By Brian Hsieh
Cincinno is a Colorless Stage 1 Pokemon with 90 HP, which is average for a Stage 1. I originally questioned this Pokemon’s potential as just a normal rare, but its potential lies in its second attack; Do The Wave. This attack allows you to do 20 damage for every Pokemon on your bench with a total output of 100 damage. It only requires a double colorless energy and since Cincinno’s a Stage 1, you could have it dealing damage on your second turn. This has a slight resemblance to Jumpluff HGSS, which does 10 for every Pokemon in play with a total output of 120 damage. These two can be played together, with Pichu HGSS setting up for your and your opponent’s Pokemon to swarm the field. Pokemon Collector works with this card as well, but not as well as Pichu does.
Cincinno’s effectiveness lies in its ability to do heavy damage early on. Later on in the game, it might be average next to already set up Reshirams and Zekroms that are running rampant nowadays. Cincinno’s weakness to Fighting types also hurts its effectiveness due to higher tiered decks which include Donphan Prime that can take out Cincinno with just one Fighting energy.
Another critical aspect for success with Cincinno is keeping the bench full. A bench consisting of two Pokemon while Cincinno’s trying to OHKO others just won’t cut it. With the release of Pokemon Catcher, the ability to stay active with a bench of five Pokemon is becoming more difficult without locking items up with Vileplume.
Overall, Cincinno as a main attacker won’t fair well against decks that just have more firepower and HP for Basic Pokemon like the two dragons listed above. It could be used as a tech to do damage and get a lead on prizes and have a Reshiram or Zekrom finish the job. Its HP is a problem as it can be knocked out by many attacks by higher tiered Pokemon. It is, however, a cheaper card to purchase and will give you something to use while you build a stronger deck.
As far as artwork goes, it’s rather acceptable. Cincinno looks like a giant mouse using its own fur to resemble a fur coat. It has a very regal appeal and a cuteness factor that most Pokemon have. Like most BW base cards, Cincinno is depicted in a more static pose in a woodland background, which shows off its smile and cute appearance effectively over a dynamic action pose that would offset Cincinno’s traits. The touch blue and orange flowers add an interesting feel to a rather green and pedestrian grass scene.