Bianca
- Thread starter Celebi23
- Start date
I wasn't saving them when Emerging Powers came out, but I immediately traded for my playset when the rotation was announced. I actually just had 1 lying around from stray packs, I believe, so I just had to trade for the two.
In my opinion, Bianca is better than Cheren. The only times I don't like to have a Bianca is in a big hand, but if the hand isn't good anyway, I'd rather have the N over the Cheren and Bianca. I usually run a combination of all three, however. My draw support line for BW on is like this:
4 N
3-4 Juniper
3 Bianca
2 Cheren
2 Random Receiver
In my opinion, Bianca is better than Cheren. The only times I don't like to have a Bianca is in a big hand, but if the hand isn't good anyway, I'd rather have the N over the Cheren and Bianca. I usually run a combination of all three, however. My draw support line for BW on is like this:
4 N
3-4 Juniper
3 Bianca
2 Cheren
2 Random Receiver
I have a playset. I like it more than Cheren because I have the ability to draw more cards. With Cheren it is a set amount and with Bianca I can easily get to 3.
I bought a load of EP packs when I was getting into the game, so I've had 4 bianca for a while now.
I currently testing her vs cheren to see if I'm burning through the resources quick enough to get 4 cards out of her
I currently testing her vs cheren to see if I'm burning through the resources quick enough to get 4 cards out of her
Cheren is better than Bianca. After testing, I found that on average Bianca nets you 2-3 cards, so basically as much as Cheren. Bianca is better in Zeels and Darkrai decks that play 4 Ultra Ball and a lot of quick play Trainers, but in pretty much every other deck Cheren is the go to. Bianca forces you to play resources that you may not want to waste just to get more cards. Bianca cannot be easily played early in the game, while Cheren can be played whenever. Cheren's can be chained late in the game without much effort, Bianca requires a lot of luck and resource usage to be able to be chained.
As always though, they are both bad, and Juniper and N are superior in most if not all cases.
As always though, they are both bad, and Juniper and N are superior in most if not all cases.
I pretty much agree with DOX. I'll always max Juniper and N before I even consider adding Cheren or Bianca and I rarely run 4 of either, often using a couple Random Receivers instead. In addition, Cheren and Bianca are both situationally better than the other and therefore some will be used in some decks and some in others, so Bianca is never going to become very expensive unless there is some card that pairs very well with it that comes out.
DawnOfXatu said:
Juniper isn't all that incredibly good anymore. Juniper will force you to discard resources that you may not want to. I might drop down to 2 or 3 because I really like saving my Rare Candy's and Pokemon Catcher for later in the game. Juniper used to be godly because having Trainers in the discard was a good thing because of Junk Arm, but now with no way to get them back exept Sableye it isn't such a good thing. Juniper is still a very good card, but now discards things isn't a good idea. I'm still going to play Juniper, but I don't know if 4 is the right number.
I don't think that Juniper will be as good in BW-on as it is now, however it will still serve a purpose. For instance, in Zekeels, Juniper will still help discard energy to be retrieved by Eelektrik. N is a great draw support trainier although obviously it is risky because you could be swapping your opponent's bad hand for a good hand.
I think that Bianca tends to draw the same amount of cards as Cheren (unless you're able to play a lot of non-supporter cards during your turn), and has a downfall in that it cannot be played all the time (if you have six or more cards in hand, excluding Bianca) whereas Cheren can be played all the time.
Keep in mind that I have only been playing the Pokemon TCG for a few weeks (aside from when it first came out when I was a kid
) and I haven't ran much Bianca and Cheren aside from theme decks. I'm just getting used to my deck with PONT and Sage's Training and now they will be gone! Oh well .
I think that Bianca tends to draw the same amount of cards as Cheren (unless you're able to play a lot of non-supporter cards during your turn), and has a downfall in that it cannot be played all the time (if you have six or more cards in hand, excluding Bianca) whereas Cheren can be played all the time.
Keep in mind that I have only been playing the Pokemon TCG for a few weeks (aside from when it first came out when I was a kid
) and I haven't ran much Bianca and Cheren aside from theme decks. I'm just getting used to my deck with PONT and Sage's Training and now they will be gone! Oh well .
Any of you who say Juniper isnt as effective as it was due to the loss of Junk Arm is a complete idiot.
If you really think effective use of juniper in the HGSS format is discarding cards you may not want to with the knowledge that you can burn a Junk Arm later to get back the trainer you need, think again. It might jus be the reason you didn't get a worlds invite. Any of you under the impression we needed to be more conservative with trainers in the new format is also an idiot. If you thought effective use of Junk Arm was burning trainers mindlessly with the knowledge you can get them back later, reconsider your statement. Good players have always been conservative of their resources and the disappearance of Junk Arm shouldn't change that. By your logic, you should be more conservative with your own Junk Arm because you can't get those back.
Cheren is always better than Bianca, even if the deck discards a lot of crap or lays its entire hand on the table (yolo altchomp.)
If you really think effective use of juniper in the HGSS format is discarding cards you may not want to with the knowledge that you can burn a Junk Arm later to get back the trainer you need, think again. It might jus be the reason you didn't get a worlds invite. Any of you under the impression we needed to be more conservative with trainers in the new format is also an idiot. If you thought effective use of Junk Arm was burning trainers mindlessly with the knowledge you can get them back later, reconsider your statement. Good players have always been conservative of their resources and the disappearance of Junk Arm shouldn't change that. By your logic, you should be more conservative with your own Junk Arm because you can't get those back.
Cheren is always better than Bianca, even if the deck discards a lot of crap or lays its entire hand on the table (yolo altchomp.)
Milky said:
You contradicted your self. You said that anyone who thinks we need to conserve Trainers is an idiot, yet you also say good players conserve their Trainers. Which is it?
On the subject of Bianca, I think she's a great follow-up Supporter to N when you only have a few prizes left. I also like her in decks like ZekEels and Darkrai varients because after you use Ultra Ball you get to draw at least 3 more cards.
There is situations where I wish I had Cheren in my hand instead of Bianca, but over all I think Bianca is the better play in most decks.
I do and don't have a playset of Bianca, I like to have 4 decks at all times (but I don't necessarily run 4 of everything), so I need 12 of pretty much every staple, I currently have 6 or 7. (and I'm using all of them)
Milky said:
Well, I don't think of myself as an idiot. Juniper is still a good card, I'd just rather only play 3 instead of 4 now. I prefer N more or less because in Stage 2 Decks I don't want to discard too much.
There is only 1 deck where I like to run Bianca over Cheren and that is Darkrai/Hydreigon (and possibly Eels, depending on how the deck is built), however I'm still not too sold on Bianca. Decks like Garchomp/Altaria should run Cheren over Bianca without a doubt.
Btw, 4 Juniper and 4 N is necessary unless you wanna be relying on drawing 3/4 Cards per turn. IMO, Cheren > Bianca in most of the decks, but if you often get 2 card hands Bianca is better of course. Depends on the deck, as I said before.
Btw, 4 Juniper and 4 N is necessary unless you wanna be relying on drawing 3/4 Cards per turn. IMO, Cheren > Bianca in most of the decks, but if you often get 2 card hands Bianca is better of course. Depends on the deck, as I said before.
I think Cheren is better in the long run, because of it's consistency. Anyhow, I do also believe Bianca may be better in some circumstances.
And btw, about Juniper... I've found both Bianca and Cheren more efficient in decks with many evolutions. You just can't afford losing those pokémon lines and rare candies.
And btw, about Juniper... I've found both Bianca and Cheren more efficient in decks with many evolutions. You just can't afford losing those pokémon lines and rare candies.
It depends completely on the deck. One person in this conversation might say it's bad because they're running a deck it's bad in and the same can be said for those who think it's good. Here's how to tell:
1. Dedicate the same amount of spots for the Supporter whether you choose Cheren or Bianca. Let's say 3.
2. Put in a backwards card.
3. Playtest with somebody who understands this concept and is okay with you doing this.
4. Every time you get one, write down wether or not you'd rather of had Bianca or Cheren.
This is just one idea. Just try and figure out for yourself which one is right for you instead of drawing "party lines" and going diehard one or the other.
Now, back to deck choice. If your deck is mostly things you can burn out of your hand (trainers, basics, energy accel?) then go Bianca. Right now I'm testing Blastoise, so obviously I'm going to use Bianca because I burn my entire hand out in one turn. If you're running something like Gothitelle/Gardevoir, then you'd use Cheren (since you don't burn cards as fast).
In addition, as far as Juniper goes, it's not as good as it was in HGSS-on. I think we'll have to start spreading our Supporter lines out instead of running 4 of a supporter. I'm currently trying out 2-2-2-3 of different supporters, which sounds inconsistent, but when you look at the big picture I'm still running 9 draw supporters. I've also got in 2 or 3 Random Receiver to fetch the supporter that will do me the most good. (ex. If I only have a Juniper in a big, dead hand, use RR to try to get an N. Or if I only have a Cilan *which I didn't include on my supporter list* and want a fresh hand.)
1. Dedicate the same amount of spots for the Supporter whether you choose Cheren or Bianca. Let's say 3.
2. Put in a backwards card.
3. Playtest with somebody who understands this concept and is okay with you doing this.
4. Every time you get one, write down wether or not you'd rather of had Bianca or Cheren.
This is just one idea. Just try and figure out for yourself which one is right for you instead of drawing "party lines" and going diehard one or the other.
Now, back to deck choice. If your deck is mostly things you can burn out of your hand (trainers, basics, energy accel?) then go Bianca. Right now I'm testing Blastoise, so obviously I'm going to use Bianca because I burn my entire hand out in one turn. If you're running something like Gothitelle/Gardevoir, then you'd use Cheren (since you don't burn cards as fast).
In addition, as far as Juniper goes, it's not as good as it was in HGSS-on. I think we'll have to start spreading our Supporter lines out instead of running 4 of a supporter. I'm currently trying out 2-2-2-3 of different supporters, which sounds inconsistent, but when you look at the big picture I'm still running 9 draw supporters. I've also got in 2 or 3 Random Receiver to fetch the supporter that will do me the most good. (ex. If I only have a Juniper in a big, dead hand, use RR to try to get an N. Or if I only have a Cilan *which I didn't include on my supporter list* and want a fresh hand.)
I've been trading for Bianca's recently because until Hugh comes out, Bianca is one of the best draw supporters out there. Hugh is better by the fact that it can disrupt and help you. It only draws one less card.
I think I got one Bianca for either 25 or 75 cents.
I think I got one Bianca for either 25 or 75 cents.