Slowpoke and Psyduck GX Review - A Pokemon TCG Card Review

by Phoenix Desertsong, Pokemon Master!

Pokemon TCG: Sun and Moon Unified Minds brought several memorable Tag Team GX Pokemon cards to the Pokemon Trading Card Game. Can you get anymore of a classic pairing than Slowpoke and Psyduck GX, both original first Generation Pokemon with both Water and Psychic abilities? The Tag Team combo alone is enough to make collectors want this card PSA graded for their collections. But, are Slowpoke and Psyduck good enough to also be a competitive card in the Pokemon TCG?

There are actually FOUR versions of this Tag Team GX Pokemon. There’s the #35 “base card,” the #217 Full Art, the $218 Alternate Full Art, and the #239 secret rare Rainbow Foil. The secret rare #239 Slowpoke and Psyduck GX card is the key card you want to own, as it’s the rarest possible version. 


How Good is Slowpoke and Psyduck Tag Team GX in the Trading Card Game?

Slowpoke and Psyduck form a Tag Team that comes into play with 250 HP, a solid number for a Tag Team Pokemon GX card. They have two attacks, Ditch an Splash and their GX attack Thrilling Times GX - which can only be used once per game. Ditch and Splash costs just two Water energy to use. It does 40 damage for each Supporter card you discard from your hand. So, it can potentially do a lot of damage.

The Thrilling Times GX attack depends on a coin flip. It does only 10 base damage, but if the coin flip is a heads, it deals 100 additional damage. It’s important to note that this attack only requires the same 2 Water energy to use as Ditch and Splash. But, there is a second part to this attack. If you have at least 6 additional Water energies attached to Slowpoke and Psyduck GX, you get to flip TEN coins. You then deal 100 damage for each heads.

Because the GX attack is so dependent on being able to flip 10 heads, this is definitely a finisher attack  While it’s pretty much a guaranteed finisher, eight or more Water Energy is a huge commitment. So, how good is Slowpoke and Psyduck Tag Team GX in actual game play?

As it turns out, there are Slowpoke and Psyduck GX decks, but they are built almost exclusively around the Ditch and Splash attack. The Tag Team pairs well with Keldeo GX, and Lapras #36 from Unified Minds to recycle a copy of Misty’s Favor every turn. Misty’s Favor is key to the deck since it’s a Supporter card that fetches up 3 Supporter cards. It’s a nice little engine. So, Slowpoke and Psyduck become a key attacker in the deck. It turns out to be a very playable GX card.

While Slowpoke and Psyduck Tag Team GX isn’t yet a major hit among PSA-graded Pokemon card collectors, it’s clear that there’s interest. It’s a playable card in the trading card game and a classic pairing of two Generation 1 Pokemon. Because it includes one of the more recognizable Pokemon in Psyduck, this is a card with a bright future among collectors.

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