Discussion Puzzle of Time - Necessary, or Not?
- Thread starter kai88
- Start date
Do you play special energy?
Decks that both have space and have things that they need to recycle. It also helps if you have battle compressor, skyla or stuff that helps you access the cards with puzzle of time or access puzzle of time itself
Its hard to say. Junk Arm was a 4 of in each deck and while this isn't Junk Arm, being able to recover rare resources is always good. I was thinking of testing it with 3 copies because you only ever really need one set but 4 can be good.
Really you have to test it. It should come down to player preference or just the deck.
Really you have to test it. It should come down to player preference or just the deck.
I really like puzzle until some 'guy' drops turn 1 vileplume and your hand looks like X X X Energy X X. I try to balance my decks some, but there are those decks where puzzle is so GOOD that its a super VS seeker. Night march comes to mind and I keep trying to make it work in a few fight decks using Korina to tutor it up (you have one in the hand and korina for 1 to play both). It also is a card that you can play to get rid of for maxxie's hidden ball trick or dropping a shaymin-Ex to draw more cards.
4 Puzzle of Time
4 Vs Seeker
4 Battle Compressor
? 4 Acro bike
then optionally grass could run revitalizer, fire can run blacksmith, anybody can run maxxie's.
4 Puzzle of Time
4 Vs Seeker
4 Battle Compressor
? 4 Acro bike
then optionally grass could run revitalizer, fire can run blacksmith, anybody can run maxxie's.
(Lenny)
Okay, so decks that heavily dependent on Dce use puzzle, and so des Maxie's. Are there any others?
I recommend asking
1) What does my deck have that is most easily recovered by Puzzle of Time and not other cards?
2) How much benefit will I receive from having this added option to get them back?
3) Can I make room for them (includes match up considerations)?
That might seem out of order, but if I personally find that if I start by asking myself if I have room for any card, the answer is "No", I change nothing, and then I lose because my deck is out of date. XD I added the note because (as others already pointed out) if Item lock is already a problem for your deck, this is going to make it even more vulnerable since its an extra 2-4 slots of Items that are already likely to get "stuck" in hand.
Special Energy and Ace Spec cards (in Expanded) are the most obvious to uses for Puzzle of Time but it is also great for reclaiming spent TecH that otherwise isn't so easy to reuse. Even without either of those first two, if you have a toolbox like deck, it may be useful so that a single copy of Startling Megaphone, a particular Pokémon Tool, even sometimes a particular Pokémon can return to hand directly from the discard pile.
1) What does my deck have that is most easily recovered by Puzzle of Time and not other cards?
2) How much benefit will I receive from having this added option to get them back?
3) Can I make room for them (includes match up considerations)?
That might seem out of order, but if I personally find that if I start by asking myself if I have room for any card, the answer is "No", I change nothing, and then I lose because my deck is out of date. XD I added the note because (as others already pointed out) if Item lock is already a problem for your deck, this is going to make it even more vulnerable since its an extra 2-4 slots of Items that are already likely to get "stuck" in hand.
Special Energy and Ace Spec cards (in Expanded) are the most obvious to uses for Puzzle of Time but it is also great for reclaiming spent TecH that otherwise isn't so easy to reuse. Even without either of those first two, if you have a toolbox like deck, it may be useful so that a single copy of Startling Megaphone, a particular Pokémon Tool, even sometimes a particular Pokémon can return to hand directly from the discard pile.
I find it useful in decks that go through itself quickly, like if it implements Trainers' Mail, Battle Compressor, Acro Bike, and even Unown. Even using just one can be useful if you're looking for something helpful and the only other cards you can use are Acro Bike or Unown. But in the decks I regularly use, I don't have any room for it and it's unlikely that I'll get two in my hand.
Its useful in decks that thin a lot - Night March is the primary choice. The other deck that can make use of it is ToadTina since DDE and DCE are everything to that deck - a bit of energy disruption and they're done.
I've tested it multiple times in YZG and it just takes up too much space that could be used for other consistency cards. Trev doesn't really need it and again space issues (same goes for Greninja).
I've tested it multiple times in YZG and it just takes up too much space that could be used for other consistency cards. Trev doesn't really need it and again space issues (same goes for Greninja).
If vs seeker is an automatic 4 how can puzzle not also be an automatic 4? I can't tell you how many times one of my pokemon has been knocked out and my mega or stage 2 has been prized. This lets me grab the spirit link or rare candy and the pokemon I need that was just knocked out. It's like Korrina for everybody other than fighting. Plus, how else are you going to recover item cards you might have had to discard for ultra balls or Juniper? Puzzle is a must for every deck. If you played a card once, chances are you'd like to play it again.
I feel puzzle is great in any deck that runs T1 Vileplume (and has space), only special energy, and decks with hammers. Otherwise I don't think it should be run.
Vs Seeker doesn't require two copies of itself for its main effect. That is a huge difference. Additionally the two are kind of competing for some of the same space, the fact most run four Vs Seeker is part of why there isn't room for four Puzzle of Time.