Yes, it's randomly the Lightning type instead of the electric type. Naming conventions aside, the Lightning type actually has a cohesive identity in Base-Fossil. It very clearly wants to be the "high-risk, high-reward type" and almost pulls it off.
Sadly this is a type where most of the Basics can be one-shot by Hitmonchan and most of the evolved 'mons have costly attacks that get shut down by Super Energy Removal. There are some diamonds in the rough, as always, but I wouldn't be super interested in playing a Lightning deck in this format.
Base Pikachu is the first of several 40 HP Lightning-type Basics. The problem with this is that these Pokémon all go down to a single Jab or Low Kick on the first turn of the game.
Luckily we do have some other options for Pikachu. Thunder Jolt is actually a pretty good attack for a Basic, but this card isn't even worth considering when you have the threat of Hitmonchan looming over your head.
Grade: 2/10
Jungle Pikachu is better than Base Pikachu by default, since it doesn't lose instantly to Hitmonchan or Machop. But that's not saying much.
Being unable to attack on the first turn is always a huge mark against a Basic. We also have to acknowledge that most decks running Hitmonchan are going to have Pluspower. 50 HP is better than 40 HP, but not quite out of the danger zone.
Grade: 3/10
Promo Pikachu (#1) is one of only two Pikachu cards you should even consider, in my humble opinion. 60 HP puts you safely out of range of Jab with a Pluspower. That Fighting weakness still sucks, but at least we can force them to dig for a second Pluspower.
Growl is bland, but at least gives us something to do on the first turn. This is fine, because PromoChu's Thundershock is actually pretty solid. 20 damage with a chance of paralysis is a bit rare on basics.
Grade: 5/10
Promo Pikachu (#4) is a card I severely undervalued at first. Someone had to point out to me that Recharge isn't really for charging up Pikachu's Thunderbolt, it's for charging up attacks on your Raichu cards.
That was when it really clicked for me. The main downside of Raichu cards is their high energy costs, so having a Basic that helps them get primed for action is actually a pretty big deal, even if all it does is staple one Energy Card to itself.
Grade: 6/10
Base Raichu is pretty good by most metrics. 80 HP, low retreat cost, compatible with Double Colorless Energy. At a glance, it can be hard to tell why this card doesn't see much play.
Well, Super Energy Removal is why. It's a tale as old as time, but even decent looking cards like this one just aren't worth considering unless they have some way to play around Removal. Replacing Agility with a single-energy attack would have probably been just enough, but that's not the world we live in.
Grade: 6/10
Fossil Raichu is a very fun card, but fun doesn't mean good. As with Base Raichu, the price of admission for this card is just too high in a Removal-infested format.
Even more so here, since the expensive Gigashock is your only option. It also doesn't quite have the damage output you'd want for such an expensive attack, if we're being honest with ourselves. I'd much rather have Agility and Thunder than Gigashock.
Grade: 3/10
Magnemite, despite being a 40 HP Lightning-type, does see competitive play. But it's in that gimmicky donk build that keeps coming up in these articles.
The idea is that it can cleanly one-shot Dodrio, does big damage to Blastoise, and sets up the rest of your opponent's bench for easier knockouts. This card may not seem like anything special, but the donk deck can easily turn 10 extra damage on a Pokémon into a KO. Still, that deck is about as anti-meta as you can get without just playing jank garbage.
Grade: 5/10
Magneton has two versions and the one from Base Set is not worth considering. Thunder Wave is expensive and underwhelming for a turn 3 attack. Selfdestruct demands four Energy Cards for a 'mon that's about to KO itself.
To add insult to injury, even slapping a Defender on this thing before it uses Selfdestruct won't protect it, because they gave this Magneton a paltry 60 HP. It's just an all-around underwhelming piece of cardboard.
Grade: 2/10
If you must play Magneton, use Fossil Magneton. It does have a higher retreat cost, but the extra bulk is well worth it.
Sonicboom is kind of interesting, since it can't be blocked by resistance, but none of the Lightning-resistant 'mons actually see play anyway, so it only ends up being a detriment that reduces your damage against Water-types. Selfdestruct usually feels like a waste of energy by the time you get it fully charged. That could have been two fully powered Electabuzz.
Grade: 5/10
Voltorb is a bad card. It has all the hallmarks of a bad Basic. Low HP, a nearly useless attack, and a meta-relevant weakness.
It's mandatory if you want to use an Electrode card, but has absolutely no viability on its own. Hell, it's existence could actively discourage players from playing Electrode.
Grade: 1/10
Base Electrode, on the other hand, is a game-breaking card. The existence of this card means that any attack in the game could theoretically be a turn 2 attack. And it's a decent attacker itself, if you want to use it for that.
Base Electrode is usually paired with Base Arcanine or Base Zapdos, but I think it's been underexplored personally. Sure, the self-KO is spooky, but imagine a team of Scyther, Charmeleon, Hitmonchan, Mewtwo, and Voltorb. If Voltorb is in play, you have to play around EVERY threat on the board.
Grade: 10/10
Jungle Electrode is actually a pretty good card, cursed to live in the shadow of Base Electrode. 90 HP, low retreat cost, and an attack that can be charged with a single Double Colorless Energy.
This is, objectively speaking, a good Pokémon card. But it's a good Pokémon card that demands you run the terrible Voltorb without the electrifying payoff of Buzzap! And Chain Lightning, frankly, is even weaker for the cost than it looks (and it didn't look that great to begin with).
Grade: 6/10
Base Electabuzz single-handedly keeps Rain Dance in check. Both of its attacks are efficient, its HP is high, and it can zap a Dodrio to an early grave.
When I think aggro, this is one of the very first cards to come to mind. It doesn't need to jump through any hoops for Thunderpunch. It can potentially buy you an extra turn or two with Thundershock if you fall behind. This card is an absolute unit, and is the biggest reason that Hitmonchan is still a relevant card in the modern Base-Fossil format.
Grade: 10/10
Promo Electabuzz seems pretty laughable at first glance. "Hey look, it's baby's first Electabuzz! Look how much worse it is!"
However, it does have a comfortable niche as the best Lightning-type to attack with purely Colorless energy. It doesn't require extra deck space, being a Basic, and 60 HP is perfectly serviceable. I'm not going to claim it's as good as its much more famous brother, but it'll get the job done when you don't have space for another type of energy in your deck.
Grade: 6/10
Jolteon is an okay Lightning-type Evolution Card locked behind a mediocre Colorless-type Basic. Pin Missile can potentially do respectable damage, but relying on coin flips after you've already spent all that deck space and energy feels unrewarding.
Like with the other Eeveelutions, this card should never see the light of day unless you're playing a deck centered around Promo Eevee. And even then, it's not like that deck was ever top tier to begin with.
Grade: 5/10
Base Zapdos was once considered the obligatory partner to Base Electrode, but times have changed. While Buzzapdos is still a powerful deck, most would agree that Base Arcanine has proven to be a better overall partner.
Still, there are valid arguments for Zapdos. Zapdos has a crucial Fighting resistance, and Thunder isn't guaranteed to do recoil on each hit, which can make Zapdos feel tankier despite the lower HP. It being a Basic is a nice touch too, since that frees up some deck space. Overall, pretty solid.
Grade: 6/10
Fossil Zapdos is a gambler's wet dream. If you can flip enough heads, this Zapdos will absolutely devastate your opponent's board.
Unfortunately, the only realistic way to power up Thunderstorm in this metagame would be to use it in a Base Electrode deck. And at that point you're essentially just taking a high-risk, high-reward deck and making it even riskier. Still, if you can flip 5 heads against a full bench, legends say that you'll never feel sad again.
Grade: 4/10
Lightning types are largely held back by high energy costs and low HP. You would think the issue would be all the recoil damage or the energy discards, but the downsides of the attacks are actually pretty well balanced. It's just the metagame surrounding the type that's not friendly to it.
The ones that do see play are among the most satisfying cards in the game, though. I can't imagine someone slapping down a Base Electabuzz or Base Electrode without smiling. That's got to be worth something.
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