Ruling Super Boost Energy

Sabaku

Aspiring Trainer
Member
SM5_EN_136.png


Based on the wording, if I attached this Energy to a Basic Pokemon and still have 3 or more Stage 2 Pokemon in play, does it still provide 4 Energy of any type?
 
It clearly says that "While this card is attached to a Stage 2 Pokemon."

So, no.

(You could attach it to a Basic Pokemon, but the card's effect would be ignored, since it's not attaches to a Stage 2 Pokemon.)
 

Articuno_Aria

Articuno is UNO for a reason
Member
No. Only when it's attached to a Stage 2 Pokemon will it provide 4 energies at once (if there is also 3 or more of your Stage 2 Pokemon in play). I don't think that it would work for Basics

Hope that was helpful!
 

Sabaku

Aspiring Trainer
Member
No. Only when it's attached to a Stage 2 Pokemon will it provide 4 energies at once (if there is also 3 or more of your Stage 2 Pokemon in play). I don't think that it would work for Basics

Hope that was helpful!

The card says "If you have 3 or more Stage 2 Pokemon in play", not "if there is also 3 or more of your Stage 2 Pokemon in play". The Stage 2 requirement is only listed in the first statement, but no wording exists that correlates it to the second statement.
 
The card says "If you have 3 or more Stage 2 Pokemon in play", not "if there is also 3 or more of your Stage 2 Pokemon in play". The Stage 2 requirement is only listed in the first statement, but no wording exists that correlates it to the second statement.
Like I said, you still have to have it attached to a Stage 2 Pokemon. Or else that first text would've never been there.
 

FlashRayquaza

Rayquaza Fan
Member
That's weird. I recently played LucChomp on TCGO and Super Boost Energy worked for Lele (3 Garchomp in play, DCE, Choice Band and SBE on Lele, 3 Energy on opponent's Buzzwole GX, Energy Drive for 210)
 
Weird. That must be a bug.

This was pulled directly from the Compendium and should clarify your question.
Q. If I have 3 or more Stage 2 Pokemon in play, can I attach Super Boost Energy {*} to any of my Pokemon (regardless if it's Stage 2 or not) and get the 4-Energy effect?
A. No, you only get the multiple energy and rainbow effects when it's attached to a Stage 2 Pokemon. (Feb 8, 2018 TPCi Rules Team)
 

theophile

Aspiring Trainer
Member
I agree that the wording is ambiguous. It is not clear that the "While this card is attached to a Stage 2 Pokemon" wording is intended also to carry over to the second sentence. The practical effect of reading it strictly the way it's worded is that if you have 3+ Stage 2 Pokemon in play, it provides 4 of every type of energy, regardless of what kind of Pokemon it is attached to. If you don't have 3+ Stage 2 Pokemon in play, it provides only a single colorless energy, unless it is attached to a Stage 2 Pokemon, in which case it provides one of every type of energy.
 

Chicken Nugget Master

I had the munchies when I came up with my username
Member
Hear it like this:

If you have 3 or more Stage 2 Pokemon in play, it provides every type of Energy but provides 4 Energy at a time.

This part of the text does not state a certain type of Pokemon it has to be attached to for the 4 Energy effect to count, simply saying it counts as long as you have 3 or more stage 2 Pokemon in play. Then the rest of the ruling would sound something like this:

If you do not have 3 or more stage 2 Pokemon in play, then it provides 1 Colorless Energy when attached to any Pokemon.
If you do not have 3 or more stage 2 Pokemon in play, then it provides 1 Energy of any type when it is attached to a Stage 2 Pokemon.

So I would say it does apply to any Pokemon as long as you have 3 or more Stage 2 Pokemon in play. I may not be correct though, I would recommend asking @Tapu Lele as they are very knowledgeable when it comes to rulings. Hope this helped!
 

Tapu Lele

Inflated and Overstocked
Member
Hear it like this:

If you have 3 or more Stage 2 Pokemon in play, it provides every type of Energy but provides 4 Energy at a time.

This part of the text does not state a certain type of Pokemon it has to be attached to for the 4 Energy effect to count, simply saying it counts as long as you have 3 or more stage 2 Pokemon in play. Then the rest of the ruling would sound something like this:

If you do not have 3 or more stage 2 Pokemon in play, then it provides 1 Colorless Energy when attached to any Pokemon.
If you do not have 3 or more stage 2 Pokemon in play, then it provides 1 Energy of any type when it is attached to a Stage 2 Pokemon.

So I would say it does apply to any Pokemon as long as you have 3 or more Stage 2 Pokemon in play. I may not be correct though, I would recommend asking @Tapu Lele as they are very knowledgeable when it comes to rulings. Hope this helped!
Yes, I get it. That's what the card effect SHOULD be.
But if the compendium says otherwise, you have to respect their words;

== SUPER BOOST ENERGY {*} (SM: Ultra Prism)

Q. If I have 3 or more Stage 2 Pokemon in play, can I attach Super Boost Energy to any of my Pokemon (regardless if it's Stage 2 or not) and get the 4-Energy effect?
A. No, you only get the multiple energy and rainbow effects when it's attached to a Stage 2 Pokemon. (Feb 8, 2018 TPCi Rules Team)

The compendium doesn't always make sense though. Take a look at this hilarious ruling on Arcanine from Evolutions:

Burning Road (Arcanine - Evolutions)
Q. Can I use Arcanine's "Burning Road" Ability any time during my turn, or do I have to use it the moment Arcanine becomes Active?
A. As soon as Arcanine goes from the Bench to become Active you must choose immediately whether you're going to use Burning Road or not; you cannot delay the action until later in the turn. If you choose not to use Burning Road at that time, you could use it later if Arcanine somehow goes back to the Bench and becomes Active again. Also, if you use an attack like Growlithe's "Hind Kick" and Arcanine becomes Active, you could use Burning Road if you haven't already used it that turn. (Evolutions FAQ; Nov 3, 2016 TPCi Rules Team)

If you don't get the joke, here's the card text of Burning Road (Arcanine's Ability) from Evolutions

Once during your turn (before your attack), if this Pokémon was on the Bench and became your Active Pokémon this turn, you may move any number of Fire Energy attached to your Pokémon to this Pokémon.
 
Yeah I already explained how it works. I even got it straight from the compendium.

But who knows. I highly doubt it's incorrect though.
 

Asclepius24

Aspiring Trainer
Member
After that Arcanine thing all bets are off. Truly they are mortals like the rest of us.
I realize there's an Arcanine in my avatar, but...

Text in italics is reminder text of general game rules, not a specific stipulation. "Before your attack" is almost always there for "once during your turn" as a clarification that "your turn" is "before your attack." In this case, this specific ruling may be confusing to a new player, but the intent of the ruling is clear when you're familiar with the way things are written in the Pokemon TCG.

This is similar to the way Wide Lens will work to allow Weakness and Resistance to be applied for Buzzwole-GX but not Necrozma-GX. The reminder text in Jet Punch is not a specific condition of the attack - it just follows standard game rules. The attack would function the same way without the parenthetical statement. "This damage isn't affected by Weakness or Resistance" in Black Ray GX is not reminder text and Wide Lens would not interact with this damage.

You can essentially read text without the italicized reminder text if you know the rules of the game. Returning to Arcanine, this becomes much easier to understand without the reminder text and is entirely consistent with the Compendium ruling.
 

PokeMedic

Don't talk to me or my Pokemon ever again
Articles Staff
Member
I realize there's an Arcanine in my avatar, but...

Errr -are we talking about the same thing? I'm referring to the ruling of having to immediately choose to use the ability Burning Road instead of just doing it at any time during your turn before you attack, as the card says.
 

Asclepius24

Aspiring Trainer
Member
Errr -are we talking about the same thing? I'm referring to the ruling of having to immediately choose to use the ability Burning Road instead of just doing it at any time during your turn before you attack, as the card says.
The post you quoted and responded to was highlighting the "before your attack" as an apparent contradiction to the Compendium ruling saying you could use it when brought into the Active position due to an attack. Nothing in your post suggested you were taking issue with the non-bolded text that wasn't being discussed.

In that case, it looks like the Rules Team is clarifying the ruling to bring it in line with the intended function of the card based on the Japanese text (and other similar Abilities) and the issue lies in sloppy translation.
 

Tapu Lele

Inflated and Overstocked
Member
The post you quoted and responded to was highlighting the "before your attack" as an apparent contradiction to the Compendium ruling saying you could use it when brought into the Active position due to an attack. Nothing in your post suggested you were taking issue with the non-bolded text that wasn't being discussed.

In that case, it looks like the Rules Team is clarifying the ruling to bring it in line with the intended function of the card based on the Japanese text (and other similar Abilities) and the issue lies in sloppy translation.

Reminder text isn't always just a reminder that can be overidden, or even representative of the original rules of the game. Take for example Trick Coin PHF:
Once during your turn, after you flip any coins for an attack of the Pokémon this card is attached to, you may ignore all effects of those coin flips and begin flipping those coins again. (You may only use effects that lets you flip coins again, including effects from other cards, once during your turn.)
I don't recall reading about a rule like this anywhere in the Pokemon TCG rulebook. Nor do I remember any other cards mentioning it as a reminder text. This is here to deal with the double reflip that would come from Victini NVI:
Once during your turn, after you flip any coins for an attack, you may ignore all effects of those coin flips and begin flipping those coins again. You can't use more than 1 Victory Star Ability each turn.

***
I don't think the card is intended to be played as you say. If that was the case, they should have issued an errata, just like they did for Electrode.

I could try getting a translation of Arcanine's Japanese text if you are able to find a good scan of it, that way we can be sure what the original text was.

But keep in mind, this is a thread about Super Boost Energy :p
Feel free to create a thread on the subject if you feel that it's important for further discussion.
 
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