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General description:
Empoleon is a Water type with many benefits. I will go through each trait of its attacks, HP, and other characteristics of the card and then give you some strategy ideas.

Type: Water Not too bad! This guy will definately beat out Infernape and Magmortar decks, but will have trouble with Lightning types, Electivire in particular. We have Glacia's Stadium (A stadium card that gets rid of the Weakness of Water type Pokemon), which is an A+!

HP: 130 Nice! This HP is beastly, and can easily live long enough to snipe a bunch before getting taken down. This penguin is able to wipe Infernape out due to it's awesome attacks and have a long life. Higher than Inferanpe Lv.X, this guy goes above and...yeah. Just goes above.

Attacks: 1.) Ice Blade 2.) Aqua Jet
1.(Ice Blade) Ice Blade is like a Prinplup's Brine. Upside: Only needs one Water and one any kind of Energy instead of two Water. Very strong attack, and can easily 2HKO a Banette SW or OHKO an Elekid from those Electivire decks.

2.(Aua Jet) OK. This is where the greatness comes in. 70 for 3 Energy is average, but on a heads, you get to snipe for 20! This is great, being able to do another 20 damage, ON TOP of the other sniping you did to the bench. This could be able to knock out a benched Pokemon if sniped already, and OHKO's Infernape. Sweet move, sweet results.

Uses:
To use Empoleon, you want SPEED. Getting Empoleon out or Prinplup for that matter is what you need. Empoleon needs to be out there so you can snipe the Benched Pokemon your opponent is STILL charging up, so you can knock them out easily with an Aqua Jet or two when they come out into play. Mantine from Mysterious Treasures is a GREAT asset to Empoleon, and with Mantyke, it's pre-evolution, it's even better. If Mantine is an evolved Pokemon,(thus, Mantine was put onto Mantyke,) all your Water Pokemon get 2 Energy LESS Retreat Cost. So basically, all your Empoleon can Retreat for free. Sweet, huh?

Strategies and game play:
Empoleon and Mantine are probably one of the greatest strategies for the Emperor Penguin. This card is definately a threat to all Magmortar decks, and can even outspeed many others. Lucario DP is also a possible combination, as it can spread damage using Aura Sphere. (An attack Lucario knows that costs 2 Fighting Energy, and hits the Defending Pokemon for 40, and hits a Bench for 20.)
Combos with other cards:
Read above for the comboes.

Ways to counteract it:
The best card to counter Empoleon has to be Electivire (Diamond and Pearl). It's Lightning type gives it an advantage and can do more than 90 damage for it's Giga Impact attack. I'd combo it with Flygon delta from Holon Phantoms and do the following: Attach Energy to Electivire, Delta Supply to attach a Lightning Energy to Flygon delta, and use Intense Voltage to get the Energy on Electivire. It's like getting 2 Energy on Electivire each turn!

Strengths/Pros:
The attacks are phenomenal, which makes the card a sniping machine and a very fast card as well. The high HP is great, and can withstand a couple of hits from some powerhouses.

Weaknesses/Cons:
The Weakness hurts, and so does the Retreat Cost, but Glacia's Stadium and Mantine can get rid of them!

Variations:
Empoleon is available in the Diaomnd and Pearl theme deck, Royal Frost, as well as the Diamond and Pearl packs. This is the only current Empoleon out there, excluding the Empoleon Level X. Those are found in Diamond and Pearl packs and the Holiday Tin.

Artwork and aesthetics:
The artwork is pretty good. The background is nice, but Empoleon is merely standing there. The pose could be better.

Overall rating:
This card is HANDS DOWN a 7.5/10. It has many comboes, and can be utilized in many decks. Hope this helped you guys out! Look out for more of my reviews soon!