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

Diego Lima

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.

They already did that, In the Diamond and Pearl era of the TCG they were like that, regular cards had +20 or +30 weaknesses, while some lvl X cards had x2. I didn't actually play during that time, but almost every player I've seen that did, talks about that era as one of the best, if not the best in the game's history, so it can be done.
 

Hylaster

Aspiring Trainer
Member
Random note~

The ability's name is literally "High Tension Dance", using the English loan words, so the translation is correct.
But Ludicolo doesn't look very "tense", right? The meaning is along the lines of "Excited" or "High Energy", so I wouldn't be surprised to see a change in the name when it releases.

Another common word with a different meaning is "Mansion", which typically refers to an apartment building rather than the very large singular homes we're used to associating with the word...though that meaning does still exist, as evidenced by games like Luigi's Mansion.
 

Dragon

TheDragonEmpire
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.
Even the new Dragonite V
 

Yaginku

H-on Will Save Pokemon
Member
Okay, I didn't care about the cards much when browsing through the article at first, but Rayquaza VMAX is definitely Tier 0. It might not be the only one to possess the ability to OHKO another VMAX, but it's surely the most consistent. The added ability and no weakness just pushes it into broken category. The relatively tight set-up with Flaffy might even let it box around non-VMAX decks.
 

Mimikeon

Aspiring Trainer
Member
Okay, I didn't care about the cards much when browsing through the article at first, but Rayquaza VMAX is definitely Tier 0. It might not be the only one to possess the ability to OHKO another VMAX, but it's surely the most consistent. The added ability and no weakness just pushes it into broken category. The relatively tight set-up with Flaffy might even let it box around non-VMAX decks.
Bench Barrier Mew is rotating. If that doesn't get a replacement, RS Urshifu and Zeraora V are basically hard counters. Path to the Peak can hurt it as well.

Control is screwed against it, though. There's literally nothing most control decks can do to respond.
 

Yaginku

H-on Will Save Pokemon
Member
Bench Barrier Mew is rotating. If that doesn't get a replacement, RS Urshifu and Zeraora V are basically hard counters. Path to the Peak can hurt it as well.

Control is screwed against it, though. There's literally nothing most control decks can do to respond.
I'm not sure. If the card is actually mistranslated and you have to choose a single type of energy, then getting five Energy on RQ might be more difficult if your Flaffies get knocked out. Four energies is way more managable and there are turbo patches to help you out.
It might ironically make Ludicolo much more playable, if one of the tactics is to not play VMAXes at all. It basically makes are generic "VMAX deals damage" decks obsolete.
 

Mimikeon

Aspiring Trainer
Member
I'm not sure. If the card is actually mistranslated and you have to choose a single type of energy, then getting five Energy on RQ might be more difficult if your Flaffies get knocked out. Four energies is way more managable and there are turbo patches to help you out.
It might ironically make Ludicolo much more playable, if one of the tactics is to not play VMAXes at all. It basically makes are generic "VMAX deals damage" decks obsolete.
You have to choose. Multiple people here have said so, as have others I've talked to. It's a big part of why my hype died.
 

Mick-773

Pizza Enthusiast
Member
Random note~

The ability's name is literally "High Tension Dance", using the English loan words, so the translation is correct.
But Ludicolo doesn't look very "tense", right? The meaning is along the lines of "Excited" or "High Energy", so I wouldn't be surprised to see a change in the name when it releases.

That's wasei eigo for you, and more generally foreing loanwords graudally shifting in their meaning as language evolves. Another example would be the term トレーナー/"trainer", whose main meaning in Japanese is "sweatshirt" rather than, well, an actual trainer ^^"
 

Mimikeon

Aspiring Trainer
Member
That's wasei eigo for you, and more generally foreing loanwords graudally shifting in their meaning as language evolves. Another example would be the term トレーナー/"trainer", whose main meaning in Japanese is "sweatshirt" rather than, well, an actual trainer ^^"
I'm going to be the greatest Pokemon Sweatshirt there ever was!
 

jamashawalker

Ikouze!
Member
Okay, I didn't care about the cards much when browsing through the article at first, but Rayquaza VMAX is definitely Tier 0. It might not be the only one to possess the ability to OHKO another VMAX, but it's surely the most consistent. The added ability and no weakness just pushes it into broken category. The relatively tight set-up with Flaffy might even let it box around non-VMAX decks.

I was watching a game from Slowpoke Well(HotchocPTCG now) and a big swing turn was Rose+2 flaffy charge to get 4 energy on Rayquaza. I agree this card will be tier 0. That stormy range stadium imo makes it alot better than every other support it will get. While Rapid strike bench sniping pokemon will cause this card problems, it can switch up it's strategy and just be a Rose engine while digging through it's deck. I'm legit terrified of this card the more I look at it
 

EpicShonenGuy

Aspiring Trainer
Member
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.
I mean yeah it could make a fun deck but Zacian V is strong because not only is a very strong card it is also a very consistent card, adding a stage 2 card even if the stage 1 has the top entry ability it would slow down Zacian V, that extra 100 damage is delicious but it's not worth losing your consistency and not mention galarian meowth has other useful uses to it like discarding cards so you can use kriketune ability to draw cards or use rose tower effect. Also with one rusted sword on your Zacian V and 2 galarian perserker in play and then using leon on that turn you do 330 damage, it's not enough to OKHO an Eternatus VMAX, but you can basically one shot every other relevant VMAX pokémon and that's good enough, with Ludicolo you would need to consistently evolve and devolve to hit that 100 extra damage in that case galarian zigzagoon should be an even better option on Zacian V build. I'm sure Ludicolo will see play but not paired with Zacian V.
 

OVERGRO

Pokemon is lyfe.
Member
I guess this is also a way to make Dragon cards that don't have a weakness for some reason easier to OHKO as well?
 

MagnaDrake

Aspiring Trainer
Member
Random note~

The ability's name is literally "High Tension Dance", using the English loan words, so the translation is correct.
But Ludicolo doesn't look very "tense", right? The meaning is along the lines of "Excited" or "High Energy", so I wouldn't be surprised to see a change in the name when it releases.

Another common word with a different meaning is "Mansion", which typically refers to an apartment building rather than the very large singular homes we're used to associating with the word...though that meaning does still exist, as evidenced by games like Luigi's Mansion.
High Tension in this case is a wasei eigo, and in that context it means 'high energy'. So you're right about that.
 

Hylaster

Aspiring Trainer
Member
That's wasei eigo for you, and more generally foreing loanwords graudally shifting in their meaning as language evolves. Another example would be the term トレーナー/"trainer", whose main meaning in Japanese is "sweatshirt" rather than, well, an actual trainer ^^"

Oh, neat! I've only encountered it in the context of Pokémon Trainer, so I guess it's a bit like Mansion in that either work (if given the proper context).
Do you know the origin? I was thinking "oh, maybe personal trainers wear them a lot", but that's tanktops and not sweatshirts.
 

Nintenfreak

Aspiring Trainer
Member
They already did that, In the Diamond and Pearl era of the TCG they were like that, regular cards had +20 or +30 weaknesses, while some lvl X cards had x2. I didn't actually play during that time, but almost every player I've seen that did, talks about that era as one of the best, if not the best in the game's history, so it can be done.
PErhaps, and here's an idea, the modifier for weakness could be on the attacking card.
 
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