Hi there. In this Pokemon trading card game post I talk about the Ogerpon cards from Japan's Mask of Change (Apr 26 release) and May's Twilight Masquerade international release.
I write this in late April 2024. This is after Temporal Forces and before the Twilight Masquerade expansion.
This is a long post.
The Pokemon Ogerpon
Ogerpon is one the newest legendary Pokemon from the Pokemon Scarlet and Violet Teal Mask video game expansion. Its default mode is where it wears its Teal Mask and becomes a pure Grass type.
When Ogerpon wears a Wellspring Mask, it becomes Grass and Water. It becomes pure Water in its Terastallized state.
With a Hearthflame Mask, Ogerpon becomes Grass and Fire. When terastallized Ogerpon it a pure Fire type with this mask.
Ogerpon becomes a Grass & Rock type when it is wearing the Cornerstone Mask. When terastallized it becomes a pure Rock type.
In the video game Ogerpon can change type based on its Mask as a held item. In the trading card game it is slightly different.
Teal Mask Ogerpon
This is the single prize version of Teal Mask Ogerpon. Its HP is above average at 110 HP for Basic Pokemon that are single prizers. The first attack if somewhat generic where you can add 2 Basic Energy cards from the deck to your hand. In this format there is a lot of hand disruption in the form of Iono and sometimes Judge.
The second attack of Ogre Comeback is okay. For a grass energy and a colourless energy you do 20 plus 20 more damage for each of your opponent's benched Pokemon. The minimum damage is 20 and the maximum damage is 120 if your opponent has a full bench. If you hit the opponent for weakness you can hit up to 240 damage.
This card is not awful but there are many better attackers than this.
Teal Mask Ogerpon ex
The ex version of Teal Mask Ogerpon is kind of interesting. Twilight Masquerade is quielty introducing Tera Pokemon of the same type. Tera ability provides additional protection from attacks to the Bench. The 210 HP is better than 200 HP but less than the bulkier 220 HP and 230 HPs Basics. One retreat cost is nice to have though.
Its Teal Dance ability allows you to attach a Basic Grass energy from the hand to this Pokemon. Afterwards you can draw 1 card. You can use multiple copies of this card and use this ability more than once but for each Teal Mask Ogerpon ex. Running multiple copies would allow for additional draw power similar to Dodrio and Gholdengo ex.
Its attack of Myriad Leaf Shower is somewhat costly at 3 grass energy. The damage output is 30 plus the number of energy attached to both Active Pokemon. If the opponent has no energy on it then this attack does the minimum 120 damage (30 plus 30 x 3 = 30 + 90 = 120). When the opponent has two energies on it and you this attack then Myriad Leaf Shower does 180 damage which is somewhat underwhelming. On the plus side 180 damage on this Grass Ogerpon does allow you to one hit the ever popular Dark Tera Charizard ex that is very popular right now. It is because of the grass weakness on Charizard ex so you hit for 360 damage (180 x 2 = 360) provided that there are two Fire energies on the Charizard.
Teal Mask Ogerpon ex would most likely be in its own deck archetype and in Grass decks. I don't think it makes sense to run one copy of this card. The card on its own is okay but I think there are unexplored combos. Let's see how it plays out.
Wellspring Mask Ogerpon ex
Ogerpon with the blue Wellspring Mask turns it from Grass into a Water type. Its HP is also 210 HP which is okay with a low one retreat cost.
The first attack of Sob does 20 damage for one colourless energy and the defending Pokemon cannot retreat. It is not great but it can trap certain non-attacking Pokemon after playing Boss's Orders or Counter Catcher.
Torrential Pump as the second attack is kind of interesting. For one Water energy and two colourless energy you do 100 damage to the opponent's Active Pokemon with an option to hit one of the opponent's Benched Pokemon for 120 damage. This Bench hitting attack only occurs if you shuffle 3 Energy attached to Wellspring Mask Ogerpon ex. It is somewhat similar to Delphox V where you send 2 Energy to the Lost Zone but this one has 3 Energy and you shuffle them to your deck. Shuffling energy to your deck is not as bad versus the Lost Zone and you draw Energies again.
Hearthflame Mask Ogerpon ex
Ogerpon with a Hearthflame Mask turns it from Grass into a Fire Tera type. It has 210 HP with a one retreat cost.
The first attack is a bit costly at one Fire energy with two colourless energy. Its damage from this attack is dependent on the number of damage counters on its Pokemon. One damage counter means that there is 10 HP of damage. You can do 0 damage to a maximum of 400 damage (200 HP of damage on it). One card that really goes well with Hearthflame Mask Ogerpone ex is the stadium card Magma Basin. Magma Basin provides Fire energy acceleration to Fire Pokemon with the cost of putting 20 damage on it.
Hearthflame Mask Ogerpon ex's second attack of Dynamic Blaze does 140 damage as its base damage for the cost of 3 Fire Energy. This attack can do another 140 damage if the opponent's Active Pokemon is an Evolution Pokemon. This would be 280 damage which is a good number as it knocks out popular VSTAR Pokemon like Giratina VSTAR and Arceus VSTAR as well as most Stage 1 Pokemon ex. One major downside is that 280 damage does not knockout bulky Stage 2 Pokemon ex like Charizard ex. If this attack does attack an Opponent's evolution Pokemon you discard all Energy from this Pokemon after the attack.
Cornerstone Mask Ogerpon ex
If Ogerpon is wearing the Cornerstone Mask then it turns from Grass to Fighting (in the TCG). It also has 210 HP with one retreat cost and a Tera ability.
The ability of Cornerstone Stance is very good. You can prevent damage from attacks done to this Pokemon by opponent's Pokemon that have an ability. There are a lot of popular attackers that have an ability. Stuff like Charizard ex, Chien Pao ex and Lugia VSTAR. You do still have to watch out for popular attackers without abilities like Iron Hands ex, Giratina VSTAR, Roaring Moon ex, Roaring Moon (TEF) and Koraidon (TEF).
Its attack of Demolish does 140 damage with a cost of one Fighting energy and two colourless energy. The damage from this attack is not modified from Weakness or Resistance but it does ignore effects on the opponent's Active Pokemon. You can go through defensive walls like Mimikyu and Alolan Vulpix VSTAR.
Ogre's Mask Item Card
This Ogre's Mask item card is specifically for Ogerpon themed decks. It is an Item version of the supporter card Thorton. You can switch a Pokemon ex with Ogerpon in its name from in play with a Pokemon ex with Ogerpon in its name from the discard pile. Attached cards, damage counters, turns in play, Special condition and other effects stay on the new Pokemon.
This item card can be used to switch between different Ogerpon and their types. If the opponent has something that is weak to Water you can go from Grass to Water, Fighting to Water or Grass to Water with this Item card. In theory you can also pull off a surprise attack provided that you have enough Energies for the setup and attacks.
Ogre's Mask looks like a good card in theory but let's see how it plays out upon release.
Thank you for reading.