Discussion Viability of Stardust Jirachi

Pipotchi

Pipotchi

Aspiring Trainer
Member
Hey guys, I picked up a single copy of this card on PTCGO a couple of days ago and it seemed to me at least like a great tech card. I was wondering what you guys thought or what the general consensus is on it/ where people use it.

426px-JirachiXYPromo67.jpg


Ive been throwing this in a few different decks, most recently in a Mega Houndoom deck I made because it is a decent Regice answer- 2hkoing with a muscle band and forcing them to spend 3 turns attaching basic water energy vs a speed deck which is generally a bad idea. He also can be the extra 10 damage you need to get an EX knockout with houndoom (or with a giovanni + musc band he can be the extra 50 dmg needed to ohko 210hp megas like mega mewtwo Y), and can buy breathing space vs all the fast, low hp DCE attackers in the format, granting free turns by discarding their energy and also forcing them to charge their pokemon with 2 attachments. Lastly, it can potentially cause all lock decks like Giratina and Seismitoad EX problems since they all use special energy and need to attack every turn.

Every deck uses special energy now too, so this guy never seems like dead weight- plus hes usable/splashable in basically any deck with a (C) energy cost that also allows him to surprise your opponent by attacking the same turn he is played down.
I know hes just a utility pokemon and a tech, but what do you think of this card and do you use him in any decks? It seems very relevant and usable.
 
I think that Jirachi is a very viable card and is particularly nice for slower/evo decks, as it can effectively provide a free turn of stall if your opponent is without Lysandre. That said, you are required to attach an energy to the Jirachi, mean you are unlikely to be getting a free energy attachment.

Anyway, I am wary that the card is getting overhyped by many, so I am wondering how effective it will be in future times as people counter it. As the card is limited to the Active, there is a soft counter of attaching energy to the bench, but like many disruption effects, soft counters does not mean the card becomes useless (re: Toad).
 
It's a freaking good card, it is the worst nightmare of Giratina and Seismitoad decks: not only it discards their special energies, but it will prevent damage too. And its attack costs 1 colorless energy only. Wow.
 
I've been testing this card a bit. I thought it was terrible at first. Now I wanna put it in everything that has space.

This card alone has won me 3 or 4 maches since adding it to my sceptile deck. With lysandre I have chained the energy discard on toad and nightmarch. It makes bees a less horrible match up if you can manage to catch them without a lysandre and dce in hand.
 
The Jirachi promo has proved to be useful in most of my current decks. Not all of them. Giratina EX doesn't really need Jirachi because of the energy block, and metal decks are better of running Aegislash EX or Cobalion EX.

For example It's been really useful in my Mega Manectric/Yveltal EX deck. It runs different kinds of basic energy. I can transfer them using energy switch. Also it didn't really have an answer to Regice either. So yeah I bought another copy, better do it now because the price seems to increase.
 
I picked up two of these cards. This card will literally depreciate the viability of NightMarch, Seismitoad and Garitini decks. Any deck that relies strictly on special energy will go down in value. Once this card went online for cities, players have started playing Garitini with Mantric because they can pull basic energy they need onto Garitini. I also saw players playing Bronzong/Night March. I saw toad being strictly used as a tech. Usually, with most decks only caring two lysanders, it is very hard to work around.

Thoughts: I think the card is pretty healthy for the game because it ups the skill level of trainers. Trainers that rely strictly on lock + speed will need to reevaluate their decks and play style. This card also gives more viability to Stage 2 decks as it will keep the lock + speed decks at bay and allow the evolution's to happen. I also see special energy decreasing in value and players going back to pokemon that use basic energy acceleration, yvltal, Bronzong, laparas, Houndoom, M Mantric... It will slow down the game a bit, but overall, I'll take a slow methodical chess like playing game, over the race to the finish line, or your opponent can't do anything game.

The card is a complete game changer for standard. In expanded, because of Hypno/laser, it is a reasonable tech card.
If you play competitively, I would suggest the need for two of these cards in a deck.
 
Does this card work if your opponent doesn't have any special energy? Not all decks run special energy. EX: any grass (who runs herbal?) It could be a good wall, but I don't think your opponent will waste all that energy that he/she can't get back. Don't get me wrong it's a good card, but only in certain matches so not too consistent. Also viability? maybe 1 in some decks.
 
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this card deserves at leas to be included in 1x in every deck.
If the match doesn't need the jirachi presence, just discard it!
 
Think of it like playing 1 enhanced hammer. You don't always need it. But when you do its amazing. With jirachi, it only takes 1 slot, 1 energy, and it can discard energy special energy in ur opponents deck.
 
Not all decks run Special Energy but a lot do. Tinatoad, Vespiquen, Night March...the latter two might have alternatives, but their speed takes something of a hit.

To me it's the secondary ability that makes Jirachi as good as it is. Sure, discarding a Special Energy is good, but preventing ALL damage to it? That is crazily good.
 
I'm fairly 50/50 about this, decks like bats, tyrantrum, steel, etc don't fear the card, even decks like toad/tina, night march, and queen have options to out playing the card as they have other things to worry about like regice for example.

I see this as a late game niche card against a deck that has ran out of special energy.
 
Ran this as a one of last Sunday at a City Championship, made use of it in nearly everyone of my games (half of which were Giratina EX variants, which I didn't lose to because Jirachi just 100% shuts them down). The energy discard combined with the turn of invincibility is CRAZY. Definitely worth the 5 dollar blister.
 
I picked up two of these after I got off work. I threw one into my M-Houndoom deck because it will help with most of its problems. If I come across a match-up I don't need it, it becomes discard material for Ultra Ball or Battle Compressor. I would strongly recommend 1 of this in most decks.
 
awesomeMSG said:
Does this card work if your opponent doesn't have any special energy? Not all decks run special energy. EX: any grass (who runs herbal?) It could be a good wall, but I don't think your opponent will waste all that energy that he/she can't get back. Don't get me wrong it's a good card, but on;y in certain matches so not too consistent.
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The Pokemon needs the special energy for it to work, at least that is the way it was explained to me. Competitively, because there are a few different styles of decks that you might see in a tournament, you train for those match ups. If you know those match ups are heavy special energy, Garitini -- Night March -- Camrupt -- Yveltal -- Rayquaza -- Regice -- Vilplume Variants you sort of train for those decks by ensuring you have hard counters. Jeriachi is considered a hard counter, even more so then Aigislash EX because of it's speed. So by looking at the card, I could see a lot of consistency to it.

What it does is force the opponent to change their deck and play style on top tier decks, which I think is a game changer. It's already being used in cities and showing great results. For a five buck booster pack, I think it is one of the best reasonably price boosters out there. Alright, no more hyping, try it for yourself.
 
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