BREAKpoint Player's Guide (TCG)

BREAKpoint Player's Guide
BREAKpoint Player Guide.jpg
ISBN: None
Published: 2016
Publisher: The Pokémon Company International
Author: Wolfgang Baur

The BREAKpoint Player's Guide is a booklet included within the BREAKpoint Elite Trainer Box detailing the BREAKpoint expansion of the Pokémon Trading Card Game. The booklet is written by Wolfgang Baur and was published by The Pokémon Company International in 2016. The content features strategy for the new cards introduced within the BREAKpoint expansion as well as a complete checklist for the expansion.

Contents

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

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

Level Up with Pokémon BREAK!

Building on the amazing success of Pokémon BREAK in the Pokémon TCG: XY—BREAKthrough expansion, this set includes 5 of these amazing new Pokémon BREAK: Golduck BREAK (18/122), Greninja BREAK (14/122), Luxray BREAK (47/122), Trevenant BREAK (66/122), and Raticate BREAK (89/122).

Overview of New Pokémon BREAK

Golduck BREAK adds the Hyper Transfer Ability to your Golduck when played. This lets you complete reshuffle your basic Energy among all your Pokémon. It's an effect that can be particularly handy in combination with retreating, or in the later game—or when you want to surprise your opponent by powering up a Pokémon to full Energy out of nowhere!

Greninja BREAK adds the Giant Water Shuriken Ability to your Greninja. Once during your turn, you can discard a   Energy from your hand to put 6 damage counters on 1 of your opponent's Pokémon. This is not an attack, so it's super useful to strike anywhere, ninja-style.

Luxray BREAK adds the Wild Fury attack for      which does a base 130 damage, plus you get to keep flipping a coin until you get tails and add 40 damage for each heads. Everyone loves a big attack!

Trevenant BREAK adds Silent Fear, an attack for    that puts 3 damage counters on each and every opposing Pokémon. Could be just 30, but if the opposing Bench is full, that's 180 damage total!

Raticate BREAK provides the Super Fang attack for   , which puts damage counters on your opponent's Active Pokémon until it has just 10 HP left. Super-useful for those annoyingly gigantic Mega Evolution Pokémon with their massive amounts of HP!

Power Cards Most Excellent!

In addition to those new options, some of everyone's favorite power Pokémon show up in the XY—BREAKpoint expansion as Pokémon-EX, including Mega Gyarados, Emboar, and even Legendary and Mythical Pokémon like Ho-Oh and Manaphy!

Mega Gyarados-EX (27/122 and 115/122)

Magikarp can only dream of becoming a Pokémon this amazing. Mega Gyarados-EX has 240 HP, more than almost any other Pokémon, and its Blast Geyser does 120 plus 20 damage for each   Energy attached to it. That can be enough to sweep away just about any opposing Pokémon!

Mega Scizor-EX (77/122 and 120/122)

Mega Scizor-EX has the Iron Crusher attack for   , which does 120 damage and lets you discard a Special Energy from your opponent's Active Pokémon—or crush a Stadium card in play. It's like a monster truck rally with claws: CRUSH IT ALL!

Darkrai-EX (74/122 and 118/122)

With 180 HP and two great attacks, this Darkrai-EX should see a fair bit of play. In particular, its Dark Pulse attack does 20 damage plus 20 more for every Darkness Energy attached to all of your Pokémon. Its Dark Head attack does 80 for    —and double that if your opponent's Active Pokémon is Asleep. Nightmares made real!

Espeon-EX (52/122 and 117/122)

A solid 170 HP and a truly fascinating Miraculous Shine attack for  —it devolves every one of your opponent's evolved Pokémon and returns each highest Stage Evolution card to your opponent's hand. That's a great way to take Stage 2 Pokémon out for a bit! Espeon-EX also has the more straightforward Psyshock,     for 70 damage that ignores any effects on the target. When Espeon-EX hits opposing Pokémon, they stay hit!

Emboar-EX (14/122)

Emboar-EX has two attack options: one is cheap with lots of variance, and one is a pricey sure thing. Spiral Punch costs    and hits for a base 20 damage, but like Luxray BREAK's Wild Fury, it's one of those attacks where you keep flipping a coin until you hit tails. This time, you get 20 extra damage for each heads. Strong Flare costs      and does 150 damage, going a long way toward Knocking Out any Pokémon that dares stand against you. This attack does discard 2 attached Energy, but those can be replaced. Burn 'em up, Emboar-EX!

Ho-Oh-EX (121/122)

The Legendary Ho-Oh is back as a powerful Pokémon-EX, and it brings the Purifying Fire Ability as well as the Elemental Feather attack. The Ability heals 50 damage from Ho-Oh-EX once during your turn if it has an basic Fire Energy attached. The Elemental Feather attack does 130 damage for    —much easer with Rainbow Energy (XY—BREAKthrough, 152/162)—and it also does 30 damage to 1 of your opponent's Benched Pokémon! Ho-Oh-EX moves in mysterious ways—to boot a Pokémon upside the head for a Knock Out!

Manaphy-EX (32/122)

With just 120 HP, Manaphy-EX is not as tough as some Pokémon-EX—but it has plenty of mythical power just the same! Its Aqua Tube Ability removes the Retreat Cost of all your Pokémon that have   Energy attached—that's amazing mobility from a Pokémon on your Bench. Mineral Pump for    does 60 damage and heals 30 from each of your Benched Pokémon—a powerful restorative!

Palkia-EX (31/122)

Aqua Turbo pulls 2   Energy out of your deck and attaches them to 1 of your Benched Pokémon for a nice quick power-up. Pearl Hurricane requires      to deliver 120 damage plus 30 to 1 of your opponent's Benched Pokémon. Quite a whirlwind!

Togekiss-EX (83/122)

This Fairy-type Pokémon has the Mighty Wind attack for   that does 20 damage and lets you attach any Energy card from your hand to a Benched Pokémon. The Hurricane Wing attack is a 4-coin flip for      that does 50 for each heads. Feeling lucky? Togekiss-EX is ready to take a chance!

Four XY—BREAKpoint Combos!

Since BREAK cards are already a bit of a combo with the Pokémon they build on, let's take that concept one step further and look at two combos using Pokémon BREAK and two combos using Pokémon-EX.

Double Water Shuriken

You can combine the Ability from Greninja (XY, 41/146) with the power of Greninja BREAK. If you have two Water Energy to discard, you can use Water Shuriken and Giant Water Shuriken in the same turn to put 9 damage counters on 1 of your opponent's Pokémon (without even attacking!). Ninjas are dangerous, and Greninja is even more so. Start working on your shuriken sound effect right now. (We like "Pa-chow!")

Turbo Combo FTW

This one calls on two big hitters, Palkia-EX and Mega Gyarados-EX, to work together. Palkia-EX's Aqua Turbo attack for    grabs 2   Energy and attaches both of them to Mega Gyarados-EX. In other words, with help from Palkia-EX, you can charge up the Blast Geyser attack extra fast. For even more turbo boosting, throw in Mega Turbo (XY—Roaring Skies, 86/108). With 4   Energy attached, Mega Gyarados-EX does 200 damage with that Blast Geyer!

Sword BREAKer

Use Trevenant BREAK's Silent Fear attack multiple times to put damage counters on each of your opponent's Pokémon. Then, attack with Aegislash (62/122) to double them with its Painful Sword attack for    . Boom—an across-the-board combo that puts at least 120 damage on each and every one of your opponent's Pokémon. You might easily Knock Out multiple opposing Pokémon at once!

Darkrai Hypno Party Time

This is a 3-card combo, so it's a bit tougher to pull off—but so worth it when it happens! You need Hypno (51/122), Darkrai-EX, and All-Night Party (96/122). Here's how it works: First, Darkrai-EX should be your Active Pokémon, with Hypno on your Bench. Use Hypno's Ability to make both Active Pokémon sleep. You can wake up your Darkrai-EX immediately with All-Night Party (which also heals 30 damage from it) and then attack with Dark Head to do 160 damage to the opposing Pokémon—who sleeps through the whole thing!

Top Trainer Cards

Sure, Trainer cards don't have big HP and pulse-pounding attacks—but a Trainer's role is vitally important! Items, Stadiums, and other cards can give you the margin of victory. Here are some cards to watch for in the XY—BREAKpoint expansion!

Fighting Fury Belt (99/122)

A Tool card that no Basic Pokémon should be without! The Fighting Fury Belt grants your Basic Pokémon +40 HP and makes its attacks more powerful.

Puzzle of Time (109/122)

This card is a puzzler! If you play Puzzle of Time like a regular Item card, you get to look at the top 3 cards of your deck and rearrange them as you like. But if you happen to have 2 Puzzle of Time cards in your hand, you can play both of them at once for a totally different effect—returning 2 cards from your discard pile to your hand. Yay options!

Reverse Valley (110/122)

Speaking of options, this Stadium card is similar to Parallel City (XY—BREAKthrough, 145/162), because Reverse Valley affects each player differently, depending on which way you play it. One player's   Pokémon get a boost to their attack damage, while the other player's   Pokémon will take less damage from attacks! This is a fun card all around.

Extra-Splashy Special Energy

With an expansion so packed with awesome things for Water-type Pokémon, it seems only fair to put a big Special Energy card on top. And Splash Energy (113/133) is a cool, refreshing alternative to basic   Energy.

A usual with these kinds of type-specific Special Energy cards, Splash Energy can be attached only to a   Pokémon. But when the Pokémon it's attached to is Knocked Out by damage from your opponent's attack, you put that Pokémon back into your hand. (You do have to discard the attached cards—but the damage counters go away, too!) Your opponent still gets two Prize cards for a Pokémon-EX, but you get to put that Gyarados-EX or Palkia-EX right back into play on your next turn!

Pokémon TCG: XY-BREAKpoint Card List

This section lists out the 123 cards of the XY—BREAKpoint expansion, and their rarities.

Credits

Original Japanese Game

  • Executive Producer
  • Producer
  • Original Game Design
  • Game Development
  • Game Director
  • Art Direction
  • Special Thanks:

English-Language Version

The Pokémon Company International

  • Producer
  • Director of Production
  • Director of Product Development
  • Production Coordination
  • Game Development
  • Project Coordination
  • Translation
  • Theme Deck Development
  • Elite Trainer Box Booklet Writing
  • Rulebook Writing
  • Editing
  • Design Direction
  • Graphic Design
  • Card Typesetting
  • Packaging Illustrations
  • XY—BREAKpoint Logo
  • Special Thanks To:
  • Kenji Okubo
  • Richard Simpson
  • Yasuhiro Usui
  • Russ Foster and Jay Moon
  • Dylan "ExoByte" Mayo and Kyle Sucevich
  • Junko Takaba
  • Ben Regal
  • Mike Fitzgerald
  • Wolfgang Baur
  • TPCi Editing Staff and Dylan "ExoByte" Mayo
  • Hollie Beg and Wolfgang Baur
  • Eric Medalle
  • Kumi Okada, Doug Wohlfeil, Adam Law, Matt Freund, and Josh Manderville
  • Ginny Baldwin and David Bennett
  • PLANETA
  • Adam Law and Josh Manderville
  • Creatures Inc., The Pokémon Company, and The Pokémon Company International

Pokémon TCG: XY-BREAKpoint Showcase

This final section details the two BREAKpoint Theme Decks: Electric Eye and Wave Slasher.


Publications relating to the Pokémon Trading Card Game
Strategy guides: Pokémon Trading Card Game Strategy GuideThe Official Pokémon Trading Card Game Guide
Pokémon Trading Card Game Player's GuidePokémon Trading Card Game Fossil Expansion Player's Guide
Pokémon Trading Card Game Volume 3: Team RocketPokémon Made Simple!Let's Play Pokémon
Team Rocket Strategy GuideGym Heroes Strategy GuideGym Challenge Strategy Guide
Platinum Player's GuidePlasma Storm Player's GuidePlasma Blast Player's GuideXY Player's Guide
Quick Guide to Fire-Type PokémonFurious Fists Player's GuidePhantom Forces Player's GuidePrimal Clash Player's Guide
Roaring Skies Player's GuideAncient Origins Player's GuideBREAKthrough Player's GuideBREAKpoint Player's Guide
Fates Collide Player's GuideGenerations Player's GuideSteam Siege Player's GuideEvolutions Player's Guide
Sun & Moon Player's GuideGuardians Rising Player's GuideBurning Shadows Player's GuideThe Making of Shining Legends
Crimson Invasion Player's GuideUltra Prism Player's GuideForbidden Light Player's GuideCelestial Storm Player's Guide
Dragon Majesty Player's GuideDragon Majesty: Dragons Then and NowLost Thunder Player's GuideTeam Up Player's Guide
Unbroken Bonds Player's GuideUnified Minds Player's GuideHidden Fates Player's GuideCosmic Eclipse Player's Guide
Sword & Shield Player's GuideRebel Clash Player's GuideDarkness Ablaze Player's GuideVivid Voltage Player's Guide
Shining Fates Player's GuideBattle Styles Player's GuideChilling Reign Player's GuideEvolving Skies Player's Guide
Celebrations Player's Guide
Collectors' guides: Beckett Unofficial Guide to Pokémon: 2008 Price GuideBeckett Unofficial Guide To Pokémon Diamond & Pearl
Collecting Pokémon: An Unauthorized Handbook and Price GuidePokémon Collector's Value Guide
Pokémon Unofficial Card Collector's GuideUnofficial Beckett Pokémon Collector Price Guide
Magazines: Beckett Pokémon Unofficial CollectorMonthly Coin Toss: Pokémon Card MagazinePokémon Official Magazine
PoJo's Unofficial Pokémon News & Price Guide MonthlyPokémon Card Fan Club
Manga: Pokémon Card GB The ComixHow I Became a Pokémon CardHimemaru: Pokémon Card ExplorerAim to Be a Card Master!!
Pokémon Card Game Battle ComicExciting Victory! Pokémon Card Game!!Let's Play the Pokémon Card Game XY!
Let's Play the Pokémon Card Game! Sun & Moon ArcLet'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 GuidePokémon Card GB Final Tactical BookPokémon Card GB Official Guidebook
Pokémon Card GB2 Official GuidebookPokémon TCG: Official Nintendo Player's Guide
Pokémon TCG: Prima's Official Strategy Guide
Other: Pokémon Card Official Book 2000Pokémon Card Game BW National Illustrated Encyclopedia
Pokémon Card Game BW WorkbookIllust 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.