CARD INFORMATION

SUBTYPES:
- Basic
HP: 60
TYPES:
- Psychic
EVOLVES TO:
- Beheeyem
WEAKNESSES:
- TYPE: Darkness
- VALUE: ×2
RESISTANCES:
- TYPE: Fighting
- VALUE: -30
RETREATCOST:
- Colorless
RETREAT COST: 1
RARITY: Common
FLAVOR TEXT: It uses its strong psychic power to squeeze its opponent's brain, causing unendurable headaches.
REGULATIONMARK: I

CARD ABILITIES

This card has no abilities

CARD ATTACKS

NAME: Slight Shift
COST:
- Psychic
ENERGY COST: 1
DAMAGE:
DETAILS: Move an Energy from 1 of your opponent's Pokémon to another of their Pokémon.

NAME: Beam
COST:
- Colorless
- Colorless
- Colorless
ENERGY COST: 3
DAMAGE: 40
DETAILS:

MARKET PRICES FOR ELGYEM 💰

Last updated: 2026/02/21

HIGH	1.96	USD
MID	0.07	USD	TREND
LOW	0.01	USD

Check the latest prices on:

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Elgyem from the Black Bolt set presents an intriguing option for players looking to disrupt their opponents energy distribution while maintaining a relatively low retreat cost.

With its Psychic typing and unique Slight Shift attack, this Basic Pokémon offers strategic utility that might not be immediately apparent at first glance.

Offensive rating: 3/10

Elgyem's offensive capabilities are rather limited.

Its primary attack, Beam, delivers a mere 40 damage for three energy, which translates to an inefficient damage-to-energy ratio.

At roughly 13 damage per energy, Elgyem falls well below the competitive threshold for tournament play.

Slight Shift, while not dealing any damage directly, does offer some strategic value by allowing you to move an energy from one of your opponent's Pokémon to another, potentially disrupting their setup or removing energy from a threatening attacker.

However, this utility move cannot secure knockouts on its own, severely limiting Elgyem's offensive pressure in actual matches.

Survival rating: 4/10

With only 60 HP, Elgyem is extremely vulnerable to being knocked out in a single hit by most competitive attackers.

Its weakness to Darkness-type attacks makes this situation even more precarious in certain matchups.

The silver lining is its Fighting-type resistance (-30), which could occasionally help it survive an attack from Fighting Pokémon.

Additionally, its single colorless retreat cost is relatively manageable, allowing you to pivot away from unfavorable positions without excessive energy investment.

Despite these minor advantages, Elgyem's fragility makes it difficult to keep on the field long enough to make meaningful contributions.

Versatility rating: 4/10

Elgyem offers moderate versatility through its Slight Shift attack, which can function as a tech option against energy-acceleration strategies.

By relocating energy from a powered-up threat to a benched Pokémon, it can potentially delay your opponent's attack plans.

However, this utility is situational at best, as many top-tier decks either use Special Energy (which may have attachment restrictions) or can quickly re-accelerate energy.

The card struggles to find a consistent role in the current meta, as it's too fragile to serve as a reliable attacker and its disruption capabilities are too limited to justify inclusion as a dedicated support Pokémon.

Its evolution to Beheeyem might offer additional pathways, but Elgyem itself has limited standalone value.

Speed/Setup rating: 6/10

As a Basic Pokémon, Elgyem benefits from immediate playability without evolution requirements.

Its Slight Shift attack requires just one Psychic energy, allowing you to use its disruptive capability as early as turn one if you go second.

This gives Elgyem a speed advantage over many more complex strategies.

However, its main damaging attack, Beam, requires three energy, significantly slowing down its offensive setup.

Given current energy acceleration options in the format, you'd typically need at least two turns to power up Beam, which is too slow for competitive play.

The card also lacks any inherent draw or search effects to improve consistency, making it entirely dependent on external support for efficient setup.

To maximize Elgyem's potential, pair it with cards that enhance energy disruption strategies or benefit from its Slight Shift ability.

Energy removal cards can complement its strategy, while Psychic-type support and evolution acceleration would help transition to its potentially stronger evolved form.

Perfect Partners examples:

Crushing Hammer

Combines with Elgyem's Slight Shift to create a more comprehensive energy disruption strategy. While Elgyem moves energy around, Crushing Hammer can remove it entirely, potentially stranding key attackers without resources.

Path to the Peak

This Stadium card shuts down Pokémon V abilities, forcing opponents to rely more heavily on energy attachments for their strategy. This makes Elgyem's energy manipulation more impactful as opponents have fewer alternative options.

Rare Candy

Accelerates evolution to Beheeyem, bypassing the middle stage if applicable. This allows you to quickly transition from the relatively weak Elgyem to its potentially more powerful evolved form without spending additional turns.

Elgyem occupies an awkward position in the current competitive landscape.

Its energy manipulation ability provides interesting utility, but its low HP, inefficient damage output, and specialized role make it difficult to justify in most tournament decks.

The card performs best in very specific metas dominated by energy acceleration strategies, where its Slight Shift attack could generate some value.

Players interested in Elgyem should look to quickly evolve it or use it as a surprise tech option rather than as a central strategy.

For casual play, it can create some interesting game dynamics, but tournament players will likely find more consistent options elsewhere.

While not completely without merit, Elgyem ultimately falls short of the power level necessary for serious competitive consideration in the current format.