This month we see the Vs Ladder reset with the deadly Toxicroak EX, Gothitelle, Dusknoir and trainers 'Teammates' and 'Pokemon Fan Club' as your prizes.
Gothitelle provides you with the ability to remove Stadium cards and replace it with your own. This comes in handy against all manner of Stadium cards which can provide powerful combos. It is always a good idea to carry at least one Stadium card or way to remove an opponents Stadium.
Dusknoir's ability allows him to increase the number of damage counters on himself in order to increase the damage delt. This is useful for gaining a more powerful attack and also heals your other Pokemon. However, this does leave your Dusknoir exposed and the ability to easily heal would be paramount.
Toxicroak EX doesn't seem so scary on first glace but is actually a force to be reckoned with. His Triple Poison attack causes your opponents Pokemon to take 3 damage counters between turns in stead of the normal 1. This means that from Your initial attack to your next go your opponent will be taking 60 hit points unless they can do something pretty sharpish. Poison attacks are a good way to get your opponent to speed through their heals or trade their Pokemon onto the bench regularly. This kind of deck control can fluster a lot of inexperienced players and limits what most decks can do.
His second attack Smash Impact isn't amazing for three energy. It does 80 damage and isn't affected by resistance which isn't bad. However, when you take into consideration you will have already poisoned your opponent they should then take an addition 30 hit points after your turn. This means that you will be hitting for a total of 110 damage a turn! Adding Pokemon tools such as Muscle Band will also increase your damage making him an even more formidable foe.Check in next month to see what's on the ladder!
