News First 'Sun & Moon' English Set News!

Would you folks enjoy the day where there are pokemon cards with over 300HP?

Yes. Even if the rest of the design approach for the Pokémon TCG that I wish to change remained the same, at least inflating HP scores to something more in line with the TCG (where they range from 1 to over 700) gives the designers more wiggle room for effects. No I don't want individual units of damage, increments of 10 is good! Giving more HP allows for a wider range of damage scores and effects to prove functional, instead of needing a strong non-damage related effect to offset reduced damage (like with Quaking Punch).

Now if design principles are adjusted at least a little like how I would prefer, then we could get better pacing with match ups built around newer cards versus newer cards. How so? Because I want the current damage output to either remain the same (power stasis) or be taken down a peg (power crunch). When HP scores remain the same, that simply means the new cards are mostly bad, but if we inflate their HP scores, then we can achieve an odd sort of balance. Though a gross simplification, basically everything old becomes different levels of glass cannon while everything new becomes different levels of (low damage output) tank.

I was a bit worried about tracking increased HP scores, but then it hit me: money. U.S. coinage provides an almost perfect model for it; doesn't mean people have to actually use coins for it, but hey in some countries this adds to the "useful life skills" Pokémon teaches. When a penny equals 10 damage, a nickel equals 50, and a quarter equals 250, we get a pretty good set up. Dimes being smaller than everything else might mean they ought to be skipped (as I just did), but this means even someone showing up with no damage counters just needs to make change. Even if a competitive deck featured something boosted to 1000 HP, this would mean you needed no more than three quarters, four nickels, and four pennies (at 1000 HP it gets KO'd so 990 is the most damage you'd have to denote).
 
Yup, and with the return of the Burn status effect too, I see this as a more subtle way to push evolution decks over basics than just providing more of those cards. If status effects are everywhere in the next meta, it's always going to be much easier to evolve out of them than to switch or heal.

I mean, as long as Switch is around, I think they'll be fine... but the power cards are *definitely* not in the basics this time around.

Slightly off topic, when are we getting the SuMo set? Feburary, iirc?
 
I mean, as long as Switch is around, I think they'll be fine... but the power cards are *definitely* not in the basics this time around.

Slightly off topic, when are we getting the SuMo set? Feburary, iirc?
Sun & Moon is being released on February 3rd with prereleases presumably being held 1-2 weeks beforehand.
 
Something I'm kinda wondering: does Umbreon-GX have much of a place in the current standard format, where other prominent Darkness attackers feel more powerful? 90 + 30 snipe is no slouch, but I don't know if it compares to what the Yveltal family and Darkrai-EX provide now.
 
Something I'm kinda wondering: does Umbreon-GX have much of a place in the current standard format, where other prominent Darkness attackers feel more powerful? 90 + 30 snipe is no slouch, but I don't know if it compares to what the Yveltal family and Darkrai-EX provide now.
You could use the Ancient Origins Eeveelutions (and maybe Wide Lens) to hit for weakness. I don't know if very many meta picks are weak to fire or water, but Jolteon would be a good pick, at least.
 
Something I'm kinda wondering: does Umbreon-GX have much of a place in the current standard format, where other prominent Darkness attackers feel more powerful? 90 + 30 snipe is no slouch, but I don't know if it compares to what the Yveltal family and Darkrai-EX provide now.

Yveltal Break is sorely in need of a partner that can snipe the bench. I don't know if they'll work together all that well, but I'll be trying it out for sure.
 
This set looks so good! That Solgaleo-GX FA.. take my money now... but there is one thing I am confused about... the Shiinotic's ability reads that it can only be used once in your turn to search out a Grass Pokemon from the deck but on Bulbapedia the ability is worded like Dragon Exalted Gabite's Dragon Call where if you have more than one in play, you get more searches per turn. Which one is the correct wording on the ability? I would like to know as me and my friends at our League will be testing some new decks from Sun and Moon, and I'm interested in playing Lurantis-GX/Shiitonic for when the set comes out in February.
 
Yes. Even if the rest of the design approach for the Pokémon TCG that I wish to change remained the same, at least inflating HP scores to something more in line with the TCG (where they range from 1 to over 700) gives the designers more wiggle room for effects. No I don't want individual units of damage, increments of 10 is good! Giving more HP allows for a wider range of damage scores and effects to prove functional, instead of needing a strong non-damage related effect to offset reduced damage (like with Quaking Punch).

You mean HP more inline with the games? I like this idea of wider range of damage.

What I like about the increasing HP is that over the last few years some 'big basic' have gone up to 110-130HP, and they have better attacks, maybe not on par with with EX cards and some stage 2, but better. Now it is becoming more regular that you see a stage 2 with 140, 150 and some with 160HP.

I asked the question, because I thought it could become boring one day. At the moment there are many OHKO, I was thinking what if one day it was 3,4 or 5 hit KO for one pokemon because of to much increase in HP. It was like that in the old days that is many turns to knockout a pokemon, but back then the game was new, so it was okay. Back then you would look at a Mewtwo and compare with Charizard and say how comes such a powerful pokemon only have 60HP, attack was also really bad for a Mewtwo. These days difference of HP between these pokemon is much less thanks to increasing HP.
 
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Nest ball seems alright, but what do people think of the long term affect on plasma freeze ultra ball, seems to have dropped a bit already in anticipation
 
I'm living for the Oranguru artwork! And the Togedemaru as well! I kinda hope the Oranguru will be in a blister and not in a prerelease, since it would be a lot easier for me to obtain! Though if they do the 4 prerelease promos again, I could imagine this, Vikavolt and Tsareena would be 3 out of the 4 cards
 
I'm living for the Oranguru artwork! And the Togedemaru as well! I kinda hope the Oranguru will be in a blister and not in a prerelease, since it would be a lot easier for me to obtain! Though if they do the 4 prerelease promos again, I could imagine this, Vikavolt and Tsareena would be 3 out of the 4 cards
The 4th is probably the Togedemaru from the Japanese blister pack
 
I have high hopes for Oranguru. It's a splashable, non-GX (or EX), Basic Pokemon with a great Ability. Its attack is decent too.

Maybe someone else can correct me/confirm, but I don't believe we've had a Basic Pokemon with this type of Ability before. I can only remember Octillery (Abyssal Hand) and Electrode (Magnetic Draw).
 
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I have high hopes for Oranguru. It's a splashable, non-GX (or EX), Basic Pokemon with a great Ability. It's attack is decent too.

Maybe someone else can correct me/confirm, but I don't believe we've had a Basic Pokemon with this type of Ability before. I can only remember Octillery (Abyssal Hand) and Electrode (Magnetic Draw).

I think it'll easily work its way into being a 1-of in most decks simply because it eliminates having an empty hand.
 
Maybe someone else can correct me/confirm, but I don't believe we've had a Basic Pokemon with this type of Ability before. I can only remember Octillery (Abyssal Hand) and Electrode (Magnetic Draw).

Well, those weren't basic pokemon. They are stage 1's.
 
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