for each Dark-type energy attached to all of your Pokemon. You read that correctly. An additional 20 damage for each Dark-type energy attached to all of your Pokemon. Dark Pulse has the potential to one-shot any card in the game, provided that you get the energy out on the field. If you want to make this card work, make sure you have some method to pull Dark-type energy out of your deck.
His final move, Dark Head, is rather lackluster. At a three energy cost it does 80 damage, which is great. The effect of Dark Head however, makes this move just…meh. In order take full advantage of Dark Head, you will need to switch in on a sleeping Pokemon. This will require a decent amount of setup time, which you may not have. It would be safer to just use a high powered Dark Pulse to annihilate your enemy.
Darkrai EX Ladder Rewards
If you read my Landorous EX Versus Ladder article, you will notice there was one thing missing. While at the end of each versus tier nets you a fancy EX card, there are some notable rewards before getting to that point. One of the rewards for this ladder, has excellent synergy with Darkrai EX.
This Pangoro fits in well with the Darkrai EX card.
Pangoro here can provide an excellent compliment to your newly earned Darkrai EX card. Notice how all of Pangoro’s attacks require Dark-type energy? When he is fully charged with three, Pangoro adds 60 damage to Dark Pulse. Not only that but Buster Swing is a pretty great move in its own right. For three energy you do 90 damage that cannot be resisted in any way! What makes it better is that Pangoro can use Parting Shot. This move will allow you to switch into Darkrai EX, and provide it with a 60 damage reduction buffer. This will guarantee that Darkrai EX survives to unleash chaos against your enemies. If you plan on making a deck with Darkrai EX, it may be worthwhile to experiment by adding this card to the mix.
Since this is the first ladder cycle after the release of the Sun and Moon expansion, the ladder rewards features a card pack from that series as its reward. You’ll need to rack up quite a few wins to get there, but those new GX cards are certainly worth the effort.
Possible Downsides
Easily the biggest downside is the Dark Head move. This move will require some true deck coordination and may be difficult to pull off in a match. However if you have a deck focused around imposing the sleep status effect on your opponents, then Darkrai EX may be right for you. Additionally this card is focused around being able to attach Dark-type energy. Make sure you have cards that can draw energy from the deck.
Another huge downside to this card is his Fighting-type weakness. Fighting-types are relatively popular, and you could find yourself frequently taking double damage because of this. Even though Darkrai EX has 180 HP, you could find yourself fainted due to taking a consistent 60 damage each turn.
Conclusions
All and all, this is a rather interesting versus ladder cycle. Darkrai EX is a great card for sure, but I thoroughly enjoy the fact that this ladder also includes Pangoro. The synergy between those two is too good to resist. Make sure you take some time out this cycle to really climb the ladder and get this card!
Just like the last ladder cycle, the versus point threshold has not changed. That means in order to get Darkrai EX you’ll need to meet the following tier goals:
- First Tier – 210 Points
- Second Tier – 690 Points
- Third Tier – 2000 Points – Unlocks Holofoil Trainer Card. This cycle, the end of tier 3 rewards a full art Brigette card!
What do you think about the Darkrai EX ladder cycle? Do you like the rewards that they have, or do you find Darkrai EX to be underwhelming? Are you going to try for that full art Brigette card? Let me know about it in the comments below. Good luck trainers!