Scoop Up Net Also Banned from Expanded Internationally

By: Water Pokémon Master · Posted Posted onJan 17, 2024 at 9:21 AM · 25 Comments

TPCi has announced Scoop Up Ban will be banned from the Expanded format on February 9th when Paldean Fates becomes legal:

Scoop Up Net was banned from the Expanded format. Scoop Up Net cannot be used on Pokémon V or Pokémon-GX, but it can be used on other Pokémon with a Rule Box. There are many dangerous combos with this card, and a new one was introduced with the Scarlet & Violet—Paradox Rift expansion.

The combination of Iron Valiant ex and Scoop Up Net allows the use of the Tachyon Bits Ability repeatedly, making it very possible to win the game on the first turn when going first. While this strategy isn’t guaranteed to be successful, it happens frequently enough to create an undesirable environment for the Expanded format. Scoop Up Net may lead to even more powerful combos in the future, so it is the card that was chosen to be banned.

The same ban was announced for Japan last October.

Although the format still exists, TPCi has not allowed Premier Events to be sanctioned under Expanded since before Covid. This has left players outside of Japan feeling like the format has been abandoned. Even Pokemon TCG Live only supports a half-baked, incomplete version of the format.

View thread (25 replies)
Ambassador said:
I assume this card's shortcoming is part of what made the card game's designers decide to commit to introducing the "Pokémon with a Rule Box" phrase to the game. I am still a little surprised that this card was banned instead of errata'd.
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They usually just print a nerfed version in cases like this.
 
Yaginku said:
And then they don't even use it consistently.
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Typically rule box stuff is for balance.
Aegislash PAR 134/182, Norman PAR 168/182, MEW Eeveelutions, Ting-Lu ex, etc. also do not mention rule box whilst still referring to rule boxers. Most of the time this could be done for balance and keeping in mind the specific blocks the game is in (with a great example being Spiritomb's Fettered in Misfortune). It is a bit arbitrary, but its a good line to be able to draw nonetheless.
 
Can someone explain how iron valiant ex + scoop up net creates a first turn win scenario?
 
Not surprised Net got banned. It's wording meant that it was never meant to survive outside of it's block. It should have been banned sooner because Fast Raid donk was a thing, even though it's damage output was dubious at best. But I guess Iron Valiant ex gives it a significantly bigger damage output (4 Net + 4 Super Scoop Up + Scoop Up Cyclone = 180 max damage from Tachyon Bits. 4 Pluspower = 40 damage. Muscle Band = 20 damage. Fast Raid = 30/40/60 damage damage. Potential of max 300 damage)

It happened before with Flashfire Milotic.

I'm a little surprised Electrode-GX hasn't been hit, as it's a main component to some crazy energy combos in Expanded and it's ability wasn't meant to function outside of S&M block (even though most of the ways Electrode-GX abuse can be averted with the "Bench Barrier Ability", along with them requiring at least 2 turns of set up)
 
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piyuv said:
Can someone explain how iron valiant ex + scoop up net creates a first turn win scenario?
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combined with either phermosa or latios EX (the former being better) you could mass draw and loop scoop up nets for tachyon bits making the opps active pokemon low enough so that fast raid could take a ohko, aswell as being combined with damage mods like plus power
 
The fact that Japan didn’t include Compressor, Tinachomp, and Electrode is pretty sketchy tbh. Those cards have been problematic for years now and they had an opportunity to make the format healthier by at least including those but they didn’t.
 
Ambassador said:
In that case it kind of makes sense though, right? In principle, that card is meant to be doing more damage against cards with Rule Boxes, but isn't written comprehensively. That actually creates a benefit here – when the new category of multiprizer come out, to help them be more impressive than the current set, i.e. Pokémon ex, one of the advantages they'll be able to tout is they are by their very nature not able to be targeted by punitive attacks like this one. If that card's attack was a more open-ended extra damage against any Rule Box Pokémon, then the one of the only ways the designers could make the new multiprizers more impressive is solely power creep (e.g. more HP, etc.)
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That's what I wanted to point out in regards to @Nyora, but you've said it right here - this type of arbitrary specificity doesn't just work backwards, but also forwards. That is not good, because it makes the old cards get worse when new gimmicks are introduced. Also, they'll powercreep anyway lol.
The issue with the term "Rule Box" is that it applies to all sorts of categories of cards that aren't just multi-prizers.
 
piyuv said:
But how do you retreat multiple times? With escape rope or similar?
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Scoop Up Net

Scoop Up Cyclone

Super Scoop Up

9 ways of picking up an expended Valiant ex and bringing up a new one and repeat. You can do a max of 180 damage with Tachyon. But that requires 4 successful Super Scoop Up coin flips

Float Stone could also be used to retreat into 1 Iron Valiant ex and make it a max of 200 damage
 
Merovingian said:
Not surprised Net got banned. It's wording meant that it was never meant to survive outside of it's block. It should have been banned sooner because Fast Raid donk was a thing, even though it's damage output was dubious at best. But I guess Iron Valiant ex gives it a significantly bigger damage output (4 Net + 4 Super Scoop Up + Scoop Up Cyclone = 180 max damage from Tachyon Bits. 4 Pluspower = 40 damage. Muscle Band = 20 damage. Fast Raid = 30/40/60 damage damage. Potential of max 300 damage)

It happened before with Flashfire Milotic.

I'm a little surprised Electrode-GX hasn't been hit, as it's a main component to some crazy energy combos in Expanded and it's ability wasn't meant to function outside of S&M block (even though most of the ways Electrode-GX abuse can be averted with the "Bench Barrier Ability", along with them requiring at least 2 turns of set up)
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Same. Trode and Tinachomp have been issues for years now and they purposely neglected it despite being fully aware of it. Compressor is another card you can make the case for too.
 
piyuv said:
But how do you retreat multiple times? With escape rope or similar?
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you scoop up net the active Pokémon, in this case iron valiant, thus requiring you to promote a benched Pokémon into the active. Bench the Pokémon you bounced. Rinse and repeat. it's the same method in how lostbox was first piloted.
 
What will save Expanded is Pokémon turning its attention to the format, in addition to the ban on Tropical Beach (and other World Championship Promos).
 
arturito said:
What will save Expanded is Pokémon turning its attention to the format, in addition to the ban on Tropical Beach (and other World Championship Promos).
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Beach isn’t necessarily problematic on its own but I completely understand the problem of availability as a valid reason. But realistically, what will save the format is banning cards that’ve been issues either in their own or the combos/unfair advantages they provide like Tinachomp GX, Electrode GX, and Compressor namely. Too bad Japan doesn’t care though.
 
arturito said:
What will save Expanded is Pokémon turning its attention to the format, in addition to the ban on Tropical Beach (and other World Championship Promos).
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Beach hasn't been relevant since before COVID. Shock Lock control isn't a thing anymore and the prevalent control decks in the last 2 years to current either use 1 Beach or don't use Beach at all. If you want to play control and don't have Beach, it's not a dealbreaker and you can get on fine without it.
 
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