“And So the Balance Shifts:” What is Kept and Lost with the 2017 Rotation

Hey guys, Phinn again. This is going to be an informative piece, letting you all know exactly what we are losing with this year’s rotation. It’s a bit of a pain to search out which set every card came from, so I thought I would save you all the trouble and make a list. I also list out the cards that were reprinted in a set that will stay in Standard.

Starting with the promos, this is what we are losing.

Garchomp EX
This card very rarely saw play. However, Cut or Tap’s editor Andy Hyun did use it. Seemed significant enough to include.

Editor’s note: Thanks for the shout-out! I found great use for this promo in my Tyrantrum/Metal build that scored a Top 8 and Top 4 in Cities.  For a Double Dragon plus one more energy, it swings for 120 at the cost of discarding a mere one energy (which Bronzong can then put back).  It was outstandingly useful for taking cheap hits on Shaymin EX’s and low-HP attackers.  Always be on the lookout for those weirder, lesser-known cards – you never know what you can use! -Andy

Metagross EX & Mega Metagross EX
Neither of these cards really saw any competitive use, but they were an option with Metal decks.

Roller Skates
I have always considered this card mediocre, however it did see play in Toad/Jynx and Pyroar.

Delphox (Mystical Fire)
This card hasn’t seen play for a while. However, Emboar played a line of Delphox for a while, a couple seasons ago. It also was played in some Trevenant/Accelgor decks. Both the attack and ability are strong with the right support. I think this card deserves more credit than it received.

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