News Japan's SM3 Sets for the 20th Movie Feature Ho-Oh and Necrozma!

Ecourts

Wanderer | Lvl.2
Member
Why use Town Map when you're going to look through your deck with a search effect (like Ultra Ball) anyway?

It's not about knowing what's in your prizes, it's about knowing which prize is which.
For example: If your Lysandre is prized, Town Map allows you to see your prizes, and get it after your first knock out.

Town Map is primarily used in decks that run multiple techs, or decks that use multiple and/or long evolution lines.
 

crystal_pidgeot

Bird Trainer *Vaporeon on PokeGym*
Member
Your reply is drenched in bias, but I'll attempt to explain this one last time.

Basis for my opinion:
Giratina is not overpowered, because it's strengths only cater to specific niches.
As such, it can only ever be a supporting attacker.
A lot of decks have supporting attackers, but most do not use Giratina.

This is because it needs DDE to keep up, and the natural state of the meta allows players to play around the card.

Hex Maniac is not run because of Giratina.
Hex Maniac is run because it shuts off a lot of cards in the meta; same reason why people are running Wobb and Silent Lab.
Giratina being affected by this is another reason why the card is good, not the only reason.

Giratina as an Attacker:
Total energy cost = 4
Total attachments = 2-3
Potential damage = 100-130 (with Band)
Potential HP = 170-210 (with FFB)

These statistics are all average, or below average.
The effect of the attack is what makes the attack "good."

If you take away the effect, or take away DDE, the attack is no longer good.
The damage is outpaced by other Pokemon already (Lurantis, Volcanion, etc.)
These Pokemon also do not use special energy, and as such, will be able to outpace it even with the effect.

Giratina as a Wall:
Giratina is not effected by...
Megas
EXs
Basics
Evolution Pokemon
GXs


Being able to wall something is a "good" ability.
However, Giratina's walling is very situational.
and, unfortunately... Every competitively viable Mega will OHKO it when it's ability is off.
Mega Rayquaza, potential damage = 30-240
Mega Mewtwo, potential damage = 70+ (with Giratina's 4 energy cost, it will be OHKOd at it's base HP)
Mega Gardevoir, potential damage = 110-190x2 (Weakness)

Because of this, Giratina is not a reliable wall, and is mostly just used to hold DDEs.
It's attack and ability are what make it (arguably) the best dragon to do so.

You don't run Giratina to wall Megas, you run Giratina because it's a "good" card that can hold DDEs to boost your attack.
This is why we don't see solo-dragon decks.
They all need DDE, and most of them cannot keep up with opposing attackers as it is.
Cards like Giratina and Salamence are strong because of the meta.
They do well in very specific situations, and are able to hold DDE.
With these things combined, people have deemed them viable.
While they may see play in decks without DDE (Salamence in Volcanion), those are usually considered worse and/or less consistent variants.

I hope my post has allowed you to see the flaws of Giratina, and understand why it is a balanced card.
If not, then I have unfortunately wasted my time.

Either way, I feel like I cannot explain this with anymore clarity; so this will be my last statement on the matter~

My whole point is DDE shouldn't be reprinted because of how powerful dragons are. Has nothing to do with Giratina, they balanced the Dragon type through their energy cost because they are good at what they do. DDE shouldn't be reprinted because of dragon exist. Giratina-EX was just an example oh why it doesn't need to exist. Not everything needs to be reprinted and these niche special Energy is one of them. We don't have Double Rainbow or Boost Energy. They should just come and go.
 

Starsoulklr

'Rolling around at the speed of sound'
Member
R-Dex Poke-Finder at least a step in the right direction for that type of effect. If the cards on top are what you want you can leave it there and if not shuffle up. While there are good chances it will be edged out of deck building it does have the potential to help make sure you have better chances of your Trainers' Mails or your Max Elixirs succeeding. It also can help first turn see if the top four cards are what you want to draw for Lillie or empty your hand more so to get more cards.

It's an alright filler card.
 

I_miss_Zoroark_GX

Aspiring Trainer
Member
Every dragon card in the current standard format is designed around DDE. Without it their energy costs would make them unviable. The issue isn't DDE, but the way TPCi has been designing dragons in way that only makes them viable because of DDE. Honestly, I think the whole idea of a type of pokemon that doesnt have a corresponding basic energy and requires two different types of energy for almost all of their attacks is dumb. The only viable dragon type in the entire PTCG that is a deck of its own and doesn't rely on DDE is the expanded Rayquaza-EX and that's only because there are other cards that make up for its energy requirement weaknesses. TPCi will need to reevaluate how it designs dragons from now on if they don't intend on reprinting DDE.
 

Ecourts

Wanderer | Lvl.2
Member
My whole point is DDE shouldn't be reprinted because of how powerful dragons are. Has nothing to do with Giratina, they balanced the Dragon type through their energy cost because they are good at what they do. DDE shouldn't be reprinted because of dragon exist. Giratina-EX was just an example oh why it doesn't need to exist. Not everything needs to be reprinted and these niche special Energy is one of them. We don't have Double Rainbow or Boost Energy. They should just come and go.

Therein lies the problem with your argument.
These "powerful dragons" you speak of, simply do not exist.

Giratina was used as a starting point, because it's the most viable Dragon type.
I actually added Salamence into my statement, because it's the only other dragon played in this format.

DDE is only as strong as the Dragon it's attached to.
If there is no strong dragon, the strength of DDE is irrelevant.

Something to think about:
Salamence and Giratina can't even be in a deck together without DDE, as they use different energy for their attacks.
 

crystal_pidgeot

Bird Trainer *Vaporeon on PokeGym*
Member
Therein lies the problem with your argument.
These "powerful dragons" you speak of, simply do not exist.

Giratina was used as a starting point, because it's the most viable Dragon type.
I actually added Salamence into my statement, because it's the only other dragon played in this format.

DDE is only as strong as the Dragon it's attached to.
If there is no strong dragon, the strength of DDE is irrelevant.

Something to think about:
Salamence and Giratina can't even be in a deck together without DDE, as they use different energy for their attacks.

I don't mean "powerful dragons" because they can nuke a board and take six prize cards in one turn. I say powerful because they offer effects no other type really offer while doing effective damage. It's not the strength of DDE, it's the Dragon type. The two Energy types balance them. DDE doesn't need to be reprinted because the type exist. They don't need a special Energy. Maybe another version of it that discards itself at the end of the turn but not DDE.
 

I_miss_Zoroark_GX

Aspiring Trainer
Member
The two enery type requirement makes them unbalanced. DDE is the only thing that's been balancing dragons and making them viable this whole time. Dragons would see zero competitve play without it outside of Salamence-EX being teched into the occasional Volcanion deck.
 

Mr. Rhyperior

The Drill Pokemon. An evolve form of Rhydon.
Member
MY GEODUDES
  • RotomDex Poke-Finder Mode - Another long name. Used in some situations that you need to look the preceeding cards and if you don't like those cards you have an option to shuffle them back. Someone said that it is like Pokedex (EVO), but keep that in mind, like Mr. google said in his Kiawe video, "The deck is secret." Plus, the fact that you shuffleyour deck by Poké Balls like Ultra Ball, N, Kiawe, and Searching attacks or abilities. So, it's useless. Like @WastedSkyPirate said, it deserves 0 Geodudes.
 

Kietharr

Aspiring Trainer
Member
I don't mean "powerful dragons" because they can nuke a board and take six prize cards in one turn. I say powerful because they offer effects no other type really offer while doing effective damage. It's not the strength of DDE, it's the Dragon type. The two Energy types balance them. DDE doesn't need to be reprinted because the type exist. They don't need a special Energy. Maybe another version of it that discards itself at the end of the turn but not DDE.

The special quirks that dragons offer usually fail to make up for the general mediocrity of dragon both as a typing and as particular cards. As a type Dragon suffers from not hitting anything for weakness. While nothing resists it, weakness is multiplicative while resistance is merely subtractive. You gain a lot more from being able to hit something for weakness than you lose by having something resist you, as a general rule.

As for cards, again, there are two dragons worth playing in standard right now. I do not see how you can make the argument that dragons are 'powerful' as a type simply because two dragon cards actually offer playable unique effects while each other dragon EX/GX is essentially unplayable despite their neat effects. I don't see how Giratina can be called 'overpowered' when darkrai turbo has had generally better results throughout this season, taking more placements than darkrai/dragons in both regional and international events. Giratina is virtually invisible in the meta outside of its role in that one deck archetype as a DDE battery for a card that is much more 'overpowered' in terms of how it shapes the meta around it.

Again, the 'two types of energy' general rule would make sense if dragons, on the whole, actually did something to justify the slower setup. If not DDE, Dragons need some other support option. Vikavolt SUM is an example of something that could work for a Dragonite card, but since every dragon has its own 'typical' energy costs it requires a very particular alignment of supporter - supported compared to DDE which just makes all of their lives easier.
 

Kontoleon

Aspiring Trainer
Member
Sorry from this post. Where is your opnion from a (mill) absol bunneldy(with mew) deck?
the point is to get opponent stscked. Hammers Distroy enerdy from hand e.t.c ooks opponent hand, oponent draw one discard the next 2 (probably) and later draw the 4nt choise. Looks like troll idea but i have no cards to try it
 

Jero3

Aspiring Trainer
Member
We also know there will be a Stage 2 GX in the Ho-oh set. If history repeats itself, we will see each of these sets bring us 2 Basic GX, 1 Stage 1 GX, and 1 Stage 2 GX Pokemon.

For reference:

Collection Sun: Lapras GX, Espeon, GX, Gumshoos GX, Solagaleo GX
Collection Moon: Tauros GX, Umbreon GX, Lurantis GX, Lunala GX
SM1+: Drampa GX, Sylveon GX, Toxapex GX, Vikavolt GX

Islands Await You: Tapu Koko GX, Turtonator GX, Alolan Ninetales GX, Kommo-o GX
Alolan Moonlight: Tapue Lele GX, Wishiwashi GX, Lycanroc GX, Metagross GX
SM2+: Tapu Fini GX, Darkrai GX, Salazzle GX, Machamp GX

So far the first set pattern was 1 Basic, 2 Stage 1, and 1 Stage 2. The second set pattern was 2 Basic, 1 Stage 1, and 1 Stage 2.

My current assumption that we will see the same pattern is that the pack art including Marshadow hints at it as a GX, since paralleled the Ho-oh pack art has Ho-oh and Charizard as GX Pokemon and the Necrozma is known as a GX. However, they could go crazy and have Marshadow not be a GX in the set, or have the sets change between the two (least likely in my opinion).

Either way the current spread is this 9 Basic GXs (10 w/ Snorlax Promo 11 w/Bulu Promo and 13 w/Ho-oh + Necrozma), 9 Stage 1 GXs, and 6 Stage 2 GX's (9 w/Starter Promos 10 w/Charizard) The split honestly isn't that bad at the moment, and we have a ton of these things already, seeing as we get 12 a set in English (4 per Dual Set + 4 per + set) I think the game looks okay from here.

I will agree that Kiawe is a bit disappointing.

The last GX in HO-OH box will be alola muk GX (DARK) i guess
 

crystal_pidgeot

Bird Trainer *Vaporeon on PokeGym*
Member
The special quirks that dragons offer usually fail to make up for the general mediocrity of dragon both as a typing and as particular cards. As a type Dragon suffers from not hitting anything for weakness. While nothing resists it, weakness is multiplicative while resistance is merely subtractive. You gain a lot more from being able to hit something for weakness than you lose by having something resist you, as a general rule.

As for cards, again, there are two dragons worth playing in standard right now. I do not see how you can make the argument that dragons are 'powerful' as a type simply because two dragon cards actually offer playable unique effects while each other dragon EX/GX is essentially unplayable despite their neat effects. I don't see how Giratina can be called 'overpowered' when darkrai turbo has had generally better results throughout this season, taking more placements than darkrai/dragons in both regional and international events. Giratina is virtually invisible in the meta outside of its role in that one deck archetype as a DDE battery for a card that is much more 'overpowered' in terms of how it shapes the meta around it.

Again, the 'two types of energy' general rule would make sense if dragons, on the whole, actually did something to justify the slower setup. If not DDE, Dragons need some other support option. Vikavolt SUM is an example of something that could work for a Dragonite card, but since every dragon has its own 'typical' energy costs it requires a very particular alignment of supporter - supported compared to DDE which just makes all of their lives easier.

You're completely missing the point.
 

Asrialys

Aspiring Trainer
Member
This is for those who begrudgingly play Trainers' Mail and say, "I could have used all these cards..."
 

WastedSkyPirate

...
Member
Oh for the love of...

Bewear is one of my favourite Pokemon, it already has 5 prints (including this and the GX) and all of them are @$$.

This art is adorable though.
 
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crystal_pidgeot

Bird Trainer *Vaporeon on PokeGym*
Member
This is one of those Pokemon that I'd be scared to see in real life. I also didn't know it was a fighting type as well.
 
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