Dragon Pokemon Return to the TCG: 'Sky Stream' & 'Towering Perfection' Revealed!

Nintenfreak

Aspiring Trainer
Member
It's critical. Right now it's one of the single most important ways they use to balance the game. Especially since we are, and we're going to be even more with rotation, in a Vmax format were for the most part they're just 2HKOing each other, having matchups were damage just doubles so they can be OHKOed is huge.

Although I understand the sentiment, that's never going to happen, the TCG is a completely different beast, and managing and balancing the exact type charts we have in the VGs would be impossible.

I would like to see weaknesses have a lesser role in balancing though, right now it's just "pick a consistent deck with good matchup spreads and hope to avoid the 20/80 ones that exist because of weaknesses". But I don't have a better solution myself for that. As much as weaknesses make the game swing-y and all-or-nothing at times, it ensures even exceptionally strong archetypes are kept in check precisely by having those "you pretty much lose by default because of weakness" matchups, wereas if it didn't exist, any archetype with exceptional qualities would just completely take over the game and make it stale and uninteresting.
Why don't they just balance the power of Weakness? That sounds like the real problem the game has. Maybe 1.5% damage rounded up? Or make it a bit more variable, that way you can make the most powerful cards have crippling weaknesses, while less busted cards aren't as bothered.
 

Mimikeon

Aspiring Trainer
Member
Why don't they just balance the power of Weakness? That sounds like the real problem the game has. Maybe 1.5% damage rounded up? Or make it a bit more variable, that way you can make the most powerful cards have crippling weaknesses, while less busted cards aren't as bothered.
I assume you mean 1.5x, and that can't ever happen. TPC is never going to allow rounding in the TCG. Little kids won't get it. That's why resistance isn't half.
 

Dark Espeon

Dark Avatar
Member
Ludicolo looks interesting. Could enable several attackers to reach ohko numbers which have been unable to do so thus far.
 

Yaginku

H-on Will Save Pokemon
Member
Why did it have to be extra damage for only Basic Pokémon?
Because it would completely break the balance of VMAXes, which are usually equipped with boring ~250 damage attacks. I'd give these decks a tool to OHKO each other.
As it stands, it's a somewhat-interesting option for Basic V cards. I don't think it's playable, but perhaps something like Zacian V could exploit it.
 

JustInBasil

Grass-Type Gym Leader
News Staff
Member
Because it would completely break the balance of VMAXes, which are usually equipped with boring ~250 damage attacks. I'd give these decks a tool to OHKO each other.
As it stands, it's a somewhat-interesting option for Basic V cards. I don't think it's playable, but perhaps something like Zacian V could exploit it.

They could have just made it for Pokémon without a Rule Box. All this does is make cards like Zacian V even more insane.
 

Yaginku

H-on Will Save Pokemon
Member
They could have just made it for Pokémon without a Rule Box. All this does is make cards like Zacian V even more insane.
I assume they wanted to make it work with Pokemon V specifically. I guess they want to make Zacian into a new ADP.
 

Rozureido

Aspiring Trainer
Member
Card numbers 002, 003 and 004? No grass or fire cards in Towering Perfection then? Well potentially one of either Grass or Fire, but definitely not both and maybe neither I wonder if that means one or two types will be left out of its partner set. We know Grass and Electric are both in (probably fire too based on the lack of fire in this set). I’d guess Psychic and/or Fighting.
 

Tytus

Expanded Best Format
Member
What is sad here is that it may not even be played because it’s a stage 2.
 

Yaginku

H-on Will Save Pokemon
Member
No one will play this card with Zacian V, you have better options (galarian perserker, rusted sword and Leon)
How many of these you have to use to hit for 340? There are many tools to set up Top Entry Lotad (Oranguru being the obvious one), and there's only two knock-outs you have to worry about. Not saying this is guaranteed to be Tier 1, but definitely not something to dismiss right away.
 

ShinxieDim

bbbbbbbbbbbbbb
Member
1) These would be so much more interesting for the game if it was a non-rule box boost instead of a basic boost. V Pokémon really don't need to do more damage

2) Why doesn't Lombre have a weaker version of the ability? That would have been interesting, if you had to choose between Top Entry or a +50 boost to damage for the turn on Lombre. But nope, let's put some awesome art on yet another completely irrelevant Stage 1. It seems like such an obvious design choice but they don't do it for some reason??

3) Ughhhhhh. Whyyyyy do they just have vanilla attacks. They don't have to be good attacks, but I'd be nice if we could have evolved support Pokémon with interesting attacks, at least
 

Diego Lima

Aspiring Trainer
Member
All three have amazing artwork. I love how perfectly leveled and parallel to the frame the thing in Lombre's head is. The effect is obviously very powerful, I just have my doubts about it's reliability. Having to setup stage 2s is hard enough, let alone having to setup stage 2s at particular turns. In the current "miss a beat and you lose the game" state of the tcg, I don't think something this potentially clunky is where you wanna be.
 
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