Can you play them?
Say, for example, my opponent has no special energy out. Can I play Enhanced Hammer?
Say, for example, my opponent has no special energy out. Can I play Enhanced Hammer?
Ruling Items Without a Target
- Thread starter Ring Wraith
- Start date
It depends on the situation. If it's something like Enhanced Hammer, the answer is no. The reason is that it is public knowledge that your opponent has no energies for you to target, so you would be unable to play the card. For anything that is considered public knowledge (in other words, areas where everybody knows the contents, like the field of play, the discard pile, etc.), the card with no target cannot be played.
If you were searching your deck, however, it is different. Since your opponent cannot see the contents of your deck, it is not considered "public knowledge." So it is a perfectly legal play to use something like Ultra Ball or Level Ball, even when there are no Pokémon left in your deck.
If you were searching your deck, however, it is different. Since your opponent cannot see the contents of your deck, it is not considered "public knowledge." So it is a perfectly legal play to use something like Ultra Ball or Level Ball, even when there are no Pokémon left in your deck.
To add, the game has no knowledge of the contents of you deck, no matter what. For example take a situation where you are in a game where you draw your last card. You play super rod to shuffle in 3 basic energy. Your opponent knows that you have 3 basic energy in you deck, but "the game does not". You can still play a level ball to search your deck of 3 energy, for a pokemon.
To a more specific point however you cannot play a card for no effect. If the card says search, you can always fail to find something. To play cards like Enhanced Hammer or Tool Scrapper, you must complete the action to the most of your ability, while at the same time, not playing it for no effect.
Hope all that makes sense.
To a more specific point however you cannot play a card for no effect. If the card says search, you can always fail to find something. To play cards like Enhanced Hammer or Tool Scrapper, you must complete the action to the most of your ability, while at the same time, not playing it for no effect.
Hope all that makes sense.
And to add what Teapot said, to play Ultra Ball, you still have to discard 2 cards from your hand before searching your deck, even if you find nothing - since discarding 2 cards is cost for activation.
Computer Search, however, is an example of a card you cannot fail-search. The reason is you search your deck for "a card", and the only way you can fail that is if there are no cards left in your deck. Same thing with Zoroark BW's Nasty Plot - you're searching for a card in your deck. You can't fail that unless your deck has no cards left, since although the contents of the deck aren't public knowledge, the number of cards left is.
Computer Search, however, is an example of a card you cannot fail-search. The reason is you search your deck for "a card", and the only way you can fail that is if there are no cards left in your deck. Same thing with Zoroark BW's Nasty Plot - you're searching for a card in your deck. You can't fail that unless your deck has no cards left, since although the contents of the deck aren't public knowledge, the number of cards left is.