Discussion Make Unlimited Great Again

signofzeta

Aspiring Trainer
Member
The funny thing about RS on is that the Pokemon website does not acknowledge the existence of Base set to Skyridge. Something to do with WOTC, I don't know.

You cannot search for Base Set to Skyridge cards on their card database, which is kind of stupid.
 

signofzeta

Aspiring Trainer
Member
WOTC was in charge of bringing the Japanese Pokemon TCG to the rest of the world between Base Set to Skyridge, and then Nintendo took over when ex Ruby & Sapphire came out, kind of like WOTC is to Britain, Pokemon TCG is to Hong Kong, and Nintendo is to China, well sort of.

I still think the official Pokemon TCG database needs to acknowledge that Base Set all the way to Skyridge exists.
 

pikachuuuu101

Custom Title
Member
My one proble would be the difficulty for getting staples.
Also, what events would use unlimited? It just seems like there are plenty of kinks, but it could be cool to see as a side event that let you use proxies. Another problem is that it would not make Pokémon any money because the early cards are just being bought through the 2ndary market
 

signofzeta

Aspiring Trainer
Member
I guess they could cater unlimited to those with tons of money, or those who still have cards from way back when.

They could print out old cards in supplemental products like battle arena decks, team battle decks, 2 vs 2 decks, and some reprint set that comes in a booster box, not a bunch of box sets.

I would rather have them print old cards in the newest card frame, which means redesigning the new frame to incorporate EX, Primes, and Level X.

Here is how I would have it.

Battle Arena Decks should contain any card in Pokemon TCG history. The deck may or may not contain staples. The idea of the deck is to make it fun for kitchen table players, and is made to face off against each other. These will cost $19.99, maybe $24.99 and released once a year. They are equivalent to MTG's duel decks.

Legendary Battle Decks should only contain expanded legal cards. They may or may not contain staples, and are made to be somewhat competitive for league play. These will cost $19.99, maybe $24.99 and a set of 2 or 3 of these will be released once a year, six months away from the battle arena deck. They are equivalent to MTG's event deck.

Create a preconstructed product that emulates the player battling a gym leader, or going through the evil organization's hideout. The product would contain a deck representing the gym leader, or the evil organization, and another separate deck of cards with a different card back that warps the playing field. This kind of product would be equivalent to MTG's multiplayer supplements like Planechase and Archenemy.

There are pokemon TCG board games out there, but imagine there was a board game that incorporated the Pokemon TCG cards.

Here is the biggest question, will anyone buy a product made recently that contains cards from Base Set to Call of Legends? Does Pokemon TCG have to be played in official tournaments that any product, that contains mostly cards that aren't tournament legal, is trash? Can't someone just buy Pokemon TCG to be played for fun at home?

Let's say there are 2 battle arena decks. One contains cards from Black and White to the current set, the other contains cards from Base set to the current set, and both are two 60 card decks. Will the one that contain cards from Base Set to the current set not sell as well as the one with Black and White to current set cards?

I'll say this again. Legendary Battle Decks should be expanded legal and be semi-competitive in tournament play.

Battle Arena decks should be built for casual play and contain cards from any set. I don't think anyone would buy a $40 battle arena deck anyway. The Black Kyurem and White Kyurem battle arena deck cost $40 because each legendary battle deck costs $20, and we know 2 legendary battle decks cost $40. Probably a reason why the battle arena decks aren't selling so well because nobody is going to pay $40 for it. Because the battle arena decks are made for casual play, they do not have to contain expensive tournament staples, thus lowering the MSRP.
 
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Otaku

The wise fool?
Member
If, and it is a big "if", the powers-that-be felt like reviving the Unlimited Format, it would probably be at the cost of the Expanded Format. Of course, if they go all in and not only reprint older cards - probably as Alternate Art to entice various collectors and make it clear these cards are not Standard legal - they'd also need to issue a bunch of badly needed errata.

Start with the stuff where its a no-brainer; Slowking (Neo Genesis) is infamous for its "Mind Games" Pokémon Power having been mistranslated. Mind Games allows you to force your opponent to flip a coin anytime he or she plays a Trainer from hand; "heads" and the Trainer works normally, "tails" and not only does the Trainer not work, it gets topdecked (so you'll have another shot at it... but you just gave up your next draw). In Japan, this effect only worked while Slowking was Active, and the rest of its stats and effects were mediocre (even adjusting for how things worked back in the day). Outside of Japan, WotC printed the card wrong, and so its Pokémon Power worked from the Bench, which also allowed it to stack. That meant up to four coin flips (or five, with Chaos Gym) to try and make your Trainer cards work.

I doubt anyone has a serious problem with finally fixing that, especially if the powers-that-be decided to revitalize and focus on the Unlimited Format. The thing is, I wouldn't stop there. Professor Oak? We know he would have been a Supporter if released in the present day, thanks to Professor Juniper and Professor Sycamore; instead of having him still cause problems because he functions as an Item and instead of needing a special rule that players in Expanded cannot run Professor Juniper and Professor Sycamore in the same deck... just issue an errata so that all cards are treated as a Supporter named "Professor" with the same effect they already have. As an added bonus, any Professor Character could get slapped onto future alternate art promos!

Okay, last suggestion, and its the one in which I am least confident because I might be a really, really bad idea. So, with a revived Unlimited Format, a lot of cards are probably getting banned unless we modernize them with the tools (not Tools XP) available. I'm not thrilled with nerfing something like Erika by changing her into a Supporter, but if the-powers-that-be do give her a new printing and errata, maybe they can pull a Potion and let her draw a few more cards for both players, or a Master Ball and give her a different effect. I would also consider slapping the "Ace Spec" label on many of the problem Trainers, instead of banning them. Yes, even Stadium cards and Supporters. As I am not proposing we ban or errata every card that combos well with Ace Specs, it could allow these cards to still see play instead of having a ban list the size of at least one large set.
 

signofzeta

Aspiring Trainer
Member
I have a sneaky suspicion that some of the cards in the newer sets have the same functionality as cards from older sets, just with different names. How many different pokemon cards have the exact same type, attacks, weakness, and retreat cost? Maybe that new pokemon, not trainer, card you have there is technically a reprint of an old card, just with a different name.

The point of unlimited is the same as MTG's legacy format and Yugioh. An extensive ban list. The only thing that expanded does not include is the level X mechanic.

One thing that Pokemon TCG does that no other TCG does is take a card with a certain name, and change what it does throughout the game's lifespan. The other thing is changing card frames all the time. The third one is having different cards with the same name do different things, but that is due to number of pokemon, not energy, not trainer, cards >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> number of pokemon.

What the Pokemon TCG does is exactly like when a parent kicks their kid out of their house when they turn a certain age, and then they don't even know each other? That is what is happening to old cards. Before expanded, if a card is rotated out of standard, it is as if that card never existed. With expanded, it's like your parents let your younger siblings back in, but won't let you and your older siblings back in.

What likely will happen with unlimited is that decks will contain cards concentrated within one time period, and not contain a mixture of old and new

An alternate option is to print a set that reinroduces older cards into the expanded format. Just say that whatever is printed in this reprint set, which is mainly cards from base set to call of legends, is expanded legal.

I wonder who is getting more flak. A person who wants a Pokemon TCG format where every card from base set to current set is legal, with a banlist, or a person who wants a Yugioh format that involves set rotation.
 
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signofzeta

Aspiring Trainer
Member
Ok well I did it and made a giant unlimited ban list because I was bored. It totally didn't take like two hours. This probably needs its own thread but whatever. I did make this because of this thread so I guess theres still that.

New Rules

Star Points

Some powerful cards are given star points assigned to them. Star points limit how powerful these otherwise broken cards in the game. Each deck may only play up to a total of 4 star points per deck. For example You could play 2 Shaymin EX and one Claydol in your deck for a total of 4 star points. You could play 1 Uxie in your deck for a total of 3 star points. You couldn’t play 2 Junk arm and 1 Azelf as your total of star points as your total would be 5.


Rule changes

  • Abilities and Pokemon Powers are split into Poke-powers and Poke-bodies. If an Ability or a Pokemon Power requires activating (e.g. uses "you may") it's a Poke-power. If the effect is static it's a Poke-body. If a card mentions Abilities or Pokemon Powers (eg. "all Pokemon Powers cannot be used...") it effects both Poke-powers and Poke-bodies.
  • All cards that effect lowercase ex Pokemon now also affect uppercase EX and GX Pokemon

  • All cards from Base Set to Legendary Collection that refer to trainers now refer to items. Cards that refer to stadiums are unaffected (e.g. Chaos Gym can still be removed by a Stadium but now the card only affects items opposed to items and supporters.)

  • Any card that checks for Supporter cards in play (e.g. Buck's Training or Jirachi (Rising Rivals 7)) now check for played Supporter cards.

  • You cannot have any card from Restricted List A and any card from Restricted List B in the same deck.
Card specific erratas
  • Play Slowking (Neo Genesis 14) with the original translation

Limited cards

1 Stars Points

Challenge! (Team Rocket 74)

Secret Mission (Gym Heroes 118)

Misty's Duel (Gym Heroes 123)

Sabrina's Gaze (Gym Heroes 125)

Professor Elm (Neo Genesis 96)

Azelf (Legends Awakened 19)

Stark Mountain (Legends Awakened 135)

Poké Drawer + (Stormfront 89)

Weavile (Undaunted 25)

Seeker (Triumphant 88)

Hypnotoxic Laser (Plasma Storm 123)

Shaymin EX (Roaring Skies 77)


2 Stars Points

Item Finder (Base Set 74)

Scoop Up (Base Set 78)

Aerodactyl (Fossil 1)

Rocket's Sneak Attack (Team Rocket 16)

Goop Gas Attack (Team Rocket 78)

The Rocket's Trap (Gym Heroes 19)

Erika (Gym Heroes 16)

Blaine's Gamble (Gym Heroes 121)

Double Gust (Neo Genesis 100)

Espeon (Aquapolis H9)

Time-Space Distortion (Mysterious Treasures 124)

Claydol (Great Encounters 15)

Cyrus's Initiative (Supreme Victors 137)

Junk Arm (Triumphant 87)

Mew (Triumphant 97)

Archeops (Noble Victories 67)

Forest of Giant Plants (Ancient Origins 74)


3 Stars Points

Professor Oak (Base Set 88)

Energy Removal (Base Set 92)

Gust of Wind (Base Set 93)

Misty's Wrath (Gym Heroes 114)

Porygon2 (Great Encounters 49)

Forretress (Legends Awakened 28)

Uxie (Legends Awakened 43)

Broken Time-Space (Platinum 104)

Shuckle (HGSS Promo 15)

Shiftry (Next Destinies 72)


4 Stars Points

Lass (Base Set 75)

Super Energy Removal (Base Set 79)


Ban List

Muk (Fossil 13)

Blaine's Quiz 1 (Gym Heroes 97)

Blaine's Quiz 2 (Gym Challenge 111)

Kecleon (Rising Rivals 67)

Lysandre's Trump Card (Phantom Forces 99)


Restricted List A

Porygon2 (EX Unseen Forces 12)

Mismagius GL LV.X (Rising Rivals 110)

Jumpluff (Dragons Exalted 3)

Masquerain (Plasma Blast 2)

Lopunny (Flashfire 85)


Restricted List B

Alakazam (Base Set 1)

Reuniclus (Black & White 57)

The star points idea reminds me of an independent baseball league's roster rules.

A rookie is classified as someone who has less than 1 year of experience. Of the 23 man roster, you must have a minimum of 5 rookies.
A veteran is classified as someone who has six or more years of experience. Of the 23 man roster, you may have up to a maximum of 5 veterans.
Of the remaining players in the 23 man roster, only 12 of them may be someone with less than 5 years of experience, and of that 12, 2 of them may be someone with less than 6 years of experience.

I made a post in another thread where instead of how many years of experience a baseball player has, it is how many years a set is since its release. Unlike pro athletes, trading cards do not get better or worse over time. Could you imagine all those staples become old and washed up? Could you imagine Tapu Lele GX a few years down the road reminiscing the glory years, now stuck as a card nobody wants? I guess I could say that is true for Yugioh, with its power creep and all.
 
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