Oh god this thing with Salamence V.
And I thought the Tapu Koko promo was godlike spread damage.
And I thought the Tapu Koko promo was godlike spread damage.
'Shocking Volt Tackle,' Japan's September Set!
- Thread starter Water Pokémon Master
- Start date
omg they revamped choice band but for the bench
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Looks like a child's play camera made by Fisher Price.
Certainly could be an interesting tech card, though.
Certainly could be an interesting tech card, though.
Decidueye is GROOVING now
Hmmm. I wonder if they'll release a pokemon that rearranges damage counters in this set or in an upcoming set. If so, this + Salamence V (as many others have noted), could be pretty fun haha.
Also Cramorant V can snipe for 190 to the Bench now, for CCC and discard all energies. Whew.
Also Cramorant V can snipe for 190 to the Bench now, for CCC and discard all energies. Whew.
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Smile for the picTHONK
I'm sure there was some card that allowed a Pokemon to deal more damage to benched Pokemon before, but certainly not in the past couple of years. All cards have a "excluding benched Pokemon" clause, making this card particularly weird, even if it's easy to grasp in concept.
Design-wise, you'd consider the "excluding benched Pokemon" clause to have some balancing effect, especially since it's so common - but this Tool puts it all into question. Why can't other items increase damage to benched Pokemon? Why can't weakness apply?
I'm sure there was some card that allowed a Pokemon to deal more damage to benched Pokemon before, but certainly not in the past couple of years. All cards have a "excluding benched Pokemon" clause, making this card particularly weird, even if it's easy to grasp in concept.
Design-wise, you'd consider the "excluding benched Pokemon" clause to have some balancing effect, especially since it's so common - but this Tool puts it all into question. Why can't other items increase damage to benched Pokemon? Why can't weakness apply?
Wide Lens is a tool that applies Weakness/Resistance when an attack targets the bench, but it rotated out a long time ago.
I can think of a Galvantula (the Live Wire one from Unified Minds) that does hit the bench for weakness, but it has too low of a damage output to make any difference (and you couldn't Electropower the bench). There was also Wide Lens that let the user apply both weakness and resistance to benched mons back in the ORAS era. So ya, they did address the issue at least twice before.
Other than obscure stuff like Unfezant ROS, I cant think of any. Wide Lens, as someone else mentioned, makes attacks apply w/r to benches mons though.
I think wr not applying to the bench is probably to stop overwhelming weakness and resistance to apply. Bench dealing fighting mons now gain ridiculous advantages against lightning, old dark, and some colorless decks, but just kinda lose to psychic decks. It's nice for balance imo. Either way, it's not the BIGGEST deal, as evidenced by Wide Lens not being super popular, but it is still there. As for more effects not helping bench hitting, idk for sure. You couldn't add a ton that easily for one, but the increased HP pokemon now have allows for easier and wider design space in terms of adding damage dealt to benches Pokemon. Plus, saving effects that could obviously easily be added is good for keeping the game alive for longer. If they put all the interesting stuff they thought of in EVERY set they'd run out of ideas pretty quickly. Probably not the reason they do this exactly, but it is a possibility.
I don't think this is an "issue", nor are these cards a "solution". They just kind of prove my point, that there's no significant reason why this "doesn't apply to benched Pokemon" rule has to exist.
This is a reasonable and intuitive point, but I think it just makes the bench hitters into extremely polarizing cards. Not counting attacks that get bench damage as an added bonus (like new Decidueye), it feels like pure bench attacks are either very weak, or annoyingly strong - specifically because you cannot interact with them like you can with regular attacks.
I'm not arguing that this is the way things should be, but I'm wondering why they are the way they are.
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These 2 will provide some interesting deck options as they are good disruptors
Shiftry:Haha now your Supporter cards let you draw 3 cards from your deck!
Hop:Jokes on you I'm into that sh*t
Hop:Jokes on you I'm into that sh*t
Hit and run decks like Clefable RCL Clefairy CEC (with the new memory tool) could make good use out of Shiftry. Forcing your opponent to draw energy every turn and only being able to draw 3 cards seems pretty good. But Kabutops is just better in most cases.
N's Rhyperior
Aspiring Trainer
- Dusknoir - actually, you can use this ability, Turn 1 when you play Duskull, uses Duskull's ability to search Dusclops, and.... I forgot Dusknoir was a trade mon, not evolves using Dusk Stone. Sorry, too overhyped. Anyways, the ability is awesome and this is directly counters Twin Energy. In turn 2, you can use this. 3-4
- Shiftry - awesome ability, Welder weakness. 3-4
N's Rhyperior
Aspiring Trainer
When was the Champion's Path actual set release? 25th? Come on, TPCi. Tease at least 1 English card from that set so that I make my setlist for That set. Maybe I should start doing the Vivid Voltage one. But I'm afraid that some cards from SWSH3a might be pushed forward because Alcremie was being pushed forward on CHP
The fact that Shiftry is not only Stage 2, but also has to be Active, effectively kills the utility of its Ability. Its attack isn't very good (especially since the opponent gets to choose which Pokémon to switch for the Active), and it can't even justify any partnership with switch-attacking Pokémon because there are way better "Active only" Abilities, like Neutralizing Gas from the Stage 1 Galarian Weezing. Granted, turning all of the opponent's Supporters into Cheren/Tierno/Hau/Hop (how many times will they print the same trash Supporter?) is interesting, but again, the Ability is severely held back.
Dusknoir, on the other hand, isn't murdered by having to be Active - it can just sit on the Bench and essentially shut down the opponent's Special Energy. Being a Stage 2 card is still rough, but the Ability is worth it, I think.
Dusknoir, on the other hand, isn't murdered by having to be Active - it can just sit on the Bench and essentially shut down the opponent's Special Energy. Being a Stage 2 card is still rough, but the Ability is worth it, I think.
Not only does Shiftry have to be Active, it also has a Retreat Cost of 3. Ouch. And it nerfs Welder acceleration yet it's weak to Fire? Sigh.
That being said, I'm happy to see these two brand new, pretty creative, disruptive Abilities. Glad there are some creative minds making cards somewhere out there.
That being said, I'm happy to see these two brand new, pretty creative, disruptive Abilities. Glad there are some creative minds making cards somewhere out there.