Ruling Nidoking's (#34/132) Poison Rub Attack

N

nemenku

This is a paragraph from the Poison Power! article written by Martin Galgoczy, on the go-pokemon site
(http://www.go-pokemon.com/op/strategy/articles/60.html)

Next, let's consider a familiar face from Diamond & Pearl—Secret Wonders, Nidoking (Secret Wonders, 34/132). Nidoking's Poison Rub attack allows you to Poison the Defending Pokémon, and then swap it with a Benched Pokémon... and Poison it as well. The attack only does 20 damage, but the persistent HP drain will pay off, especially if you have some Weezings in play.

Great Encounters #34 Nidoking's Poison Rub states:
The Defending Pokemon is now Poisoned. Before doing damage, you may switch 1 of the Defending Pokemon with 1 of your opponent's Benched Pokemon. The new defending Pokemon is now Poisoned.

Some people here are arguing that based on Martin Galgoczy's article, this Poison Rub attack should be handled like this:
1. Poison the Defending Pokemon
2. Switch the Defending Pokemon with a Benched Pokemon, if you want. Since the Defending Pokemon was not retreated, it retains the poison condition.
3. Apply 20 points of Damage to the new Defending Pokemon.
4. Poison the new Defending Pokemon

Others here say that no matter how a Pokemon gets on the Bench, it loses all Special Conditions, including Poison, when that happens.

Which interpretation is correct?

And, how can Martin Galgoczy's article be wrong, if it is on the official Pokemon site?
 
nemenku said:
Which interpretation is correct?
Click to expand...

Benched Pokemon cannot have Special Conditions. Period.

nemenku said:
And, how can Martin Galgoczy's article be wrong, if it is on the official Pokemon site?
Click to expand...

Articles on go-pokemon aren't necessarily written by PUI employees. They solicit articles from other people as well, usually Professors.

But....wow. That's depressing if a Professor wrote that.
 
Just for clarity sake I quote the passage in question with all appropriate reference to source

Martin Galgoczy--Toxic tactics fill the air in Diamond & Pearl—Great Encounters. said:
Next, let's consider a familiar face from Diamond & Pearl—Secret Wonders, Nidoking (Secret Wonders, 34/132). Nidoking's Poison Rub attack allows you to Poison the Defending Pokémon, and then swap it with a Benched Pokémon... and Poison it as well. The attack only does 20 damage, but the persistent HP drain will pay off, especially if you have some Weezings in play.
Click to expand...

Nowhere here does it say anything about poison damage on the bench. Clearly a Pokemon on the bench is cannot be poisoned and there's no indication by the author that there is damage being done to the bench. The only question is whether this card gets around the normal order of attack which is damage first, then everything else -- I can't think of any reason that this might make a difference. So now let's look at the attack itself.

Card Dex said:
CC Poison Rub 20

The Defending Pokémon is now Poisoned. Before doing damage, you may switch 1 of the Defending Pokémon with 1 of your opponent's Benched Pokémon. The new Defending Pokémon is now Poisoned.
Click to expand...

I think it's pretty clear that either it does 20 damage + poison to the defending or it switches before damage which always done before special effects and hence we get switch, 20 damage, poison in that order. In that way I would say that the article is somewhat misleading.
 
its for double battle maybe.u know.switch the other defending pokemn with new ones.so both defending get poisoned
 
It just means that you could either poison the defending pokemon or switch the defending pokemon and the new defending pokemon will be poisoned instead. Period, no more, no less.
 
MetalFire said:
its for double battle maybe.u know.switch the other defending pokemn with new ones.so both defending get poisoned
Click to expand...

That's an interesting intepretation, I don't double battle much so I mostly miss those nuances. I think this is a good one for the Chairman. I don't see any linking words in the switch statement, so I would think that it is quite possible to poison the Defending Pokemon (which means you get to chose one if double battling), and then switch 1 of the defending Pokemon which could be the one which was not posioned.
 
Card Dex said:
CC Poison Rub 20

The Defending Pokémon is now Poisoned. Before doing damage, you may switch 1 of the Defending Pokémon with 1 of your opponent's Benched Pokémon. The new Defending Pokémon is now Poisoned.
Click to expand...

You cant posion both defending pokemon. ok lets make the attack clear:

1.- The defending pokemon is now poisoned. (The pokemon that was anounced to be attacked by this attack is poisoned.)
2.- Before doing damage, you may switch 1 of the defending pokemon with 1 of your opponent's Benched Pokémon. (You cant do 20 to both. you let to choose, before doing damage, to switch and do the damage to a BENCHED pokemon, who cannot be an active, in the case of double battle.)
3. The new Defending Pokémon is now Poisoned.(Before switchnig, the first defending pokemon was poisoned. but now, it has gone to the bench, where it looses all special conditions. the new defending pokemon is poisoned, and receive the 20 damage.

Lets translate the attack:

CC Poison Rub 20

Before doing damage, choose 1 of you opponents pokemon, and make it active. (if the one you want to choose is active, do nothing). The pokemon that is now active recive 20 damage, and its now poisoned.
 
Let's put it this way, 3 weezing on the bench and 2 ariados and a poisoning active pokemon.
You can switch the defending pokemon and poison it with nidoking out. then you can have a basic as their active with a 1 or 2 retreat. With ariados on the bench, they can't retreat and boom, 40 damage in a turn! the next turn you switch and repeat, although this would be hard to set up!
 
No one's debating how the card works -- we all know how it works. The misleading part was in the article, where it said "...and Poison it as well". It's suggesting an impossible strategy.

But this is a moot point now. I pointed this out on the Professor forums, and the article got edited shortly after. Yay PUI Web team.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top