Roaring Skies Player's Guide (TCG)

Roaring Skies Player's Guide
ISBN:	None
Published:	2015
Publisher:	The Pokémon Company International
Author:	Wolfgang Baur

The Roaring Skies Player's Guide is a booklet included within the Roaring Skies Elite Trainer Box detailing the Roaring Skies expansion of the Pokémon Trading Card Game. The booklet is written by Wolfgang Baur and was published by The Pokémon Company International in 2015. The content features strategy for the new cards introduced within the Roaring Skies expansion as well as a complete checklist for the expansion.

Contents

Welcome to the Pokémon TCG: XY—Roaring Skies Elite Trainer Box!

The first section gives a brief introduction of the Roaring Skies expansion, detailing the what the Elite Box contains, as well as a short overview of what is covered in the expansion.

Mega Evolution Pokémon for Mega Impact

There are some amazing Pokémon in the XY—Roaring Skies expansion, and the Mega Evolution Pokémon and Pokémon-EX lead the flight! Out in front is Mega Rayquaza-EX, but there are are lots of other great contenders waiting in the wings.

Mega Rayquaza-EX (76/108 and 105/108)

Mega Rayquaza-EX appears as two distinct Mega Evolution Pokémon in XY—Roaring Skies. The version is a massive 220 HP behemoth of the skies, with the Δ Evolution Trait that lets it appear with blinding speed. Yes, that Ancient Trait means you could put Rayquaza-EX (75/108) onto your Bench, then play Mega Rayquaza-EX the same turn! And if you have Rayquaza Spirit Link (87/108), it's like going from zero to Mach 3 in a heartbeat—wham, zap, whatjusthappened?!

Attach Double Colorless Energy (XY—Phantom Forces, 111/119) and use Mega Turbo (86/108), and Mega Rayquaza-EX could even attack on the same turn! The Emerald Break attack costs and does 30 damage for each Pokémon on your Bench. A full Bench means a powerful attack, ready to rip through the skies at blazing speed!

Look for Mega Rayquaza in the awesome regular art or in the full-art rare Ultra version—either is going to be a crown jewel in your collection!

Mega Rayquaza-EX (61/108)

Are you seeing double? Nope...there are two Mega Rayquaza-EX in XY—Roaring Skies! The version has 230 HP and a much bigger attack, though it also requires much more Energy. Here's a tip: Attach Double Dragon Energy (97/108), and it'll be easier to get to the required for Mega Rayquaza-EX to make that amazing Dragon Ascent attack—which does 300 damage, enough to Knock Out any Pokémon in the game!

Mega Latios-EX (59/108 and 102/108)

Let's go supersonic for a moment here and consider one of the few Pokémon-EX that can hope to keep up with the Mega Rayquaza-EX. That fast flyer is Mega Latios-EX, which brings the Sonic Ace attack to the game. It costs and does 120 damage to any one of your opponent's Pokémon. That means if you're up against a bad type matchup, or you just need one more Prize card to win, you can send Mega Latios-EX after your opponent's weakest Pokémon—anything with 120 HP or less is an immediate Knock Out.

This attack is also useful to Knock Out your opponent's most annoying Pokémon. You know the one...the Pokémon that just sits on the Bench with some awesome Ability, the one your opponent has no intention of ever actually sending into battle...well, Sonic Ace puts that Benched Pokémon into the discard pile in a hurry!

Mega Gallade-EX (35/108 and 100/108)

Mega Gallade-EX is one ruthless Pokémon: its Unwavering Blade attack does 30 damage to every one of your opponent's Benched Pokémon that has already taken damage. This makes it a great combo with attacks that damage all Benched Pokémon, of course, but that Unwavering Blade also does 110 damage to your opponent's Active Pokémon, so keep a close eye on the Blade Pokémon! It's a power addition to the Psychic-type arsenal!

Ancient Traits Go Delta Strong

Ancient Traits, which first appeared in the XY—Primal Clash expansion, are similar to Abilities, but they appear in a special colored box near the top of the artwork. Each such Ancient Trait is the same whenever it appears: more than one Pokémon might have the same Ancient Trait, and XY—Roaring Skies introduces three more of these. Here are the latest, Elite Trainer style!

Δ Plus Ancient Trait for Articuno, Dragonite, and Others

The Δ Plus Ancient Trait helps Articuno (17/108), Dragonite (52/108), Swellow (72/108), and others win the game for you faster, because a Δ Plus Pokémon lets you take 1 more Prize card when it Knocks Out an opposing Pokémon! Even better of course, is if you Knock Out your opponent's Pokémon-EX with one of your Δ Plus Pokémon—you take 3 Prize cards instead of one!

Δ Evolution Ancient Trait for Altaria, Unfezant, and Others

Do you think evolving a Pokémon takes too long? Well, not for Pokémon with the Δ Evolution Ancient Trait! You can use these Pokémon to evolve, say, Swablu to Altaria (74/108) on the first turn or the turn you play that Pokémon. Δ Evolution means no waiting!

Δ Wild Ancient Trait for Mega Rayquaza-EX

Only the Dragon-type Mega Rayquaza-EX (61/108) has this Ancient Trait, which provides a strong defense against , , , and opponents. When Mega Rayquaza-EX is hit by an attack from one of those Pokémon, you get to reduce the damage by 20—Δ Wild keeps Mega Rayquaza-EX dodging damage!

Awesome Abilities for Pokémon

With all the excitement about Ancient Traits and Pokémon-EX, sometimes it's easy to forget that Pokémon with new Abilities can provide a fun twist or a huge boost, depending on what you are looking to do in the game.

Togekiss Brings Bountiful Energy

Togekiss (46/108) is a generous Pokémon indeed! The Serene Grace Ability lets you attach multiple Energy cards from your deck to your Benched or Active Pokémon—up to 8 of them! Pretty great if you are behind on the power curve.

Carbink Armors Up!

The little Carbink (47/108) has the Jewel Armor Ability, which makes it immune to damage while it's on the Bench. This combines well with attacks that do damage to your own Bench, such as Diggersby (XY—Phantom Forces, 88/119) with its Earthquake move.

Take the Dragon Road!

Hydreigon-EX (62/108) has the Dragon Road Ability, which reduces the Retreat Cost for all your Dragon-type Pokémon by while there's any Stadium card in play. Suddenly, you'll have Dragon-type Pokémon flying in and out of battle all the time!

Beautifly's Protective Scales

Pokémon-EX are terrific—unless your opponent has one! Beautifly (5/108) comes to the rescue with its Miraculous Scales Ability, which keeps it from taking damage from opposing Pokémon-EX!

Banette Stops Tools

With its Tool Concealment Ability, Banette (31/108) simply negates the effects of all Pokémon Tool cards in play. This one is a game-changer if your opponent relies on a few key Pokémon Tools in his or her deck!

Absol Shifts Counters

When you bring Absol (40/108) into play, its Cursed Eyes Ability lets you shift 3 damage counters from one of your opponent's Pokémon to another. Just enough for a Knock Out, if you time it right!

Dragonite's Healing Wind

The Max Wind Ability on Dragonite (51/108) fully restores all HP to one Pokémon when you put Dragonite into play from your hand. That's a huge swing if you're healing up a Pokémon-EX with lots of HP!

Turbo Boost Your Attack!

Reshiram's (63/108) Turboblaze Ability lets you attach a Energy from your hand to 1 of your Pokémon. That's important for Reshiram to power up its own Bright Wing attack, but it can work with any other Dragon-type Pokemon, too!

Top Trainer Tricks

From classic moves like Switch (91/108) to great ways to speed up your Pokémon's Evolution, Trainer cards are a key resource for every player—and they feature many of the great human characters that collectors want to see, too!

Double Dragon Energy (97/108)

Dragon-type Pokemon have always been a little tricky to attack with, because they so often require multiple Energy types. Well, Double Dragon Energy makes it easy to get your Dragon types battling in a hurry, because it provides 2 Energy at a time—and that can be any combination of Energy! It's like a Double Colorless Energy, but better, because it's not Colorless! Throw this beauty on any Dragon-type Pokémon and see what happens in your next game!

Mega Turbo (86/108))

This Item card lets you grab a basic Energy from your discard pile and attach it to one of your Mega Evolution Pokémon. So what, you say? Well, mega Evolution Pokémon are pretty hungry for Energy, and getting their big attacks going can take a while. Mega Turbo speeds that up—you'll see the difference in speed and power right away!

Sky Field (89/108)

This Stadium card seems a little odd at first. Putting 8 Pokémon on your Bench instead of 5? Thats's nice and all, but you attack with just one Active Pokémon, so how many backups do you need? Well, as it happens, some attacks get better with more Pokémon on the Bench, with one prime example being Mega Rayquaza-EX's (76/108) Emerald Break attack. Normally that attack maxes out at 150 damage, but when Sky Field is in play, you can get it up to 240!

Spirit Links for Gallade, Latios, and Rayquaza (83/108, 85/108, 87/108)

The only thing better than a Mega Evolution Pokémon is a Mega Evolution Pokémon that can attack the turn it comes into play. Speed up your attacks with these terrific Pokémon Tools! It's no fun when mega-powerful Pokémon have to wait a turn to attack—and with Spirit Links, they don't!

Wally (94/108 and 107/108)

Have you ever really, really, really wanted to evolve a particular Pokémon? Well, Wally is your guy! This card lets you search your deck for any Pokémon that evolves from one of your Pokémon in play (as long as it's not a Pokémon-EX). And you can evolve that Pokémon right away, even on your first turn or when you've just put the Pokémon into play. Wally seems to have mastered a Trainer skill that's a bit like the Δ Evolution Ancient Trait—but it works on a lot more Pokémon!

Fantastic Pokémon-EX

You can find an amazing variety of Pokémon-EX in the XY—Roaring Skies expansion! Here are a few more for your collection!

Rayquaza (75/108 and 104/108)

This Rayquaza is Colorless rather than Dragon type, but don't let that fool you. Its Intensifying Burn does 60 damage to a Pokémon-EX for just . and its Dragon Pulse does 100 damage for . Just remember, you can't use Double Dragon Energy with this Pokémon!

Rayquaza-EX (60/108)

Dragon Claw does 30 damage for , and this Pokémon-EX works with both Double Colorless Energy and Double Dragon Energy, so you can start delivering damage right away. In addition, it has Dragon Strike for 130 damage, but that requires . Which of the two Rayquaza-EX is better? The one you find in a booster, of course!

Thundurus-EX (26/108 and 98/108)

A shocking Lightning-type Pokémon with a Headlock attack that can Paralyze an opposing Pokémon, plus a Voltage Rush attack for that does 150 damage to the target and 50 damage to Thundurus-EX. When you play with power, it can backfire a little! Combo up with a Protection Cube (XY—Flashfire, 95/106) to prevent this damage to Thundurus-EX, and it becomes even stronger.

Gallade-EX (34/108 and 99/108)

Gallade-EX can use its Swift Lunge to move your opponent's Active Pokémon onto the Bench—a nice trick when that Active Pokémon is a little too much to handle! And Gallade-EX also brings the Piercing Prizes attack for , which does 50 damage plus 20 more for each of your remaining Prize cards—so at the start of the game, that hits for 170 damage!

Latios-EX (58/108 and 101/108)

Latios-EX is so fast, it can even attack when you go first, using Raid for 40 damage! That's a nice move to set the tone for the rest of the game! And Latios-EX has a big follow-up too: the Light Pulse move for does 110 damage and prevents all the effects of your opponent's attacks next turn except for damage: no Poison, no Confusion, no worries!

Hydreigon-EX (62/108 and 103/108)

We talked about the amazing Dragon Road Ability earlier, but Hydreigon also has a nice strong attack, Shred, which costs and does 80 damage that isn't affected by any effects on your opponent's Active Pokémon. So all those Abilities that make a Pokémon immune to damage, like Beautifly's (5/108) Miraculous Scales or Pyroar's (XY—Flashfire, 20/106) Intimidating Mane? Yeah, Hydreigon-EX just gets to ignore those!

Shaymin-EX (77/108 and 106/108)

The Set Up Ability happens when Shaymin-EX (77/108 and 106/108) goes from your hand to your Bench, and it lets you draw until you have 6 cards in your hand! Then, its Sky Return attack returns Shaymin-EX and any cards attached to it to your hand...which means you can play it again and draw some more cards. Lather, rinse, repeat! This is an amazing Ability, possible the best in the whole XY—Roaring Skies expansion!

Pokémon TCG: XY-Roaring Skies Card List

This section lists out the 108 cards of the XY—Roaring Skies expansion, and their rarities.

Credits

Original Japanese Game

Executive Producer Producer Original Game Design Game Development Game Director Art Director Special Thanks

Tsunekazu Ishihara Yuji Kitano Tsunekazu Ishihara, Kouichi Ooyama, and Takumi Akabane Creatures Inc. Atsushi Nagashima Kenshi Koga Satoshi Tajiri, Ken Sugimori, Junichi Masuda, Takao Unno, GAME FREAK inc., and Milky Isobe

English-Language Version

The Pokémon Company International

Producer Director of Production Director of Product Development Production Coordination Project Coordination Translation Theme Deck Development Rulebook Writing Elite Trainer Box Booklet Writing Editing Design Direction Graphic Design Card Typesetting Booster Pack Illustrations Theme Deck Illustrations XY—Roaring Skies Logo Special Thanks To:

Kenji Okubo Richard Simpson Yasuhiro Usui Russ Foster, Jay Moon, and Doug Storms Junko Takaba Ben Regal Mike Fitzgerald TPCi Editing Staff and Dylan "ExoByte" Mayo Wolfgang Baur Hollie Beg and Wolfgang Baur Eric Medalle Kumi Okada, Kevin Lalli, Adam Law, and Doug Wohlfeil Ginny Baldwin Ryota Murayama TOKIYA Doug Wohfeil Creatures Inc., The Pokémon Company, and The Pokémon Company International

Pokémon TCG: XY-Roaring Skies Showcase

This final section details the two Roaring Skies Theme Decks: Aurora Blast and Storm Rider.

Publications relating to the Pokémon Trading Card Game Strategy guides: Pokémon Trading Card Game Strategy Guide • The Official Pokémon Trading Card Game Guide Pokémon Trading Card Game Player's Guide • Pokémon Trading Card Game Fossil Expansion Player's Guide Pokémon Trading Card Game Volume 3: Team Rocket • Pokémon Made Simple! • Let's Play Pokémon Team Rocket Strategy Guide • Gym Heroes Strategy Guide • Gym Challenge Strategy Guide Platinum Player's Guide • Plasma Storm Player's Guide • Plasma Blast Player's Guide • XY Player's Guide Quick Guide to Fire-Type Pokémon • Furious Fists Player's Guide • Phantom Forces Player's Guide • Primal Clash Player's Guide Roaring Skies Player's Guide • Ancient Origins Player's Guide • BREAKthrough Player's Guide • BREAKpoint Player's Guide Fates Collide Player's Guide • Generations Player's Guide • Steam Siege Player's Guide • Evolutions Player's Guide Sun & Moon Player's Guide • Guardians Rising Player's Guide • Burning Shadows Player's Guide • The Making of Shining Legends Crimson Invasion Player's Guide • Ultra Prism Player's Guide • Forbidden Light Player's Guide • Celestial Storm Player's Guide Dragon Majesty Player's Guide • Dragon Majesty: Dragons Then and Now • Lost Thunder Player's Guide • Team Up Player's Guide Unbroken Bonds Player's Guide • Unified Minds Player's Guide • Hidden Fates Player's Guide • Cosmic Eclipse Player's Guide Sword & Shield Player's Guide • Rebel Clash Player's Guide • Darkness Ablaze Player's Guide • Vivid Voltage Player's Guide Shining Fates Player's Guide • Battle Styles Player's Guide • Chilling Reign Player's Guide • Evolving Skies Player's Guide Celebrations Player's Guide Collectors' guides: Beckett Unofficial Guide to Pokémon: 2008 Price Guide • Beckett Unofficial Guide To Pokémon Diamond & Pearl Collecting Pokémon: An Unauthorized Handbook and Price Guide • Pokémon Collector's Value Guide Pokémon Unofficial Card Collector's Guide • Unofficial Beckett Pokémon Collector Price Guide Magazines: Beckett Pokémon Unofficial Collector • Monthly Coin Toss: Pokémon Card Magazine • Pokémon Official Magazine PoJo's Unofficial Pokémon News & Price Guide Monthly • Pokémon Card Fan Club Manga: Pokémon Card GB The Comix • How I Became a Pokémon Card • Himemaru: Pokémon Card Explorer • Aim to Be a Card Master!! Pokémon Card Game Battle Comic • Exciting Victory! Pokémon Card Game!! • Let's Play the Pokémon Card Game XY! Let's Play the Pokémon Card Game! Sun & Moon Arc • Let's Play the Pokémon Card Game! Sword & Shield Arc Let's Play the Pokémon Card Game! Scarlet & Violet Arc Video game guides: Official Pokémon TCG Perfect Guide • Pokémon Card GB Final Tactical Book • Pokémon Card GB Official Guidebook Pokémon Card GB2 Official Guidebook • Pokémon TCG: Official Nintendo Player's Guide Pokémon TCG: Prima's Official Strategy Guide Other: Pokémon Card Official Book 2000 • Pokémon Card Game BW National Illustrated Encyclopedia Pokémon Card Game BW Workbook • Illust Story

This article is part of both Project TCG and Project Merchandise, Bulbapedia projects that, together, aim to write comprehensive articles on the Pokémon Trading Card Game merchandise.