SM9 'Tag Volt,' Japan's December Set!
- Thread starter Water Pokémon Master
- Start date
I assume they're classified differently because of their sex, kinda like cows and bulls. They look very different from each other and learn different move sets too.
Nope. Tag Team cards are still GX Pokémon.Tag team GX will make Electrode-GX a feasible option
Well, from a game programming standpoint, Nidoran (m) and Nidoran (f) only have separate dex numbers because in Gen 1 they were the only sexually dimorphic pokémon. To deal with this, rather than just calling them "Nidoran" and having formes (which GF hadn't even done yet), they made the two Nidoran have separate entries. Once Gen 2 hit, and the pokémon's sex was now something potentially all (or most) pokémon could have, the Nidos had already kind of been screwed up. You couldn't turn Nidoran into a single entry without removing one Dex entry turning the Kanto dex from 151 to 150 and renumbering everything starting with them across all pokémon media. I assume that headache was more of an issue than it was worth at the time, especially since Gen 2 was originally going to be the last generation.
However, going from Gen 2 forward some pokémon that are recognized as alternate sexes of the same pokémon species have been given their own entries, but rather than having the simplistic naming convention that the Nidos have (just slapping a male or female symbol in the name) they actually have different names. For example, it's generally accepted that Tauros and Miltank are the male and female of their species. Same goes with Volbeat and Illumise. Honestly, if way back in Gen 1 the Nidos had been dealt with the same way and named Nidoran and Nidoron or something this wouldn't even be an issue now. The only issue is they have the essentially the same name.
As for why you can't have a male Nidoqueen, the answer is simple. The Nidos have a branching evo line based on their sex. It's the same reason you can't have a female Gallade or a male Froslass. If the Nidos had been introduced in Gen 3 the dex would have likely only had one entry for "Nidoran" and the male and female forms would just be gender differences similar to how Hippopotas and Hippowdon have different colors based on their sex. Then to get Nidorino/Nidoking and Nidorina/Nidoqueen you would need to catch/evolve the Nidoran of the respective sex, which is the way Espurr/Meowstic work as well as Kirlia/Gallade and Snorunt/Froslass.
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Yeah I think Nidoqueen / Malamar will be the play, though you knows I'm gonna try a dual two stage with them both. Still, the whole Nidoqueen line is superior - you've got the Ability, Nidorina's recycle attack if you need it, and even Call for Family.
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I'm so happy :')
L+L Tag Team is basically a worse Ultra Necrozma. GX attack is ok but do psychic decks need that? Not convinced.
Nidoqueen is cool and as others have said it does have really good synergy with Malamar, the question is, is it possible to stream a stage 2 quickly enough to take KOs every turn? I mostly see this one working against GX decks, since it would probably be slower than Malamar/Giratina and Granbull, both of which can easily OHKO Nidoqueen every turn.
Nidoqueen is cool and as others have said it does have really good synergy with Malamar, the question is, is it possible to stream a stage 2 quickly enough to take KOs every turn? I mostly see this one working against GX decks, since it would probably be slower than Malamar/Giratina and Granbull, both of which can easily OHKO Nidoqueen every turn.
Still waiting for Greninja Zoroark Tag team GX
Plusle and minun gx next please!
Also worth pointing out that Nidoran is decent. He's obviously not as good as Alolan Vulpix, but he helps set up and is certainly better than the majority of basics for stage 2s (eg Ralts, Rowlet, etc.) which are just placeholders.
I don't like the artwork. They is too tubby.
So that's likely the last of Tag Team GX for this set. Team Up revealed six which is what we've got now, and yes Magikarp & Wailord GX counts as one as it's higher rarity will likely be in the set. (Also the LATAM Internationals only teased these six).
I'm still going to hold out hope for a fossil Tag Team card, but I know I'm probably out of luck on that one.
Come on TPCi... give me an Aerodactyl & Relicanth Tag Team or something.
I've been underwhelmed with most Tag Team cards as they are 3 card prize liabilities if you face a deck that can take them out due to weakness or a giant hit of some sort. That said, Latias & Latios, as mentioned by The Rhyperior above, in a Malamar deck may have a role to play down late game as a last attacker when the opponent has taken 4-5 prizes already, turning it into a 7 or 8 prize card game. Theorymon, I know, but it may work.
Yeah, the water requirement sucks, though.
Yeah, the water requirement sucks, though.
The Nidoran Family have gotten more interesting. Both Nidoran F and Nidoran M have 60 HP and a Retreat Cost of 1, both Nidorina and Nidorino have 90 HP and a Retreat Cost of 2, and both Nidoqueen and Nidoking with 160 HP and a Retreat Cost of 3. It would be intriguing to see how the Nidoran Family are played.