Discussion 2015-2016 Season Rotation

Solegide

Aspiring Trainer
Member
Someone told me Everything up to Legendary Treasures will pulled out of rotation in September. Could this be true? Part of my Standard deck uses Legendary Treasures cards. Should I not be worried, or should I start looking for alternative cards?
 
RE: 2016 Rotation?

It could be true (and even seems like a likely guesstimate), but I don't think anyone knows for sure what the rotation will be yet since it's usually not announced until Worlds or so. Keep in mind that this rotation is just for the Standard Format and there may or may not be alterations to the Expanded format as well (since Expanded is a new format, no one really knows exactly how they'll be treating it).

As far as swapping up decks/cards goes, that really depends on how long you like to prepare in advance. As you said, the rotation won't be until September or so, which is 7 months away, which is actually longer than it's been since the last format change. There will also be 2-3 or so more sets released before then, which will likely keep the metagame on its toes and strategies may change and new archetypes will form.

That said, if you're planning on selling your old cards or trading them for more recent ones, you'll likely get a better deal for them if you do it before rotation (since once competitive cards are no longer in the current Standard format, they generally decrease in value), but how soon you do that is up to you. If you're not planning on participating in any more serious competitive events for the remainder of the current season, you may be better off planning in advance for next year, but on the other hand, if you're still planning on competing this year, you'll probably continue to get some use out of those cards that will be rotated, and you may put yourself at a disadvantage by rotating yourself early.

I'm not a competitive player at the moment, so most of this is an opinion provided by my previous experience and my knowledge of the TCG market.
 
RE: 2016 Rotation?

I hope they do just to get rid of N and Colress. It'll be interesting to see what cards replace them. Obviously Juniper (Sycamore) isn't going anywhere. Birch might be the new must-have draw supporter so I'm tempted to get a couple just to save myself some cash if and when he becomes a tier 1 card. Might even get myself a few to profit from for the same reason. Gamble...
 
RE: 2016 Rotation?

There are two likley rotations that I can picture happening. Those two rotation cut offs would be Plasma Blast and on and XY and on. My reasoning behind the Plasma Blast and on rotation cutoff would be because Lugia EX is in LTR. If they rotated all plasma sets and left in LTR then Lugia EX would be completly usless because there would be no plasma energy. Pokemon EX are the big money makers for the Pokemon company so I cant see them leaving a pokemon EX in rotation that is completly unplayable, there is a difference in completly unplayable and competitvly unplayable. The XY on rotation would also make sense because pokemon will wont to move on from cards like Mewtwo EX, Darkrai EX, Mew EX, N that have been in the format and in competitve decks for years.
 
It'll be XY-on or LTR-on. No way they'd keep Plasma Blast. (It doesn't make sense from a keeping a single Plasma set in format standpoint, and I'd imagine they very much want to remove Virizion/Genesect as a deck.) It wouldn't be the first time a card was unusable due to the rotation. It happens to promos all the time (for instance, Ampharos BW67 isn't usable in Standard because we have no Mareep), and has occasionally happened with Lv.X's or evolutions that didn't have their counterparts in the same set. Also, only one set of Ace Specs would be weird.

I'm leaning towards the rotation being XY-on, though. Darkrai EX, in combination with the rotation, would probably make Dark fairly dominant again. The free retreat will be a bigger deal post-rotation due to the loss of Float Stone, and Yveltal and Yveltal EX are still rather good, even despite Mega Manectric EX being so popular. This is of course a minor point, but probably one of many that would make them want to rotate LTR. I could see them keeping it for a few reasons, though, like Mew EX staying in format.
 
RiverShock said:
It'll be XY-on or LTR-on. No way they'd keep Plasma Blast. (It doesn't make sense from a keeping a single Plasma set in format standpoint, and I'd imagine they very much want to remove Virizion/Genesect as a deck.) It wouldn't be the first time a card was unusable due to the rotation. It happens to promos all the time (for instance, Ampharos BW67 isn't usable in Standard because we have no Mareep), and has occasionally happened with Lv.X's or evolutions that didn't have their counterparts in the same set. Also, only one set of Ace Specs would be weird.

I'm leaning towards the rotation being XY-on, though. Darkrai EX, in combination with the rotation, would probably make Dark fairly dominant again. The free retreat will be a bigger deal post-rotation due to the loss of Float Stone, and Yveltal and Yveltal EX are still rather good, even despite Mega Manectric EX being so popular. This is of course a minor point, but probably one of many that would make them want to rotate LTR. I could see them keeping it for a few reasons, though, like Mew EX staying in format.

They might keep PLB just because it keeps Plasma Energy to still be usable with the Lugia EX reprint in LT, which otherwise would be a 'First Ticket' card.
 
That was what Ironman131 was getting at. They will not do that even if LTR remains in format. Plasma Blast causes a lot more problems than it solves. They're not going to keep it in format to make 1 card usable, especially one like Lugia that loses all the other cards that make it worth using.
 
I strongly agree with RiverShock. For me, the Rotation that would be healthier to the metagame would be XY-On. LTR-On leaves Garbodor, Mewtwo, Reshiram, Zekrom, Kyurem, Darkrai, N (because of Promos)... Things that, although good, have overstayed their welcome. Heck, I play Toad/Garb and Quad Reshiram as my main decks and I still want them to go. It's time for the format to let go of them.
 
As much as I want it to be LTR-On I feel like Legendary Treasures has been around for a nice long while, especially considering it's a mostly reprint set.

They won't keep Plasma Blast just for the sake of giving Lugia EX (which let's be completely honest - isn't even a very viable card at this point when you think about it, especially with Emerald Break coming out.) some support, it won't be played. If it is LTR-On, then odds are Lugia EX will indeed become a First Ticket situation. There's also the fact that if Genesect/Virizion is still popular, why keep it in for ANOTHER year?

I would absolutely love for Legendary Treasures-On to be the new format, since it has a lot of interesting cards - but I also like the idea of XY-On bringing some kind of new balance.

As for the expanded format I will come out and say it - It probably won't change at all. It is more than likely the Modern Magic equivalent of Pokemon.
 
I know it's way too early to predict but I really hope N is still legal in the rotation. Losing that card will destroy all my decks. Professor Birch seems to be a replacement but it relies on a coin flip something I dislike using especially since it's a supporter.

I think it will be LT on or XY base set.

Off-topic: should I invest in a couple of Professor Birch's Observations in case it does become the future N and the price will increase as the value goes up?
 
asdjklghty said:
I know it's way too early to predict but I really hope N is still legal in the rotation. Losing that card will destroy all my decks. Professor Birch seems to be a replacement but it relies on a coin flip something I dislike using especially since it's a supporter.

I think it will be LT on or XY base set.

Off-topic: should I invest in a couple of Professor Birch's Observations in case it does become the future N and the price will increase as the value goes up?

If we get a KSS (Kalos Starter Set)-On rotation, it would be only logical that all BW promos are swiped as well. Shauna and Birch are the most similar cards in the upcoming format.

Off-topic answer: It never hurts to be prepared. I already have 2 playsets of Shauna and I'm looking for the Birchs.
 
I feel they need to put in new support / item cards in the next few sets if they completely remove any black and white from the format. I also see a lot of decks just getting completely butchered by the rotation.
 
asdjklghty said:
I know it's way too early to predict but I really hope N is still legal in the rotation. Losing that card will destroy all my decks.

It effects everyone in the same way though.

Personally I am really looking forward to the rotation. It's going to be quite a different game with no N, no Colress, no Skyla, no Laserbank, no Mewtwo EX or Darkrai EX, no max potion, no Landorus EX, no VirGen, no ACE-SPECS, no Garbador, no Donphan...

As well as just making everything so fresh, there are so many interesting questions to ask. What happens to Toad without Laserbank? Can Yveltal EX still be so powerful without Laserbank and Garbador? What new fighting decks will come up without Landorus or Donphan? Or will fighting become less pervasive? Does that mean that Manectric and electric decks will finally be a force? And if dark declines, will Gengar see more play?

Taking cards out of rotation also makes you look again at all your old cards, which is cool. E.g. without N, a card like Mienshao becomes much more interesting (attacks and then comes back to your hand). There are going to be so many other cards that become more viable when certain other cards are taken out.
 
Talkingcat said:
asdjklghty said:
I know it's way too early to predict but I really hope N is still legal in the rotation. Losing that card will destroy all my decks.

It effects everyone in the same way though.

Personally I am really looking forward to the rotation. It's going to be quite a different game with no N, no Colress, no Skyla, no Laserbank, no Mewtwo EX or Darkrai EX, no max potion, no Landorus EX, no VirGen, no ACE-SPECS, no Garbador, no Donphan...

As well as just making everything so fresh, there are so many interesting questions to ask. What happens to Toad without Laserbank? Can Yveltal EX still be so powerful without Laserbank and Garbador? What new fighting decks will come up without Landorus or Donphan? Or will fighting become less pervasive? Does that mean that Manectric and electric decks will finally be a force? And if dark declines, will Gengar see more play?

Taking cards out of rotation also makes you look again at all your old cards, which is cool. E.g. without N, a card like Mienshao becomes much more interesting (attacks and then comes back to your hand). There are going to be so many other cards that become more viable when certain other cards are taken out.

Oh yeah good hypnotoxic laser will be gone woohoo. I think the game will change to be more friendly to setting up evolved Pokemon like the D&P and HG&HS era but with powerful cards. Roaring Skies shows that. But that might mean my recently put together M Aggron EX deck might not be viable for play soon. Nooooo.
And without N, comebacks might become harder there are times especially in PCTGO) that I can't draw anything for crap and my opponent has 1 or 2 prizes left but then I draw an N and make a comeback. Not win always but comeback. I just wonder will the next rotation make matches so predetermined.
 
N is such a bad card. Almost every time someone plays it against me, I'm glad they did. If it's your turn, I've played all the good cards out of my hand and you're giving me a new hand of cards that are, on average, better than the ones that are in my hand.
 
Rotations for 2015-16 Possibilities!

Greetings my friends!

The rotation will probably be LTR-Onwards, because doing PLB-Onwards is pointless, because why would you leave on plasma set in? It makes the game pointless, especially since if I am correct, Plasma Energy is not in PLB, so even if Lugia EX is reprinted, you cant use it! So it would have to be LTR-On. It is also possible for it to be XY Base set-on, but I doubt it.

Commonly asked questions:
Q: Why do they do rotations?
A: There are multiple reasons. 1: To stop people from using decks that almost always win. 2: To stop decks from being stale. 3: To get players to purchase new packs.

Q: Which winning decks will most likely be removed in the rotation?
A: TDK (NOO I USE THAT DECK D: ), Plasma Lugia, VirGen, Yveltal-Donphan, and possibly Garboador decks.
 
Plasma Energy is indeed in PLB; it's been printed in every Plasma set.

That said, I still think a LTR-on format is more likely, or even XY-on. There's been a tendency the last few years to want to start the rotation with a brand new set series instead of clinging on to the final set of the previous series, though XY is more similar to BW than BW was to HGSS/CoL or HGSS to Arceus.
 
I strongly think and wish that the rotation goes for KSS(Kalos Starter Set)-On. Cards like Mewtwo-EX, Darkrai-EX and N have overstayed their welcome. This will be the 4th World Championship where this cards will be playable, it's not even funny anymore. Dx Changing to KSS-On would give the game a fresh start, so to speak.
 
Mewtwo should just stay in format forever.

Mewtwo has some real sentimental value. I remember when I started playing competitively again; NXD was one of the first sets I was around for, and my very first pack from the set, I pulled a Mewtwo. I kind of don't want to get rid of the classics like Mewtwo and Darkrai simply for nostalgia reasons, but I understand they've been in format for way too long, Darkrai basically being in at least one of the World Champion decks for like the past four years. I kind of don't want to see N rotate either, but I have to admit that a format without it would be very interesting. As much as I want an LTR-On rotation, I think it'll probably be XY-On.
 
I think it'll be XY-on (or KSS on? whichever includes XY and KSS) because it's the first set of the new generation.

I also hope that they ditch the trend of really powerful attacks on non-colorless Pokemon for colorless energy soon. You can just drop Mewtwo or Seismitoad into any deck and they'll do powerful work without requiring any specific type of energy.
 
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