Another mighty Pokémon owned by Cyrus, Palkia [G] (Platinum, 12/127) is well trained and ready for battle. Splashing Turn inflicts 20 damage, and allows you to switch Palkia [G] with 1 of your Benched Pokémon. This is especially handy when Palkia [G]’s 100 Hit Points are running low. Requiring 3 Energy to execute, the Pearl Breath attack hits for 50 damage, and then does 10 damage to each of your opponent’s Benched Pokémon. Once again, Cyrus proves that Team Galactic is on the rise!

In its Land Forme, Shaymin LV.X (Platinum, 126/127) can lend a hand to other Grass-type Pokémon in play. Its Thankfulness Poké-Body gives each of your Grass-type Pokémon an additional 40 Hit Points. Shaymin can't use Thankfulness on itself or other Shaymin, but watch the rest of your Grass Pokémon grow like weeds. Shaymin LV. LV.X's Seed Flare attack strikes for 40 damage, and allows you to choose any number of Grass Energy cards from your hand and attach them to your Pokémon in any way you like. If you do, you get to add another 20 damage for each Grass Energy you attached. This strengthens the Seed Flare attack and also assists other Pokémon in play. The Gratitude Pokémon is a definite team player!

Appearing in its Origin Forme, Giratina LV.X (Platinum, 124/127) can be played on either the Altered Forme or the Origin Forme of Giratina. Giratina LV.X’s Invisible Tentacles Poké-Body is deliciously disruptive, forcing your opponent to discard 1 card whenever he or she tries to attack. If your opponent can’t discard 1 card, then the Pokémon cannot attack at all! Giratina LV.X can make quick work of your opponent’s Bench, using Darkness Lost to inflict 30 damage on each of your opponent’s Pokémon. If a Pokémon is Knocked Out by this attack, then the Pokémon and all cards attached to it go to the Lost Zone instead of the discard pile. What is the Lost Zone? Cards in the Lost Zone are put face-up and out of play. Unlike cards that are simply discarded, these cards are unplayable during the rest of the match. Make room in your deck for Giratina LV.X!

Gyarados [G] (Platinum, 30/127), owned by Cyrus, has the ability to spread around a lot of damage. Its Wriggle attack requires you to flip a coin for each of your opponent's Pokémon, and it does 30 damage to each Pokémon when you flip heads. It's not guaranteed to succeed, but if your opponent has a full Bench, it's worth the risk to damage multiple Pokémon at once. Dwindling Wave can inflict a devastating 100 damage, but as its name suggests, the devastation is diminished if Gyarados [G] is injured. For each damage counter on Gyarados [G], the attack does 10 less damage. Dwindling Wave requires 4 Energy to execute, so considering the effect of this attack, you may want to power up Gyarados [G] on the Bench before making it your Active Pokémon.

Owned by Team Galactic's Cyrus, Dialga [G] (Platinum, 7/127) is a fearsome Pokémon with some great attacks. Its Deafen attack lands for only 10 damage, but it prevents your opponent from playing any Trainer or Stadium cards from his or her hand during the next turn. This is a great way to stall your opponent's setup while you continue to work on your own strategies. Meanwhile, Dialga [G]'s Second Strike attack delivers a guaranteed 50 damage, and will hit for 20 more if the Defending Pokémon already has 2 or more damage counters on it. Cyrus certainly travels with some powerhouse Pokémon!

The Sky Forme of Shaymin (Platinum, 15/127) enters the battle with 80 Hit Points and two attacks. Shaymin's Growth attack allows you to attach a Grass Energy card from your hand to Shaymin. It doesn't inflict any damage, but it also doesn't require any Energy to execute. Attach 2 Energy cards of any type to Shaymin, and it can perform Air Slash to deliver a quick 40 damage. You'll have to flip a coin after the attack is complete, and if you get tails, discard an Energy attached to Shaymin. But this isn't so bad, since you can just replace the Energy on the next turn. This newly discovered Pokémon is a welcome addition to the Pokémon Trading Card Game!

The Gratitude Pokémon Shaymin (Platinum, 14/127) premiers in the Pokémon TCG with 2 fantastic attacks. Don't let its cute demeanor fool you—this Grass-type Pokémon plays for keeps! Shaymin's Flower Aroma attack delivers only 10 damage, but it causes the Defending Pokémon to be Asleep—no coin flip required. It also removes 2 damage counters from Shaymin, which is important since it has a relatively low 70 Hit Points. Its Damage Aid attack has the ability to hit the Defending Pokémon for 80 damage, and it requires only 2 Energy to execute. The attack lands for an immediate 30, and if the Defending Pokémon is affected by a Special Condition (which it could be, thanks to Flower Aroma), the attack does 30 damage plus 50 more damage. Special Conditions are then removed from the Defending Pokémon, unless of course it is already Knocked Out!

Finalized Lucario Card - Available at Pokemon Centers Starting January 17th

Appearing in the Pokémon TCG for the first time in its Origin Forme, Giratina (Platinum, 10/127) is a hefty Basic Pokémon with 100 Hit Points and 3 attacks. For 2 Colorless Energy, Giratina's Over Slash attack does 10 damage to each of your opponent's Pokémon. This is a great way to spread around damage, allowing you to pick off a Pokémon seeking refuge on the Bench. Dark Wing Flaps does 20 damage, and then allows you to choose a card from your opponent's hand without looking. Once you've checked to see what card it is, your opponent must then shuffle that card into his or her deck. The damage from Dark Wing Flaps isn't massive, but if you pick the right card, you can disrupt your opponent's game plan. If you need to pack a bigger punch, Giratina's Wrack Down attack does 60 damage—no strings attached!

http://go-pokemon.com/tcg/cards/featured/pl1/

Pokémon TCG: Platinum introduces new Pokémon owned by members of the sinister Team Galactic. While Honchkrow is normally a Stage 1 Pokémon, Honchkrow [G] (Platinum, 77/127), owned by Cyrus, enters the game as a Basic Pokémon. For no Energy, the Honcho's Command attack allows you to search your deck for up to 2 Stadium cards or Trainer cards that has Team Galactic's Invention in its name. This is a great way to fill out your hand with some cool new cards—stay tuned to Go-Pokemon.com for more information on what Team Galactic's Invention cards can do. Honchkrow [G]'s Target Attack allows you to put 2 damage counters on 1 of your opponent’s Pokémon. If that Pokémon already has any damage counters on it, the attack does 20 damage plus 20 more damage. Honchkrow [G] proves that Team Galactic enters the battle with some tough new Pokémon in its collection!

So, my boyfriend and I just picked up about $500 of TFG merchandise from the local hobby store for $150.

Is this awesome, Y/N?

From Pokemon Sunday 217

Platinum set logo

TCG Checklist