Ruling Tapu Koko-GX ability interaction with Electrode EVO

[Kietharr]

Ability: Aero Trail
Once during your turn (before your attack), when you play this card from your hand onto your Bench, you may move any number of [L] Energy attached to your Pokemon to this Pokemon. If you move any Energy, switch this Pokemon with your Active Pokemon.

Ability: Bzzap Thunder
Once during your turn (before your attack), you may Knock Out this Pokémon and attach it to one of your Lightning Pokémon as a Special Energy card. This card provides 2 Lightning Energy only while this card is attached to a Lightning Pokémon.

So this question crossed my mind when I faced an expanded Lunala deck today and it was able to move a Mystery Energy card between pokemon. I realized that the ability as written said psychic energy, and Mystery Energy counts as a psychic energy when attached to a psychic pokemon. The ability just says energy, not energy cards. In theory, Koko should be able to do the same with Lightning providing special energy cards, including Electrode since it provides 2 Lightning Energy. He should also be able to move rainbow energies based on this same logic.

Would this logic hold in paper or is it an online-only quirk?

 

[crystal_pidgeot]

Aero Trail, assuming the translations are correct will be able to move any Lightning Energy. Electrode received an errata so to my understanding, it still has to be attached to a lightning type Pokemon but after the first attachment, you should be able to move it to another non-lightning Pokemon. The language between Energy and Energy card shouldn't matter much here and normally when a effect says Energy card, its referring to the actual card (for effects that discard them, move them, attach them, etc) and Energy is normally use since there are many effects that require Energy in play, those being attacks and whatnot.

In this case, you do what the card says and it says to move lightning Energy to it. Electrode counts as two Energy (and in this case would count as both "Energy" and "Energy card" since it is one card). It would also be able to move Rainbow Energy since it counts as every Energy type at the same time (you don't get to choose). Lunala-GX can also move the Energy as you said because it does count as psychic Energy.

In this case, don't focus too much on the actual amount of Energy a card gives and focus on the actual Energy card. With Electrode, you can't choose to move only one of the two Energy, you move both.

 

[Otaku]

Would this logic hold in paper or is it an online-only quirk?

We only have a translation for Aero Trail, right? That is the only reason this might not work. Since we received Rainbow Energy back in the original Team Rocket expansion (that was back in 2000), this kind of trick has been permitted. It just hasn't always been worthwhile because, ya know, Pokémon can be pretty crazy with things like Energy discarding effects, shutting down major parts of decks by card Type, etc.

Your concern about Energy versus Energy cards is good, but probably not applicable here. If Aero Trail is translated more or less correctly, and (again) based on similar past effects, you need to remember that the word "Energy" can be plural or singular. "Energy card" usually only becomes a factor with particular effects, such as how (mostly on much older Pokémon) they might have an attack that required you discard "...two Energy cards..." instead of "...two Energy..." so that the cost couldn't be paid with a single Double Colorless Energy.

Oh, and the erratum to Electrode was announced two months ago. It must still initially be attached to a Lightning Type, but now it still works if an effect moves it elsewhere. You can read it here.