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Basic Pokemon Tool: Eviolite

By: Brian Hsieh

Eviolite is found in the fifth generation of the Pokemon games. It raises the special defense and defense of a Pokemon if that Pokemon is capable of evolving. This gave card creators a chance to insert it into the metagame. While keeping its defensive traits, this card differs from the actual item in the game. Instead of raising the defenses of a Pokemon that still can evolve, it raises the defense of all Basic Pokemon by 20 HP, even ones that do not have the capability of evolving further. This is basically a Defender card that never goes away unless the Pokemon is knocked out. This gives holders of this card many strategic applications that can further change the metagame.

A perfect insert for Eviolite is into ZTPS. Every Pokemon within ZTPS is a Basic Pokemon and would all benefit from an Eviolite attachment, although attaching to a Shaymin or Pachirisu would be quite pointless, as they aren’t your actual attackers in the deck. What this does is give Zekrom and Tornadus some breathing room against 120 attacks from Reshiram or another Zekrom that use a Pluspower to knock out a Zekrom. A smart opponent wouldn’t attack like that in fear of getting hit with an Outrage, so it does stall for a turn giving your own Zekrom the chance to Bolt Strike for 120 and add a Pluspower if that opponent hasn’t attached an Eviolite. This card might also see some play with Reshiram themed decks, although the insert might not be as strong as ZTPS considering Reshiram is the sole Basic Pokemon that attacks in those decks.

Another good example would be for wall decks. Vileplume takes away the Pluspower one would need to KO a Pokemon with 130 HP and Reuniclus spreads the damage around so that the active Pokemon remains unharmed. Techs like Magby and Kingdra Prime have shown an ability to overcome such obstacles, which have lowered Gothitelle’s playability. Eviolite won’t help Gothitelle, but it will help Pokemon such as Kyurem, Reshiram, Zekrom, Terrakion maintain a healthy wall while even being hit with burn or Spray Splash after the user’s turn. It will even help Pokemon like Cobalion and Virizion maintain walls as 140 is good enough for Kingdra but doesn’t help with Magby. It can be really deadly with Kyurem though, as steel type Pokemon haven’t received much play. Eviolite also counters Rocky Helmet, another Pokemon tool released in Noble victories which would initially damage the attacker by 20.

Eviolite won’t be seen in any Stage 1 Rush or Yanmegazone, but now those decks have to insert more techs to counter this item. Once it’s released, it should automatically be considered in your deck if you run any of the above. If not, you must consider putting a card that will counter it. Pokemon tools were just rereleased in this new set, so the only Pokemon at the moment that removes Pokemon tools is Heatmor. The upside is that Heatmor is a basic Pokemon, which means that there won’t be a clunky evolution line just to counter one thing like Kingdra Prime does. The downside is that it takes two turns to set up, as it requires two energies in order to use this attack. Typhlosion Prime’s afterburner effect allows Heatmor to gain one from the discard pile and attach, but the opponent can easily just knock out Heatmor and attach another Eviolite. Best case scenario is using Rocky Helmet mixed with a Kingdra Prime line. This gives the user a chance to hit for 10 more damage in order to expose any Pokemon with Eviolite and 150 HP that decides to attack a Pokemon with Rocky Helmet. Future sets will probably hurt Eviolite’s playability, but for now, it’s a very playable card. It’s not completely devastating, but it can affect the outcome of many battles from here on.

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Pokemon Noble Victories Set Review

By Kohrok

Hey there Pokemon fans, welcome back to another article with Kohrok! Today, we’ll be discussing the latest US set, Noble Victories! The 101-card set was released on November 16, 2011, and it promises to be one of the best sets yet. With 5 full-art cards and a secret rare, it rounds out the Black/White Collection quite well. In addition to rare cards, it also contains a number of cards that offer potential in the form of abilities, some of which we will look at today.

First off is Victini (14 and 98), available as a regular holo and as a full-art card. The attack, “Stored Power”, offers a decent 30 damage for (Fire) (Colorless), but it hardly compares to Victini’s ability. Aptly named “Fliptini” by fans of the game, it has caused a huge run on probabilities, leading the entire fan community to begin to get concerned about coin flips and mathematics. The ability, usable one time per turn, allows for the coins used in an attack to be completely re-flipped. Although having multiple Victini in play will not allow the ability to be used multiple times, the ability to re-flip offers huge potential for any coin-flipping deck. Key partners include Sharpedo (TM), whose “Strip Bare” attack now has an increase in success probability, resulting in a 43.75% chance of success. It’s not quite a doubling, but it is an improvement, that will surely lead to an increase in coin-flip play.

The second card to focus on is Chandelure (60). Although not terribly impressive offensively for a Stage 2 Pokemon, it’s (stackable) ability allows you to place 3 damage counters on your opponent’s side of the field, as long as Chandelure is active. The retreat cost of 2 hurts, but by playing Dodrio UD, you can utilize the “Retreat Aid” Poke-body to reduce that to 0, allowing for a free retreat every turn. By playing 2 Chandelure, you open the door to place 6 damage counters and attack using “Eerie Glow” for 50 Damage, burning and confusing your opponent. Current decks plan on running high counts of “Switch” to help allow for additional damage placement, and some decks have opted to look at Kingdra Prime (UL) to allow for even more damage placement, creating (with 2 Chandelure, Dodrio, and 2 Kingdra Prime) the ability to place 8 damage counters onto the field, each and every turn. This same capability, utilized by Garchomp C Lv. X over the past two seasons to great effect, is an extremely potent combination. Even though set-up will be required, the use of Twins (TM) and Rare Candy (UL) offer the ability to get set-up faster and more effectively. A fully powered Chandelure will be a threat, and with a full set-up, it may be even stronger than before.
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New Pokemon Information Regarding Championship Events

By Kohrok

Hey Pokemon Players! Kohrok here with another awesome article with Hardrock-Pokemon. As you may know, we’re heading into the meatiest part of this year’s tournament schedule for the Pokemon TCG, with Regionals the second weekend of November, City Championships running through December and January, State Championships after that, Spring Regionals, and of course, the now-announced United States Nationals in late June, all leading up to the 2012 Pokemon World Championships!

For those of you that haven’t been following the season thus far, never fear! There are still plenty of opportunities to earn an invite and find your place at the World Championships top tables. There are some changes to the way that works, however. The first primary change is in the ranking system. Previously, the Pokemon Trading Card Game had used a “K-Value” system to establish rankings, re-setting each year to a base of 1600 points, and allowing players’ ratings to increase and decrease with wins and losses. Depending on the importance of each event, assessed with a numeric “K-value”, the number of points that were won or lost differed.

This year, however, the system has changed. While the K-value system is still in place, it will only be used as a tie-breaking method, and not as an invitation system as it previously had. Now, a “Championship Points” system has been created, which has led to an increase in event attendance thus far, and looks to do so for the remainder of the year. Now, top finishers and finalists will receive “Championship Points” for their finish position, similar to the way some sports give points based on final position, such as in Track or Swimming. Based on the number of points a player accumulates over the season, the number of their “top finishes”, a ranking may or may not be given.

This new method means that you no longer lose points for losing games, creating an extreme incentive to go to as many tournaments as possible, in the hope that you may win an event, reaping a large point-award. Currently, there has been much debate as to what, if any, cutoff may occur for the invitation, but such news has not been made public at this time. Also private remains the number of “Play! Points” required to attend the Nationals tournament. Unlike in previous years, United States Nationals will NOT be open to any and all players. In response to growing player demand and other concerns, Pokemon has implemented a new rule for this year. Instead, each season of league, pre-release, tournament, and premier event that a player attends will now add “Play! Points” (not to be confused with Championship Points) to a player’s total. Once a specific amount of Play! Points are reached, a player will be eligible to attend the National Tournament.
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Oklahoma Pokemon Battle Roads

By JC

Hey Guys! I know it’s a little late, but I attended and competed at my very first Battle Roads in Oklahoma. I have never been a part of the meta-game. My only experience came back in ’98-’99 when the series started. I pretty much just battled friends with my Rain Dance and Haymaker decks. I used an Reshiboar deck because it was my cheapest option and I had already bought the Red Frenzy Starter Deck. Reshiphlosion is also one the cheaper decks out there, but I personally like Reshiboar better. I like to call my deck “Budgetboar,” because of the low cost contents. I was only able to run 2-2 of Pokemon Collector and Rare Candy. Most of the cards in my deck I pulled from packs, except for 2 Ability Emboars and HeartGold SoulSilver Ninetails, which I bought. There were over 20 Masters participants, and we played 5 rounds of Swiss.

Match 1: My start really drained my confidence. I had hopes to make Top Cut, but I mulliganed 3 times and went second. I shrugged off the competitive nerves and looked forward to enjoy myself. Afterall, this was my very first event. My first match would be against a MegaZone variant. By Turn 2, he had a Magnezone, a Yanmega, and pretty much a full bench. Luckily, I was able to use Pokemon Collector to get a Reshiram, Tepig, and Vulpix. He seemed like he was in a good position, but mentioned that he wasn’t getting what he needed. I kept my hand large (10+ cards) thanks to a good Interviewer’s Question to prevent his Yanmega from attacking.

I was waiting for the inevitable Judge or Copycat, but I never recall him using one. They may have been discarded with Sage’s Training. Our battle was the last of Round One, and eventually the Judge called time. On Turn 1, I was able to knockout one of his Pokemon, and tied the game (we both had 2 or 3 left). On Turn 2, he used Linear Attack on my Ninetails. On the last turn, it looked like the game was going to go to sudden death because I couldn’t knockout his active Magnezone. I knew I had a Junk Arm in my deck. If I were able to get it, I’d be able to win the game by getting my one and only copy of Pokemon Catcher in my discard pile. I used a PONT, and drew the game-clinching Junk Arm. This game was a cliffhanger and I shook my opponent’s hand for a great first game.

1-0

Match 2: My second match start went better as I only mulliganed once. He flipped over his cards showing an Active Phanpy and already had Kyougre-Groudon Legend on the bench. I was intimidated, but I pressed on. On my first turn, I used 2 Pluspowers, and used Professor Juniper. I forgot what I ended up discarding, but I know that I struggled with my decision. I was able to set up a fast Emboar, but I lost my Vulpix to a Pokemon Catcher. We traded prizes as his Donphan took out a Tepig and a Vulpix, but I was able to knockout his Donphan with one Blue Flare (the one shot was possible because I previously used 2 Pluspowers and attacked his Phanpy with Tepig). He didn’t get a single Energy on his Legend and I was able to knock it out for 2 prizes. I was able to get Reshiram going and ended up winning.
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Emerging Powers Pre-Release

 

By JC

Hey guys! I’ve wanted to write a review about my Emerging Powers Pre-Release ever since I went back in September. I’ve been putting it off partly due to my forgetfulness and partly due to being busy. I’m going to start now before I start to forget all the details. This was actually my first event to anything regarding Pokemon, so I was anxious because I didn’t know what to expect. I arrived shortly after 11:00 for registration and to my surprise, there was a line outside of the venue. There must have been around 25 people there and more continued to trickle in.

Once inside, I helped put down chairs and waited patiently as the organizers were setting everything up. I waited about 30 minutes after I registered. I made my Pokemon Play card and received a deck box and a promo Gigalith. Unfortunately, they didn’t have enough deck boxes and Promo cards for everyone. They did have some extra Black and White deck boxes from the previous Pre-Release as replacements for those who couldn’t get the Emerging Powers deck boxes. I made some small talk with others around myself as I waited. I felt a bit anxious at first because I was in a new environment revolving around a children’s anime, but eased up as the day went on. All of us were given 6 Emerging Powers booster packs at around 12:00 and it was off to the races. I quickly learned from the others as they opened up their packs quickly and organized them into piles based on types. My childhood memories of getting bad pulls came back to me as I opened each pack. I actually spent a long time looking at the new cards in my first pack, but had to pick up the pace because everyone else were on their 3rd or 4th. I really like the artwork and the reverse-holo style.

I can’t remember all the contents of my 40 card deck, but I know I decided to make a metal and grass deck. My single holographic was a Cobalion and I knew I had to put him in my deck. The only other metal Pokemon were Ferroseed and Ferrothorn.

The cards I remember: 2-1 Petilil and Lilligant; 1-1-1 Sewaddle, Swadloon, Leavanny; 1-1 Cottonee and Whimsicott; 1-1-1 Pidove, Tranquill, and Unfezant; 1 Bianca; 2 Max Potion; 1 Great Ball; Grass and Metal energy cards

I also threw in a Basculin and a water energy at the last minute. This turned out to be a bad decision. I think there are only like 4 Fire-type Pokemon cards in the set, so I shouldn’t have been worried about fire weakness.

I played 4-5 matches and only won once. The one time I did win was because of Lilligant. Everyone else I played got Tornadus, Thundurus, or one of the legendary beasts out within 2 turns. It was ridiculous! One guy I played pulled all 3 legendary beasts (and used them too). I didn’t stay for the entire thing, but I was glad I went. I was really disappointed at my pulls, but it was still exciting. Out of my 8 booster packs, I didn’t pull a “good” Beartic, a Pokemon Catcher, any version of the genies, and only 1 holographic. I pulled a “bad” Gothitelle out of my final pack, which kind of sums up the entire day. If you’re thinking about getting into Pokemon, going to a Pre-Release is a great way to get introduced to the environment and atmosphere of competitive play. There are no prizes for winning at Pre-Releases, so you only have to worry about having a good time.

 

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Pokemon 5th Movie Half Deck Scans, Translations And Text Dump


 

Pokemon 5th Movie Half Deck Scans, Translations And Text Dump

Oakley’s Ariados 50 HP
リオンのアリアドス Basic Pokemon

String Shot10
いとをはく 10

Flip a coin. If heads, the Defending Pokemon is now Paralyzed.
コイン を 1 かい なげ オモテ なら 、 あいて を マヒ に する 。

Night Shade 10
ナイトヘッド 10

If your opponent has any benched Pokemon, choose one and do 10 damage to it.
あいて の ベンチポケモン 1 ひき に も 、 10 ダメージ 。

Kagemaru Himeno 001/018

Brock’s Crobat 60 HP
タケシのクロバット Basic Pokemon

Supersonic
ちょうおんぱ

Flip a coin. If heads, the Defending Pokemon is now Confused.
コイン を 1 かい なげ オモテ なら 、 あいて を こんらん に する 。

Wing Attack 20
つばさでうつ 20

Shin-ichi Yoshikawa 002/018

Misty’s Politoed 60 HP
カスミのニョロトノ Basic Pokemon

Water Gun 10+
みずでっぽう 10+

Does 10 damage plus 10 more damage for each Energy attached to Politoed but not used to pay for this attack’s Energy cost. You can’t add more than 20 damage in this way.

この ワザ に ひつよう な エネルギー より も おおく エネルギー が つい て いる なら 、 おおいエネルギー かける 20 ダメージ を ついか する 。 ついか できる ダメージ は 、エネルギー 2 こ ぶん まで

Body Slam 20
のしかかり 20

Flip a coin. If heads, the Defending Pokemon is now Paralyzed.
コイン を 1 かい なげ オモテ なら 、 あいて を マヒ に する

Hisao Nakamura 003/018

Misty’s Corsola 50 HP
カスミのサニーゴ Basic Pokemon

Self-Healing
セルフヒーリング

Once during your turn (before your attack), when you attach an  Energy card to Corsola from your hand, you may remove 1 damage counter from it, if any.
じぶん の ばん ごと に 1 かい 、 この ポケモン に しゅさつ から エネルギー カード を だし て つけ た とき 、 この ポケモン に のっ て いる ダメージ カウンター を 1 こ とりのぞく 。

Spike Cannon 20x
とげキャノン　 20x

Flip 2 coins. This attack does 20 damage times the number of heads.
コイン を 2 かい なげ 、 オモテ かける 20 ダメージ。

Hisao Nakamura 004/018

Ross’s Wailmer 60 HP
ロッシのホエルコ Basic Pokemon

Tackle 20
たいあたり 20

Water Splash
みずとばし

Does 20 damage to 1 of your opponent’s Pokemon. (Don’t apply Weakness or Resistance.)
あいて の ポケモン 1 ひき に 、 その ポケモン の じゃくてん ・ ていこう りょく ・ すべて の こうか に かんけい なく 、 20 ダメージ 。
Atsuko Nishida 005/018

Water Capital Xatu 60 HP
みずのみやこのネイティオ Basic Pokemon

Prophecy
さきどり

Flip a coin. If heads, draw a card.
コイン を 1 かい なげ オモテ なら, じぶん の やま さつ から カード を 1 まい ひく 。

Double Peck 20x
にどつつき 20x

Flip 2 coins. This attack does 20 damage times the number of heads.
コイン を 2 かい なげ 、 オモテ かける 20 ダメージ。

Kouki Saitou 006/018

Annie’s Espeon 60 HP
ザンナーのエーフィ Basic Pokemon

Tackle 20
たいあたり 20

Psychic 10+
サイコキネシス 10+

Does 10 damage plus 10 more damage times the number of Energy cards attached to the Defending Pokemon.
あいて に つい て いる 「エネルギーカード」 の まいすう かける 10 ダメージ を ついか する 。

Kagemaru Himeno 007/018

Water Capital Kabutops 60 HP
みずのみやこのカブトプス Basic Pokemon

Scratch 10
ひっかく 10

Razor Wind 40
かまいたち 40

Flip a coin. If tails, this attack does nothing.
コイン を 1 かい なげ ウラ なら 、 この ワザ は しっぱい する 。

 

Midori Harada 008/018

Water Capital Aerodactyl 60 HP
みずのみやこのプテラ Basic Pokemon

Claw 20
かぎづめ 20

Flip a coin. If tails, this attack does nothing.
コイン を 1 かい なげ ウラ なら 、 この ワザ は しっぱい する 。

Hyper Beam 20
はかいこうせん 20

Flip a coin. If heads, discard 1 Energy card attached to the Defending Pokemon.
コイン を 1 かい なげ オモテ なら 、 あいて の エネルギー を 1 こ トラッシュ する 。

Midori Harada 009/018

 

Water Capital Pidgeotto 50 HP
みずのみやこのピジョン Basic Pokemon

Sharp Claw 10+
するどいツメ 10+

Flip a coin. If heads, this attack does 10 damage plus 30 more damage.
コイン を 1 かい なげ オモテ なら 、 30 ダメージ を ついか する 。

 

 

Kouki Saitou 010/018

Water Capital Latias 60 HP
みずのみやこのラティアス Basic Pokemon

Synchro-Barrier
シンクロバリア

If you have any Water Capital Latios in play, all damage done to Water Capital Latias by attacks is reduced by 10.
じぶん の ば に 「 みず の みやこ の ラティオス 」 が いる なら 、 この ポケモン が ワザ によって うける ダメージ は 、 すべて 「 – 10 」 さ れる 。 (「 みず の みやこ の ラティオス 」 が なん ひき い て も 、 「- 10 」 の まま 。 )

Hypnoblast 30
さいみんはどう 30

Flip a coin. If heads, the Defending Pokemon is now Asleep.
コイン を 1 かい なげ オモテ なら 、 あいて を ねむり に する 。

Mitsuhiro Arita 011/018

Water Capital Latios 70 HP
みずのみやこのラティオス Basic Pokemon

Synchro-Aura
シンクロオーラ

If you have any Water Capital Latias in play, whenever Water Capital Latios*s attack damages the Defending Pokemon, the attack does 10 more damage to the Defending Pokemon (after applying Weakness and Resistance).
じぶん の ば に 「 みず の みやこ の ラティアス 」 が いる なら 、 この ポケモン が ワザ によって バトルポケモン に あたえる ダメージ は 、 「+ 10 」 さ れる 。 (「 みず の みやこ の ラティアス 」が なん ひき い て も 、 「+ 10 」 の まま 。 )

Ice Beam 20
れいとうビーム 20

Flip a coin. If heads, the Defending Pokemon is now Paralyzed.
コイン を 1 かい なげ オモテ なら 、 あいて を マヒ に する 。

Mitsuhiro Arita 012/018

TRAINER
エネルギーさいせい Energy Restore

Flip 3 coins. For each heads, put a basic Energy card from your discard pile into your hand. If you don’t have that many basic Energy cards in your discard pile, put all of them into your hand.
コイン を 3 かい なげ 、 オモテ の すう ぶん の きほん エネルギー を 、 じぶん の トラッシュ から えらびだし 、 あいて プレイヤー に みせ て から 、 しゅさつ に くわえる 。

 
Hideyoshi Nakajimo 013/018

 

 

 

TRAINER
エネルギーてんそう Energy Search

Search your deck for a basic Energy card, show it to your opponent, and put it into your hand. Shuffle your deck afterwards.
じぶん の やま さつ から きほん エネルギー を 1 まい えらびだし 、 あいて プレイヤー に みせ て から 、 しゅさつ に くわえる 。 そのご 、 その やま さつ を きる 。

 

Kai Ishikawa 014/018

 

TRAINER
きずぐすり Potion

Remove 2 damage counters from 1 of your Pokemon (1 if it has only 1).
じぶん の ポケモン 1 ひき から 、 ダメージ カウンター を 2 こ とりのぞく 。

 

 

Keiji Kinebuchi 015/018

 

TRAINER
こころのしずく Soul Dew

Search your deck for a Pokemon with Water Capital in its name and put it onto your Bench. Shuffle your deck afterward. Then, if you have any other Pokemon in play with Energy cards attached to it, you may take 1 of those Energy cards and attach it to the new Pokemon.
じぶん の やま さつ から 「 みず の みやこ の ポケモン 」 を 1 まい えらびだし 、 ベンチ に だす 。 そのご 、 の ぞむ なら 、 じぶん の ば の べつ の ポケモン に つい て いる 「 エネルギー カード 」 を 1 まい えらび 、 あたらしく だし た ポケモン につけ かえ て よい 。 やま さつ を み た ばあい は 、 その やま さつ を よく きる 。

Hiromichi Sugiyama 016/018

 

TRAINER
ポケモンいれかえ Pokemon Switch

Switch your Active Pokemon with 1 of your Benched Pokemon.
じぶん の バトルポケモン 1 ひき を 、 じぶん の ベンチポケモン と いれかえる 。

 

 

Keiji Kinebuchi 017/018

TRAINER Technical Machine
アルトマーレキューブ Altomare Cube

Attach this card to 1 of your Pokemon in play with Water Capital in its name. That Pokemon may use this card’s attack instead of its own. At the end of your turn, discard Altomare Cube.
この カード は 、 じぶん の ば の 「 みず の みやこ の ポケモン 」 に つけ て つかい 、 じぶん の ばん の おわり に トラッシュ する 。この カード に かい て ある ワザ は 、 この カード を つけ て いる ポケモン の もっ て いるワザ として つかう こと が できる 。

Dream Depiction
ゆめうつし

Put 1 damage counter on the Defending Pokemon for each damage counter on the Pokemon Altomare’s Cube is attached to. じぶん に のっ て いる ダメージ カウンター の かず と おなじ かず の ダメージ カウンター を 、 あいて に のせる 。

*Big Mama* Tagawa 018/018

 

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Dragon Types And Neo Genesis Memories

By Kohrok

Hey everyone, great news for the Pokemon TCG world! After over a decade of waiting, we’re finally being given our 10th type in the Trading Card Game – Dragon! Japan will be getting a new set next January, focusing on Dragon-type Pokemon entitled “Dragon Selection”. There haven’t been many details posted yet, but it’s certainly going to be something to watch out for. Hopefully, our friends over at Hardrock-Pokemon will have these packs in stock, and if rumors hold true, such as the set being all-foil, then these will surely be a hot commodity to kick off 2012. It also raises the question of when this new type might be hitting the US, in order to be playable at the 2012 World Championships.

New type aside, let’s take a trip down memory lane, to when the card game got it’s 8th and 9th types. The set launched in Japan just after the turn to the 21st century, and the American release followed one year later. For the first time, Pokemon expanded beyond the original 151 Pokemon (152 if you count the anime’s use of Togepi, and 153 is you predicted that Episode 1’s Ho-Oh was Ho-oh) and as a result, introduced two new types into the Pokemon universe: Darkness and Steel.

The card game, of course, wanted to reflect this new, exciting element, and so created cards of these types, as well as adding support for Baby Pokemon and the ability for Pokemon to hold items, in the form of Pokemon tools. The English set, 111 cards, contained a grand total of 3 Steel cards, 3 Darkness cards, 4 Pokemon tools, and 4 baby Pokemon.

All 3 Steel cards were Holo rares, all 3 Darkness cards were rares, the tool varied between rarities, and the baby Pokemon were holo (Pichu) and rare (Elekid, Magby, and Cleffa). Recall, as well, that until 2007, Darkness and Steel were not basic energy types, so you could only have 4 of each energy in your deck. Never mind that given the trainer engine available, this set also brought a huge change to the metagame.
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Pokemon Pittsburgh Autumn Battle Road 2011

By Kohrok

Hey guys, update on the Tournament Season! So, I know that I said I wasn’t going to be playing Autumn Battle Roads, but situations changed, and after I got a ride courtesy of one of my friends, I ended up being able to play at the Pittsburgh, PA Battle Road. I deliberated between several decks, and ultimately, because of one card choice, ended up losing, missing top cut, and having a very disappointing finish. I’ll be going over the other decks I didn’t play in another article, so stay tuned for that!

October 8, 2011. Pittsburgh, PA. CCG’s Card Shop.

It’s a small venue, but the attendance is high. After doing some background research, I learn that there hasn’t been anything too crazy; Reshiram/Typhlosion Prime and Gothitelle/Reuniclus being the two biggest decks, which doesn’t surprise me too much. I also note that there are two players playing “High-tier” metagame decks, but neither one seems to have too much focus on that. One is playing a Zekrom donk deck. With 27 energy (“It’s down from last event!” He tells me proudly). The other is playing the infamous “Ross.dec” utilizing Vileplume, Reuniclus, and Suicune/Entei Legend. Famous for coming in second at Masters Worlds 2011, it’s a very strong deck, and to say the least, both decks worried me a bit. I was choosing between using a deck with Magnezone, and my eventual decision, Zekrom. I flipped a coin and decided to go with Zekrom, believing in my build, and noting that my Black Belt tech would help against the Gothitelle player if I ran into him.

So I arrived to the venue with time to spare, met a player new to the area who was from Singapore (Purple Strawberry props to you!) and we chatted a bit. I practiced against one of the kids from league who was playing in Seniors (he ended up getting 2nd) and got myself set. I checked in with my deck, and we got ready to roll. Other props include to the pair who brought in EX decks and tried to deck-check. I’m sorry that you couldn’t play, but that’s a total flashback!

Round 1 v. ? (Darkrai/Cresselia/etc.)

Round 1 was relatively uneventful. I started with Shaymin, which was unfortunate, but I got a Turn 1 Collector and got set up quickly. He was playing a deck that seemed to revolve around Darkrai/Cresselia Legend, but he said it was his first tournament. He knocked out my first Shaymin, and I brought out Zekrom and swept from there, knocking out Sigilyph, Bronzong, two other Pokemon, and eventually, Darkrai/Cresselia Legend. It wasn’t a terribly crazy game, and I wished him good luck for the rest of the day (He would end up beating my record, going 3-1).

It was a pleasure to meet you! I’m sorry that I didn’t take your name down, but you’re a new face, and it’s good to know that there are still new players each event! Please keep up with the game!
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Pokemon Pittsburgh Autumn Battle Road 2011

By Kohrok

Hey guys, update on the Tournament Season! So, I know that I said I wasn’t going to be playing Autumn Battle Roads, but situations changed, and after I got a ride courtesy of one of my friends, I ended up being able to play at the Pittsburgh, PA Battle Road. I deliberated between several decks, and ultimately, because of one card choice, ended up losing, missing top cut, and having a very disappointing finish. I’ll be going over the other decks I didn’t play in another article, so stay tuned for that!

October 8, 2011. Pittsburgh, PA. CCG’s Card Shop.

It’s a small venue, but the attendance is high. After doing some background research, I learn that there hasn’t been anything too crazy; Reshiram/Typhlosion Prime and Gothitelle/Reuniclus being the two biggest decks, which doesn’t surprise me too much. I also note that there are two players playing “High-tier” metagame decks, but neither one seems to have too much focus on that. One is playing a Zekrom donk deck. With 27 energy (“It’s down from last event!” He tells me proudly). The other is playing the infamous “Ross.dec” utilizing Vileplume, Reuniclus, and Suicune/Entei Legend. Famous for coming in second at Masters Worlds 2011, it’s a very strong deck, and to say the least, both decks worried me a bit. I was choosing between using a deck with Magnezone, and my eventual decision, Zekrom. I flipped a coin and decided to go with Zekrom, believing in my build, and noting that my Black Belt tech would help against the Gothitelle player if I ran into him.

So I arrived to the venue with time to spare, met a player new to the area who was from Singapore (Purple Strawberry props to you!) and we chatted a bit. I practiced against one of the kids from league who was playing in Seniors (he ended up getting 2nd) and got myself set. I checked in with my deck, and we got ready to roll. Other props include to the pair who brought in EX decks and tried to deck-check. I’m sorry that you couldn’t play, but that’s a total flashback!

Round 1 v. ? (Darkrai/Cresselia/etc.)

Round 1 was relatively uneventful. I started with Shaymin, which was unfortunate, but I got a Turn 1 Collector and got set up quickly. He was playing a deck that seemed to revolve around Darkrai/Cresselia Legend, but he said it was his first tournament. He knocked out my first Shaymin, and I brought out Zekrom and swept from there, knocking out Sigilyph, Bronzong, two other Pokemon, and eventually, Darkrai/Cresselia Legend. It wasn’t a terribly crazy game, and I wished him good luck for the rest of the day (He would end up beating my record, going 3-1).

It was a pleasure to meet you! I’m sorry that I didn’t take your name down, but you’re a new face, and it’s good to know that there are still new players each event! Please keep up with the game!

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Pokemon Competing Decks

By: Brian Hsieh

Battle Roads is currently in effect and many decks have been showcased. Some decks have performed well but there are certain matchups that are to be considered when you face an opponent. Decks that have shown their muscle earlier on have been lacking against some strategies featured with the newer cards in the Emerging Powers set.

ZPS (Zekrom, Pachirisu, Shaymin) has a strong presence in tournaments. Battle Roads featured an abundant number of users running this deck, teching in Tornadus for a ZTPS suited name. This deck is focused on gathering energy with Tornadus and Pachirisu and sending it to Zekrom’s way through the use of Shaymin or Tornadus’s attack effect. This deck is simple to build and use. It is also very fast and effective against most decks. However, if it runs into a Trainer lock deck like Vileplume or Gothitelle, it’s almost an automatic scoop each time due to its dependence on Trainer cards.. Its main threat after lock is Donphan Dragons, which is another good reason for Tornadus’s inclusion (fighting resistance).

Other decks that continue to appear are Yanmega Magnezone. This deck trumps many decks that focus on locking due to its constant sniping ability to disrupt evolution with Yanmega. Yanmega’s free retreat is also a big issue for Beartic decks. Magnezone can also KO a Gothitelle wall, which would hurt anyone’s Gothitelle setup. What this deck fails to counter is everything else. ZTPS has full use of Zekrom to deliver damage. Since all Pokemon in ZTPS are basic, they have higher HP than others that need an evolution, which takes away the whole powerful sniping ability of Yanmega. Zekrom is also featured in Donphan Dragons, which is bad considering how Yanmega and Magnezone are weak against electric and fighting types respectively.

Although I haven’t had any personal contact with MewBox, I’ve heard it works well against Gothitelle. MewBox features many different Pokemon that Mew Prime can just throw into the Lost Zone to use its power. Most notable Pokemon used are Jumpluff and Muk. Mew can attack with one Rainbow Energy for a maximum of one hundred twenty with Jumpluff or drag opponent’s Pokemon with Muk onto the active battlefield. Teching a Vileplume helps Mewbox from opponents using Switch or any Trainers that would hurt Mew’s potential. I believe this deck doesn’t run into much trouble besides the common fact that Mew only has sixty HP and can be KO’ed rather easily. If everything is setup fast then I believe it will be a tough deck to beat with the right techs. The people using these decks have lost a couple games just due to slower builds.

Donphan Dragons has a strong presence that shouldn’t be ignored. It works well and fast to knock out many Pokemon to get fast prizes. The problem with Donphan Dragons is the Twins engine. Against opponents knowing they will go down a prize card due to slower builds, a Twins gets them the two cards needed to stop Donphan and the usually teched Yanmega Prime. With my own Gothitelle deck, I managed to beat the Donphan deck just because it slowed down while my deck sped up. There aren’t many other decks that can step up to this deck, except maybe a mirror, in which a Basculin is teched in to stop an opponent’s Donphan.
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