Ruling 3 Questions

[Psychic Pokemon Master]

I have 3 questions to ask regarding Shiftry ex PK, Snorlax δ Professor Rowan. The 1st two may sound dumb but I want to be sure about it because I was confused when I encountered the situation...

Question No.1:
Lets say my opponent is playing Shiftry ex PK as his or her Active Pokemon with a Special Darkness Energy attached & he or she uses Skill Hack. He or She found an Empoleon in my hand & he or she copied Aqua Jet. So, the question here is, would his or her Special Darkness Energy increases the Aqua Jet's damage to 80 or would it remain at 70??

Question No.2:
Is it compulsory to have Damage Counters on Snorlax δ to activate its Dozing Poke-Power or can it just be used even if Snorlax δ does not have any damage counters on it??

Question No.3:
Lets say my hand only have 2 cards, 1 Rowan & 1 Basic Energy. Then, I want play Rowan to get new cards from the deck. So, the question here is, what would happen if I play Rowan when I only have 1 card in my hand after Rowan is placed down? Do I have to shuffle my deck like it says & draw 4 cards or I just draw 4 cards immediately since I did not shuffle any cards into the deck OR Rowan cannot be played at all??

Thanks in advance...

 

[KaMewie]

Question 1:
I'm not too sure, but I think yes. The reason I said yes is because that Skill Hack copies that attack which would mean that it's Shiftry ex's own attack. So, that will activate the Darkness Energy's ability to add 10 damage. I hope it's right.

Question 2:
No, you don't have to have damage counters on Snorlax d. That would mean that if you start with Snorlax you'll be one sad panda. What's the point of Snorlax d if it can't use it's Poke-Power with no damage counters on it? Well, you don't have to.

Question 3:
You still can use Professor Rowan even if you do not have any cards in hand after it is played.

Hope I've helped. Still, don't take me so seriously just yet. Wait for the Professors to answer first before giving the final verdict. Thanks.

- G'dday Mate.

 

[Psychic Pokemon Master]

Question 1:
I'm not too sure, but I think yes. The reason I said yes is because that Skill Hack copies that attack which would mean that it's Shiftry ex's own attack. So, that will activate the Darkness Energy's ability to add 10 damage. I hope it's right.
I think I'll wait for CK or MS to answer this...
Question 2:
No, you don't have to have damage counters on Snorlax d. That would mean that if you start with Snorlax you'll be one sad panda. What's the point of Snorlax d if it can't use it's Poke-Power with no damage counters on it? Well, you don't have to.
That is what I thought. I hope your answer is wrong...
Question 3:
You still can use Professor Rowan even if you do not have any cards in hand after it is played.
Read the card carefully. Anyway, still need a 100% correct answer...
Hope I've helped. Still, don't take me so seriously just yet. Wait for the Professors to answer first before giving the final verdict. Thanks.

- G'dday Mate.

 

[Mewstor]

1: Raises to 80.

2: No, it doesn't have to have damage counters on it.

3: You save the one card left in your hand, shuffle your deck (yes, even if you did not put anything from your hand into your deck) and draw 4 cards.

Question 3:
You still can use Professor Rowan even if you do not have any cards in hand after it is played.

In that case Rowan cant be used at all. You have to have at least one card to keep in your hand after playing Rowan. If Rowan is the only card in your hand, you can't play it.

 

[KaMewie]

Okay, I got one wrong. My bad .

 

[Psychic Pokemon Master]

1: Raises to 80.
Dang, now I hate Shiftry ex PK...
2: No, it doesn't have to have damage counters on it.
Ok, as I expected...
3: You save the one card left in your hand, shuffle your deck (yes, even if you did not put anything from your hand into your deck) and draw 4 cards.
Ok, I thought the ruling for this would be similar to Quick Ball. Haihz...

Question 3:
You still can use Professor Rowan even if you do not have any cards in hand after it is played.

In that case Rowan cant be used at all. You have to have at least one card to keep in your hand after playing Rowan. If Rowan is the only card in your hand, you can't play it.

Anyway, thanks for answering...

 

[Chairman Kaga]

Question No.1:
Lets say my opponent is playing Shiftry ex PK as his or her Active Pokemon with a Special Darkness Energy attached & he or she uses Skill Hack. He or She found an Empoleon in my hand & he or she copied Aqua Jet. So, the question here is, would his or her Special Darkness Energy increases the Aqua Jet's damage to 80 or would it remain at 70??

It would do 80. The key sentence is the last one: "Shiftry ex performs that attack." So the attack gains the benefit of any active effects on Shiftry, including Special Dark Energy.

Question No.2:
Is it compulsory to have Damage Counters on Snorlax δ to activate its Dozing Poke-Power or can it just be used even if Snorlax δ does not have any damage counters on it??

I would think you can use it even with no damage counters. If it was a requirement, I'd expect it to be worded differently ("...you may remove 2 damage counters from Snorlax. If you do, Snorlax is now Asleep."). In the absence of that, this falls under the "do as much as you can" rule. That's how I'd rule it in a tournament, at least.

Question No.3:
Lets say my hand only have 2 cards, 1 Rowan & 1 Basic Energy. Then, I want play Rowan to get new cards from the deck. So, the question here is, what would happen if I play Rowan when I only have 1 card in my hand after Rowan is placed down? Do I have to shuffle my deck like it says & draw 4 cards or I just draw 4 cards immediately since I did not shuffle any cards into the deck OR Rowan cannot be played at all??

You would just draw 4 cards. It says "shuffle the rest of the cards" into your deck. Since there is no "rest of the cards" to shuffle in, you don't shuffle.

It would be different if it said "shuffle the rest of your hand". You always have a hand, even if it's a hand of zero cards. This is why you have to shuffle for cards like Team Galactic's Wager, even with an empty hand.

Just remember that for Rowan, while you don't need extra cards to shuffle in, you do have to have one other card in your hand to keep back. If you don't, you can't play Rowan. I believe that's written in the card text.

 

[Psychic Pokemon Master]

Question No.3:
Lets say my hand only have 2 cards, 1 Rowan & 1 Basic Energy. Then, I want play Rowan to get new cards from the deck. So, the question here is, what would happen if I play Rowan when I only have 1 card in my hand after Rowan is placed down? Do I have to shuffle my deck like it says & draw 4 cards or I just draw 4 cards immediately since I did not shuffle any cards into the deck OR Rowan cannot be played at all??

You would just draw 4 cards. It says "shuffle the rest of the cards" into your deck. Since there is no "rest of the cards" to shuffle in, you don't shuffle.

It would be different if it said "shuffle the rest of your hand". You always have a hand, even if it's a hand of zero cards. This is why you have to shuffle for cards like Team Galactic's Wager, even with an empty hand.

Just remember that for Rowan, while you don't need extra cards to shuffle in, you do have to have one other card in your hand to keep back. If you don't, you can't play Rowan. I believe that's written in the card text.

If that is the way, then luckily I played Rowan correctly when I encountered that situation, lol...
Anyway, thanks for clearing it up...

 

[Mewstor]

Question No.3:
Lets say my hand only have 2 cards, 1 Rowan & 1 Basic Energy. Then, I want play Rowan to get new cards from the deck. So, the question here is, what would happen if I play Rowan when I only have 1 card in my hand after Rowan is placed down? Do I have to shuffle my deck like it says & draw 4 cards or I just draw 4 cards immediately since I did not shuffle any cards into the deck OR Rowan cannot be played at all??

You would just draw 4 cards. It says "shuffle the rest of the cards" into your deck. Since there is no "rest of the cards" to shuffle in, you don't shuffle.

It would be different if it said "shuffle the rest of your hand". You always have a hand, even if it's a hand of zero cards. This is why you have to shuffle for cards like Team Galactic's Wager, even with an empty hand.

Just remember that for Rowan, while you don't need extra cards to shuffle in, you do have to have one other card in your hand to keep back. If you don't, you can't play Rowan. I believe that's written in the card text.

No, I'm afraid you're wrong. You still have to shuffle your deck, even if you don't put a single card into your deck. It is a mandatory action.

Edit: (I even started to doubt myself on this one so I looked it up. There... http://pokegym.net/forums/showthread.php?t=62755)

 

[Chairman Kaga]

I wonder if that's his final answer.

Q. If my opponent has no cards left in their hand, and I use Honchkrow's "Dark Wing Flaps" attack, does my opponent shuffle his or her deck?
A. No, because the instruction is to shuffle a "card" into their deck. If the instruction had been to shuffle their "hand" in, then they would shuffle even with a hand of zero cards. (Dec 6, 2007 PUI Rules Team)

Q. Say I use Cubone's "Look For Friends" attack and the first card I pick up from my deck is a Basic. Since I did not reveal any other cards, am I still supposed to shuffle my deck?
A. If Cubone pulls a Basic Card as the first revealed card, the deck is not shuffled as there are no as there are no "other revealed cards" to shuffle back in. (Jan 27, 2005 PUI Rules Team)

Q. Would we be able to use Murkrow's "Surprise" attack even when your opponent has no hand, just to screw up your opponent's Oracle or PokéNav, or whatever...?
A. Sorry, but if you can't choose a card from your opponent's hand, there would be nothing for you to shuffle in. (Jan 22, 2004 PUI Rules Team)

Q. When using Fast Ball, if the very first card you turn up is an evolution, do you still have to shuffle your deck?
A. If FastBall pulls an Evolution Card as the first revealed card, the deck is not shuffled as there are no as there are no "other revealed cards" to shuffle back in. (Jan 15, 2004 PUI Rules Team)

Q. If I use Quick Ball and the very first card revealed is a Pokemon, do I still have to shuffle my deck?
A. If the first revealed card is a Pokemon then the deck is not shuffled as there are no "other revealed cards" to shuffle back in. (Oct 25, 2007 PUI Rules Team)

All of the above texts say to shuffle "card(s)" in. I can't see why Rowan is different. I'm going to ask, though.

 

[Psychic Pokemon Master]

I wonder if that's his final answer.

Q. If my opponent has no cards left in their hand, and I use Honchkrow's "Dark Wing Flaps" attack, does my opponent shuffle his or her deck?
A. No, because the instruction is to shuffle a "card" into their deck. If the instruction had been to shuffle their "hand" in, then they would shuffle even with a hand of zero cards. (Dec 6, 2007 PUI Rules Team)

Q. Say I use Cubone's "Look For Friends" attack and the first card I pick up from my deck is a Basic. Since I did not reveal any other cards, am I still supposed to shuffle my deck?
A. If Cubone pulls a Basic Card as the first revealed card, the deck is not shuffled as there are no as there are no "other revealed cards" to shuffle back in. (Jan 27, 2005 PUI Rules Team)

Q. Would we be able to use Murkrow's "Surprise" attack even when your opponent has no hand, just to screw up your opponent's Oracle or PokéNav, or whatever...?
A. Sorry, but if you can't choose a card from your opponent's hand, there would be nothing for you to shuffle in. (Jan 22, 2004 PUI Rules Team)

Q. When using Fast Ball, if the very first card you turn up is an evolution, do you still have to shuffle your deck?
A. If FastBall pulls an Evolution Card as the first revealed card, the deck is not shuffled as there are no as there are no "other revealed cards" to shuffle back in. (Jan 15, 2004 PUI Rules Team)

Q. If I use Quick Ball and the very first card revealed is a Pokemon, do I still have to shuffle my deck?
A. If the first revealed card is a Pokemon then the deck is not shuffled as there are no "other revealed cards" to shuffle back in. (Oct 25, 2007 PUI Rules Team)

All of the above texts say to shuffle "card(s)" in. I can't see why Rowan is different. I'm going to ask, though.

Looks like the question is very confusing, isn't it??
Anyway, hope to get the correct answer ASAP...

 

[Mewstor]

Interesting. I await the answer cause now I wanna know it too. It has been officially answered. What if the answer the rulings team gave is really wrong?

Edit: And we got the answer! Pokepop made a bad ruling! XD You don't shuffle your deck in that case. Good to know so I won't be ruling it wrong based on a earlier given wrong ruling. Nice.

 

[Chairman Kaga]

It happens occasionally. I guess he must have thought it said "hand".

One reason I always double-check the actual card before answering a question here

 

[Psychic Pokemon Master]

Ok, thanks for clearing it up...

 

[Mewstor]

Oooo.... The ruling is not as clear after all It could still change... http://pokegym.net/forums/showthread.php?t=68149

Apparently in japan they must shuffle regardless of if they put any card into their deck or not. Just as I interpreted it. Interestin...

 

[Chairman Kaga]

Bah...just when we were clear on everything, here come the #&%!@ Japanese to muck everything up

If that's the case, then Rowan needs an errata. The "card" vs. "hand" thing is pretty well established. For now, I'd play it as written -- no shuffle unless cards go back in.

 

[Mewstor]

There's been lots of mistranslations and erratas in the DP era. What is wrong with the translators?! :/
There's the Unown G (just errated), Magmortar lv.X, Electivire SW, Tangrowth (errata has to be coming soon)...
First ruling says you have to shuffle. They change their mind and you don't shuffle. And now Japanese play it differently. If Rowan really gets errated, I'm stunned (If it even really is mistranslated. Seems like it the way I read the Japanese card card.)

 

[Chairman Kaga]

There's been lots of mistranslations and erratas in the DP era. What is wrong with the translators?! :/

Apparently, they're not reading those Japanese FAQ pages on pokemon-card.com. I think every recent errata would have been caught if they'd checked those.

(If it even really is mistranslated. Seems like it the way I read the Japanese card card.)

If you can read the crazy moon language, please share how you'd translate the Japanese text. I'm at the mercy of the PUI translators here -- I can only call 'em like I see 'em

I'll even make this easy:

自分の手札を1枚選び、残りの手札をすべて山札にもどす。その後、山札を切ってから、山札からカードを4枚 引く。
（自分の手札がこのカード1枚だけなら、このカードは使えない。）

Our focus is on precisely what it says to shuffle in.

And for good measure, let's compare to Team Galactic's Wager (which we know says "shuffle your hand"):

おたがいのプレイヤーは、それぞれ、自分の手札をすべて山札にもどし、山札を切る。
ジャンケンをして、勝ったプレイヤーは6枚まで、負けたプレイヤーは3枚まで、それぞれの山札からカードを引く。
（カードを引くのは自分から。）

サポーターは、自分の番に1回だけ使える。使ったら、自分のバトル場の横におき、自分の番の終わりにトラッシュ。

Actually Copycat would be a better comparison, but I can't locate the Japanese text for it.

 

[Psychic Pokemon Master]

Ooook, so now we have another mistranslations here. So, I guess I will play how CK said earlier until Rowan get errated....

 

[Mewstor]

Aaaaargh!!!! The quote system is going crazy today! It deleted my message twice! Good thing I copied the text before sending.

So here's my translation without the CK quotes.

How I read it (I have to point out that I'm not Japanese )

"From your own hand, choose one card and put the remaining cards into your deck. Then, after shuffling your deck, draw 4 cards. (If you have only this one card in your hand, you can't use this card."

The critical point in this is the form of the sentence. See? There is a period at the end of "...into your deck". So there is a pause. Then you shuffle your deck and then draw. So it separates the the part where you put cards into your deck and the shuffling, so the shuffling becomes mandatory and not dependable on the previous stage.

On the English version of the card, the putting cards into your deck and shuffling your deck are both in the same sentence. That makes them dependable on each other.

Understand what I'm saying?