Hi there. In this Pokemon TCG card profile I cover the card Spiritomb from the expansion Paldea Evolved.
I write this during the Paradox Rift format in late December 2023/early January 2024. Cards marked with the letters E, F and G are legal in the standard format at time of writing.
Picture is from Bulbapedia.
Spiritomb Card
The HP of Spiritomb is low at 60HP. Fade Out as an attack is not great as it does 10 damage. The effect of the attack is okay as you return the card and the attached cards back to your hand. This makes room for one more Pokemon on your bench.
Spiritomb's ability is the main feature of this card. Any Basic Pokemon V on both sides of the field have no Abilities. The abilities of Basic Pokemon V on both sides are shut off as long as Spiritomb is in the active spot or on the bench.
There are many cards in the format that can search for Spiritomb. These include Nest Ball, Level Ball, Ultra Ball (not ideal) and Fog Crystal as Spiritomb is a Psychic type. Bringing Spiritomb out in play to shut off Basic Pokemon V abilities should not be too difficult.
Spiritomb does not shut off abilities of Pokemon VSTARs, VMAXs, exs, Radiant Pokemon and non-rule Pokemon as those are not Basic Pokemon Vs.
Disruption Effect
Cards that disrupt abilities provide a control element for your deck and gameplay. Being able to limit opponent cards and their abilities is powerful. Spiritomb is one of those cards.
What are common Basic Pokemon Vs with abilities that are in popular decks? These are:
- Lumineon V
- Raikou V
- Genesect V
- Entei V
- Rotom V mostly in Charizard decks as of late
- Galarian Moltres V
- Drapion V (Mew VMax counter)
- Pidgeot V
- Wyrdeer V (Not super popular but playable)
- Hisuian Arcanine V (Not super popular but playable with Sandy Shocks ex)
The above list of Basic Pokemon Vs is not huge but a good handful of decks use 1 or more of the above. Lumineon V is common in many decks as once it is played from hand to bench you can search for a supporter card like Boss's Orders, Iono or Professor's Research. Raikou V is a staple card in Miraidon ex decks. Genesect V goes with Mew VMax decks. In Iron Valiant ex decks, Entei V is popular as it has a low cost attack, decent HP and goes well with Magma Basin. Rotom V is a good card as you can draw cards instead of attacking. Rotom V goes well with Stage 2 Pokemon like Charizard ex.
If deck space is available, Spiritomb is something worth considering to disrupt and limit opponent gameplay. This card alone can provide some nasty surprises and disruption to opponents. You can find one of these for less than 1 CAD. Make sure your deck is not disrupted by it too!
