Challenge thinking @ohthehypocrisy - Tumblr Blog

Side blog to https://ohthehypocrisy.tumblr.com/

Just so everyone knows, I made a second blog to hold all my reblogs and shitposts you can find it there. Give it a follow if you want memes.

If you want to know WHY I made two blogs, here’s the first post I made after a nearly year long hiatus explaining it all.

#self promo

Pokemon TCG Pocket New Cards Concept - Paradox Pokemon (Finale)

This is going to be the last post going over the new cards concept for both Ancient and Future Pokemon. You can find them here (Ancient Paradox Pokemon part 1), here (Future Paradox Pokemon part 1), here (Ancient Paradox Pokemon part 2), and here (Future Paradox Pokemon part 2). Since the previous posts focused on the Ancient and Future Paradox Pokemon individually, this post will wrap things up and go over the other unique cards that would be complementary to both archetypes.

Just a quick note, while I was busy with work, delaying this post, a new expansion pack for Pokemon TCG Pocket was released, which finally gave us Stadium cards, as well as new Ultra Beast cards. Now, this does set a precedent for new sets buffing old archetypes by adding new cards, which means I have an excuse to come up with more Paradox pokemon cards for this archetype...but, I'm not gonna do that.

Most likely, a new set featuring Paradox Pokemon will come out in the near future, invalidating my card concepts. That's not to say that I know for sure Paradox Pokemon are coming to the game, I don't keep up with leaks concerning TCG Pocket; I prefer to be surprised. I'll just be happy with the ideas I've come up with here and leave it be. I got other ideas to share anyway.

Also, major spoilers for those who haven't played through the story of Pokemon Scarlet and Violet here. Read at your own risk.

Booster Energy - Tool Card

When the attached Ancient Paradox Pokemon or Future Paradox Pokemon is Moved from the Bench to the Active Spot, its 'Future' or 'Ancient' attacks deals +20 Damage to your opponent's Active Pokemon until the end of your Turn.

The Scarlet Book - Item Card

Move an Ancient Paradox Pokemon, a Primitive Club, or a Meaty Bone from your Deck into your Hand.

The Violet Book - Item Card

Move a Future Paradox Pokemon, a Pyrotoxic Laser, or a Quark Battery from your Deck into your Hand.

Mom's Sandwich - Item Card

Switch 1 of your Benched Pokemon that has damage on it with your Active Pokemon. Heal 20 Damage from it. If that pokemon was Koraidon, Koraidon EX, Miraidon, or Miraidon EX, its attacks cost 1 less Colorless Energy this Turn.

Picnic Spot - Stadium Card

When either Player heals Damage from their Active Pokemon through the effects of an Item Card, all of their Benched Pokemon also heal 10 Damage.

AI Turo - Supporter Card

You can only use this card if your opponent has 2 Points.

Restore all Damage and remove all Special Conditions from 1 of your Miraidon EX. Move all Energy from your Discard to that Miraidon EX.

AI Sada - Supporter Card

You can only use this card if your opponent has 2 Points.

Restore all Damage and remove all Special Conditions from 1 of your Koraidon EX. Its 'Ancient' attack can be used without activating its restrictive effect, or its 'Ancient' attack can be reused this Turn.

Both Future and Ancient Paradox Pokemon were given a unique Tool Card that accommodates their playstyle, but the Booster Energy Tool Card here works for both archetypes by providing a tricky boost to their attacks. It grants +20 Damage for all of their attacks, but it only works if the attached pokemon was on the Bench and then moved to the Active Spot.

For the Future Paradox Pokemon, this is a bit tricky due to how strict the Energy cost of their attacks is, but at the very least, they have Iron Jugulis, a Colorless Future Paradox Pokemon with 0x Retreat Cost, for easy switch plays. The best pokemon that the Ancient side has is Flutter Mane, but that one is restricted to Psychic Energy Decks, unless you use it as a support card with no intention of using it to attack, much like how Indeedee EX is used when it shows up on nonPsychic Energy meta decks.

But one other card makes this much, much easier to abuse. Mom's Sandwich is an Item Card that restores 20 HP from 1 of your pokemon, much like Potion, but it can only be used to target a Benched pokemon that has damage on it. It also forces that pokemon into the Active Spot, so it's not always better than Potion every time.

However, it does have a bonus effect if the target is Miraidon, Koraidon, or their EX versions. It makes their attacks cost 1 less Colorless Energy, making it easier to use Joyride, Cruise Control, or their super powerful attacks Collision Course or Electro Drift. It's great because these cards can take on a supportive front while they're on the Bench, as both regular Koraidon and regular Miraidon can generate Energy for your pokemon through coin flips, and Miraidon EX can shift Energy needed for future attacks whereas Koraidon EX can rig another 'Ancient' attack for your side to use. Basically, the idea is that, while you are putting pressure with another pokemon in the Active Spot, you can support with these cards until you have enough Energy to attack, using Mom's Sandwich to send in the dragons.

In addition to that, Mom's Sandwich can also combo with a new Stadium Card concept introduced here called Picnic Spot. Basically, if the Active Pokemon gets its HP restored through the effects of an Item Card like Potion or Lucky Ice Pop, the Bench also restores a little bit of HP. Since Mom's Sandwich Switches before healing, it will also trigger the Picnic Spot Stadium effect. Of course, healing items like this are far from uncommon, so do be careful for when your opponent takes advantage of this.

Speaking of item cards, The Scarlet Book and The Violet Book are new search cards that can grab a Paradox Pokemon from your deck, exclusive to both archetypes, of course. This makes them almost as good as PokeBalls, except for the fact that they can also grab other Item Cards. Now, if you build your Ancient Paradox deck without Meaty Bone or Primitive Club, that's your right, but you'd be without some really good exclusive cards for the archetype. But at that point, why not just run regular PokeBalls? No, these books are meant to be used in a deck that uses some combination of a Paradox Pokemon card and their respective Item Cards, as it further thins out your Deck when used and can be used in tandem with PokeBalls and the like.

The very last card duo is the spoiler-sensitive Supporter Cards, AI Sada and AI Turo. Both of them will only work when your opponent has 2 points and is 1 point away from victory. These cards pull a surprise gambit by fully recovering your Koraidon EX or Miraidon EX to full strength and also removing their Special Conditions. It's already such a powerful effect for its play condition, but the fun doesn't stop there.

For AI Turo, it will also move all the Energy in your Discard Pile to the Miraidon EX you recovered. Considering how strict Future attacks are, you will more often than not have the Energy needed to pull off your Future attacks. Getting this off at the right time can really turn your game around.

AI Sada, on the other hand, does the same thing by fully restoring Koraidon EX to full health and also cures it of all Special Conditions, but it does something different. It has the effect of allowing Koraidon EX to reuse an 'Ancient' attack, just like Sada's Research Notes, but it also has the effect of nullifying the restriction of the 'Ancient' attack for the turn. What this means is that, if you haven't used Koraidon EX's Ancient Turbo attack yet, AI Sada will prevent the attack from being restricted for the rest of the game. You can then use Ancient Turbo freely next turn without a Supporter Card to help you, or you can use a 2nd AI Sada to further prevent the restriction from hindering you a second time. It still requires that Koraidon EX have a Fire Energy and a Fighting Energy in order to use this attack, but 100 Damage is a lot of power for an EX attack needing only 2 different Energy.

Also, if you are put into a position where you are 2 points down on Turn 5, I'm sorry, but it's just one of those games, man.

Phew, that was a lot of cards. I think this will be the last time I come up with so many concepts at once. Brainstorming is fun every now and then, but doing it for a whole 5 posts can be exhausting. Hope you enjoyed the thought experiment, though.

Now we'll move on to something different. Expect more support cards for more archetypes and such.

Until then, see ya!

#Pokemon TCG Pocket #Miraidon #Koraidon #AI Sada #AI Turo

(RANT) Pokemon TCG Pocket's Deluxe Pack EX Set is the worst thing to have happened to this game.

So, let me get one thing straight here, I love playing the Pokemon TCG format in phone form and I am not afraid to say that I have spent real money on this game trying to complete my collection. I have plenty of rare and ultra rare cards and I have completed the entire collection of all cards in the game.

Except for the Deluxe Pack EX.

Let's start with the positives. Deluxe Pack EX is the best set for new players to try and catch up with those that have been playing since Day 1, to try and fill out not only the important cards, but also as a way to get EX cards needed for most meta relevant Decks. Even those that haven't been lucky enough to get many EX pokemon will find that their best odds of getting the cards they need will be in this pack, as you are guaranteed an EX pokemon with each opening.

But that's where the positives end, and even this point has a negative hiding within it. For those who are completionists and like to have a full set of cards from specific expansions, you might be thinking about how you can kill two birds with one stone, getting an EX pokemon from this set and marking it off the list of the other set.

Except, no, that's not how it works.

Let me tell you something, I was trying to fill out my 'Wisdom of Sea and Sky' collection checklist but I couldn't get them all before the 'Secluded Spring' expansion came out, and as with all new sets, it was much more lucrative to fill out the collection from the new set than to persist in previous sets trying to get the last card you need. That is because this game has missions that reward you for acquiring certain cards in arbitrary groups, like 'pokemon with horns' or 'ball shaped pokemon' or even 'get 5 Meganium' for an exclusive Icon for your profile. Getting Pack Hourglasses was the most important one as getting together 120 lets you splurge and open 10 packs at once, greatly increasing the chance of getting new cards for your collection.

So when Deluxe Pack EX came out, I saw it as a chance to fill out my collection, same as everyone else, but ohh, we were mistaken. See, one of the other mission rewards was emblems, which can be exchanged for badges for specific expansions. You pick 3 to display under your name to show off your accomplishments and collection prowess to your friends and opponents alike. Every expansion has a set, and getting them all meant you could show off big time.

Deluxe Pack EX also has these emblems, which are doled out to players as they complete their collection. You'd think that, the players who have been around the longest, would've already gotten a headstart on these emblems, right?

Wrong.

The missions for obtaining these emblems only count cards obtained from this specific set, meaning you and a total newbie were at equal footing when it came to amassing a collection to get these emblems. Now, that wouldn't be so big of a deal, if it weren't for the monkey's paw that curled. In exchange for a guaranteed EX pokemon with each opening, each pack contained only 4 cards. FOUR. CARDS.

FOUR. CARDS. PER. PACK.

The fact that a Day 1 player has probably already gotten these cards and has more cards than they know what to do with them, it's safe to say that recollecting these cards all over again was far from the most appealing prospect of this set. But not only would you have to deal with repeats galore here, they also added holos that are slightly rare than the regular versions.

And they ALL COUNT TOWARDS THE COLLECTION MISSION.

So not only does a legacy player have to get all of these old cards again through a pack, which is FOUR CARDS PER PACK, by the way, they also have to get the holo version cards of cards they already have.

And every single card in the pack, excluding the EX Pokemon, thank Arceus, has a holo version. This effectively doubles the size of the pack collection needed to complete the missions.

Let me repeat that. Not only do you have to recollect these old cards, you also have to collect the holo versions too. Let me also remind you that your old collection doesn't count, all cards must be collected through the Deluxe Pack EX packs in order to fulfill the collection missions.

This is a collection nightmare, made all the worse by the fact that you can only get 4 cards per pack. It's why no one in the game has a complete collection of Deluxe Pack EX cards yet, at least to my knowledge. I believe there is someone out there that has gotten the entire set completed, but I know that that person is either a whale or has mortgaged their home in order to achieve this and is in deep financial straits because of this.

But, ok, let's say you're a new player or you joined the card collection game pretty late into the year. Surely these cards are a big boon to your collection efforts, right?

Wrong. As I said before, Deluxe Pack EX cards contribute to the collection missions of its own set. If you pull a new card from a previous set, instead of counting towards both the Deluxe Pack EX set and the original set it came from, the collection checklist will only check off the card as it appears in the Deluxe Pack EX collection list.

How do I know this? I mentioned before I didn't have all of the cards in the 'Wisdom of Sea and Sky' before the new sets came out, one of those cards was Donphan EX. Well, I pulled a Donphan EX from Deluxe Pack EX, and for a moment, I thought I had fulfilled the collection for both sets.

But nope. The collection checklist only counted the Donphan EX card from Deluxe Pack EX. I actually had to trade for Donphan EX to fully fill out the collection checklist for Wisdom of Sea and Sky. This is so backwards it's actually mind boggling, because if you really were invested in filling out the collection, you'd be forced to either trade for that card again like I did, or try to fish for the card in the old packs. How is any of this helpful for new players? For those that play for the dueling aspect of TCG Pocket, it might be helpful, but Deluxe Pack EX doesn't have every single card, which thank Arceus it doesn't, but it locks those players out of specific cards needed to make their niche decks work.

Now, I know there was an update to change how the collection works, but as I had already fulfilled my collection of EX pokemon, I cannot know if duplicate EX cards fulfill multiple checklists or only those of the set they came from. If you know, please let me know in the comments or something.

One other thing about TCG Pocket is how the Wonder Pick system is helpful in better gaming their chances for new cards from the hot new set. Before Deluxe Pack EX came out, you could wager some Wonder Pack points to try and win a new card of your own from someone else's pull. It works by setting the 5 cards another player pulled and you have to pick 1 card to claim for yourself. These Wonder Picks are based on the set and cards your friends and strangers have pulled, with the cost of Wonder Points increasing based on the rarest card in the pool. If there is a cool card you want or a card you need to fill out your collection, you can take a shot at it and you might get lucky. Naturally, Wonder Picks become hot when new sets come out.

Except for Deluxe Pack EX.

Because each pack is guaranteed to have an EX in it, that means each Wonder Pick for Deluxe Pack EX is worth 3 Wonder Points AT MINIMUM. You do regain Wonder Points over time, but only 1 every 12 hours, meaning you have to wait 36 Hours to Wonder Pick a Deluxe Pack EX for free, or you could just spend in-game slash real money to speed up the Wonder Points acquisition.

What makes this worse is that, since the Wonder Pick is 5 cards, Deluxe Pack EX also throws in Pack Hourglass as one of the prizes, which can be spent to speed up your free packs. But keep in mind that most legacy players already have these cards, so what would you need to spend the 3 Wonder Points for, most of the time?

The problem is that Deluxe Pack EX is hot, as it has some exclusive rare cards that you cannot get from other packs, the big ones being the 2 Star Professor's Research, the immersive Pikachu EX, and the Gold Rarity Rare Candy. So hot, this is the only pack players are opening right now. So hot, that this is the only set you'll see up in Wonder Pick. And the Wonder Pick sets are rotated after they expire in 1 and a half hours, so it's all you see until the clock moves forward.

One other thing to keep in mind is that one of the daily missions is 'Doing a Wonder Pick', meaning this and opening a Pack are the easiest, cheapest, and fastest way of earning your Daily Rewards. The other 2 missions are' Log in', which you fulfill just by opening the app, and 'Participate in 1 Battle', which can be a solo player battle or a duel against another player, which is lengthy. A small nitpick, but imagine having to work around this for a whole month.

Oh, but I haven't even gotten to the worst part of the whole deal. You see, when you go into your collection, they will be sorted primarily by Pack Order. Whether you have your cards sorted by Type or Rarity, the Pack Order takes precedent, so you can see the power creep swell in real time as you scroll down the list.

So how did Deluxe Pack EX ruin this? It changed the order of the old cards. Now, all the EX cards you acquired, as well as the 1 and 2 diamond rarity cards you got along the way, are now sorted by Pack Order according to the collection checklist of Deluxe Pack EX.

This means that your cards, which were neatly organized by Evolution and such, are now horribly mixed up based on if you filled out the collection checklist for Deluxe Pack EX. When I sort my collection by Type, the first card isn't Bulbasaur from Genetic Apex, it's Venusaur. Bulbasaur, Ivysaur, and Venusaur EX are further down at the bottom of the Grass Type list because I've gotten these cards from Deluxe Pack EX. And if, for some reason, I did not get a Bulbasaur or Ivysaur, then they would be sorted as such closer to the top of my collection list, mismatched as such because I have fulfilled the collection checklist, for cards that I already have.

And it's like this for almost every single card.

Building new Decks from scratch is annoying because the Evolution cards are almost never where they're supposed to be. My Volt Charge Magneton is not grouped next to Magnemite nor Magnezone simply because I haven't crossed it off the list. If the collection list had these cards sorted out better, or if there was an option to sort the list by Pokemon Evolution, it would be sooooo much better, because the rarer cards, the full arts and the Star rarity cards, are unaffected as they are exclusive to their packs, and sometimes I do want to flaunt and flex my pulls, you know?

...

The worst part about this whole mess is how easy it would be to fix. Tell me why collecting a new card cannot fulfill the collection checklist for two different sets, huh? How hard is it to let the game know that you already have about 50% of the cards from Deluxe Pack EX already so that you can fulfill the collection missions more easily? Why on earth are the holo cards a thing? They got it right with the Shiny Cards by tacking them on in packs as a sixth card you could sometimes pull, why not do the same thing with holos?

And why on earth would you change the Pack Order in collections in such a way that the order gets jumbled just by collecting cards you've already owned? Just nullify the Deluxe Pack EX collection numbers except for the rare, exclusive cards featured in the set. Fix the collection order so that I can see the older cards in each group first, or just have them organized by Evolutions or something.

And please, please, PLEASE, don't repeat this mistake for Deluxe Pack EX #2. I actually stopped opening Deluxe Pack EX packs halfway into its release because of how ridiculous it was to try and fulfill the collection aspect of it. Now that it has returned, I feel the heavy need to vent about all the issues I've had with this set over the last month or so.

Ugh, I can only hope this post resonates with some of you, because I hardly see people talking about it much. Granted, I have not gone looking for people complaining about this, but only because I don't make it a habit to go online to look for stuff to be mad about. I'm better than that, you know?

There's also the fact that I don't really follow that many Pokemon TCG Pocket discourse posts and accounts, so if this is your first time running into me, I apologize, but I'm normally more optimistic about stuff like this, especially when it comes to games I really like.

I'm done ranting. I'm gonna start reblogging stuff I missed due to how busy work has kept me.

If you share any of my gripes, please let me know in the comments, tags, or reblogs. I'd love to feel vindicated over a petty issue like this.

#pokemon tcg pocket

Pokemon TCG Pocket New Cards Concept (Paradox Pokemon - Future) Part 2

At long last, we've made it to the final part of the Paradox Pokemon archetype. For reference, this is the 2nd part of my archetype concept for the Future Paradox Pokemon, you can find the first part here. As for the Ancient Paradox Pokemon, the first post of the set is here, and the second one here.

Before we go through the post, I just want to explain my thought process behind the unique traits of both Ancient and Future Paradox Pokemon. See, it's simple. I wanted the Ancient Paradox Pokemon to be simple and effective, but susceptible to the flow of the game state. By that I mean that each Ancient attack can be used for very little Energy cost, but using them recklessly locks you out of those options for the rest of the game. It's basically just 'big hit, big damage, easy attack, no brain needed' but tied to a costly effect, for balance reasons.

The Future attacks for the Future Paradox Pokemon here and the previous post are, in contrast, useful attacks but hard to power up. In the same way the Dragon Type attacks are difficult to set up but rewarding to pull off, the Future Paradox Pokemon have useful attacks that only require some clever Energy manipulation to get right. Both archetypes have cards to support their playstyle, but the Future attacks are a bit more difficult to balance as, once you have the Energy, nothing can stop you from going wild without dedicated disruption card effects to stall your momentum.

Again, this is why the Future attacks can often feel underwhelming, but they typically offer unique effects and benefits for the archetype over just their Energy Type. I mean, that sort of exclusivity is what keeps the archetype in check, balance-wise.

Miraidon - Basic Pokemon (Future Paradox Pokemon)

Lightning Type - 130 HP

Ability: Cyber Speedway - Once per Turn, you may Flip a Coin. If Heads, attach a Metal Energy from your Energy Zone to 1 of your Future Paradox Pokemon.

Cruise Control (1x Lightning Energy, 2x Colorless Energy) - 60 Damage Attach a Lightning Energy from your Energy Zone to 1 of your Benched Future Paradox Pokemon. If you have no Benched Future Paradox Pokemon, Draw a Card.

Weakness Fighting +20 - Retreat Cost 1x Colorless Energy

Miraidon EX - Basic Pokemon (Future Paradox Pokemon)

Dragon Type - 170 HP

Ability: Hadron Engine - Once per Turn, you may Move a Lightning Energy or a Metal Energy attached to 1 of your Future Paradox Pokemon to another of your Future Paradox Pokemon.

Future Turbo - (1x Lightning Energy, 1x Metal Energy, 1x Colorless Energy) - 60 Damage Flip 2 Coins. For each Heads, Discard a random Energy from your opponent's Active Pokemon.

Electro Drift (2x Lightning Energy, 1x Metal Energy, 1x Colorless Energy) - 100 Damage Also deal 20 Damage to each of your opponent's Benched Pokemon that has Energy attached to it.

Iron Leaves - Basic Pokemon (Future Paradox Pokemon)

Grass Type - 120 HP

Justice Blaster (2x Colorless Energy) - 40 Damage This attack does 20 Damage to 2 of your opponent's Benched Pokemon, chosen at random, if there is an Iron Boulder and an Iron Crown on your Bench.

Future Leaves (1x Grass Energy, 1x Lightning Energy, 1x Metal Energy) - 70 Damage Heal Damage from this pokemon equal to the amount of Damage you dealt to the Defending Pokemon.

Weakness Fire +20 - Retreat Cost 1x Colorless Energy

Iron Leaves EX - Basic Pokemon (Future Paradox Pokemon)

Grass Type - 160 HP

Ability: Solar Powered Leaves - At the beginning of your Turn, if this pokemon is in the Active Spot and has a Special Condition, Flip a Coin. If Heads, remove all Special Conditions from this pokemon.

Future Psyblade (1x Lightning Energy, 1x Metal Energy, 1x Colorless Energy) - 70+ Damage This attack deals 50 more damage for each Point your opponent has gotten.

Weakness Fire +20 - Retreat Cost 2x Colorless Energy

Iron Boulder - Basic Pokemon (Future Paradox Pokemon)

Fighting Type - 130 HP

Justice Buster (3x Colorless Energy) - 60+ Damage This attack does 70 more Damage if there is an Iron Leaves and an Iron Crown on your Bench.

Future Boulder (1x Fighting Energy, 1x Lightning Energy, 1x Metal Energy) - 80 Damage During your opponent's next Turn, this pokemon receives -40 Damage from attacks.

Weakness Grass +20 - Retreat Cost 3x Colorless Energy

Iron Boulder EX - Basic Pokemon (Future Paradox Pokemon)

Fighting Type - 180 HP

Ability: Unstoppable Stone - At the beginning of your Turn, if this pokemon is in the Active Spot, Flip a Coin. If Heads, negate all effects that reduce or block Damage from attacks on the Defending Pokemon during your Turn.

Future Cleave (1x Lightning Energy, 1x Metal Energy) - 40+ Damage This attack deals 20 more Damage for each Energy attached to this Pokemon.

Weakness Grass +20 - Retreat Cost 3x Colorless Energy

Iron Crown - Basic Pokemon (Future Paradox Pokemon)

Metal Type - 110 HP

Justice Boost (1x Colorless Energy) - 30+ Damage During your next Turn, Justice Boost, Justice Blaster, and Justice Buster deal 20 More Damage to your opponent's Pokemon.

Future Crown (2x Metal Energy, 1x Lightning Energy, 1x Colorless Energy) - 90 Damage You may Discard a Card from your Hand. If you do, Discard a random Card from your opponent's Hand.

Weakness Fire +20 - Retreat Cost 1x Colorless Energy

Iron Crown EX - Basic Pokemon (Future Paradox Pokemon)

Metal Type - 170 HP

Ability: Chrome Coating - At the beginning of your Turn, if this pokemon is in the Active Spot, Flip a Coin. If Heads, you may Move a Card from your Hand to the bottom of your Deck. Then, Draw a Card.

Future Cutter (2x Metal Energy, 1x Lightning Energy, 1x Colorless Energy) - 80+ Damage This attack deals 100 more damage if there are 0 cards remaining in your Deck.

Weakness Fire +20 - Retreat Cost 1x Colorless Energy

Miraidon's PokeBall - Item Card

Shuffle your Active Pokemon that isn't Miraidon or Miraidon EX into your Deck. If you can't, you cannot play this Card. Then, move a random Miraidon or Miraidon EX from your Deck to the Active Spot.

ID Cipher - Tool Card

If the attached Future Paradox Pokemon is on the Bench and Switches with your Active Pokemon to the Active Spot, Move a random Energy attached to that pokemon to this pokemon.

It can be a little difficult to remember all of the potential interactions each Future Paradox Pokemon can have with each other. Not to worry, as some of them are way better at it than others.

For instance, regular Miraidon has an attack and an Ability that can supply your Future Paradox Pokemon with the necessary Energy they need to use their Future attacks. Granted, its Ability does so off of a coin flip, but regular Miraidon can power up your Future Paradox Pokemon much more consistently then, say, Pichu or Volt Charge Magneton. I know, it's bold to say that this card is better for your Future Paradox Pokemon than Pichu, but consider that it is an Ability, which means it can be activated from the Bench, doesn't have 30 HP, can deal damage, and can power up itself and receives all of the benefits of a Future Paradox Pokemon archetype and all of the cards that work with it.

Plus, its Cruise Control attack attaches Lightning Energy to your Bench, but only if the target is a Future Paradox Pokemon. If there are no viable targets, you Draw a card, granting the archetype some decent acceleration. And that's MOSTLY a play on the fact that Miraidon is a vehicular lizard from the future. Basically, regular Miraidon can work on pure Lightning Energy or dual Lightning and Metal Energy, but it can also be a bit flexible with other Energy Types thanks to its Ability, Cyber Speedway. This is all banking on how forgiving those coin flips will be, but there's always risk involved when it comes to advanced technology.

Speaking of which, Miraidon EX maximizes your Energy investment by allowing you to move Energy freely between your Future Paradox Pokemon. It's similar to Vaporeon's Wash Out Ability, but because of how good the Future attacks are, you're only allowed to move Energy once per Turn here. With 2 Miraidon EX, you can potentially fully power up a Future attack, depending on how your Energy is arranged. This makes Miraidon EX a very good card for the archetype as a supporting card, but it's also pretty decent when put into a position of offense.

Its Future Turbo attack is similar in effect to Guzzlord EX's Grindcore, but limited to 2 coin flips. Getting even 1 Heads will set your opponent back, but it only deals 60 Damage, which is decent against regular cards, but not strong enough against other EX pokemon. Also, relying on coin flips to Discard Energy is an appealing prospect, but has a tendency to fail tragically when you really need it. It's also rather weak damage for a Future attack belonging to an EX.

Its other attack, Electro Drift is somewhat better in that it will also deal additional damage to the opponent's Bench if there's Energy on those pokemon. The idea here is that, as you are Discarding energy from the Defending Pokemon, the opponent will recognize the sunk cost fallacy at play here and then divert Energy resources to the Bench. That makes them vulnerable to the Bench damage of Electro Drift, at least in theory anyway. It's a bit weaker than Koraidon EX when you compare the raw numbers, but the effect of Discarding Energy with its other attack compensates for that.

Now, onto the future Swords of Justice. Iron Leaves, Iron Crown, and Iron Boulder all get regular and EX versions of themselves here, with an interesting gimmick. For one, the regular versions all have a 'Justice' attack shared across all three, but the most important one is Iron Crown's Justice Boost. It only deals 30 damage, but on the next Turn, Justice Boost will deal 50 Damage. It will also power up Iron Leaves' Justice Blaster and Iron Boulder's Justice Buster, with Iron Leaves having the scarier attack. For only 2 Energy, you'll hit the Defending Pokemon for 40, plus 20 from Justice Boost, and then another 40 to 2 of your opponent's Benched Pokemon. Justice Boost applies the damage boost against all of your opponent's Pokemon, so once Iron Leaves has some Energy, it can start punching holes on the board.

Justice Boost is only good for one attack, though, so you might be better off saving it for Iron Boulder. I forgot to mention that both Iron Leaves and Iron Boulder get a bonus to their Justice attacks if you have all 3 Iron Swords of Justice on the field, with the exception of Iron Crown, whose only role is to empower the other two blades. Iron Boulder hits for 60 with Justice Buster, but it shoots up to 130 if you also have Iron Leaves and Iron Crown on the board. If powered up by Justice Boost, it hits for 150 Damage, which is a lot for a Colorless attack.

Yep, all of these Justice attacks are Colorless, specifically so that they can be used together. However, that will clutter the Energy generation, so you need to consider the ramifications of using all 3 Iron Swords in one Deck, or settle on a dedicated plan of attack, similar to how Decidueye EX can work without Grass Energy but can only be played with certain cards as a result. They can also be used by themselves as well, as it's just their Future attacks that require excessively different Energy.

The Iron Swords are designed to put up a fight if put in a Deck without their respective Energy Type, but can reap the rewards of significant investment. After all, the Future Paradox Pokemon have dedicated support cards to supplement their Future attacks, and it is very worth it to try and use them. Iron Leaves can heal itself with Future Leaves, making it ridiculously tanky thanks to being a Grass Type and all the support cards that come with it. Iron Boulder gets a powerful defense boost when it uses Future Boulder, which it can then further boost with Heavy Helmet, and maybe Blue, if that card is ever relevant again. Iron Crown has the strongest Future attack to compensate for its low damage with Justice Boost and it also comes with a mutual Discard effect. It's handy for those situations where you have pulled all of the Basic Pokemon out of your Deck and now you've got some useless PokeBalls in Hand, so they can become Discard fodder for its Future Crown attack.

The EX versions, on the other hand, are stalwart in power and effect and are meant to be much more offensive. However, they require significant time and cards to get going, but they make it easy to get KO's in certain situations.

For example, Iron Leaves EX has a chance of healing off its own Special Condition at the start of the Turn. If its Future Psyblade is fully powered up, it can hit for 70 damage, but gets a dramatic boost to its damage the more Points your opponent has. The attack requires 3 Energy, so you can use it for 1 Energy with Turo's Research Notes, but it might not be worth it until much later on in the game.

Iron Boulder EX, meanwhile, has the Ability to negate the defensive effects of the opposing Defending Pokemon, also via a Coin Flip. It negates defense boosts and does away with damage protection, meaning it actually can attack and defeat Safeguard Oricorio. Its attack is somewhat weak, but it powers up itself just by attaching Energy. With Turo's Research Notes, it can attack for 0 Energy, but you will only do 40 damage at a minimum, which isn't enough to KO Oricorio. Maybe in other situations this can be a game winning move, but Iron Boulder EX hardly needs Turo's Research Notes, unless you get really unlucky with Energy generation.

Lastly, Iron Crown EX has a chance of accelerating your Draws by moving a card from your Hand to the bottom of your Deck before Drawing a Card. This is based on a coin flip, and you have to have Iron Crown EX in the Active Spot when your Turn starts, meaning that you are vulnerable during your opponent's Turn. On the upside, its Ability, Chrome Coating, works during your First Turn if you are forced to lead with Iron Crown EX. Again, it's all based on a coin flip, and it does require that you put a card away to Draw a card.

In contrast, its attack, Future Cutter, while quite slow to power up, gets a massive power boost when you run out of cards to draw from your deck. Keep in mind that its Ability isn't actually generating Draws, it's just moving cards around so that you can cycle your least useful cards out with your most useful ones. It also costs quite a bit of Energy as Iron Crown EX is also a Metal Type so the high Energy cost of its Future attack is a bit of a given.

Speaking of which, all EX versions of the Iron Swords of Justice only have 1 attack, and it's a Future attack with all of the constraints included. While this can make them a bit difficult to use, it also means they can be used in mixed Energy Decks. They only need support cards like Turo's Research Notes or Quark Battery to get off the ground.

Finally, Miraidon's Pokeball is an Item Card similar to Koraidon's Pokeball from the previous post but with a different effect that achieves the same result. It shuffles away your Active Pokemon and replaces it with a Miraidon or Miraidon EX, meaning you can get it on the field even with a fully loaded board. However, the target cannot be Miraidon itself, and in a deck full of Future Paradox Pokemon, whoever you're shuffling away will also be liberated of their Energy and Tool Cards. It might be worth it to avoid getting KO'd, but you'd be losing out on all of that investment. Maybe having Iron Thorns on point with a Metal Energy or two can achieve something. Also, because it targets a Miraidon or Miraidon EX in your Deck, if all of those cards are in your Hand and you shuffle away your 1 remaining Pokemon on the field, Miraidon's Pokeball will resolve without putting a pokemon on the board, losing you the game. So, don't do that.

Also, because Energy maintenance is so important, I added ID Cipher as a Tool Card for the Future Paradox Pokemon. It only works when the attached pokemon is on the Bench and moves to the Active Spot, and requires that the Active Pokemon has Energy attached to it. However, when the switch is made, a random Energy is taken off of the formerly Active Pokemon and gifted to the pokemon coming in. Considering how scarce Metal and Lightning Energy is, this can be a great way to manage Energy needed for Future attacks for your Future Paradox Pokemon. It's only unreliable when the Active Pokemon has a lot of Energy attached, but other than that, it's easy to manipulate what Energy goes where when everything is all set up.

Altogether, that fact that all of the Future Paradox Pokemon are Basic Pokemon means that you don't have to waste Deck Space adding Evolution cards. But since you can only have 4 Pokemon on the board, space is contested for who you put in play and who you keep in reserve in your Hand. That is, assuming you have 6 or more Basic Pokemon in your Deck Builder in order to have a flexible and adaptable plan of attack.

There are some winning combinations, which is a given in any set. Both regular Miraidon and Iron Treads EX can supply the whole board with lucky coin flips, but it is very difficult or impossible to get the jump on the enemy on the First Turn of the game, even with everything going right; I was very careful about how much Energy these Future attacks cost. (Worst you'll see is Iron Jugulis triple tapping a 60 HP target with Dark Shots, maybe I should change that...)

The real star of this archetype is Turo's Research Notes, as it enables these cards to use their Future attacks without investing in Metal or Lightning Energy. Granted, it'd be nice to be able to use them consistently, but in Decks where Energy consistency is vital, it's good for one-off attacks. Of course, some of the Future Paradox Pokemon need to be in mixed Energy Decks due to only having Future Attacks, like some of the EX pokemon, while others have ways to generate the necessary Energy for these attacks. There is a dichotomy at play here between the Future Paradox Pokemon that can get by using their Future attacks sparingly, and those that can generate Energy to use their Future attacks repeatedly at the cost of Deck Space. How you build these Decks will be up to you.

And that's the Future Paradox Pokemon archetype all said and done.

Now, I lied when I said that this would be the final Paradox Pokemon post, I actually have one more in my Drafts to wrap up this series. I just wanted to highlight the pokemon themselves and give each one their time in the spotlight.

Also, I didn't post last week because I was super busy with work, but I should have some free time for a while.

Also, do expect one more post from me later today, I'm gonna rant about something. Look forward to it. No, really, look forward to it. It's an issue I believe fans of TCG Pocket would agree with me on.

Until then, see ya!

#Miraidon #Iron Crown #Iron Leaves #Iron Boulder #Pokemon TCG Pocket #edited the title because i forgot to change it because im a dumdum

Pokemon TCG Pocket New Cards Concept (Paradox Pokemon - Ancient) Part 2

And now we move on to Part 2 of the Ancient Paradox Pokemon concept for Pokemon TCG Pocket. In the previous post, I went over most of the Ancient Paradox Pokemon you can consider as 'common encounters'. Here, we're dealing with not just mythical, but legendary Ancient Paradox Pokemon, powers that should have been lost to time.

As a quick note, as this post covers the remaining Ancient Paradox Pokemon, this does not mean that this will be the end of the Ancient Paradox Pokemon concept. Remember that the TCG generally gives each pokemon 1 Type, even though they can have 2 in the games. As such, many pokemon are printed repeatedly with different Types and Energy requirements and play styles. This is evident in dual Type pokemon like Palossand and Houndoom, both of which have appeared in different sets as different Types.

That's not to say that new concept cards for Ancient Paradox Pokemon will continue after this. TCG Pocket has yet to add more Ultra Beasts after Extradimensional Crisis; no Fighting Type Buzzwole or Pheromosa yet. Therefore, there is no precedent for an archetype to receive buffs in the form of new cards, not yet at least, so once this series is done, I'll be moving on to different ideas afterwards.

Koraidon - Basic Pokemon (Ancient Paradox Pokemon)

Fighting Type - 110 HP

Ability: Protosynthesis - Once per Turn, you may Flip a Coin. If Heads, attach a Fire Energy to 1 of your Ancient Paradox Pokemon.

Joyride (1x Fighting Energy, 2x Colorless Energy) - 60 Damage If this attack deals 0 Damage or fails to deal Damage to the Defending Pokemon, Draw a Card.

Weakness Psychic +20 - Retreat Cost 1x Colorless Energy

Koraidon EX - Basic Pokemon (Ancient Paradox Pokemon)

Dragon Type - 150 HP

Ability: Orichalcum Pulse - Once per Game, you may activate this Ability and reuse an 'Ancient' Ability or an 'Ancient' attack of your Ancient Paradox Pokemon.

Ancient Turbo (1x Fighting Energy, 1x Fire Energy) - 100 You cannot use this attack for the rest of the Game.

Collision Course (1x Fighting Energy, 1x Fire Energy, 2x Colorless Energy) - 140 Damage

Weakness None - Retreat Cost 2x Colorless Energy

Gouging Fire - Basic Pokemon (Ancient Paradox Pokemon)

Fire Type - 130 HP

Ability: Ancient Bulwark - Once per Turn, you may activate this Ability to reduce the Damage of attacks this pokemon receives from your opponent's Pokemon by -20.

Fire Claw (1x Fire Energy) - 20+ Damage This attack deals Damage equal to the amount of Damage this pokemon has taken.

Weakness Water +20 - Retreat Cost 2x Colorless Energy

Gouging Fire EX - Basic Pokemon (Ancient Paradox Pokemon)

Fire Type - 170 HP

Ancient Firebrand (1x Fire Energy) Knock Out your opponent's Active Pokemon if it is Burned. You cannot use this attack for the rest of the game.

Burning Bulwark (2x Fire Energy, 1x Colorless Energy) - 50 Damage During your opponent's next Turn, if this pokemon is in the Active Spot and is damaged by an attack from your opponent's Pokemon, your opponent's Active Pokemon is now Burned.

Weakness Water +20 - Retreat Cost 3x Colorless Energy

Raging Bolt - Basic Pokemon (Ancient Paradox Pokemon)

Lightning Type - 110 HP

Ability: Ancient Shock - Once per Turn, you may Flip 2 Coins. If both of them are Heads, your opponent's Active Pokemon is now Paralyzed.

Thunderclap (2x Lightning Energy) - 40+ Damage This attack deals +50 Damage if your opponent's Active Pokemon has more Energy than this pokemon.

Weakness Fighting +20 - Retreat Cost 2x Colorless Energy

Raging Bolt EX - Basic Pokemon (Ancient Paradox Pokemon)

Lightning Type - 150 HP

Ability: Ancient Lightning - Once per Turn, if this pokemon is in the Active Spot, deal 20 Damage to 1 of your opponent's Pokemon randomly.

Long Bolt (3x Lightning Energy) - 80 Damage Also deal 30 Damage to 1 of your opponent's Benched Pokemon randomly.

Weakness Fighting +20 - Retreat Cost 2x Colorless Energy

Walking Wake - Basic Pokemon (Ancient Paradox Pokemon)

Water Type - 120 HP

Ability: Ancient Spring Water - Once per Turn, Heal 10 Damage from each of your Ancient Paradox Pokemon.

Hydro Tail (2x Water Energy) - 50 Damage Switch your opponent's Active Pokemon with 1 of their Benched Pokemon.

Weakness Lightning +20 - Retreat Cost 2x Colorless Energy

Walking Wake EX - Basic Pokemon (Ancient Paradox Pokemon)

Water Type - 160 HP

Ancient Flush (1x Water Energy) - 50 Damage Discard all Energy from your opponent's Active Pokemon. You cannot use this attack for the rest of the game.

Hydro Steam (1x Water Energy, 2x Colorless Energy) - 80 Damage If this pokemon has any Fire Energy attached to it, the Defending Pokemon is now Burned.

Weakness Lightning +20 - Retreat Cost 2x Colorless Energy

Koraidon's PokeBall - Item Card

Choose 1 of two effects;

Move a Koraidon or Koraidon EX from your Deck onto your Bench. Then, Switch your Active Pokemon with the newly placed Koraidon or Koraidon EX.

Shuffle your Active Koraidon or Koraidon EX in your Active Spot into your Deck.

Beastly Necklace - Tool Card

When the attached Ancient Paradox Pokemon Knocks Out 1 of your opponent's Pokemon, Move and attach 1 random Energy from that pokemon to this pokemon.

It's best to picture these cards coming out as part of the subsequent set after the previous one, because these cards are meant to drastically empower the Ancient Paradox Pokemon archetype.

For starters, regular Koraidon has the Ability Protosynthesis, which has a 50/50 chance of giving a Fire Energy to one of your Ancient Paradox Pokemon. From the previous post, not many Ancient Paradox Pokemon need Fire Energy, so this would just be Colorless Energy fodder for them. Koraidon can definitely use it to sooner power up its Joyride attack, which has the unique effect of Drawing a card if the attack fails for whatever reason.

This card better serves the new cards in this set, namely Koraidon EX. Its Ability, Orichalcum Pulse, is functionally the same as Sada's Research Notes, only the Ability is also a 'Once per game' deal. With 2 Koraidon EX and 2 Sada's Research Notes, you can set off Ancient attacks up to 5 times in one game, if you haven't claimed Victory by then. Of course Koraidon EX also has an Ancient attack it can use, but it's a Dragon Type, so it needs 2 Energy to pull off. Once it has exhausted this Ancient attack, Koraidon EX can use the much more expensive Collision Course to keep up the fight, but until it has fully powered up, it should be on the bench to support your other Ancient Paradox Pokemon.

After that, we've got the Ancient Paradox forms of the Mythical beasts, in regular and EX versions. Gouging Fire has the Ability Ancient Bulwark, which buffs its own defense for a Turn, making it a decent wall for the early game. It can be reused with Koraidon EX or Sada's Research Notes to make it -40 Damage instead of -20, but you'll seldom use this unless you are backed into a corner. Its attack, Fire Claw, deals more damage the more HP it has lost, so Gouging Fire is far from a sitting duck when it's in the Active Spot.

Its EX version, ironically, kind of is. It has a lot of HP and has an Ancient attack that Knocks Out any pokemon if it is Burned, but by itself, it is so slow at achieving this. It can Burn the enemy with Burning Bulwark, but it needs 3 Energy to use this attack and also needs to be attacked in return. Its Ancient attack is basically useless until it can Burn the enemy, unless you pair it with Typhlosion who can Burn from the Bench. With regular Koraidon, you can power up sooner, but you are relying on a Coin flip to get up to speed to attack. An instant KO attack like this isn't as overpowered as it may seem. Remember, the attack itself, Ancient Firebrand, prevents you from using this attack again, even with another Gouging Fire EX. It makes for an EX Pokemon that can easily KO Lightning Type Oriciorio though.

Speaking of Special Conditions, regular Raging Bolt has an Ability called Ancient Shock. If you Flip 2 Heads, you Paralyze your opponent's Active Pokemon. This is a very powerful Ability as a Paralyzed pokemon cannot attack or retreat, so naturally it is very luck reliant. With 2 Raging Bolt, you can try to Paralyze your opponent twice in one Turn, or 3 times with Sada's Research Notes. The downside is how Raging Bolt is exclusively a Lightning Type Pokemon, which limits is synergy with other Ancient Paradox Pokemon, unless I make a Lightning Type Sandy Shocks in a future post or something.

Its Thunderclap attack deals more damage if the enemy has more Energy than you, which makes the Paralyze effect of its Ability very useful. Obviously if the enemy is fully loaded up on Energy, they are going to attack and they are going to hit hard. Paralyze stalls the opponent for a Turn, unless they have some way to cure it, letting you get a cheap shot in. This makes Raging Bolt ideal for other Lightning Type Decks who appreciate the power to stall the enemy in this way.

Raging Bolt EX is a much more random card, in exchange for a bit of power. Its Ability, Ancient Lightning, does 20 damage to 1 of your opponents Pokemon, chosen at random. It's basically Water Shuriken Greninja but you don't get to choose your target. On the upside, it can be repeated with Sada's Research Notes, but having an attack that requires 3 Lightning Energy severely limits its synergy with other Ancient Paradox Pokemon. Speaking of which, its attack, Long Bolt, also deals 30 damage to 1 of your opponent's Benched Pokemon, but the target is chosen randomly. It is a powerful but somewhat unreliable card that is good in Lightning Decks but difficult to pair with other Ancient Paradox Pokemon.

Now, Walking Wake has a similar problem to Raging Bolt where it is a Water Type Ancient Paradox Pokemon, a Type it doesn't share with other cards in its archetype, aside from Walking Wake EX. However, its Ability, Ancient Spring Water, provides valuable healing to the archetype, giving them more recovery options than just Meaty Bone. Its attack, Hydro Tail, also serves to stall the enemy by forcing switches, that you control, by the way, so it's very worth it to invest in Water Energy here. However, in order to use Walking Wake effectively, you must turn your Ancient Paradox Pokemon archetype Deck into a dual Energy deck, which is very unreliable without cards like Mantyke to ease things. Or you could just run 2 Walking Wake and 2 Walking Wake EX and ball.

Speaking of which, Walking Wake EX has a funny attack called Ancient Flush, where the attack removes all Energy from the target pokemon. Between this and regular Walking Wake's Hydro Tail, you can easily drain momentum from your opponent in this way. Its other attack, Hydro Steam, has a Burn effect if you have a Fire Energy attached to this pokemon as well, meaning you can benefit from having regular Koraidon in the deck as well. But it's not a necessity and can be managed without Fire Energy for the most part. Or just use Magby.

The last two cards are Koraidon's PokeBall and Beastly Necklace. Koraidon's PokeBall is a bit of a weird card in its execution. You have to pick one of two effects when you play it, and it wholly depends on the game state. Effect 1 requires that you have a Koraidon or Koraidon EX in your Deck somewhere, and requires an empty spot on your Bench in order to put it on the board. Afterwards, that card switches to your Active Spot. Neither Koraidon nor Koraidon EX can attack right away, so this puts these cards into vulnerable positions from the get-go. All you can do is activate their Abilities and hope for the best.

Alternatively, you can use these cards to help your Koraidon or Koraidon EX out of a tough spot by shuffling them away into your Deck. They would need to be in the Active Spot for this to work, but it's useful for avoiding a KO. Of course, if you were using either Koraidon to attack and were investing Energy into it, you would end up undoing all of that time and effort, so consider the time and place here. Conveniently, Effect 2 loops into Effect 1, shuffling the Koraidon away and then using another Koraidon's PokeBall to put it back in the Active Spot, but you would be using up 2 Koraidon's PokeBall to do this. It might be worth it to set off multiple Protosynthesis or Orichalcum Pulse Abilities, but this requires having the right cards in hand and a properly set up board to get any real value.

Also, the last card, Beastly Necklace, is a last minute addition, I'll be honest. The Ancient Paradox Pokemon archetype here, as I've written it out, doesn't have a Tool Card, so I whipped this one up on the spot. The effect of stealing Energy when going for a KO is niche, but not all that useful. The stolen Energy can be used to pay for Retreat Costs, but beyond that, it is heavily matchup dependent. The upside is that it triggers off of multiple KO's in 1 Turn, which can happen with Scream Tail EX.

As a whole, the Ancient Paradox Pokemon archetype here have powerful synergy and cards that work well together, and can also work independently in other Deck archetypes. Regular Scream Tail provides valuable stall to Psychic Decks and can attack the whole board if powered up, but can also work in tandem with Scream Tail EX and Flutter Mane. Sandy Shocks gives your other Ancient Paradox Pokemon a source of Fighting Energy, helping them out in Dual Energy Type Decks. But Sandy Shocks can also work in regular Fighting Type Decks by helping them ramp up, in the same way that Volt Charge Magneton can do. It has the best potential with Koraidon, though, supplying your pokemon with Fighting and Fire Energy.

These cards are varied in effect, utility, and execution, which makes them flexible but clearly defined, which is what cards in any given archetype are supposed to achieve. How would you build a Deck with these Ancient Paradox Pokemon? I'd love to hear you out.

Up next is the Future Paradox Pokemon continuation post. I do have 1 more post I want to make to bookend the Paradox Pokemon cards series, so look forward to that.

Until then, see ya!

#Koraidon #Gouging Fire #Raging Bolt #Walking Wake #Pokemon TCG Pocket

Pokemon TCG Pocket New Cards Concept (Paradox Pokemon - Future)

Continuing on from the previous post, we've got the Future Paradox Pokemon! Now, say what you will about these futuristic freaks, I kinda like them. The idea that monsters and animals will become cyberized in the very distant future is an interesting concept if done right. Of course, there's no telling what kind of future these pokemon came from, so your guess is as good as mine.

They would also make for interesting cards, what with being made of 'iron' or something like that. You'll see what I mean.

Iron Treads - Basic Pokemon (Future Paradox Pokemon)

Metal Type - 130 HP

Rollout (2x Metal Energy) - 40 Damage During your next Turn, this attack does +50 more Damage

Future Tiller (2x Metal Energy, 1x Lightning Energy) - 60 Damage Attach a Metal Energy to 1 of your Benched Future Paradox Pokemon.

Weakness Fire +20 - Retreat Cost 3x Colorless Energy

Iron Treads EX - Basic Pokemon (Future Paradox Pokemon)

Metal Type - 170 HP

Ability: Quark Drive - Once per Turn, you may Flip a Coin. If Heads, attach a Lightning Energy from your Energy Zone to this Pokemon.

Future Crash (1x Metal Energy, 1x Lightning Energy, 1x Colorless Energy) 100 Damage Discard a Random Energy from this Pokemon.

Weakness Fire +20 - Retreat Cost 4x Colorless Energy

Iron Bundle - Basic Pokemon (Future Paradox Pokemon)

Water Type - 110 HP

Chilling Water (2x Water Energy) - 40 Damage During your opponent's next Turn, attacks used by your opponent's Active Pokemon do -20 Damage to your Pokemon.

Future Refreshments (1x Water Energy, 1x Metal Energy, 1x Lightning Energy) - 70 Damage Heal 20 Damage from each of your Future Paradox Pokemon.

Weakness Metal +20 - Retreat Cost 1x Colorless Energy

Iron Bundle EX - Basic Pokemon

Water Type - 140 HP

Ability: Quark Drive - Once per Turn, you may take a Metal Energy or Lightning Energy from your Discard, chosen at random, and attach it to this Pokemon.

Future Freeze (2x Water Energy, 1x Metal Energy, 1 Lightning Energy) - 60 Damage Discard a Metal Energy and a Lightning Energy from this pokemon. Your opponent's Active Pokemon is now Paralyzed.

Weakness Metal +20 - Retreat Cost 1x Colorless Energy

Iron Valiant - Basic Pokemon

Fighting Type - 120 HP

Pressure Point (1x Fighting Energy) - 10 Damage Discard a random Energy from your opponent's Active Pokemon.

Future Fist (1x Fighting Energy, 1x Metal Energy, 1x Lightning Energy) - 20x Damage This attack deals 20 damage for each Energy in your opponent's Discard.

Weakness Psychic +20 - Retreat Cost 1x Colorless Energy

Iron Valiant EX - Basic Pokemon

Fighting Type - 160 HP

Ability: Quark Drive - Once per Turn, reveal a Future Paradox Pokemon from your Hand and Discard it. Attach an Energy of the same Type as the Discarded card from your Energy Zone to 1 of your Future Paradox Pokemon.

Future Combo (1x Fighting Energy, 1x Metal Energy, 1x Lightning Energy) - 50+ Damage This attack does +30 Damage for each Future Paradox Pokemon in your Discard.

Weakness Psychic +20 - Retreat Cost 1x Colorless Enegy

Iron Thorns - Basic Pokemon

Fighting Type - 140 HP

Ability: Iron Thorns - If this pokemon is in the Active Spot and receives damage from an attack, deal 10 damage to your opponent's Active Pokemon for each Metal and/or Lightning Energy attached to this pokemon.

Iron Thorns (2x Fighting Energy, 1x Colorless Energy) - 50 Damage Attach a Metal Energy from your Energy Zone to this Pokemon.

Future Demolish (2x Fighting Energy, 2x Metal Energy, 1x Lightning Energy) - 160 Damage

Weakness Grass +20 - Retreat Cost 4x Colorless Energy

Iron Jugulis - Basic Pokemon

Colorless Type - 100 HP

Dark Shots (2x Colorless Energy) Deal 20 Damage to 3 of your opponent's Pokemon in any way you like.

Future Laser (1x Metal Energy, 1x Lightning Energy, 1x Colorless Energy) - 60 Damage Flip a Coin until you get Tails. Discard a random Energy from the Defending Pokemon for each Heads.

Weakness Grass +20 - Retreat Cost 0x Colorless Energy

Iron Hands - Basic Pokemon

Fighting Type - 130 HP

Ability: Quark Drive - You can only use this Ability if you and your opponent have the same number of Cards in Hand. Attach a Lightning Energy to 1 of your Future Paradox Pokemon, chosen at random.

Future Slap (1x Fighting Energy, 2x Lightning Energy, 1 Metal Energy) - 60+ Damage This attack does 60 more Damage for each player with 0 cards in their Hand.

Weakness Psychic +20 - Retreat Cost 3x Colorless Energy

Iron Moth - Basic Pokemon

Fire Type - 110 HP

Heat Laser (2x Fire Energy) - 40 Damage

Future Burn (2x Fire Energy, 1x Metal Energy, 1x Lightning Energy) - 70 Damage Your opponent's Active Pokemon is now Poisoned and Burned.

Weakness Water +20 - Retreat Cost 1x Colorless Energy

Pyrotoxic Laser - Item Card

You can only use this card if your Active Pokemon is a Future Paradox Pokemon. Your opponent's Active Pokemon is now either Burned or Poisoned. (The other Special Condition is chosen if your opponent's Active Pokemon is already either Burned or Poisoned).

Quark Battery - Item Card

You can only use this card if your Active Pokemon is a Future Paradox Pokemon. Attach 1 Lightning Energy or 1 Metal Energy from your Discard, chosen at random, to your Active Pokemon. If you do, heal 10 Damage from it.

Turo's Research Notes - Supporter Card

The attacks of your Future Paradox Pokemon's 'Future' attacks cost 1 less Metal Energy and 1 less Lightning Energy.

Since the Ancient Paradox Pokemon had a fun little gimmick of having 'powerful but scarce attacks', the Future Paradox Pokemon have a unique set of 'Future' attacks that are useful but hard to use effectively due to their insane Energy requirements. Seriously, each Future Paradox Pokemon has a 'Future' attack that costs multiple different kinds of Energy, something you'd only see in Dragon Types, or Lugia EX.

But it does follow a theme. Each 'Future' attack requires at least 1 Metal Energy and at least 1 Lightning Energy. This has to do with the Future Paradox Pokemon being so intertwined with the technology of their time. Think of it as Lightning Energy fueling the power source of these attacks, and the Metal Energy as a reinforcement material to protect their fragile inner mechanisms.

Now, instead of starting from the top, we're gonna start from the bottom with Turo's Research Notes and go over the pokemon with this Supporter Card in mind. Turo's Research Notes allows your Future Paradox Pokemon to use their Future attacks for 1 less Metal and Lightning Energy. These attacks have been balanced with the possibility of this combo being available to your Turn 1, such as Iron Valiant's Future Fist attack.

Starting off with Iron Treads, because the Future Attacks require you to work with multiple Energy Types, some of the Future Paradox Pokemon here are dedicated to supporting each other. Iron Treads' Future Tiller lets you generate and attach a Metal Energy to 1 of your Benched Future Paradox Pokemon. This makes it possible to get the ball rolling on Turn 1 if you have Turo's Research Notes on Hand, but without it, you'll have to rely on your natural bulk to weather the attacks of your opponent.

Iron Treads EX has a much easier time generating Lightning Energy for its Future Paradox pals, though it comes through its Ability and a coin flip. And it only powers itself, but you can manipulate the Energy distribution through Elemental Transfer and Dawn. You will need at least 1 Metal Energy to attack, though, and the attack discards 1 of its Energy. It's powerful, but being forced to Discard an Energy after each attack makes Iron Treads EX much more demanding of Energy than you would expect. With Turo's Research Notes, you get one good hit for 100, but after that you have to build up power for a couple of turns, unless you luck out and draw another Turo's Research Notes, but you might want to save that for another Future Attack, unless that's the game winning move right there. There's a lot of variables to this one, see.

Iron Bundle and Iron Bundle EX are a bit more supportive with their attacks. Regular Iron Bundle can decrease the damage of opposing attacks with Chilling Water, and its Future attack, Future Refreshments, heals all of your Future Paradox Pokemon for 20 Damage. Being forced into running Water Energy just for Iron Bundle is a bit limiting, but it works with Manaphy and Mantyke, as well as Misty, so you can slot them in for extra support if necessary.

Iron Bundle EX has a powerful Future attack called Future Freeze which inflicts guaranteed Paralysis, but forces you to Discard a Metal and Lightning Energy. Thankfully, its Ability, Quark Drive, can recover that Energy, but only 1 at a time, and it's not a guarantee that you'll recover the specific Energy needed next Turn. Again, you can manipulate Energy distribution with other cards like Magneton or Pichu, and with the right Deck and opening Hand, you can Paralyze the enemy forever, but not really. Pokemon Center Lady and the simple act of evolving pokemon cures the Active Pokemon of all Special Conditions, so even if you hit the Paralysis each time, the enemy will eventually get what they need to overcome this frostbite.

You can't even rig the attack to go off after 1 Turn, as it needs 1 Metal and 1 Lightning Energy, as well as 2 Water Energy to pull off. So unless you went first and opened with Mantyke, you won't see much results with this card. This makes Iron Bundle EX rather weak, but it can become annoying with the right combination of disruption cards like Red Card. There aren't a lot of disruption cards in Pocket at the moment, so we're only going with what there is, like Silver, Sabrina, Hitting Hammer, and so on. This is one of those cards that is very dependent on a strong opening Hand for things to go right.

Iron Valiant and Iron Valiant EX are actually self-sufficient in spite of the costly nature of their Future attacks. Regular Iron Valiant has Pressure Point, an attack that is very weak but guarantees that you'll Discard the enemy's Energy. It can then follow up with Future Fist, which gets more powerful the more Energy in your opponent's Discard. Depending on the flow of battle, this Future Fist attack can easily deal a lot of damage during the end game, but not so much during the early game.

Iron Valiant EX is a much more terrifying pokemon to go up against. Its Quark Drive Ability guarantees Energy at the cost of a Future Paradox Pokemon from your Hand. Since there are Metal and Fighting Type Future Paradox Pokemon, you can run this card with just Lightning Energy and sacrifice an Iron Treads and an Iron Valiant and be ready to attack next Turn. Its Future attack, Future Combo, gets stronger the more Future Paradox Pokemon there are in your Discard, so you are limited to what kind of other pokemon you can put into the Deck. That said, Iron Valiant EX can also power up your other Future Paradox Pokemon, since the Ability lets you power up any Future Paradox Pokemon on your side of the field. But then you won't be able to Discard them without giving your opponent points. Options to return pokemon from the board to your Hand are very limited right now, and that's by design, so putting down any Future Paradox Pokemon is very committal unless you deliberately sacrifice something.

Speaking of which, Iron Thorns makes for a decent wall as its Ability, Iron Thorns, deals retaliation damage based on the number of Metal and Lightning Energy it has attached to it. Unfortunately, generating Metal and Lightning Energy is difficult so long as Iron Thorns itself is in the Active Spot, due to its heavy 4x Retreat Cost. Thankfully, its attack, Iron Thorns, lets it generate Metal Energy for itself, so you only need to manage getting 2 Fighting Energy and 1 other Energy Type for Iron Thorns to generate momentum. To be clear, it's best to have some way of securing Energy for Iron Thorns before it has to move to the Active Spot so that it can attack with Iron Thorns. And with each Metal Energy Iron Thorns accrues with Iron Thorns, its Ability, Iron Thorns, becomes stronger when dealing counter damage.

Oh, and it has a stupidly powerful Future attack called Future Demolish that deals a whopping amount of Damage but is very costly to pull off without Turo's Research Notes. Even so, Iron Thorns will take a lot of damage before it can reliably use this attack, so be prepared for your opponent's desperate attempts at stalling this attack.

Now, Iron Jugulis is a supporting pokemon to the Future Paradox Pokemon archetype, as weird as that sounds. For just 2 of any Energy, you can deal 20 Damage to 3 of your opponent's pokemon, and you can double or triple up on a single target. It's easy to power up, but it loses out on potency as the game drags on and your opponent's pokemon gets stronger. Its attack, Future Laser, isn't any stronger, but it has the same effect as Guzzlord EX's Grindcore attack, making it very useful for stalling. Also, it has no Retreat cost, but not a lot of HP compared to the other Future Paradox Pokemon to compensate.

Iron Hands is the only non-EX pokemon on this list to have a Quark Drive Ability, and it's not as easy to use, well, kind of. You are guaranteed a Lightning Energy if you and your opponent have the same number of cards in Hand. That would be difficult to pull off, if it weren't for Copycat. Now, the Lightning Energy is given to 1 of your Future Paradox Pokemon at random, but even then, it can still be moved by Elemental Transfer to your Active Pokemon when necessary. Its Future attack, Future Slap, is also fun, in that it deals much more damage for each player that has 0 cards in Hand. This is much more realistic to pull off at the very end of the game, but until then, you'll be hitting for 60 most of the time.

Iron Moth is the only Fire Type Future Paradox Pokemon here, which greatly hinders its compatibility with other Future Paradox Pokemon. To make up for its lack of synchronization, it has some powerful attacks in Heat Laser and Future Burn, which will Burn and Poison the enemy, totaling 100 Damage.

This combos into the last two cards I'll talk about here, Pyrotoxic Laser and Quark Battery. Just like with the Ancient Paradox Pokemon, these two Item Cards can only be used when you have a Future Paradox Pokemon in the Active Spot and serves to support them. Pyrotoxic Laser will either Burn or Poison the Defending Pokemon, either chosen at random or based on what Special Condition they already have. Quark Battery has a similar effect to Iron Bundle EX's Quark Drive Ability, in that it will recover a Lightning or Metal Energy from the Discard and attach it to your Active Pokemon. With two of these, Turo's Research Notes, and some decent Energy generation support, Iron Bundle EX can much more realistically Paralyze the enemy repeatedly, provided you have the right cards in Hand.

Altogether, a Future Paradox Pokemon Archetype Deck will feature certain combinations of pokemon for their ease of use together. Iron Treads and Iron Treads EX can guarantee Metal and Lightning Energy for the other Future Paradox Pokemon, but some decks might feature Iron Valiant EX with Iron Treads and Iron Thorns as Discard fodder for its Quark Drive Ability. Some might branch out and run Mantyke and/or Pichu to better generate momentum for these Iron Pokemon and their Future Attacks. And of course, Turo's Research Notes will ensure that a Future Attack can go off at any time during the early game.

The future is wild.

Keep in mind that there are more Ancient and Future Paradox Pokemon to go over before we're done with this concept. Stay tuned for the Ancient Paradox Pokemon post Part 2.

Until then, see ya!

#Iron Bundle #Iron Treads #Iron Valiant #Iron Jugulis #Iron Thorns #Iron Moth #Iron Hands #Turo

Pokemon TCG Pocket New Cards Concept (Paradox Pokemon - Ancient)

When the Pokemon games first released, they were split into two versions. This was a marketing ploy, as the collection aspect was the main appeal of the games, but it wasn't possible to 'catch 'em all' without trading with a friend. This was deliberate as it promoted multiplayer, paving the way to the social aspects of the pokemon games we know and love today.

The TCG does the same thing, especially in Pocket, although it is much less egregious here. Certain cards can only be found within specific packs, which actually makes it easier to hunt for a specific card needed for a deck. I mean, as long as you're not spending real money on this stuff. But like, I really do need that Mega Charizard Y EX card for this deck to work...

Anyway, I'm going to take a crack at this concept by turning the Paradox Pokemon into cards, starting with the Ancient Paradox Pokemon. Just like the Ultra Beasts, all of these cards have the 'Ancient' tag on them, which limits their use in other types of Decks. This is meant to balance them out and stuff, but that's up to interpretation. Why not take a look?

Scream Tail - Basic Pokemon (Ancient Paradox Pokemon)

Psychic Type - 120 HP

Ability: Ancient Screech - Once per Turn, you may move a random Card from your opponent's Hand to the bottom of their Deck.

Hyper Voice (1x Psychic Energy, 2x Colorless Energy) Deal 30 Damage to each of your opponent's Pokemon.

Weakness Metal +20 - Retreat Cost 2x Colorless Energy

Scream Tail EX - Basic Pokemon (Ancient Paradox Pokemon)

Psychic Type - 150 HP

Ancient Roar (1x Psychic Energy) Deal 50 Damage to each of your opponent's Pokemon. You cannot use this attack for the rest of the game.

Bite (2x Psychic Energy, 1x Colorless Energy) - 50 Damage

Weakness Metal +20 - Retreat Cost 3x Colorless Energy

Great Tusk - Basic Pokemon (Ancient Paradox Pokemon)

Fighting Type - 130 HP

Ancient Tusk (1x Fighting Energy) - 50 Damage Discard the Top 2 Cards of your opponent's Deck. You cannot use this attack for the rest of the game.

Heavy Trunk (2x Fighting Energy) - 60 Damage Your opponent Switches their Active Pokemon with 1 of their Benched Pokemon.

Weakness Grass +20 - Retreat Cost 3x Colorless Energy

Great Tusk EX - Basic Pokemon (Ancient Paradox Pokemon)

Fighting Type - 170 HP

Ability: Ancient Huff - Once per Turn, you may make your opponent choose whether or not to Switch their Active Pokemon with 1 of their Benched Pokemon. If they choose not to, deal 20 Damage to the Active Pokemon.

Run Through (2x Fighting Energy, 1x Colorless Energy) - 60 Damage If this attack Knocks Out the Defending Pokemon, your Turn does not end. (You can still only attack once per Turn.)

Weakness Grass +20 - Retreat Cost 3x Colorless Energy

Roaring Moon - Basic Pokemon (Ancient Paradox Pokemon)

Darkness Type - 130 HP

Ability: Ancient Hunter - Once per Turn, you may Knock Out 1 of your opponent's Pokemon that has 10 HP remaining.

Shadow Claw (2x Darkness Energy) Deal 50 Damage to 1 of your opponent's Pokemon chosen at random.

Weakness Grass +20 - Retreat Cost 2x Colorless Energy

Roaring Moon EX - Basic Pokemon (Ancient Paradox Pokemon)

Darkness Type - 160 HP

Ancient Claw (1x Darkness Energy) Choose 1 of your opponent's Pokemon. That Pokemon now has 10 HP remaining. You cannot use this attack for the rest of the game.

Relentless Claw (3x Darkness Energy) 100 Damage

Weakness Grass +20 - Retreat Cost 3x Colorless Energy

Sandy Shocks - Basic Pokemon (Ancient Paradox Pokemon)

Fighting Type - 100 HP

Ability: Ancient Generator - Once per Turn, you may attach a Fighting Energy from your Energy Zone to this pokemon.

Screw Whip (1x Fighting Energy, 3x Colorless Energy) - 60 Damage Move a Fighting Energy from this Pokemon to 1 of your Benched Pokemon.

Weakness Grass +20 - Retreat Cost 2x Colorless Energy

Brute Bonnet - Basic Pokemon (Ancient Paradox Pokemon)

Darkness Type - 110 HP

Ability: Ancient Spores - Once per Turn, increase the damage dealt by your Ancient Paradox Pokemon to your opponent's Pokemon by +10.

Portabello Pound (2x Darkness Energy) 50 Damage

Weakness Grass +20 - Retreat Cost 2x Colorless Energy

Flutter Mane - Basic Pokemon (Ancient Paradox Pokemon)

Psychic Type - 100 HP

Ability: Ancient Charm - Move a card from your Hand to your Deck, then Draw a Card.

Spook (2x Psychic Energy, 1x Colorless Energy) - 70 Damage

Weakness Metal +20 - Retreat Cost 0x Colorless Energy

Slither Wing - Basic Pokemon (Ancient Paradox Pokemon)

Fighting Type - 100 HP

Ability: Ancient Buzz - Once per Turn, deal 10 Damage to your opponent's Active Pokemon.

Blazing Scales (2x Fighting Energy, 1x Colorless Energy) 40 Damage The Defending Pokemon is now Burned.

Weakness Psychic +20 - Retreat Cost 2x Colorless Energy

Primitive Club - Item Card

You can only use this card if an Ancient Paradox Pokemon is in your Active Spot. Deal 10 Damage to your opponent's Active Pokemon.

Meaty Bone - Item Card

You can only use this card if an Ancient Paradox Pokemon is in your Active Spot. Heal 20 Damage from your Active Pokemon and remove all Special Conditions from it.

Sada's Reasearch Notes - Supporter Card

You may reuse an 'Ancient' Ability or 'Ancient' attack of your Ancient Paradox Pokemon this Turn.

So right away you might notice how not every Paradox Pokemon is on this post. Well, if I were to do that, this post would become more bloated than it already is. Besides, I'm going to make a part 2 featuring the Ancient Paradox Pokemon later on, hold your horses.

As far as Basic Pokemon go, you'll find that not a single card here has an HP number below 100. It has to do with the fact that Paradox Pokemon are standalone creatures and work with all that they've got. And they've got some interesting gimmicks to them.

First up, both Scream Tail and Scream Tail EX are the only Psychic Types here on this list, aside from Flutter Mane, which makes it a bit difficult for them to work with the other Paradox Pokemon here, but they've got some powerful effects to compensate. For one, regular Scream Tail can send a random card from your opponent's Hand to the Bottom of their Deck. It doesn't get shuffled away like other card effects, meaning that random card will not be seen again until the end of the game. The only way to stir the pot, so to speak, is if you or your opponent use a card to shuffle their Deck, and their are a lot of cards that can do that. Also, it becomes less effective the less cards there are in your opponent's Deck, but it works very well during the early game.

Scream Tail EX has a powerful attack called 'Ancient Roar' which does a flat 50 Damage across your opponent's entire board. It only costs 1 Energy, so it can be used on the first Turn you are able to attach Energy. However, you will be locked out from using Ancient Roar for the rest of the game, even if you have another Scream Tail EX. That's part of the gimmick of Ancient Pokemon, which I'll explain in further detail in a bit.

After that, you've got Great Tusk and Great Tusk EX, both of which have hefty HP and Retreat Cost. Regular Great Tusk has an Ancient attack that Mills your opponent's Deck, whereas Great Tusk EX has an Ancient Ability that plays a cruel prank on the Active Pokemon. When activated, your opponent either switches their Active Pokemon out, which might put them in a bad position, or force the Active Pokemon to take 20 Damage if they stay in, which will weaken them for their next attack. Great Tusk EX has a pretty weak attack for an EX Pokemon, but it has the effect of persisting your Turn if it gets a KO. It's actually pretty easy for your Ancient Paradox Pokemon to accrue damage, as you'll soon see.

Roaring Moon and Roaring Moon EX are my favorite cards of the bunch. Regular Roaring Moon has an Ancient Ability that can instantly Knock Out a pokemon on the verge of defeat, and its Shadow Claw attack, though expensive, can deal 50 Damage to a random pokemon on your opponent's side. Roaring Moon EX, meanwhile, has an Ancient attack that brings 1 of your opponent's pokemon down to 10 HP. Since it's an Ancient attack, it is the last thing you can do in a Turn, which gives your opponent time to respond. If they are somehow able to restore a significant amount of HP from the affected pokemon, the Ancient attack will go to waste, and it's a once per game thing, so be wary.

Scream Tail, Great Tusk, and Roaring Moon all get EX variants as they are story relevant pokemon in Scarlet/Violet, with one being a Titan Pokemon, one being your first encounter in Area Zero, and the other being the ultimate ace pokemon of the final battle.

Past that, you've got Sandy Shocks which is similar to how Volt Charge Magneton works. It also doubles as Fighting Energy support since its attack, Screw Whip, lets you attach a Fighting Energy to any of your Benched pokemon, not just Ancient Pokemon.

Brute Bonnet is a much more direct support pokemon, as its Ability, Ancient Spores, powers up the damage your Ancient Paradox Pokemon deal to all of your opponent's pokemon. That includes Benched pokemon, meaning Scream Tail EX can hit for 60 Damage with Ancient Roar, or 70 Damage with 2 Brute Bonnets. Just know that Roaring Moon EX's attack Ancient Claw manipulates the HP of the target pokemon, not actually dealing damage, so it cannot be boosted by this Ability or any boosting effect.

Flutter Mane is also a support card in a sense, since it has no Retreat Cost and its Ability, Ancient Charm, lets you put a card from your Hand away into your Deck, then Draws a card for you. This helps greatly with bad Hands, but it has the lowest HP of all Ancient pokemon, sharing the spot with Sandy Shocks and Slither Wing.

Speaking of which, Slither Wing has the Ability to deal damage with its Ability, but unlike Greninja, it only deals 10 Damage and can only target the opponent's Active Pokemon. Pair this with Great Tusk EX and you can put your enemy in a really uncomfortable situation. And if Slither Wing gets a chance to attack, it can Burn the enemy with its attack Blazing Scales, tacking on even more damage.

Lastly, I'll bring up the two Item Cards, as well as the exclusive Supporter Card, Sada's Research Notes. Both Item Cards can only be used while you have an Active Paradox Pokemon up front, so you can't have a normal pokemon acting as a shield in order to use these cards. Primitive Club deals a flat 10 Damage when used, which can easily rack up Damage when used with other cards like Great Tusk EX or Slither Wing. Meaty Bone cane heal your Paradox Pokemon, healing just as much HP as a Potion and also curing them of all Special Conditions.

Sada's Research Notes is where it gets interesting. It allows you to 'reuse' any Ancient Ability or Ancient Attack you've used for a Turn, meaning you can use Sandy Shocks's Ancient Generator twice to get 2 Fighting Energy, or Draw 2 cards with Flutter Mane's Ancient Charm. The more important implication is that you can reuse an Ancient Attack, such as the powerful Ancient Roar of Scream Tail EX or the crippling Ancient Claw attack of Roaring Moon EX. It costs a Supporter Card though and you can only use this card 2 times in a game, unless you game it with Penny or Search For Friends Delcatty or something.

Altogether, these cards can somewhat establish a decently strong Psychic, Fighting, or Dark Type Deck and thus get access to other supportive cards like Gardevoir, Fighting Coach Lucario, and Dark Pendant. All of these Paradox Pokemon are dual typed, though, so if we wanted to add more cards, we can remake Slither Wing, Roaring Moon, Sandy Shocks, and Brute Bonnet. But that's for another post.

This is only the tip of the iceberg for Ancient Paradox Pokemon, but for now, it's a pretty decent set of cards for an Ancient Paradox Pokemon Archetype. But before that, we need to cover the Future Paradox Pokemon too. So stay tuned for that post.

Until then, see ya!

#Pokemon TCG Pocket #Scream Tail #Roaring Moon #Great Tusk #Brute Bonnet #Slither Wing #Flutter Mane #Sandy Shocks #Sada

Pokemon TCG Pocket New Cards Concept (Colorless)

In the TCG, Colorless Pokemon are intended to be adaptable pokemon that can fit into any Deck due to their flexible nature. As a result, they are often denigrated to supportive roles since they lack the power of general Energy Types.

What do I mean by this? You've noticed it too, surely, how attacks that cost Colorless Energy are often much weaker than attacks that use 1 or 2 specific Types of Energy. This is the price to pay for adaptability, which leads most Colorless Pokemon to be disregarded most of the time. If you're running a Fire Deck, why use the weaker Colorless Types when you have access to something stronger?

This is often why the best Colorless Cards are supportive cards, of which there aren't that many at the moment. Best you'll find is Delcatty with its Energy Assist attack, a roundabout way to power up your Bench while dealing damage at the same time. I don't count Snorlax EX as a supportive card as much as it is a wall, but the fact that you can use it as a meat shield to protect your field while you power up the bench is commendable.

So, let's help the Colorless Type by giving them more supportive cards to take advantage of their flexible nature.

Silver Feather - Tool Card

When the attached Colorless pokemon attacks, choose an Energy Type attached to the attached Pokemon. The Pokemon's Type changes to the chosen Energy Type until the end of your Turn.

Swablu - Basic Pokemon

Colorless Type - 50 HP

Ability: Cloudy Wings - This pokemon takes -20 Damage from attacks after dealing damage to the Defending Pokemon.

Astonish (1x Colorless Energy) - 30 Damage Flip a Coin. If Tails, this attack does nothing.

Weakness Lightning +20 - Retreat Cost 1x Colorless Energy

Altaria - Stage 1 Pokemon - Evolves from 'Swablu'

Colorless Type - 100 HP

Ability: Billowing Wings - This pokemon takes -30 Damage from attacks after dealing damage to the Defending Pokemon.

Cloudy Daze (2x Colorless Energy) - 60 Damage Flip 2 Coins. If both of them are Tails, this attack does nothing.

Weakness Lightning +20 - Retreat Cost 2x Colorless Energy

Altaria EX - Stage 1 Pokemon - Evolves from 'Swablu'

Colorless Type - 140 HP

Ability: Cotton Guard - Your pokemon, aside from Altaria EX, take -20 damage from attacks.

Cloud Fall (3x Colorless Energy) Deal 30 damage to all of your opponent's Pokemon.

Weakness Lightning +20 - Retreat Cost 2x Colorless Energy

Happiny - Basic Pokemon

Colorless Type - 30 HP

Blank Toss (No Energy Required) Attach a Colorless Energy to 2 of your Benched Basic Pokemon.

Weakness None - Retreat Cost 0x Colorless Energy

Chansey - Basic Pokemon

Colorless Type - 100 HP

Ability: Softboiled - Once per Turn, if this pokemon is on the Bench, you may deal 50 Damage to this pokemon. If you do, heal 40 Damage from your Active Pokemon.

Egg Bomb (4x Colorless Energy) - 100 Damage

Weakness Fighting +20 - Retreat Cost 3x Colorless Energy

Heal Ball - Item Card

Shuffle 1 of your Basic Pokemon that has damage on it into your Deck.

Blissey - Stage 1 Pokemon - Evolves from 'Chansey'

Colorless Type - 150 HP

Ability: Refresh - When you evolve this pokemon from your Hand, heal all Damage from your Active Pokemon.

Tough Love (4x Colorless Energy) - 150 Damage If this attack would Knock Out the Defending Pokemon, it is not Knocked Out and instead has 10 HP remaining. The Defending Pokemon is also healed of all Special Conditions.

Weakness Fighting +20 - Retreat Cost 3x Colorless Energy

Blissey EX - Stage 1 Pokemon - Evolves from 'Chansey'

Colorless Type - 180 HP

Ability: Motherly Love - If this pokemon is in the Active Spot, reduce all incoming damage received from attacks from Basic Pokemon to 20 Damage.

Nurturing Egg (1x Colorless Energy) Heal 20 Damage from 1 of your Benched Pokemon, or attach a Colorless Energy to 1 of your Benched Pokemon.

Wrathful Egg (1x Colorless Energy) - 10+ Damage This attack deals 40 more Damage each time this pokemon was damaged by an attack from the Defending Pokemon.

Weakness Fighting +20 - Retreat Cost 4x Colorless Energy

Silk Scarf - Tool Card

The attached pokemon deals +10 more damage to the Defending Pokemon for each Colorless Energy attached to it.

Audino - Basic Pokemon

Colorless Type - 100 HP

Ability: Good Vibes - Once per Turn, if this Pokemon is on the Bench, you may remove all Special Conditions from your Active Pokemon.

Echoed Voice (2x Colorless Energy) 30+ Damage On your next Turn, this Pokemon's Echoed Voice attack does 30 more Damage.

Weakness Fighting +20 - Retreat Cost 2x Colorless

Audino EX - Basic Pokemon

Colorless Type - 140 HP

Ability: Empowering Vibes - The attacks of your Colorless Pokemon do +10 Damage to your opponent's Pokemon.

Disarming Voice (2x Colorless Energy) Do 30 Damage to 1 of your opponent's Pokemon, then Flip a Coin. If Heads, Discard a random Energy from that pokemon.

Weakness Fighting +20 - Retreat Cost 2x Colorless Energy

Polka-Dot Bow - Tool Card

When the attached Pokemon has nonColorless Energy Discarded by the effects of your opponent's card effects, the Energy turns into Colorless Energy instead.

Lenora - Supporter Card

Attach 2 Colorless Energy from your Discard to your Pokemon in any way you like.

Super Potion - Item Card

Discard an Energy from your Pokemon. If you do, Heal 30 Damage from it. If you Discarded a Colorless Energy in this way, Heal 40 Damage instead.

I will admit that I do get a bit overly in-depth talking about simple card effects, so I'll try to cut the prose down and generalize for the most part.

Starting off, we have a set of Swablu, Altaria, and Altaria EX with interesting defensive Abilities. Both Swablu and Altaria reduce incoming damage after dealing damage to the enemy with an attack, but as a cruel joke by the gods, I made it so that their attacks have a chance to fail. Call it that 'Game FREAK' humor, if you will.

Altaria EX, meanwhile, has an Ability that reduces all incoming damage for all of your pokemon, except for Altaria EX itself. This makes it vulnerable to being sniped on the Bench, and its low HP and damage potential hold it back, kind of. Stifling damage from your opponent's pokemon makes Altaria EX an easy card to slot in for nearly all kinds of Decks, but it loses to other EX pokemon with very hard hitting moves. Its attack, Cloudy Daze, hits the entire board for 30, totaling 120 damage against a full house, making it a decent attacker when the situation calls for it.

Scrolling down, Audino and Audino EX also offer more supportive effects, but Audino EX is the more interesting one here. Its Ability buffs Colorless Type attacks in the same way that Fighting Coach Lucario does, but slightly weaker due to it being on a Basic Pokemon. However, the fine print means that it applies the damage boost indiscriminately, meaning that a Colorless Pokemon will see increased damage even when attacking the Bench. Nearly all damage boost effects specify that it only works against the Defending Pokemon, so Audino EX allowing Colorless attacks to increase the damage potential against the entire board is a powerful boon to the Type.

But this post is about Colorless supporting card effects, so let's look over regular Audino real quick. The Ability to cure any Special Condition is very significant, as most Special Conditions operate as a damage boost or hindrance. Against persistent Poison or Burn Effects, it won't be all that helpful, but being able to clear Asleep, Paralyze, or Confuse at all times helps your Active Pokemon guarantee an attack. This makes regular Audino best suited to offensive Decks. Against stuff like Poison or Burn, though, you'd prefer to prevent those conditions in the first place, but Audino can also help out in bulky Decks that can heal itself pretty well, like Kabutops or Snorlax EX.

In terms of Tools, Silver Feather lets a Colorless Type become a different Type altogether for an attacking Turn. If you're running Colorless Types in a specific Color Deck, you won't find Silver Feather adding much value, unless there is a specific Colorless Attack you want to take advantage of. However, think of Ho-oh EX and Lugia EX, and think about setting the Energy to 3 different Energy Types that AREN'T Fire, Lightning, or Water. With Silver Feather, you can probably choose your Lugia EX attack to become one of 6 different attack types, or maybe 7 or 8, depending on how insane your Deck is constructed.

Also, it is not a coincidence that the Silver Feather is best suited to Lugia EX. I kinda had a theme going here with the Rainbow Feather from the last post.

Speaking of Tools, Silk Scarf and Polka-Dot Bow are both the same item in the mainline games, but functionally different here. The Silk Scarf boosts your damage for each Colorless Energy you've got attached to the attacking pokemon. However, Colorless Energy is difficult to get, since you cannot set your Energy Type in the Deck Builder to Colorless.

That's where Happiny and Lenora come in. Happiny is a Baby Pokemon that can attach Energy to your Benched pokemon just like its postnatal peers, but Colorless Energy is significantly less valuable than Water or Fire Energy. So instead, Happiny hands out 2 Colorless Energy instead of 1. It operates on the same distribution rule as Manaphy's Oceanic Gift, so you need at least 2 Pokemon on the Bench to take full advantage of this gift.

But losing Colorless Energy can be detrimental since, if you lose the Ability to generate Colorless Energy, you won't have any way to get it back for the rest of the game. Granted, there aren't a lot of Energy retrieval effects in the game at the moment, so I made a Lenora Card to compensate for that. It works like Lusamine in that it requires the Colorless Energy to be Discarded, but has the upside of being usable at any point in the game and how you can choose what pokemon get it. Again, it's balanced out by the fact that Colorless Energy is inherently not as valuable as other Energy Types. Not to mention, some attacks require a specific energy Type to attack, like Suicune EX needing 2 Water Energy to attack. It all depends on the Energy cost of these attacks and how you build your Deck.

Speaking of specific Energy, the Super Potion is a stronger version of Potion, but it requires an Energy to be Discarded in order to heal. Now, since Colorless Energy IS in the game (but not Dragon Energy, at least, not yet...) and since Colorless Energy is hard to get a hold of, you get rewarded for sacrificing Colorless Energy to use Super Potion and see increased healing from this Item Card as a result. Oh yeah, it is an Item Card, so you can use it twice in one Turn, but you will be forced to give up a significant amount of Energy for it. Some Decks, like Gardevoir or Leafeon EX Decks, can afford to pay this price, but most others will most likely prefer to stick to Potion instead of Super Potion.

The fact that we have a lot of Chansey Cards but not one of them has the Ability to heal from the Bench is, probably a good thing, actually. I can't imagine the game being enjoyable if you've got Chanseys healing the Jolteon EX in the Active Spot repeatedly. That kind of power has to come with a cost, so I made Softboiled Chansey here. In the mainline games, if you have a pokemon with Softboiled, you can use it like an HM move to heal another pokemon in your party, but at the cost of that pokemon's HP. I did the same thing here, with Chansey taking 50 Damage in order to heal 40 damage from the Active Pokemon. Now, Chansey can only do this twice before being Knock Out, unless you've got a Shaymin on the bench as well, in which case you can squeeze out one more Softboiled if necessary.

You can use Illima to save this Chansey, but you can also use the Heal Ball Item Card I've made here as well. It will shuffle away a damaged Basic Pokemon, letting you bring it back for later. That does mean you will not be seeing that pokemon again for a while, unless you Pokeball it, but keep in mind that you only have so much space in your Deck for 20 cards. Unless you have an Illuminate Shiinotic to bring it back, but at that point, you're forced into a specific kind of Deck archetype. Consider the Heal Ball carefully.

Before we move on, I do gotta point out how this Chansey has a ridiculously powerful attack for 4 Colorless Energy. Just another Game Freak joke on my part.

Now, Blissey and Blissey EX are interesting. Regular Blissey will completely heal your Active Pokemon just by evolving, so if you're running this with Chansey, you lose out on Heal Ball and occasional great healing, but you get a one time full recovery on your ace card. With all the Mega Pokemon running around, it is a solid investment. Also, it can be recalled with Illima, so your opponent may be averse to damaging Blissey until they have a stacked hand to deal with that combo. But Hand disruption effects like Red Card and Mega Absol EX aren't uncommon, so there's some counterplay to this.

It also has a powerful attack called Tough Love that deals a lot of damage, but has the effect of never KO'ing the enemy. You can't even rig a KO with it with Grafaiai or Typhlosion as it will heal the enemy of all Special Conditions afterwards. You can use Rocky Helmet or Greninja to ensure a followup KO afterwards on the next Turn though, and even without those cards, when Blissey is fully loaded up, you can continuously punch holes in the enemy by shuffling out the Defending Pokemon with Sabrina or Drive-Off Pidgeot, as they only have a limited amount of healing effects to work with.

Blissey EX works in the opposite way, in that it can basically never be KO'd by enemy Basic Pokemon, but has difficulty in securing KO's in return. It's Ability reduces all incoming damage from Basic Pokemon all the way down to 20, even factoring in Weakness. If the enemy only has Basic Pokemon, Blissey EX stops them cold in their tracks, and they would need to rely on indirect damage like Special Conditions to wear Blissey EX down. This makes Blissey EX really good against EX Basic Pokemon, but not so much regular Evolution Cards, much less EX Evolution Cards.

Blissey EX cannot deal significant damage until it has been attacked a significant amount of times. Its Wrathful Egg attack gains damage the more times it is damaged by an attack, including attacks received while on the Bench. But your opponent can simply choose to not attack and power up their Bench instead, leaving you with a 4x Retreat Cost EX pokemon stuck in the Active Spot. Thankfully, Blissey EX can also power up your Bench with its other attack, Nurturing Egg, healing or giving a Colorless Energy to 1 of your Benched Pokemon. This puts your opponent in an awkward spot, as you will eventually lead the Energy arms race after enough Turns have passed. You do have to watch out for snipe effects and Cyrus, but so do all Deck archetypes, it's kind of a problem at this point.

Oh, I almost forgot about Polka-Dot Bow. Um, well, it turns Energy that would be Discarded by your opponent's Card effects into Colorless Energy. This is great for Colorless Types and okay for regular Types that have attacks with Colorless Energy Type costs in their attacks. It doesn't activate from your own effects and it doesn't stop Colorless Energy from being Discarded, but weakening the effects of Mega Pidgeot EX and Team Rocket Grunt is a significant boon to speedy Decks.

Man, I really tried to be less wordy here, but I just had a whole lot to say. Oh well.

So, I for one wasn't expecting a new set to come out in the middle of the month. Mega Charizard Y EX is cool and all, and I was lucky enough to pull the immersive on my 2nd pack. My collection is also filling out really well, in case anyone was wondering.

In the next post, I'm gonna try and put my own spin on Paradox Pokemon. Look forward to it.

Until then, see ya!

#Pokemon TCG Pocket #Swablu #Altaria #Happiny #Chansey #Blissey #Audino #Lenora

Pokemon TCG Pocket new cards concept (Dragon)

At the moment in Pokemon TCG Pocket, Dragon Type cards are in a weird spot in the meta. Their main appeal as an attacking type was how they cannot deal super effective damage, but have no weaknesses to be exploited. However, they force Decks to run on 2 Colors, as nearly every Dragon Type Pokemon card requires 2 different Types of Energy to attack.

Now, that's all well and good, the trade-off here is that these attacks are powerful. However, with Mega Pokemon dominating the meta, Dragons are falling behind in Meta relevance. I mean, why go through the effort of powering up a Dragon when you can get more immediate power and effect through a Mega Pokemon? I mean, sure, losing a Mega means losing the game, but Dragons are very slow, and a Mega Pokemon is much more likely to clinch you the win 100 times over any Dragon Type Card.

So, let's try and buff the Dragon Type. We have to be delicate about it, though, Dragons are as mystical as they are powerful.

Rainbow Feather - Tool Card

While this card is attached, it provides 1 Energy of the same Type as the attached Pokemon. If this card is attached to a Dragon Type, it provides every Type of Energy but only 1 Energy at a time.

You cannot play this card during your First Turn.

Dragon Fang - Tool Card

The attached Dragon Type Pokemon deals +10 Damage to the Active Pokemon with its attacks. However, all of its attacks cost 1x Colorless Energy More.

Dragon Scale - Tool Card

When the attached pokemon evolves into a Dragon Type, it receives -20 Damage from your opponent's nonDragon Type Pokemon attacks. This effect stacks.

Drake - Supporter Card

You can only use this card if your opponent has gotten at least 1 Point. Attach a Dragon Energy to 1 of your Dragon Type Pokemon. (Dragon Energy provides every Type of Energy but only 1 Energy at a time.)

Horsea - Basic Pokemon

Water Type - 50 HP

Lucky Shot (1x Colorless Energy) - 10+ Damage Flip a coin. If Heads, this attack deals 20 more Damage.

Weakness Lightning +20 - Retreat Cost 1x Colorless Energy

Seadra - Stage 1 Pokemon - Evolves from 'Horsea'

Water Type - 70 HP

Ability: Draconic Power - When you evolve this Pokemon from your Hand, flip a Coin. If Heads, attach a Dragon Energy from your Energy Zone to this Pokemon. (Dragon Energy provides every Type of Energy but only 1 Energy at a time.)

Super Shot (2x Colorless Energy) - 20 Damage Flip 3 Coins. For each Heads, you may deal 20 Damage to any of your opponent's Benched Pokemon in any way you like.

Weakness Lightning +20 - Retreat Cost 2x Colorless Energy

Kingdra - Stage 2 Pokemon - Evolves from 'Seadra'

Dragon Type - 130 HP

Storm Shot (1x Water Energy, 1x Lightning Energy) - 70+ Damage You may Discard an Energy from this Pokemon. If you Discarded a Water Energy, heal 30 Damage from this Pokemon. If you Discarded a Lightning Energy, also deal 30 Damage to 1 of your opponent's Benched Pokemon. If you Discarded a Dragon Energy, deal 50 more Damage to the Defending Pokemon.

Weakness None - 2x Retreat Cost

Kingdra EX - Stage 2 Pokemon - Evolves from 'Seadra'

Dragon Type - 160 HP

Ability: Summon Storm - When you evolve this pokemon from your Hand, flip a coin for each pokemon on your side of the field. For each Heads, attach a Water Energy to your pokemon in any way you like. For each Tails, attach a Lightning Energy to your pokemon in any way you like.

Super Storm Stream (1x Water Energy, 1x Lightning Energy, 2x Colorless Energy) - 100 Damage This attack deals Water Damage if you have more Water Energy attached to it than any other Energy Type. This attack deals Lightning Damage if you have more Lightning Energy attached to it than any other Energy Type.

Weakness None - Retreat Cost 2x Colorless Energy

Druddigon - Basic Pokemon

Dragon Type - 110 HP

Rough Up (1x Fire Energy, 1x Water Energy) - 30 Damage During your opponent's next Turn, if this Pokemon is damaged by an attack from the Defending Pokemon, deal 60 Damage to the Defending Pokemon.

Weakness None - Retreat Cost 3x Colorless Energy

Druddigon EX - Basic Pokemon

Dragon Type - 140 HP

Ability: Vengeful Thorns - Each time this Pokemon is damaged by an Attack or an Ability, deal 30 Damage to that Pokemon.

Finishing Blow (2x Fire Energy, 2x Water Energy) - 70 Damage After dealing Damage, if the Defending Pokemon has 30 HP or less remaining, that Pokemon is Knocked Out.

Weakness None - Retreat Cost 2x Colorless Energy

Trapinch - Basic Pokemon

Fighting Type - 50 HP

Ability: Arena Trap - The Defending Pokemon can't Retreat.

Second Strike (1x Colorless Energy) - 10+ Damage If the Defending Pokemon has Damage on it, this attack deals 40 more Damage.

Weakness Grass +20 - Retreat Cost 2x Colorless Energy

Vibrava - Stage 1 Pokemon - Evolves from 'Trapinch'

Dragon Type - 100 HP

Ability: Deafening Hum - If this Pokemon has no Energy attached to it, your opponent cannot attach Energy to the Defending Pokemon.

Sound Blaster (1x Colorless Energy) - 20 Damage

Weakness None - Retreat Cost 1x Colorless Energy

Flygon - Stage 2 Pokemon - Evolves from 'Vibrava'

Dragon Type - 130 HP

Ability: Sand Mirage - When this pokemon is targeted by your opponent's Supporter Card effects, flip a Coin. If Heads, the effect is negated.

Desert Song (1x Grass Energy, 1x Fighting Energy, 1x Colorless Energy) - 70 Damage Discard a Random Energy from both Active Pokemon. Your opponent cannot attach Energy to the Defending Pokemon next Turn.

Weakness None - Retreat Cost 2x Colorless Energy

Flygon EX - Stage 2 Pokemon - Evolves from 'Vibrava'

Dragon Type - 160 HP

Ability: Sandstorm - At the beginning of your Turn, if this Pokemon is in the Active Spot, deal 10 Damage to all other Pokemon on the field.

Dragon Tail (1x Grass Energy, 1x Fighting Energy, 1x Colorless Energy) If the Defending Pokemon has full HP, Shuffle it back into your Opponent's Deck.

Sandstorm Blast (1x Grass Energy, 1x Fighting Energy, 2x Colorless Energy) - 80+ Damage This attack deals +30 Damage for each of your Benched Pokemon that has Damage on it.

Weakness None - Retreat Cost 2x Colorless Energy.

Dragon Tamer - Supporter Card

Shuffle your Active Dragon Type Pokemon back into your Deck.

So first up, there are a lot of unique Tool Cards in the game at the moment that are designed for specific Pokemon Types. The Grass Types get Leaf Cape, the Water Types get Inflatable Boat, the Dark Types get Dark Pendant, stuff like that, you know? But the Dragon Types have yet to get any unique Tool Cards for them, so that's the first thing I addressed here.

First up, Rainbow Feather is more of a Tool Card that helps out all Types, not just Dragon, I just included it to show how it works with Dragons as well as to prime the reader on something called 'Dragon Energy'. Now, the Pocket TCG does not have Special Energy cards just yet, but for those not in the know, Special Energy cards provide bonus energy depending on the Type of card it is.

Let me start over. In the physical TCG, Energy exists as standalone cards and also follows the 'one Energy attached from the hand' rule. It would normally take forever for either player to power up their pokemon, but there are loads of card effects that are intended to speed up the process. Among them are 'Special Energy' Cards, which do more than power up a pokemon. Some have cool effects like 'Double Colorless Energy', which provides 2 Colorless Energy instead of just one, if that isn't obvious enough.

Naturally there exist cards that provide every type of energy all at once, but only 1 type of Energy at a time. In the TCG this is typically known as 'Rainbow Energy' but here I treat such an effect as Dragon Energy exclusively. It's not a coincidence that the Rainbow Feather card is the first idea in this post, it's to help the reader understand the potential of Seadra and Drake. Of course, these cards have limitations placed on them so that they aren't easy to abuse, Seadra is an Evolution, so it cannot get Dragon Energy until you have a Horsea out for at least 1 Turn, and you would skip over its Ability with Rare Candy if you were so daring. Drake and Rainbow Feather also have limitations, Drake requiring the enemy to have at least 1 point before you can play it, like Lusamine, and the Rainbow Feather being a Tool Card that cannot be played on the first Turn. There is no shortcut to great power.

Speaking of powerful Tools, the other two different Tool Cards work offensively or defensively, depending on which one you use. Dragon Fang gives a permanent +10 damage for all of your attacks, but at the cost of adding 1 Colorless Energy cost to those attacks. Naturally, you'd want to wait until you have accumulated the Energy for these attacks before tacking on Dragon Fang, but there are quite a few Energy accelerating effects you can use to mitigate this negative for your Dragons. Stuff like Magneton or Giratina EX come to mind.

Dragon Scale, on the other hand, offers -20 damage to the attached Dragon Type at no cost. OK, well, there is one cost. The Defense boost only kicks in whenever the attached pokemon evolves into a Dragon Type. This makes it useless for Dragons that can't evolve, and much less effective in the late game if you draw it late. Plus, attaching it early makes it vulnerable to getting Discarded by Guzma. Also, the Defense boost only works against nonDragon Type attacks, so if you match into another Dragon Deck, Dragon Scale will also be useless.

But hey...-20 damage each time you evolve into a Dragon, eh?

Speaking of evolving into a Dragon, Kingdra and Kingdra EX are fun cards to play with, potentially. Regular Kingdra has an attack where you can choose to Discard an energy to activate an extra effect. Discard a Water Energy and the pokemon will heal. Discard a Lightning Energy, you get to do extra damage to a pokemon on the Bench. Now, since the Seadra card has an Ability that has a chance of getting a Dragon Energy for free, the evolved attack can also Discard a Dragon Energy. But since it is so hard to get Dragon Energy on board, the attack gets a major power boost to compensate.

The attack gives you the choice to Discard an Energy, a choice you don't have to make, that makes the attack very flexible. But the alternative is a stronger potential power boost to the whole board. When you evolve Kingdra EX, you flip a coin for each pokemon on your side of the field. For each heads, you put a Water Energy on them. For each Tails, you put a Lightning Energy on them. There is no downside to this ability, other than requiring a full board to take advantage of this Ability. Still, the potential to fully power up a Dragonite or Dragonite EX as soon as Turn 2 is a very powerful prospect but it is very luck dependent. I mean, 2x Dragonite and 2x Kingdra EX takes up 12 cards in the Deck Builder, which doesn't leave you with a lot of Deck Space afterwards.

Still, Kingdra EX being sort of able to choose its attack Type makes it pretty versatile as an EX Dragon Type. You match really well into enemy Fire Type Decks and Water Type Decks, unless you luck out and score the incorrect amount of energy for your attack. It can happen. Kingdra EX needs 4 Energy to attack, if you only get 1 Water Energy from its Ability, you won't have a reliable way to get another Water Energy until you evolve your second Kingdra EX or play around with Water Energy cards like Misty and Elemental Transfer. This is what I was talking about when I said this card is kind of luck dependent.

Now, Druddigon changed the game when it came out, having a built in Rocky Helmet for an Ability. But it quickly fell out of favor when there were other ways to work around its Ability. Now obviously this new Druddigon card isn't gonna shake up the meta, but it is a Counter attack that requires less Energy but can deal the same amount of damage through its Counter effect. Still vulnerable to stuff like Repel or Sabrina, but hey, I count it as an upgrade.

Now, Druddigon EX, on the other hand, is a unique beast altogether. As it is an EX pokemon, it is worth more points to KO than most other cards. However, it is unappealing to try and wear it down over the course of the game as its Ability, Vengeful Thorns, triggers counter damage each time it is damaged. Unlike other counter Abilities, it deals 30 damage and the Ability triggers from anywhere on the board and in response to any attack or Ability. Imagine a Greninja taking more damage than it is dealing through its Water Shuriken Ability, or a Darkrai losing HP as well when it attaches Darkness Energy. The only viable way to deal with Druddigon EX would be to knock it out in one hit. It does have an expensive attack to use and is rather weak, but it can instantly Knock Out the enemy it is attacking if its HP falls down to a certain level. This is very easy to manipulate with damage boosting cards like Giovanni or Greninja, but it requires significant investment. It'll be worth it, though, since the EX rule makes Druddigon EX a tantalizing target for a quick win, wearing down the enemy over the course of the game as you power up.

The last set I'm gonna talk about here is Flygon and Flygon EX. Of course, I have to give special mention to Trapinch and Vibrava, both of which have cool effects. Trapinch has the Ability to prevent manual switching, which makes its Second Strike attack rather scary. But having only 50 HP makes it very easy to deal with. If you can survive the next Turn, you get to evolve into Vibrava, which has a curious effect of preventing the enemy from attaching Energy so long as Vibrava itself doesn't have any. Such a weird and powerful effect, but its attack is very weak to make up for this Ability.

Now, regular Flygon has a funny Ability called Sand Mirage where, if it becomes the target of an enemy's Supporter Card effects, you can flip a coin to negate the effect. If the enemy chooses Flygon with Cyrus, it'll activate, but something weird happens with Sabrina. When Sabrina is used and you have Flygon as well as another Benched Pokemon, Flygon's Ability will only activate in this case if you choose to switch in Flygon. Maybe this is an advantageous move on your part, maybe not, this can get awkward depending on the state of the board. Still, being able to negate a Supporter Card like this is a nice defensive buffer. It has a cool attack as well, but it is also luck dependent, being a Dragon Type attack means it needs 2 different Energy Types to be usable. Imagine Flygon having 1x Grass Energy and 2x Fighting Energy and the attack randomly Discards the Grass Energy and your next Energy generated next Turn is Fighting. How unlucky...

Now, Flygon EX is one of the most stacked cards I've made so far, and I do admit it is a bit of a problem to have cards loaded with effects. Firstly, its Ability activates at the start of your Turn, and deals 10 Damage to all other pokemon on the field, including your own, but excluding Flygon EX itself. This can force your opponent's Hand into trying to force out Flygon from the Active Spot or healing their pokemon out of 10 HP to avoid giving up points. 10 Damage isn't much of a big deal at first, but if Flygon EX hits the field by Turn 2 and refuses to leave, then that damage stacks up easily.

Of course, your own pokemon are at risk of getting worn down, but you can control the board by limiting the number of pokemon you put down. It's like Magcargo, the one with the powerful 50 damage random attacks, but you don't have to lock yourself out of back-up. You can put down pokemon later, or simply put a Shaymin down somewhere to recuperate after the damage.

We haven't even gone over the attacks this thing can use. Dragon Tail can forcefully shuffle away a healthy pokemon, but this can be hard to pull off if its Ability is constantly damaging everything. Its other attack is meant to combo with its Ability better, gaining power for each of your damaged Benched Pokemon. It takes the most amount of Energy to power up and use, and if your pokemon are being damaged while you're taking your sweet time powering up Flygon EX, it'll leave them vulnerable to underhanded effects like Cyrus. But if you pull it off, it can deal a whopping 170 Damage to the Defending Pokemon, which makes it worth the investment.

The very last Supporter Card is Dragon Tamer. It has the basic effect of Shuffling away your Dragon Types into your Deck. This may seem overpowered, letting a Dragon Type get away from being potentially KO'd, but consider how much effort it takes to power up Dragon Type pokemon in the first place. Remember, they use 2 Type Energy for their attacks, so you'd rather heal these Dragon Types instead of hitting the reset button on all that time and investment. It would be good for Dragons with passive Abilities like Druddigon, the original one, I mean. Imagine that becoming meta again with this card.

Buffing Dragon Types is a delicate affair, the whole point of the archetype is how difficult it is to power them up and rewarding the player for the investment into powering them up all the way. It's what made regular Dragonite so scary, when the Energy generation was in your favor. Now, there are cards like Mantyke and Zeraora that can better manipulate Energy to guarantee that these attacks will be powered up, but there are also cards that can hinder them, like Team Rocket Grunt.

The problem is the time it takes to get these cards online. Even with a perfect hand, it will still take 2 Turns to fully power up a Dragon Type for its attack, and Mega Pokemon are still faster and more disruptive, like Mega Absol EX.

Even so, if we make it too easy for Dragon Types to power up, they'll be suffocating in the meta, so every boost to the archetype has a caveat, in order to make it manageable. At least, I tried my best. What do you think?

Stay tuned for more card ideas. I got more in the pipeline.

#Pokemon TCG Pocket #Drake #Horsea #Seadra #Kingdra #Trapinch #Vibrava #Flygon #Druddigon

Vaporeon for Pokemon Unite! (obsolete draft)

With the release of Vaporeon in Pokemon Unite, we are well on our way to getting the rest of the Eevee evolution pokemon in the game. Only Flareon and Jolteon are left, and fans are rife with anticipation for their favorite fantastical friends.

Of course, that also means that my own Vaporeon draft has been rendered obsolete, but rather than delete the draft, I figured it'd be better to just show my work and what ideas I had in mind for this bubbly beast.

As always, the entirety of the draft has remained unedited since Vaporeon was announced properly. My thoughts and explanations will be italicized.

#Vaporeon #Eevee #Pokemon Unite

Pokemon TCG Pocket new cards concept (Metal)

I mentioned before in a previous post how Mega Altaria has been rather problematic as of late. It is just as bad as Suicune EX, if not worse, because it is often paired with Chingling and Indeedee EX for support, and Metal Type pokemon, which it is weak to, are ill-equipped to deal with this pokemon.

I mean, sure, it's a Mega Pokemon, which will instantly lose you the game if it is KO'd. If there were any Metal Type pokemon that could reliably OHKO it, it'd be extremely unreliable as an ace card. That said, Metal Type Pokemon have limited counterplay to Mega Altaria, as it can hit for 140 damage with just two Energy and a loaded Bench, and Metal Types are lacking in Energy ramp at the moment. Not even Solgaleo EX is fast enough or strong enough to deal with it. So this post aims to buff the archetype in some way.

By the way, check out my previous posts where I make up more cards for Pokemon TCG Pocket (in addition to the link posted above, the other posts are here, here, and here).

Metal Coat - Tool Card

At the end of your turn, if the attached pokemon does not have a Metal Energy attached, move a Metal Energy from your Energy Zone and attach it to this pokemon.

Aron - Basic Pokemon

Metal Type - 70 HP

Scrounge (1x Metal Energy) - 10 Damage Attach a Metal Energy to this pokemon from your Energy Zone

Weakness Fire +20 - Retreat Cost 2x Colorless Energy

Lairon - Stage 1 Pokemon - Evolves from 'Aron'

Metal Type - 100 HP

Scrap (1x Metal Energy) - 20 Damage Attach a Metal Energy to this pokemon from your Energy Zone

Weakness Fire +20 - Retreat Cost 2x Colorless Energy

Aggron - Stage 2 Pokemon - Evolves from 'Lairon'

Metal Type - 150 HP

Ability: Metal Eater - As often as you like, you may Discard Metal Energy from this pokemon. If you do, Heal 20 Damage from this pokemon.

Full Metal Assault (1x Metal Energy) - 40+ Damage This attack deals extra damage equal to the amount of HP this pokemon restored this Turn.

Weakness Fire +20 - Retreat Cost 3x Colorless Energy

Aggron EX - Stage Pokemon - Evolves from 'Lairon'

Metal Type - 180 HP

Heavy Slam (1x Metal Energy) - 50+ Damage For each Metal Energy this pokemon has attached to it over the Defending Pokemon's Retreat Cost, this attack deals +40 more damage.

Weakness Fire +20 - Retreat Cost 4x Colorless Energy

Steven Stone - Supporter Card

Attach 1 Metal Energy from your Energy Zone to 2 of your pokemon. Your Turn ends.

Karrablast - Basic Pokemon

Grass Type - 60 HP

Horn Poke (1x Colorless Energy) - 20 Damage

Weakness Fire +20 - Retreat Cost 2x Colorless Energy

Escavalier - Stage 1 Pokemon - Evolves from 'Karrablast'

Metal Type - 100 HP

Ability: Suit Up - If you have a Shelmet on the field when you evolve this pokemon, move a random pokemon that evolves from Shelmet from your Deck to evolve that pokemon.

Double Pike (1x Metal Energy, 1x Colorless Energy) Deal 30 Damage to 2 of your opponent's Pokemon.

Weakness Fire +20 - Retreat Cost 3x Colorless Energy

Escavalier EX - Stage 1 Pokemon - Evolves from 'Karrablast'

Metal Type - 140 HP

Ability: Unequip - If you have an Accelgor or Accelgor EX on the field, you may devolve this Pokemon and that Pokemon. Return the Accelgor or Accelgor EX Evolution cards to your Hand. Shuffle this Card back into your Deck.

Twin Spear (1x Metal Energy, 2x Colorless Energy) Deal 40 damage to 2 of your opponent's Pokemon. You may choose the Defending Pokemon twice.

Weakness Fire +20 - Retreat Cost 3x Colorless Energy

Shelmet - Basic Pokemon

Grass Type - 70 HP

Clamp (1x Colorless Energy) - 10 Damage

Weakness Fire +20 - Retreat Cost 2x Colorless Energy

Accelgor - Stage 1 Pokemon - Evolves from 'Shelmet'

Grass Type - 100 HP

Ability: Bestow - When this pokemon evolves and you have a Karrablast, Escavalier, or Escavalier EX on the field, attach a Metal Energy from your Energy Zone to that pokemon.

Sneak Strike - (1x Colorless Energy) Deal 30 Damage to 1 of your opponent's Pokemon. This pokemon can use this attack from the Bench.

Weakness Fire +20 - Retreat Cost 0x Colorless Energy

Accelgor EX - Stage 1 Pokemon - Evolves from 'Shelmet'

Grass Type - 130 HP

Ability: Finishing Blow - Once per Turn, choose 1 of your opponent's Pokemon that has 30 HP or less. Knock Out that Pokemon.

Flash Strike (1x Colorless Energy) 1 of your opponent's Pokemon is chosen at random 5 times. Deal 10 damage to each chosen pokemon.

Weakness Fire +20 - Retreat Cost 0x Colorless Energy

Beldum - Basic Pokemon

Metal Type - 70 HP

Take Down (1x Metal Energy) - 10 Damage

Weakness Fire +20 - Retreat Cost 1x Colorless Energy

Metang - Stage 1 Pokemon - Evolves from 'Beldum'

Metal Type - 100 HP

Ability: Metal Boost - When you evolve this pokemon from your Hand, move a Metal Energy from your Energy Zone and attach it to this pokemon.

Metal Claw (3x Metal Energy) - 70 Damage

Weakness Fire +20 - Retreat Cost 2x Colorless Energy

Metagross - Stage 2 Pokemon - Evolves from 'Metang'

Metal Type - 140 HP

Meteor Mash (4x Metal Energy) - 100 Damage The next attack used by your Active Pokemon deals +40 Damage to the Defending Pokemon.

Weakness Fire +20 - Retreat Cost 2x Colorless Energy

Metagross EX - Stage 2 Pokemon - Evolves from 'Metang'

Metal Type - 170 HP

Metal-Cross (3x Metal Energy) Deal 40 Damage to 1 of your opponent's pokemon with the most HP 4 times (If multiple Pokemon have the same amount of HP, a pokemon is chosen at random).

Weakness Fire +20 - Retreat Cost 3x Colorless Energy

Jirachi EX - Basic Pokemon

Metal Type - 120 HP

Ability: Wish Come True - When you play this Pokemon from your Hand, choose any Supporter Card in either Player's Discard Pile and use its effect.

Doom Desire (3x Metal Energy) At the end of your opponent's Turn, deal 120 Damage to the Defending Pokemon.

Weakness Fire +20 - Retreat Cost 0x Colorless Energy

Alright, so, I'm a big fan of these card ideas and their effects, so let's break them down.

The Metal Coat Tool Card is a powerful card with a powerful Ability that only works once per game under normal circumstances. Since its effect triggers at the end of the Turn, it is comparable to Zeraora's Thunderclap Flash Ability where it gets a free Lightning Energy on the First Turn. The thing is, it works with any Pokemon, which can help out with Colorless Cost attacks. But since it only activates when you don't have a Metal Energy attached, it's balanced out in the Energy Ramp department.

It's most effective when combined with attacks that expend Energy, most notably Corviknight and Necrozma Dusk Mane (a card that is event exclusive at the moment). It eases the cost of losing Energy for such attacks in exchange for occupying a Tool Slot, as well as taking up Deck Space. Beyond that, it can be used as a spare Energy to Discard on pokemon with 1 Retreat Cost. Expending the Metal Energy in order to Retreat is a costly endeavor in most circumstances, but Metal Coat will activate at the end of the Turn, bringing it back for you to use or spend again. It also helps against Energy Removal, since if it gets Discarded, Metal Coat will simply reapply the Energy.

But for Metal Decks, it really helps in keeping up the pace with other Decks. The fact that it activates at the end of your Turn is a balancing measure, as it can help to alleviate the loss of momentum from going first. Speaking of momentum, I made an Aggron line of cards that reward players for stockpiling Metal Energy. Both Aron and Lairon have weak attacks that generate Metal Energy, which is meant to be used with the attacks of either Aggron or Aggron EX.

Regular Aggron has an Ability where it can Discard its own Metal Energy to heal itself, which is useful in all kinds of scenarios, but it also powers up its attack, Full Metal Assault. The attack deals damage that builds up the more HP you recover in a Turn. Theoretically, with a Giant Cape, if you heal from 10 HP all the way to full HP, Aggron can hit for 200 Damage with just 1 Metal Energy.

That's a lot of damage, but it's limited by the amount of HP you can heal. Full Metal Assault tracks the amount of HP restored, but if there isn't any Damage to Heal, the attack will be unboostable. You can still activate Metal Eater while at full HP (wouldn't recommend it unless you're against Alolan Raichu EX or something), but again, no HP to heal means no boost to Full Metal Assault, so Aggron must be hit in order to be able to heal to power up this attack. An opponent can simply choose to not attack and instead build up a heavy hitter of their own on the Bench, but the 40 base Damage of Full Metal Assault can be a little hard to stomach without a fat Basic Pokemon defending in the Active Spot for them. Plus, it's not like Aggron cannot be Knocked Out in one hit, plenty of Pokemon can land a clean blow on it, like Infernape EX or Mega Blaziken EX.

Aggron EX, on the other hand, has an easier time hitting for heavy damage with its attack Heavy Slam. Basically, if Aggron EX has more Metal Energy on it compared to the Defending Pokemon's Retreat Cost, it gets a boost for each Energy it has over. For 1 Energy, you hit for 50 Damage, but if your target is a pokemon with 0 Retreat Cost like Cunning Link Crobat or Infernape EX, it hits for 90 Damage with just 1 Metal Energy. And you can keep adding Energy to build up the power. Against a pokemon with 1 Energy Retreat Cost, you'll hit for 50 with 1 Energy, but then hit for 90 Damage next Turn if you attach another Metal Energy. Then you'll do 130 Damage the next Turn if you attach another Metal Energy, then 170, then 210, and so on. With significant healing and defensive support, Aggron EX is slow to build up, but it eventually becomes unstoppable once it has amassed a significant amount of Metal Energy. It is vulnerable to Energy Discard attacks like Beedrill EX and Guzzlord EX, but bad matchups like this balance out powerful pokemon like Aggron EX.

Now to talk about the Escavalier and Accelgor cards. First up, both Escavalier cards, along with the Escavalier card in the TCG Pocket game, all require at least 1 Metal Energy for their attacks. This is deliberate game design to make them function with either Metal Coat or the Accelgor cards, or both.

Regular Escavalier (the one I made in this post) has the Ability to evolve your Shelmet if it's on the field and there is at least 1 Accelgor or Accelgor EX in your Deck (this bypasses the 1 Turn wait to Evolve rule, like Porygon2 and the new Eevee card). To compensate for this fast Evolution, both Accelgor Cards are weak defensively, but that's par for the course for the pokemon itself. Back to Escavalier, it has a decent attack similar to the original one, but it lets you target two of your opponent's Benched Pokemon in exchange for a higher Energy Cost and slightly less HP.

Escavalier EX, meanwhile, has the Ability to Devolve itself and an Accelgor or Accelgor EX you own on the field. Both Accelgor cards have no Retreat Cost and cool attacks and Abilities, but the main draw is to depower an EX into a Basic Pokemon that is only worth 1 point when Knocked Out. The Karrablast you Devolve into will be Knocked Out if Escavalier EX has lost HP equal to the HP of the Karrablast card it evolved from, so, watch out for that if you don't want that to happen. Or, maybe you do, with a Rescue Scarf or Celestic Town Elder, you can retrieve the Karrablast from your Discard Pile in order to continue the strategy, but for the most part, sacrificing the little bug in this way can be the difference in being 1 point away from losing and losing the game outright. Oh, and it's attack is pretty cool, I guess, being able to deal 40 damage to two Benched pokemon, or doubling up on the Defending Pokemon instead for 3 Energy. Kind of weak, but it combos really well with the Accelgor cards.

Speaking of which, Accelgor isn't in the card game yet, but Escavalier is, for some reason, so I fixed that. When Shelmet evolves into regular Accelgor, you will power up a Karrablast, Escavalier, or Escavalier EX by gifting them 1 Metal Energy. All Escavalier cards need at least 1 Metal Energy to attack, so you could theoretically run these cards in a nonMetal Deck easily. Escavalier can speed up the Evolution for Shelmet, which in turn ramps up the Energy for Escavalier. This is very fast, which is why their attacks are on the slow side. And on that note, Accelgor being able to use its attack from the Bench is unheard of, but there is a card like this in the physical TCG proper, Alakazam I think, that can do this. With the attack being Colorless, it can fit into a Greninja Deck unapologetically. You know, the most evil Deck imaginable.

Accelgor EX is more ruthless, somehow, as it has the Ability to Knock Out a pokemon if their HP is low. OK, I shouldn't say that, because the Ability looks at the raw HP number, not the percentage of HP remaining, meaning it can instantly KO Baby Pokemon. Because of how useful Baby Pokemon are, Chingling specifically, this attack will always find a victim. Even without any Baby Pokemon to KO, the Ability can be used to clear up space on the board by removing weakened opposing pokemon. This Ability works best with Cards that put damage on the board, like Acerola or Guzma (by removing Giant Cape or Leaf Cape on weakened pokemon). And Greninja, I suppose...

Since both Accelgor cards can be Devolved by Escavalier EX, it is optimal to have 2x Shelmet, 2x Accelgor, and 2x Accelgor EX in order to use their Abilities throughout the turn. Evolve Shelmet into Accelgor, put a Metal Energy on Karrablast, evolve into Escavalier EX, devolve both pokemon, then evolve into Accelgor again to put on another Metal Energy, or evolve into Accelgor EX if there's a cheap KO you can get. The possibilities are endless and this combo will be really fun to play with.

Next up is Metagross and Metagross EX. Well, first I gotta talk about Metang and how overcentralizing Rare Candy is, kind of. See, the reason why Rare Candy is as good as it is is because of the lack of useful effects on Stage 1 Pokemon. As cute as Cranidos is, it is always worth it to run 1 or even 2 copies of Rare Candy in order to skip straight to Rampardos for its devastating 130 Damage attack. This is why Chingling is as good as it is, because it prevents Rare Candy from being used, stalling otherwise fast evolution decks.

It's not a coincidence that Magnezone Decks don't run any Rare Candy cards, because the Lightning Energy generating Ability of Magneton more than makes up for the slow pace of these decks. If there were more Stage 1 Pokemon Cards that served to enhance the power of the Stage 2 pokemon cards they evolve into, Rare Candy wouldn't be as meta as it is. That's why I gave Metang the Ability Metal Boost, which provides a free Metal Energy just for evolving the regular way. It still needs a lot of Energy to attack, which it might not be able to do depending on what Turn it evolved on, but it makes Metagross that much stronger when it gets there.

Regular Metagross deals 100 damage for 4 Metal Energy, an extremely costly attack with a powerful effect. When used successfully, the next attack used by your Active Pokemon will deal +40 damage to the Defending Pokemon. Any of your Pokemon can benefit from this effect, even Metagross itself, but it's most powerful with Solgaleo EX, who can Switch in to the Active Spot next turn and deal a grand total of 160 Damage afterwards. The boost goes away afterwards, and the opponent will see that attack coming, so they can play cards to try and hinder the effect, if it is possible. The nature of the game unfortunately means that evading big attacks like this requires a coin flip to dodge, such as with Base Set Dugtrio. Hindering Metagross is a more reliable way to prevent the Meteor Mash boost from taking effect, such as through Sleep or Confusion, but those effects are uncommon. It does take a while for Metagross to reach the Energy cost needed for this attack, so maybe you can outpace it before the attack comes out.

Metagross EX is another heavy hitter and requires only 3 Metal Energy for its attack. Unfortunately, it's reliably unreliable due to how it calculates the HP pool of your opponent's pokemon. Its Metal-Cross attack deals 40 damage 4 times, each time targeting the opponent's pokemon with the most HP. Just to clarify, it doesn't land all 4 hits on the healthiest enemy, no, it calculates who to hit after each attack hits its mark.

Against a fully loaded board, Metagross EX will deal 40 damage to the pokemon with the most HP. This will most often be an EX Pokemon, which you do need to hit for damage to win the game efficiently. However, after the first hit, it then scans the board again for the next pokemon with the highest HP. If the opponent has multiple EX Pokemon, the next target will most likely be another healthy pokemon like Darkrai EX or Arceus EX. After attacking, it repeats this 2 more times before the attack ends, and more often than not, the Turn will end without you earning a Point for a Knock Out.

Don't get it twisted, this attack deals 160 damage in total for 3 Metal Energy, on a bulky Stage 2 EX pokemon. It is still very much worth using this attack as Metagross EX can use this attack to punch very big holes in your opponent's defensive fortifications. It's just that, if the enemy loads up the board with high HP cards, this card will take its sweet time getting KO's for you. Luckily, Metagross EX can be supported with Adaman or Steel Apron or even Lillie to keep it healthy. The ironic thing is that, since each attack is a separate attack, its power can be reduced drastically with defensive buffs like Blue. Still, healing cards like Potion and Lillie have limited use when dealing with powerful spread attacks like this. Only Cards and Abilities that can heal everyone reliably, like Primarina or Irida, can hope to withstand this Full Metal Assault (hopefully Aggron doesn't mind us borrowing its attack for this pun...).

Lastly, I'm gonna talk about Steven Stone and Jirachi EX. I skipped over the Steven Stone card for this part and not because it slipped my mind, no, of course not, I'm a very organized person. To sum it up, I basically turned Dialga EX's Metallic Turbo attack into a Supporter Card. Attaching Energy to your pokemon cannot be for free, so the cost to pay to play Steven Stone is pretty high. You can catch up with your opponent in Energy ramp in this way, but you won't be able to attack immediately. The opponent can counter the effect with Team Rocket Grunt or other stall effects, so watch out for your opponent's response.

Ironically, this card doesn't replace Dialga EX, it can actually work with the card just as well. Having Metal Energy on Dialga EX on the First Turn of the game let's you continue the Metal Energy ramp the next Turn, getting the ball rolling 1 Turn sooner. It's a really good opening card, and can work with many costly Metal Energy attacks since you'll most likely end your turn without the ability to deal damage anyway. It can also work without Dialga EX. The wildest thing is it can work without Metal Type pokemon as well, since the card works on nonMetal Pokemon just as well. This is the kind of card that makes you take a much more critical look at the Colorless Energy cost of your attacks in the Deck Builder.

Lastly, Jirachi EX is a whole different beast due to its Ability, Wish Come True. When played, you can use the effects of any Supporter Card in either player's Discard. Since the effect triggers when it is played from your hand, you can use this card to easily catch up to or outpace your opponent in draws by copying the effects of Professor's Research or Copycat. Unfortunately, this is specific to the Turns played during the game; it will have no effect if you place this pokemon in the Active Spot during Board Set Up. So, try to avoid that.

Since its Ability is tied to the action of playing the pokemon from your Hand, you will only ever be able to use this effect 2 times per game. The ability to return a pokemon to your Hand via card effects is limited to specific pokemon, none of which Jirachi EX can exploit. You can save it with Rescue Scarf, but activating it comes at the cost of giving your opponent 2 points for Knocking Out Jirachi EX. Still, it gives you an extra Wish Come True to use, but Jirachi EX is more of a support card for your Deck and needs to be paired with a strong Metal Type pokemon to utilize the extra Supporter Card effects.

By itself, Jirachi EX is very weak, having only 120 HP, same as Pikachu EX, but it has a powerful attack in Doom Desire that is, admittedly, a bit unreliable. It works just like Cursed Prose Mismagius, whose attack deals damage at the end of the opponent's Turn. It can be dodged by switching the Active Pokemon out, but 120 HP is a lot of damage to tank. Not a lot of pokemon can stomach an attack like that, nor is a player willing to open themselves up to a followup attack. You can force specific behavior by leaning into this attack, but the move is really easy to dodge, especially if your opponent manages to draw the cards they need to counter this attack. Plus, attaching 3 Metal Energy is time consuming, so you will definitely need a card like Metal Coat or Steven Stone to pick up the pace.

Oh yeah, and also Jirachi EX has 0x Retreat Cost, which no Metal Type pokemon in TCG Pocket currently has. I mean, if any Steel Type pokemon could have a free Retreat Cost, it'd be the elusive Mythical, right?

I will admit, this post was drafted during the early weeks of Mega Rising, and I was having a miserable time testing out decks and new card combos only to be stomped by Mega Altaria EX every game. Nowadays the Deck is rare, but when it does show up, my opponent always seems to have the cards they need to power up Mega Altaria EX.

It doesn't change the fact that Metal is falling behind in the power department. I tried Melmetal EX and Solgaleo EX Decks to counter the meta, but these decks were still too slow, so I whipped up this post to make me feel better. Well, maybe we'll get better Metal Cards when Mega Metagross EX comes out, or something.

Stay tuned for the next post, I got more ideas to share.

#Pokemon TCG Pocket #Aron #Lairon #Aggron #Steven Stone #Karrablast #Escavalier #Shelmet #Accelgor #Beldum #Metang #Metagross #Jirachi

Even more new cards for Pokemon TCG Pocket! (Darkness Edition)

Yep, I'm still making more cards. Although this time, I've decided to try and come up with cards that buff a specific archetype instead of whatever comes to mind.

This time, we're making cards to buff Darkness Energy Type Decks. Yes, I know, why make Darkrai EX any better than it already is? Well, not every Dark Deck can fit in a Darkrai EX, and those that don't suffer for it. So, we're making cards that reward variety. You'll see what I mean.

If you enjoyed pondering these cards, consider looking at my previous card posts (here, here, and here), and be sure to stick around for more posts like this.

Purrloin - Basic Pokemon

Darkness Type - 50 HP

Tail Flick (1x Colorless Energy) - 10 Damage

Weakness Fighting +20 - Retreat Cost 0x Colorless Energy

Liepard EX - Stage 1 Pokemon - Evolves from 'Purrloin'

Darkness Type - 140 HP

Pilfer (2x Darkness Energy, 1x Colorless Energy) - 60 Damage Flip a Coin. If Heads, Move an Energy from the Defending Pokemon to 1 of your Benched Pokemon.

Weakness Fighting +20 - Retreat Cost 0x Colorless Energy

Sidney - Supporter Card

Flip a Coin. If Heads, Move a random Energy from the Defending Pokemon to 1 of your Pokemon.

Deino - Basic Pokemon

Dragon Type - 80 HP

Chew (1x Darkness Energy, 1x Water Energy) - 40 Damage

Weakness None - Retreat Cost 2x Colorless Energy

Zweilous - Stage 1 Pokemon - Evolves from 'Deino'

Dragon Type - 110 HP

Double Chew (1x Darkness Energy, 1x Water Energy, 1x Colorless Energy) - 40 Damage This attack deals damage to the Defending Pokemon twice.

Weakness None - Retreat Cost 3x Colorless Energy

Hydreigon - Stage 2 Pokemon - Evolves from 'Zweilous'

Dragon Type - 140 HP

Triple Chew (1x Darkness Energy, 1x Water Energy, 2x Colorless Energy) - 50 Damage This attack deals damage to the Defending Pokemon 3 times.

Weakness None - Retreat Cost 3x Colorless Energy

Hydreigon EX - Stage 2 Pokemon - Evolves from 'Zweilous'

Darkness Type - 190 HP

Triple Blaster (3x Colorless Energy) 1 of your opponent's Pokemon is chosen at random 3 times. This attack does 30 damage to each chosen pokemon. This attack does +30 damage for each different Type of Energy attached to this pokemon.

Weakness Grass +20 - Retreat Cost 3x Colorless Energy

Trubbish - Basic Pokemon

Darkness Type - 70 HP

Scavenge (1x Darkness Energy) Move a random Energy from your opponent's Discard and attach it to this pokemon.

Weakness Fighting +20 - Retreat Cost 2x Colorless Energy

Garbodor - Stage 1 Pokemon - Evolves from 'Trubbish'

Darkness Type - 130 HP

Ability: Refurbish - As often as you like, you may Move Energy attached to this pokemon to 1 of your pokemon.

Rubbish Rummage (1x Darkness Energy, 2x Colorless Energy) - 50 Damage Move a Random Energy from your opponent's Discard and attach it to this pokemon.

Weakness Fighting +20 - Retreat Cost 3x Colorless Energy

Garbodor EX - Stage 1 Pokemon - Evolves from 'Trubbish'

Darkness Type - 170HP

Ability: Landfill Body - If this pokemon is on the Bench and Energy is Discarded from your Active Pokemon, the Discarded Energy is attached to this pokemon instead of being sent to the Discard Pile. (If you have multiple Pokemon with this Ability on the Bench, one is chosen at random)

Landfill Crush (1x Colorless Energy) - 30x Damage This attack deals 30 damage for each Energy attached to this pokemon.

Weakness Fighting +20 - Retreat Cost 4x Colorless Energy

Zorua - Basic Pokemon

Darkness Type - 50 HP

Tricky Bite (1x Colorless Energy) - 20 Damage

Weakness Grass +20 - Retreat Cost 1x Colorless Energy

Zoroark - Stage 1 Pokemon - Evolves from 'Zorua'

Darkness Type - 100 HP

Ability: Conniving Character - Choose a Pokemon on the field or in either player's Discard. This Pokemon's Name changes to that of the chosen Pokemon. (This Pokemon cannot Evolve)

Trick Blade (2x Colorless Energy) - 50 Damage Flip a Coin. If Heads, this attack deals 50 more Damage.

Weakness Grass +20 - Retreat Cost 1x Colorless Energy

Zoroark EX - Stage 1 Pokemon - Evolves from 'Zorua'

Darkness Type - 140 HP

Deceitful Dirk - (3x Darkness Energy) - 70 Damage Before dealing damage, reveal a Supporter Card from your Hand and use that card's Effect.

Weakness Grass +20 - Retreat Cost 2x Colorless Energy

So first up, Liepard EX and Sidney (who was an Elite 4 Member in the Hoenn Region, in case you forgot) both have an effect where, with a successful coin flip, would allow you to basically steal an Energy from your opponent and attach it to 1 of your own pokemon. Both effects target the Defending Pokemon, so it is useless against players who put up walls in their Active spot like Druddigon or Snorlax EX.

Sidney has the potential to fail altogether, but it lets you attach the Energy to any of your pokemon if you get the coin flip right, including your Active Pokemon. Liepard EX, however, has the effect attached to an attack, meaning it is vulnerable afterwards to a followup attack regardless of heads or tails. It is also a very weak attack for an EX, so it will fall short in damage against other EX pokemon. You're risking a lot for great reward; stealing Energy stalls your opponent while boosting your own, so it's a difficult effect to balance.

At least Liepard EX has no Retreat Cost, but the meta has cards like Cyrus and Greninja to handle runaways, so pack some healing effects if you plan on fishing for a lucky coin flip here. For what it's worth, Liepard EX is good for powering up pokemon with Colorless attacks, like Mew EX or Raichu EX. I also threw in a pokemon that benefits from having a variety of Energy Types attached to it.

First up, both Zweilous and Hydreigon have an attack where the attack itself is repeated multiple times, and you might be thinking why. Zweilous deals 40 Damage two times for a total of 80 Damage, so why not just put that number down? Well, it has to do with buff effects. See, a Card like Giovanni can buff an attack like Dragonite's Draco Meteor, but if it hits the Defending Pokemon twice, you'll only see the total damage dealt increase to 110, not 120. This is because the attack is received as one strike, not multiple times, even though the attack is choosing 4 random pokemon and can double up on 1 target.

If Giovanni were used on Zweilous or Hydreigon's Attack, the buff would apply to all strikes, resulting in a much more generous +20 or +30 damage instead of +10. Factor in Red and the damage boost becomes +40 instead, or even +60. That's a lot of damage.

Of course, the downside is that each strike triggers defensive effects as well, like Rocky Helmet and Blue. But then you realize that if the first hit KO's the Defending pokemon, the opponent will be forced to move in a Benched pokemon to take the followup attack, which can easily lead to checkmate with other card effects. It's just obscenely difficult to pull off given the Dragon Typing and the need to supply it with two different types of energy.

Hydreigon EX, however, is very easy to support, as it has a similar effect to Dragonite's Draco Meteor. It is a Stage 2 Darkness Type pokemon with a lot of HP, but it can only deal 30 damage 3 times across the whole board, which makes it weaker than regular Dragonite. Being Typed, though, it can hit for weakness, but it doesn't matter if the attack is random. Well, Hydreigon EX can buff the damage of its attack just by attaching different Energy. With just two different types of Energy, Triple Blaster adds +30 damage to each pokemon hit, resulting in a minimum of 60 damage to 1 pokemon, and maxing out to 120 with a bit of luck. Attach a third energy type and you add another +30 damage, meaning a pokemon being chosen 1 time will be hit for 90 damage; some Stage 1 pokemon cannot survive such a hit. Since the attack is Colorless, it is very easy to support, but requires time and resources to get to that point. Also, it is an EX and can be worn down before it fires off the attack, making it risky but rewarding to pull off.

The Trubbish card line here involves recycling Energy instead of stealing it, like Liepard EX and Sidney. Trubbish cannot deal damage with its attack, but it can take energy that your opponent has Discarded. In the early game, this will only work against pokemon that Discard Energy for their attack like Charmander or Litten, unless you get lucky with Team Rocket Grunt. Garbodor depends on getting at least 1 Energy in this way in order to attack on time after evolving. It still has the same Energy recycling effect, but it now has the ability to gift Energy to your Benched Pokemon. The idea is that, after attacking, you gift Energy to a Benched pokemon that needs it, like Arceus EX, and then attack to get more Energy that the opponent has Discarded. You will need to pack Energy Discard effects in order to improve your matchup against other Decks, but this card game is all about finding the right matchup most of the time.

Garbodor EX is a pokemon that is designed to buffer against such Energy Discard effects, in contrast. Energy that would be Discarded would be attached to this Pokemon instead, so you have some way to defend against nefarious tactics like this. The Colorless Energy attack also makes the pokemon splashable on any deck, especially those that Discard their own energy with their own attacks, like Infernape EX. You can then return the energy to the Active pokemon with cards like Dawn or Energy Transfer, or send in Garbodor EX to take out the trash. Just be careful, as Garbodor EX has a lot of HP but has a huge Retreat Cost, so if it gets forced in too early, it'll be a sitting Ducklett until you can build up sufficient power to fight back, and by then it might be too late.

Last thing to talk about is my take on Zoroark and Zoroark EX. Regular Zoroark has an Ability where it can change its name to that of any pokemon on the field or in the Discard Pile of either Player, and that is a useless effect, most of the time. Changing your name doesn't help you out in any way in reducing damage or the like, but it does interact weirdly with cards that specify pokemon by name specifically. For instance, Blaine increases the attack power of Magmar, Rapidash and Ninetales by +30, and only those 3, but if Zoroark changed its name to either of those pokemon, it would also receive the same power boost from Blaine. You see where I'm going with this?

It also interacts with pokemon cards as well. Take Mesprit, for example, its attack, Supreme Blast, only can be used if Uxie or Azelf is on the Bench. But Zoroark can pretend to be either of those pokemon and trick Mesprit into using the attack unrestricted. You can also pretend to be Arceus or Arceus EX in order to activate the Link effects of pokemon like Carnivine or Rotom. Heck, you can even pretend to be Mew EX to escape from the Active Spot with Budding Expeditioner. Or even pretend to be a Togekiss or Garchomp to get the +50 damage boost from Cynthia. This is why regular Zoroark has a Colorless attack as well, so that it can synergize with any Energy Type Deck.

Also, it goes without saying that these 'name tricks' only go as far as activating conditional card effects, but does not allow the pokemon to 'evolve' into another different type of pokemon. Zoroark is a master of illusion, but it's not that good.

Oh, and uh, one downside is that copying the name of an EX pokemon does allow you to play cards like Hau by pretending to be an Incineroar EX, but it also allows the opponent to play Red for the +20 damage against you. Zoroark is still worth only 1 point when KO'd, even if it has changed its name to an EX pokemon, but that +20 damage can easily KO it when it could have survived an attack otherwise.

Speaking of EX, Zoroark EX has a simple attack where you reveal a Supporter Card and use its effect before dealing damage. This can be anything from Sabrina to Pokemon Center Lady, and it bypasses the 1 Supporter Card per turn rule at the cost of ending your turn after attacking. Also, because you don't Discard the Supporter Card afterwards, you can use the same Supporter Card repeatedly for little downside. Said downsides being that your opponent will know what's in your hand, Zoroark EX having below average HP for a Stage 1 EX, as well as 2 Retreat Cost, and that its attack is demanding in Energy. Also, hand attack effects are not uncommon in this meta, what with Suicune EX necessitating cards like Red Card or Mars.

One other thing to consider is that, since the attack can reuse Supporter Cards, you can make a Professor's Research last a while, thinning out your deck with each attack. But then conserving cards becomes weird, as using up Professor's Research means you cannot use it for the attack, but the whole point of the attack is that you can double up on Supporters in a turn, but doing so would use them up, preventing you from reusing them later. This game does not have recycle effects yet, so every card used is a weighted choice to consider. (Oh, this part was made before the release of Mega Rising, and what do you know? There is a new Delcatty Card that can recycle Supporters. Never mind, then!)

When you've got a good hand, the attack becomes amazing to take advantage of. But building up to that point is the most laborious part, as it requires getting everything set up just right. All of which can be undone by a simple Silver or Meowscarada.

It would make Silvally Decks even more obnoxious, though.

Sorry this post took so long to come out. A new set came out while this post was in Drafts, so I wanted to wait and see if any new cards would come out to make these ideas obsolete. So far, so good, except for the bit with Zoroark EX. Oh well, I'm not gonna change it. It's all for fun anyways.

Anyway, next idea on my list is a set of cards to buff up Metal Type Decks. The reason being is that there is a new card causing trouble in Versus Mode, Mega Altaria, and there aren't any Metal Type Pokemon that can beat it consistently or reliably. I'll explain in the next post.

Until then, see ya!

#Purrloin #Liepard #Trubbish #Garbodor #Zorua #Zoroark #Sidney #Deino #Zweilous #Hydreigon #Pokemon TCG pocket

More new cards for Pokemon TCG Pocket

Yep, I'm still doing this. If you want to see the other tcg pocket posts I've made, you can find them here and here.

Ability Shield - Tool Card

The attached pokemon cannot be affected by all effects - including damage - done to it by your opponent's Pokemon Abilities.

Clear Amulet - Tool Card

The attached pokemon cannot have its Energy discarded by the effects of your opponent's Pokemon attacks.

Protective Pads - Tool Card

The attached pokemon receives -20 damage from its own attacks.

Lorelei - Supporter Card

You can only use this card if your Active Pokemon is a Water Type with a Metal Weakness.

Your opponent's Active Pokemon is now Paralyzed. Your Turn ends.

Bruno - Supporter Card

Both players attach a Fighting Energy to their Active Pokemon.

Agatha - Supporter Card

Deal 10 damage to the opponent's Active Pokemon for each Psychic Type in your Discard.

Lance - Supporter Card

Your Dragon Pokemon deal +10 damage to the Defending Pokemon and receive -10 damage from the Defending Pokemon. If you Knock Out at least 1 one of your opponent's Pokemon, heal 20 damage from 1 of your Dragon Pokemon.

Great Ball - Item Card

Put a random Stage 1 pokemon from your Deck into your Hand.

Ultra Ball - Item Card

Put a random Stage 2 pokemon from your Deck into your Hand.

Fossil Maniac - Supporter Card

Put 2 random 'Fossil' Item Cards from your deck into your hand.

Root Fossil - Item Card

Play this card as if it were a 40-HP Basic Colorless Pokémon.

At any time during your turn, you may discard this card from play.

This card can't retreat.

Lileep - Stage 1 Pokemon - Evolves from 'Root Fossil'

Grass Type - 90 HP

Tangling Feelers (1x Grass Energy, 1x Colorless Energy) - 40 Damage The Defending Pokemon can't Retreat.

Weakness Fire +20 - Retreat Cost 3x Colorless Energy

Cradily - Stage 2 Pokemon - Evolves from 'Lileep'

Grass Type - 150 HP

Ability: Suction Cups - As long as this pokemon is in the Active Spot, neither player can play Supporter Cards that Switch out your Active Pokemon.

Binding Feelers (2x Grass Energy, 1x Colorless Energy) - 60 Damage The Defending Pokemon can't Retreat.

Sapping Feelers (2x Grass Energy, 2x Colorless Energy) - 60 Damage Your opponent may Switch their Active Pokemon with 1 of their Benched Pokemon. Deal damage to the Active Pokemon afterwards, healing damage from this pokemon equal to the damage your opponent's Active Pokemon lost.

Weakness Fire +20 - Retreat Cost 3x Colorless Energy

Claw Fossil - Item Card

Play this card as if it were a 40-HP Basic Colorless Pokémon.

At any time during your turn, you may discard this card from play.

This card can't retreat.

Anorith - Stage 1 Pokemon - Evolves from 'Claw Fossil'

Grass Type - 90 HP

Heavy Claw (1x Grass Energy, 1x Colorless Energy) - 40 Damage Switch out the Defending Pokemon with a Benched Pokemon.

Weakness Fire +20 - Retreat Cost 1x Energy

Armaldo - Stage 2 Pokemon - Evolves from 'Anorith'

Grass Type - 130 HP

Ability: Battle Armor - When this Pokemon moves to the Active Spot, it receives -60 Damage from the next attack.

Shoving Claw (2x Grass Energy, 1x Colorless Energy) - 70 Damage Switch out the Defending Pokemon with a Benched Pokemon.

Hunting Claw (2x Grass Energy, 2x Colorless Energy)- 70 Damage Heal Damage from this pokemon equal to the damage this move deals to the Defending Pokemon. Your opponent may Switch the Defending Pokemon with a Benched Pokemon afterwards.

Weakness Fire +20 - Retreat Cost 2x Colorless Energy

Glimmet - Basic Pokemon

Fighting Type - 70 HP

Poison Prickle (1x Colorless Energy) - No damage The Defending Pokemon is now Poisoned.

Weakness - Grass +20 - Retreat Cost 1x Colorless Energy

Glimmora - Stage 1 Pokemon - Evolves from 'Glimmet'

Fighting Type - 130 HP

Mortal Spin (1x Fighting Energy, 1x Colorless Energy) - 50 Damage Your opponent may Switch their Active Pokemon with 1 of their Benched Pokemon. Afterwards, the Defending Pokemon is now Poisoned.

Weakness - Grass +20 - Retreat Cost 2x Colorless Energy

Glimmora EX - Stage 1 Pokemon - Evolves from 'Glimmet'

Fighting Type - 160 HP

Ability: Toxic Debris - When your opponent moves 1 of their Benched Pokemon to the Active Spot, and this pokemon is in the Active Spot, your opponent's new Active Pokemon is now Poisoned.

Gouging Glass (3x Colorless Energy) - 50 Damage This attack deals +50 damage for each Special Condition the Defending Pokemon is afflicted with.

Weakness - Grass +20 - Retreat Cost 2x Colorless Energy

In a previous post, I mentioned how I try to avoid coming up with cards that 'counter' the meta cards and instead try to buff weaker or niche archetypes. Well, after a season of playing against Suicune EX and Greninja, I've changed my mind and want to see Water Decks burn.

Just kidding, but seriously, something's gotta be done. To that end, I've made the Ability Shield Card, which protects the attached pokemon from opposing pokemon Abilities. It prevents the likes of Grafaiai from afflicting Poison, prevents Greninja and Darkrai EX from dealing damage for free, and keeps Benched pokemon safe from Victreebel and Umbreon EX. Since it's a Tool Card, you're giving up a Tool slot for other effects like Giant Cape or Rocky Helmet, and Ability Shield is matchup dependent. It's a crapshoot whether it benefits you or not.

Clear Amulet is also a protective card effect that only works against attacks that Discard Energy. It does not stop cards like Team Rocket Grunt or Squirt Bottle from removing energy, so it's potential relevance hinges on what meta cards it counters, like Guzzlord EX.

Protective Pads is much more splashable and easy to build with for a Deck. Fun fact, pretty much all damage reduction cards only work when the attack is received from an opposing pokemon card. Blue, Beast Wall, Adaman, they only work to buffer damage against opposing pokemon, not from your own attacks. A few cards break the mold here, like Regirock, which makes it pair well with Fighting Type Mamoswine, whose Earthquake attack deals damage to your Bench, but it gets reduced to 0 by Regirock's Ability Exoskeleton.

I digress, Protective Pads is meant to be used on cards with self damaging attacks, like Phanpy and Litten. It also makes certain cards easier to support, like Arcanine EX or the new Raichu EX. Again, you are giving up a Tool slot, but I'm sure most players would prefer Protective Pads over Leftovers in these situations.

Now, the very first set of the game featured the Kanto Gym Leaders, but left out the Elite 4 for some reason. So, I decided to try and make cards for those characters. Lorelei inflicts guaranteed Paralysis only if you have an 'Ice' Type in your Active Spot, and it forces your turn to end afterwards. It's only useful for stalling a Turn, and can be circumvented by Pokemon Center Lady or stronger Switch Effects, but it's useful in the early game or when combined with card manipulation effects like Red Card. Bruno has both players attach a Fighting Energy to their Active Pokemon, making it detrimental to use if played early on. It's better to play during an advantageous position like you're about to get a KO or the Defending Pokemon doesn't have an attack that utilizes Colorless Energy.

Agatha gave me a mild headache trying to come up with a unique effect for regarding Psychic Types but I think I came up with a fun one. It requires having Psychic Types in your Discard Pile so the damage potential is tricky to manipulate. Supporter Cards rarely deal damage to the opponent for you, but they exist, like Acerola or Guzma, technically. Lance was easy, but I really wanted to make the effect something like 'attach a Dragon Energy to a Dragon Type' where the Dragon Energy was a universal Energy type, which could give a pokemon the energy they need for an attack, no matter the energy cost. Like the Rainbow Energy from the actual TCG. But, I refrained, because I think maybe TCG Pocket will do something like that in the future and I wanted the Lance card to be more supportive to Dragon Types as whole.

Then there's the Great Ball and Ultra Ball, which are cards I feel like the TCG genuinely needs. Also the Fossil Maniac feels like it should be in the game, since Fossil cards do not count as pokemon and therefore cannot be searched for with Pokeballs or Pokemon Communicator.

Naturally, I had to include a concept for a Cradily Card archetype in here, along with its exclusive fossil buddy Armaldo. Cradily's Ability Suction Cups prevents the enemy from using Sabrina or Cyrus, but it also prevents you from using Lyra. It doesn't prevent Leaf from lowering your Retreat Cost so that you can Retreat, but the pokemon has a hefty 3 Retreat cost to work with. It has a healing attack, but unlike Kabutops, it measures damage healed through the amount of HP the Defending Pokemon has lost. In contrast, Kabutops heals for as much damage as it deals. Cradily is limited in healing by the amount of remaining HP the enemy has.

It also allows the opponent to Switch out their pokemon before the attack goes through, so your opponent can choose who takes the attack. Of course, a healthy pokemon will give Cradily more HP to recover, but a weakened pokemon that has 10 HP left will be Knocked Out, but give Cradily only 10 HP of damage healed off. It forces the opponent to play a Catch 22 in order to balance sacrifice and victory, and if they play wrong, they will lose the game.

Armaldo is meant to counter this, as its Battle Armor Ability gives it a permanent one time buffer against damage when it moves to the Active Spot. The buff doesn't go away until the pokemon is damaged or is moved out of the Active Spot. Armaldo coutners Cradily so long as it's on the Bench, but works best if you have two Armaldo in play. It also has a healing attack, which works the same as Cradily's attack, but the opponent may choose to switch after the attack goes through. This accomplishes little if you KO a pokemon this way, but it forces out defensive buffers like Shuckle EX and Snorlax EX. Also, the order of attack means that reactive Tool Cards like Rocky Helmet and Poison Barb trigger before the switch happens, so there's that to consider.

Also, both Cradily and Armaldo are Grass Types, since the Fossil Archetype is in desperate need of different Types to work with. This makes them both supported by Erika and Leaf Cape, as well as Leafeon EX.

Last card I'm gonna talk about here is the Glimmet line archetype. Glimmora is such an interesting pokemon in the TCG, as it's the only Fighting Type Card that can Poison with its attacks, I believe. Glimmet's attack is Colorless, but it can only Poison and does not deal damage, meaning it cannot hit for Weakness until it evolves.

Regular Glimmora has a Switch effect where, after dealing damage, the opponent may choose to switch their Active Pokemon out. The wording of the attack means that, whether the opponent chooses to Switch or not, the Defending Pokemon gets Poisoned afterwards. This can create a disadvantageous situation where, if the attack Knocks Out a pokemon, the opponent is still made to choose whether to switch out the Active Pokemon or not. If they do switch, the new Active Pokemon will become Poisoned, so they will choose not to Switch, and no pokemon will become Poisoned.

Glimmora EX rectifies this with its Ability Toxic Debris. If Glimmora EX is in the Active Spot and your opponent Switches a pokemon into the Active Spot, that pokemon becomes Poisoned. You can manipulate this easily with Sabrina or Cyrus, or even Repel, but your opponent can also force out Glimmora EX to avoid this Ability with similar cards. Glimmora EX's attack, Gouging Glass, requires 3 Colorless Energy to attack, so it's usable on any Deck Archetype, but the raw damage is a measly 50 damage. It gains 50 damage for each Special Condition the Defending Pokemon is afflicted with, so on top of the Poison condition you can inflict with Toxic Debris, it can also be combined with Hypno's Ability or Typhlosion's Ability, to double up on Special conditions. Of course, this means that Glimmora EX matches up poorly against Arceus EX, even with the Fighting Weakness, as well as niche effects like Comfey, or even regular cards like Pokemon Center Lady or Big Malasada.

Man, making these cards is so fun. I want to make more, but I'm running low on ideas. Hey, give me your ideas and I'll feature them in a future post.

Until then, see ya.

#pokemon tcg pocket #lorelei #bruno #agatha #lance #Lileep #Cradily #Anorith #Armaldo #Glimmet #Glimmora

Post Season 4 musings

Yesterday, I finished up Season 4 of my Pokemon Unite moveset posts. You can find the masterpost here, with links to all the pokemon I made movesets for, along with previous Season masterposts.

I gotta say, Season 4 was a bit of a slog for me, not because I didn't like writing the posts, but because of how little time I had to make each post. I had changed the release schedule to every 2 weeks, but even that wasn't enough time for me to work with.

If I'm gonna confess to anything, it's that I made the post knowing that certain pokemon were leaked for Pokemon Unite, which urged me to release Season 4 as soon as possible. I won't say which ones they were, but given that they are shoo-ins for a spot on the roster, I wanted to beat the game to the punch.

Well, none of the leaked pokemon I saw had made it into the game yet, as of this writing. You know who was released that hampered my posts? Alcremie. Alcremie wasn't leaked and was supposed to be in Season 4, but the reveal surprised me the most. I ended up having to replace it with Toedscruel, which turned out fine, as it was a requested pokemon.

Still, since I had put a lot of thought into each pokemon post, I didn't want it all to go to waste just because I was too slow. I did not want to be forced to release another obsolete draft and have all the cool and ingenious ideas go unused. I mean, I could redraft the theme and mechanics of the pokemon and give it to another pokemon; I did such a thing with Scrafty, taking the Aeos Orb stealing mechanic from my version of Sableye. I just wanted to astound the reader with a bold and interesting idea for a pokemon in Unite.

To that end, I do get a bit overly technical, especially for what is supposed to be fan content for a free-to-play game. I'm still trying to tone it down with these posts, but I prefer that my readers fully understand my point of view, with no room for misconstruing.

Well, what happens next? I do have a lineup in mind for Season 5, but it's all just drafts at the moment. I want to take my time fleshing out each one a bit before Season 5 starts, but since Pokemon Unite is releasing more pokemon more quickly, I'll have to be prepared to scrap and redraft posts at a moment's notice.

There are 3 pokemon coming to Unite in the near future, one of which was a pokemon that was in my drafts. It's not that big of a deal, but it had accompanying posts that I had wanted to release all together, and now that idea is to be scrapped. I don't think I'll be finishing up the other posts, since it's much more likely that they will also be released, rendering those drafts obsolete. You'll see when the pokemon is released proper.

Also, just so we're clear, I'm not going to be making Mega Evolution Pokemon Unite posts. I was curious to see how Pokemon Unite was going to handle this mechanic, and while it's cool and interesting, it doesn't leave a lot of room for creativity. I mean, Mega Lucario has a different Ability, at least, but it's forced to use moves regular Lucario already has. Maybe if they make Mega Charizard Y a Ranged Attacker will I see some inspiration.

I'm gonna take my time with Season 5, but there's one thing I need to warn my followers about. Tumblr imposes a limit on hyperlinks, which I use to link previous posts and seasons in each moveset posts. Eventually, I will hit the limit, impeding the process. I worry that I will be forced to retire my Pokemon Unite posts until Tumblr fixes this.

(I just looked it up and apparently the limit is 100 links per post?? I could've sworn it was much less, since the masterpost for Season 3 was hindered by the links taking up data. I wanted to add a blurb for each pokemon moveset post link, but Tumblr wouldn't let me add anything other than the links. I'll try and make a test post later)

Also, there was a severe lack of Gen 1 representation in Season 4. I seek to rectify that a bit in Season 5. I just want a diverse representation of Gens in general.

Anyway, that'll be it for now. I'll still be making posts somewhat, but expect my activity to wind down until Season 5 is ready.

Until then, see ya.

#Pokemon Unite

Season Four Pokemon Unite Movesets Masterpost

Season 1

Season 2

Season 3

Iron Valiant (Speedster) - Generate Quark Drive to power up your Moves!

Primarina (Supporter) - Sing a sweet song every time you use Quick Chat, powering up your allies!

Garganacl (Defender) - Use your salt to improve your shields and wear down the opponents'!

Passimian (Attacker) - Throw the hard shelled berry with skill and precision! Get the timing right to deal major damage!

Incineroar (All-Rounder) - Turn up the heat as you toss and tussle the enemy!

Cofagrigus (Defender) - Haunt the enemy from beyond the grave with the vengeful Mummy Ability!

Glimmora (Attacker) - Spread Toxic Debris to power up your attacks! Also, don't litter.

Galarian Stunfisk (Supporter) - Deceive the enemy with traps and pools of mud before chomping down.

Krookodile (All-Rounder) - Play dirty and power up with each KO.

Kricketune (Speedster) - Fight in time with the music to build up speed and power.

Magearna (All-Rounder) - Use Soul-Heart to power up your attacks, making them easier to get KO's with.

Turtonator (Defender) - Defend allies with an explosive shell and a hair trigger temper.

Farigiraf (Attacker) - The Armor Tail protects the head while you pelt the enemy with psychic powers!

Spinda (Supporter) - Dizzy dancing increases your evasion and worsens the effect of Stun on opposing pokemon!

Darmanitan (Speedster) - Sacrifice HP to reach an invincible zen state sooner!

Slaking (All-Rounder) - Subdue the enemy with the power of laziness.

Hisuian Decidueye (All-Rounder) - Your attacks launch extra arrows as you lose HP, jump and slash about!

Toedscruel (Supporter) - Mycelium Might powers up and heals your allies, making them stronger against infected enemies!

Revavroom (Speedster) - Forget Unite Battles, turn every match into a derby destruction affair!

Tangrowth (Defender) - Tie up the enemy with wild jungle vines! Hold them down!

Blacephalon (Attacker) - Pull off the sickest party trick with an explosive basic attack, move, and Unite Move!

Deoxys (All-Rounder EX) - One pokemon, four different potential forms! Can you master them all?

Deoxys for Pokemon Unite! (EX) - Season finale!

Season 1

Season 2

Season 3

Prev: Iron Valiant - Primarina - Garganacl - Passimian - Incineroar - Cofagrigus - Glimmora - Galarian Stunfisk - Krookodile - Kricketune - Magearna - Turtonator - Farigiraf - Spinda - Darmanitan - Slaking - Hisuian Decidueye - Toedscruel - Revavroom - Tangrowth - Blacephalon

Space.

The final frontier.

What lies beyond the infinite sky above us? What strange worlds await us in the deep cosmos? Whatever it is, Deoxys hails from a distant galaxy far beyond ours, and now it has invaded Aeos Island. What can the unfathomable power of a pokemon from a completely different solar system do in Unite? Let us beholden to its mystical might.

#Deoxys #Pokemon Unite

Pokemon TCG Pocket new cards concept - Tera Crown Part 2

Couldn't stop thinking about more potential cards, so I'm continuing the archetype of Tera Crown cards from my previous post.

Terapagos - 80HP (Colorless)

Basic

Ability: Tera Shift - This pokemon can evolve into either Terapagos Terastal Form or Terapagos EX.

Tera Charge (No Energy Requirement) Attach a Colorless Energy from your Energy Zone to this pokemon. Also, put a random Tera Crown card from your deck into your hand.

Weakness Fighting +20 - Retreat Cost 2x Colorless

Terapagos Terastal Form - 120P (Colorless)

Basic

Ability: Tera Shell - This Pokemon has no Weakness while it is at full HP.

Tera Refresh (3x Colorless Energy) 60 Damage Heal 10 Damage from this pokemon for each different Energy Type attached to it.

Weakness Fighting+20 - Retreat Cost 3x Colorless

Terapagos EX - 170HP (Colorless)

Basic

Ability: Teraform Zero - The Defending Pokemon is unaffected by your opponent's Benched Pokemon Abilities and Stadium Card effects.

Tera Blaster (2x Colorless Energy) 50 Damage If the Defending Pokemon has a Tera Crown card attached to it, this attack does 50 more Damage.

Tera Shower (4x Colorless Energy) 100 Damage Also deal 20 Damage to your opponent's Benched Pokemon, dealing Weakness Damage.

Weakness Fighting +20 - Retreat Cost 4x Colorless

Tera Shard - Item Card

Attach a Colorless Energy to a pokemon. Deal 30 damage to it.

Treasure Eatery Cook - Supporter Card

Choose a Colorless Energy attached to 1 of your pokemon. Change the Energy to a Type of your choosing.

Larry - Supporter Card

Choose a pokemon with Energy attached to it. Change all the Energy attached to it into Colorless Energy.

Jacq - Supporter Card

Draw a card for each Colorless Energy attached to your pokemon.

Tera Raid Crystal - Item Card

Your pokemon with a Tera Crown attached receive -20 Damage from your opponent's Pokemon attacks until the beginning of your next Turn.

Sableye - 70HP (Darkness Type)

Basic

Ability: Gem Hunter - Once per turn, you may switch 1 of your opponent's Benched Pokemon with a Tera Crown attached to it with the Defending Pokemon.

Knock Off (2x Darkness Energy) 30 Damage Discard a Tool Card from the Defending Pokemon.

Weakness Grass +20 - Retreat Cost 2x Colorless

Sableye EX - 130HP (Darkness Type)

Basic

Ability: Gem Eater - Heal 20 Damage from this pokemon each time this pokemon deals damage to a pokemon with a Tera Crown attached.

Sneak Attack (1x Darkness Energy) Deal 30 damage to 1 of your opponent's pokemon.

Chomp Chomp (2x Darkness Energy) 50 Damage If the Defending Pokemon is Carbink, Carbink EX, Diancie, Diancie EX, or a pokemon with a Tera Crown attached to it, this attack deals 50 more Damage.

Weakness Grass +20 - Retreat Cost 2x Colorless

Carbink - 80HP (Fighting Type)

Basic

Ability: Gem Shield - This pokemon gains +30 HP if it has a Tera Crown attached.

Glittery Gift (1x Fighting Energy, 1x Colorless Energy) 30 Damage Attach a Colorless Energy to 2 of your Benched Pokemon.

Weakness Grass +20 - Retreat Cost 3x Colorless

Carbink EX - 150HP (Fighting Type)

Basic

Ability: Gem Culture - If this pokemon has a Tera Crown attached, heal 20 damage each time the Tera Crown activates.

Glamour Blaster (2x Colorless Energy) 60 Damage This attack does +20 more damage for each different Type of Energy attached to this pokemon.

Weakness Grass +20 - Retreat Cost 2x Colorless

Diancie - 100 HP (Fighting Type)

Basic

Ability: Effervescent Energy - Once during your Turn, you may turn a Colorless Energy attached to a random pokemon on the field into a random energy of any Type.

Hard Headbutt (1x Fighting Energy, 1x Colorless Energy) 40 Damage

Weakness +20 Grass - Retreat Cost 3x Colorless

Diancie EX 170HP (Fighting Type)

Basic

Ability: Endless Energy Crystals - As often as you like, when this pokemon has no Energy attached to it, you may use this Ability to attach a Colorless Energy from your Energy Zone to this pokemon.

Crystal Cache (3x Colorless Energy) 80 Damage You may move Energy from this pokemon to your Benched Pokemon in any way you like.

Weakness Grass +20 - Retreat Cost 3x Colorless

Geeta - Supporter Card

Your Pokemon with a Tera Crown attached deal +10 damage to your opponent's Active Pokemon and receive -20 damage from your opponent's Active Pokemon.

More notes for those who are curious about my choice of cards.

Keep in mind that these cards are made with the Pokemon TCG Pocket meta in mind. Since new packs are released monthly, the meta is constantly shifting. As such, these cards aren't meant to try and 'counter' the top decks, but rather to buff cards that are underperforming, such as high Retreat Cost cards and double type Energy decks. Buffs are more popular than nerfs, after all.

The first card in this post is Terapagos, and I mostly started with that pokemon to compensate for leaving it out in the last post. But then again, Terapagos was the last pokemon to come out in Scarlet/Violet, so I feel like it's appropriate, in a certain sense. Also, the normal form is unusable in the game, but it felt like it would've been a missed opportunity if I didn't throw it in here.

Because of the stability of single Energy decks, most players don't realize that most attacks also have a Colorless Energy cost to them. It's intended to make the pokemon more flexible in double or triple Energy decks, but the randomness of Energy generation leaves a lot to be desired. Just ask any Dragon Deck player.

That's what the cards in this post seek to remedy. The Tera Shard Card is an Item Card, meaning you can play it twice to put two Colorless Energy on the field. Of course, that means that some opening turns leave the opponent vulnerable to losing instantly, so there is a major cost to using Tera Shard. For sacrificing 30 HP, a pokemon may gain enough energy to attack and defeat the Defending Pokemon, but they will be left vulnerable to the counterattack afterwards. This can be remedied with healing cards, but that can take up precious deck space.

For those that are comfortable with the sacrifice, cards like Jacq and Treasury Eatery Cook are meant to accommodate the power play. Meanwhile, the Larry Card, which converts all Energy attached to a pokemon into Colorless Energy, punishes the opponent for relying too heavily on restrictive attacks. Note that certain cards, like Celebi EX and Ho-oh EX, don't care about this disruptive effect, limiting the card to be effective against certain decks, which is the intended outcome.

It's also a good idea to include cards that counter the cards in the same set, since otherwise there would be no defense against this new archetype. That is the intention behind my Sableye and Sableye EX card idea. I was worried about Sableye EX being useless against non-Tera Crown decks, so I added the effect of it being strong against other types of cards. Since the pokemon is known to eat gems, I decided to make it super effective against Diancie and Carbink decks, though this also meant I had to make those cards as well.

Geeta was the last card I had an idea for for this post, and rounded out the Tera Crown archetype pretty nicely. A lot of the cards that buff Tera Crown pokemon are powerful to compensate for the fact that they take up a Tool Card Slot on the pokemon. I have been thinking about how that makes them vulnerable to basic Tool Card removal and wondered if they should be a unique mechanic all on their own. That would mean retooling them to work with Tool Cards and rewriting specific cards that work with and against Tera Crown cards. I dunno, how do you feel about this?

This was fun. I'll definitely be doing another post making up TCG Pocket cards sometime soon. Stay tuned for that.

Until then, see ya.

#pokemon tcg pocket #jacq #larry #geeta #terapagos #sableye #carbink #diancie

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