The Return of Enhanced Hammer

NintendoAlian

NintendoAlian

Frontier Brain
Member
Phantom Gate will have a lot of new cards, and some old ones. And out of all of the cards they could have brought back(Pokemon Communication, Level Ball, Prism Energy, etc.) and they chose to bring back enhanced hammer.

Enhanced Hammer destroys:
Landorus/Lucario(Strong Energy)
Good or Bad: Good
Explanation: This deck was already powerful enough with Korrina, Fighting Stadium, etc. And, this can happen: Landorus + Muscle Band + Strong Energy + Hypnotoxic Laser + Virbank City Gym + 2x Weakness = 200 damage and 30 to a bench

Aromatisse(Rainbow)
Good or Bad: Bad
Explanation: This deck may have made top 4 in worlds in worlds, but it lost a whole lot after the rotation including Prism Energy, Level Ball, and Super Rod. Now, they have to use fairy energy which takes away options like Suicune, Landorus, and Yveltal. And when they want to use them, they have to use rainbow energy and put a damage counter when you attach it.

TDK(Rainbow)
Good or Bad: Bad
Explanation: Prism rotated so to work as well you have to use rainbow. Enhanced Hammer will destroy this already honestly weak deck.

Yveltal/Seismitoad
Good or Bad: Good
Explanation: While you might say that it's the best way to do more damage with Yveltal or get Seismitoad powered up quickly, but Seismitoad blocks item cards, so enhanced hammer won't usually be used, so it is hard to beat this. So when you get that small opening, you use enhanced hammer to slow your opponent down, yet not completely destroy them.

So what do you think. Is there anything I missed. Please let me know.
 
Originally when this was reprinted, I was very excited. I thought Enhanced Hammer was a good card for the game when it was originally out. With it, it gave consequences for playing too many Special Energy in your deck. Cards like DCE and Strong Energy are just too powerful for them to have nothing punishing you for playing them. You really shouldn't be able to play 12 Special Energy in your deck without a drawback (besides not being able to use Professor's Letter). It made building your Energy lines way too simple: something I frankly despise.

As I said, I was excited, until I remembered Seismitoad EX existed. Seismitoad is just gross with this card. They can manipulate your Energy much easier, while you can't even play the card yourself. Seismitoad/Crushing Hammer/Team Flare Grunt was actually a thing this Regionals, and it wasn't a bad deck. Playing against a deck with Item lock and Energy removal isn't going to be fun, and there's no doubt that won't be a thing. PCL should be making precautions to make Seismitoad worse; not print more and more cards that make it better. There also aren't as many Special in the format as there was before, which is another reason not having Enhanced Hammer is fine.
 
I honestly don't get what tPCI was trying to achieve with all the Special Energy hate in the Phantom Forces set. It closes out more options than it opens up in terms of decks, and now LugiaEX-based decks or any Plasma in general is absolutely dead. Not so much Kyurem as Lugia though, because it is possible to just run a bunch of water for quick Frost Spears, but it's impossible for Lugia to attack AegislashEX. Enhanced Hammer doesn't help anything because now Seismitoad is free to abuse it in both formats.
 
I don't feel Aegislash-EX is as broken as everyone says. If that was the only Special Energy stopper in Phantom Forces, that would have been fine. Decks could still use Special Energy, but they would need to run some Basic Energy to bypass the threat or something that pierces guards, like Cobalion-EX or Latias-EX. But with Enhanced Hammer, Special Energy just might be dying. The reason I hate this is because, with killing off things like Strong Energy and Rainbow Energy, they also are killing DCE. Seriously, why couldn't they just print Xerosic and call it a day? Did they really have to unbalance the format?
 
GadgetJax said:
I don't feel Aegislash-EX is as broken as everyone says. If that was the only Special Energy stopper in Phantom Forces, that would have been fine. Decks could still use Special Energy, but they would need to run some Basic Energy to bypass the threat or something that pierces guards, like Cobalion-EX or Latias-EX. But with Enhanced Hammer, Special Energy just might be dying. The reason I hate this is because, with killing off things like Strong Energy and Rainbow Energy, they also are killing DCE. Seriously, why couldn't they just print Xerosic and call it a day? Did they really have to unbalance the format?
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They certainly won't die. Strong Energy, DCE, and Plasma Energy are too ridiculous of cards to have people stop playing them. If they get discarded, just replace it. Sure, if you play all basic Energy, you're free from the tyranny of Enhanced Hammer, but you miss out on the fantastic effects of DCE, Rainbow Energy, and whatever type of Special Energy your deck can play. It gives you another choice when building your deck, which is a good thing, in my opinion.

pokedan24 said:
^

I agree. Xerosic was a balanced card. there was no need to bring back enhanced hammer.
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Xerosic wasn't balanced lol. It was just too weak. Maybe if it got rid of 1 Special Energy and 1 Tool it would've been good, but as it is now, even without Enhanced Hammer in the format, I don't think people would've played Xerosic.
 
Xerosic will be played though due to Toad lock. Its one of the few ways you can stop Toad for a turn or remove a flare tool. I personally have one in my toad deck, just in case.
 
I think we abused special energy to much, and should start using basic energy more. As of now, any deck playing two different types of pokemon used special energy, giving them bigger advantages. Enhanced Hammer is back to balance the format.
 
In all honesty, I think Enhanced Hammer does keep everyone on their toes to some degree. As I stated in another thread, Seismitoad is only a big threat if you let it be one. Sure, you could be without items for a few turns but then again, there are always other ways around it. To be honest, I'm damn happy to see it back as that makes the game a little more tactical in using it such as removing that Plasma from Lugia, hitting the DCE off Seismitoad before they could attack, removing the Strong before it gets out of hand, etc.
 
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