Jirachi EX

Camoclone

Camoclone

TCG Articles Head
Member
Grantm1999 pointed out to me a couple of days ago that almost every game comes down to who hits the Lysandre. I realized this was very true. More often than not the thing that they choose to drag up with Lysandre is Jirachi and take two prizes. Jirachi is also really useful. If you don't have a supporter you can grab one with Jirachi. You could even grab that clutch Lysandre with Jirachi that I was talking about earlier. Do you think Jirachi is worth playing?
 
I think the benifits outweigh the consequences in some cases. In a deck where you need more resources to get the set up you need I think jirachi EX is a great support pokemon. In decks where you have many pokemon that can do good damage for low energy counts i think Jirachi EX is more of a liablity. I only run Jirachi in a few decks and it has helped greatly in those decks, its great to ultra ball for a jirachi then use it to skyla for G booster. I think a new valid strategy to get the supporter you need when you need it could be to battle commpressor and VS seeker the card back.
 
Absolutely, Jirachi takes consistency to the next level. While VS Seeker and Jirachi itself makes it easier to be taken out, usually your opponent would rather take out an actual threat, rather than taking a quick two prizes and not advancing their board state at all, especially with the fear of being N'd.
 
Frost Mage said:
Absolutely, Jirachi takes consistency to the next level. While VS Seeker and Jirachi itself makes it easier to be taken out, usually your opponent would rather take out an actual threat, rather than taking a quick two prizes and not advancing their board state at all, especially with the fear of being N'd.
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I think the point Camo is trying to make is that the last two prizes are taken by Lysandring a Jirachi, not that Jirachi is a target during midgame.

Honestly, I really dislike using Jirachi. With VS Seeker, Lysandre is pretty easy to get back from your discard and shoot down Jirachi. I generally make my point to get a Lysandre into the discard before endgame so I have double the chance on getting the card (VS Seeker or 2nd Lysandre) to win. Honestly, I only think Jirachi should be used to score the winning prizes, or if your hand is completely dead and you can't do anything.
 
I have to say that I really don't like use low HP EXs so I don't think I will ever use Jirachi EX.

VS Seeker makes it even easier to get the Lysandre to bring up the Jirachi EX for the easy kill.
 
I really don't run into the problem of having Jirachi Lysandred up and taken out for the game that often (and I play Jirachi in next to every deck), but when it does happen I just remember all the times it has saved me from drawing dead. It doesn't happen that often either because I discarded Jirachi, haven't played it, or my opponent has used one of the many other ways to win the game. I could lose by not getting a Megaphone, not waking up from a Laser, or not getting Lysandre fast enough while my last healthy Pokemon is chipped away at.

Really, Jirachi is a high risk-high reward kind of thing, but I feel that you gamble harder if you don't play it. My favorite example is the "getting good draw support on the first turn" one, because that's one of the most important times to get a Supporter. If you have 4 Juniper, 4 N, maybe 3 Skyla, and a Computer Search(12 total cards with access to good draw) you will start without any of those about 19% of the time. However, adding JirachiEX, you get maybe 4 more cards that can access draw on the first turn if you also play 3 Ultra Ball(16 cards with draw access), which means you only start without anything good about 10% of the time. On top of that, playing 10 Basic Pokemon besides Jirachi means you only have to start with it around 3% of games.

If that's not reason enough to play Jirachi in most every deck, then I think it should at least be used in decks that use AZ, like Fairies and Bronzong. Your opponent then has a very small window of opportunity to Lysandre for an easy two prizes, and after you pick Jirachi up, you could even use it again later.

Silent Lab will hurt, but only if it ends up being played a lot, which I don't really think it will.
 
Camoclone said:
Grantm1999 pointed out to me a couple of days ago that almost every game comes down to who hits the Lysandre. I realized this was very true. More often than not the thing that they choose to drag up with Lysandre is Jirachi and take two prizes. Jirachi is also really useful. If you don't have a supporter you can grab one with Jirachi. You could even grab that clutch Lysandre with Jirachi that I was talking about earlier. Do you think Jirachi is worth playing?
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I've been thinking about this a lot lately.

If you get into the game, and your bench is littered with weakened EXs, they are going to get the Lysandre-to-two-prize KO whether or not you have Jirachi. So you might as well take the consistency.

If your deck isn't the type that fill up with damaged EXs, either because you don't play EXs or because you have a way of healing them off, don't play Jirachi. You are giving up a two-prize KO that they might not otherwise be able to get.

So.. I wouldn't play it with Donphan or with Flareon Night March. I wouldn't play it with Fairy (because I expect to be able to heal off so much of my damage). I would consider playing it with a straight dark deck because I would be expecting my deck to be full of Yveltal EXs and Darkrai EXs, and because I would be retreating out when they were damaged, I would expect lots of juicy Lysandre targets.
 
There are very few decks that I won't play Jirachi in. The consistency boost is much appreciated. Starting with it kind of sucks, but the best-of-three thing helps to negate that. Plus I've come back from Jirachi starts to win the game before. When I play Jirachi it is either because I am in desperate need of a Supporter (happens from time to time in the opening hand), or if I need to Lysandre either for the last two prizes, or something that will really set my opponent back. I'll also play it to get a crucial N down to one or two. Getting to choose what Supporter to play is a very strong Ability this format! The way I see it is this: you have two options. You can either sit there and do nothing with a completely dead hand until you top deck a Supporter (not very likely given my luck) or your opponent wins or gets so far ahead that there's no way to come back from it, or you can play Jirachi. Even if you loose later on in the game because your opponent is able bring up Jirachi for the last two prizes, you still would have lost earlier had Jirachi not been an option. As long as you don't play it when you don't absolutely have to, i.e. you don't have any other Supporter in your hand and you can't play off the field, it can't hurt you.
 
Given that I'm currently running a Night March deck, Jirachi is a godsend. My opponent would rather get a MewEX+DCE+Band and kill it than a Jirachi.
 
Personally, I have yet to find enough reason (vs. the risks) of running Jirachi EX. No doubt it provides a crafty way to access a needed Supporter, but then he just sits on the bench and becomes a HUGE 2-prize target.

If one does tend to run this Poké, why not also run an Az or Cassius to remove it from the field for possible reuse or to eliminate an easy 2-prize target?
 
While it does win games, I'd rather my opponent try to attack my Jirachi than my attacking pokemon (unless if they have 2 prizes left).
Many times, I see players who have a lysandre and struggle to comeback after using it on an easy 2 prize tradeoff anyways. The benefits of jirachi, now in a format with Cassius, SSU, SUCyclone, and AZ, are amazing tbh.
 
Elbow said:
While it does win games, I'd rather my opponent try to attack my Jirachi than my attacking pokemon (unless if they have 2 prizes left).
Many times, I see players who have a lysandre and struggle to comeback after using it on an easy 2 prize tradeoff anyways. The benefits of jirachi, now in a format with Cassius, SSU, SUCyclone, and AZ, are amazing tbh.
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Yeah, I agree. Almost always your opponent would rather take out an actual threat than Jirachi.
 
Camo why!

Anyway, Jirachi is BCIF next to VS Seeker. The consistency is boosted so much and it negates dead drawing pretty much. Also nifty plays with Lysandre/AZ/whatever are always fun. Basically just consistency though. SO MUCH CONSISTENCY. It's necessary in most decks.
 
I have to say it is worth playing in almost every deck that can afford the bench space. As said it boosts consistency so much. It may act as a cheap 2 prizes. But honestly. I rather have them lysandre the jirachi for 2 prizes, than to take out my attacker, and my energy. In fact i think i won a few matches by baiting them with jirachi.

The only time its a liability is late game and they only have 2 prizes left. But generally i play it pretty early to grab that key supporter early on to make my set up as good as it can be.

It also allows you to skimp a little on supporters to fit more tech into a deck. While still being more consistent than regular supporter line up w/ no jirachi.
 
Ivy_Profen said:
...As said it boosts consistency so much. ...It also allows you to skimp a little on supporters to fit more tech into a deck.
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What's a "little?" How does it boosts "consistency" if you're also "skimping;" seems contradictory.

We all have some number and mix of card-draw Supporters and Items to maintain "efficient and effective" deck operations ("consistency" perhaps?). And, IMO, that "right" combo of card-draw Supporters and Items is still > Jirachi EX (which is more situational).
 
Jirachi EX adds a LOT of consistency, AND no, I don't think that it leaves space for "skimping". What it does, however is allowing you to play more situational supporters like Xerosic and Pokémon Center Lady. Also works wonders with Skyla, turning every Ultra Ball into whatever trainer card you want. I MIGHT drop it now BECAUSE it gets thrashed by Bats.
 
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