Spearow · Expedition (EX) #130

2 comments

1. 

   Ambassador

   (2 years ago)

   Alongside Janine’s Venomoth in VS, and Alto Mare’s Kabutops in a VS Theme Deck, this is one of 3 cards in the e-Card era with Razor Wind. The move returns after a long absence during the Neo era, which may or may not have been deliberate, as Razor Wind is, despite debuting in Generation 1, almost entirely absent in Pokémon Gold, Silver, and Crystal.

   The move was solely available as TM02 in RGBY, with no Pokémon being able to learn it by level up. Razor Wind lost TM02 status to Headbutt, but unlike every other TM-only move that lost TM status, it wasn’t added to anyone’s level up moveset. The games were obviously backward compatible, and so if you really wanted to use Razor Wind in GSC you could do that, but it’s not a very good move so I doubt many, if any, bothered. The move doesn’t really show up in the anime, much, either… so at least for western audiences, this card was possibly the first mention of Razor Wind in a long while, in the entire franchise!

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     TwylisAmbassador

     (2 years ago)

     Razor Wind not being learned by anything in gen 2 is especially odd since the Japanese name references the kamaitachi, which is the yokai that inspired Sneasel. GSC could’ve made it Sneasel’s signature move and been pretty thematic that way.

     Also odd is that, unlike Gust, it didn’t get retyped to Flying. Its Stadium description even explicitly mentions being learned primarily by Flying-types, and that’s where pretty much all other wind-based moves go.

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