Ruling Someone please clarify this rule

[Omair Marghoob]

I have one problem. The new Solrock released in Great encounters(85/106) has an attack called 'Sol Charge'. It does 20 damage and the affect of that attack says 'Search your discard pile for a basic Energy card and attach it to 1 of your Benched Pokemon.'

What if that person doesn't has any Benched Pokemon to attach the Energy, or what if he doesn't has any Energies in his Discard Pile. He would not be able to do that affect, but then would the attacks 20 damage hit or would it be ignored?

 

[Chatot Brains]

it would still do 20 damage

 

[Kronar]

Unless an attack says, "If you cannot discard (or some other effect), you cannot use this attack." you can always use an attack. In this case, you simply ignore the attachment effect and deal 20 damage. The first card that comes to mind for me for not being able to use its attack if you cant do the effect is Charizard SW.

[1RRR] Blast Burn (120) Flip a coin. If heads, discard 2 Energy cards attached to Charizard. If tails, discard 4 Energy cards attached to Charizard. (If you can't, this attack does nothing.)

It says that if you cant do a certain thing, then you cant use the attack. Unless it says that, you can ALWAYS use an attack, you just ignore the effect that cannot be preformed.

 

[DukeFireBird]

Yup, as Kronar said, this goes into the "Do as much as you can" rule.

You do the 20 damage, and then thats it.

 

[Omair Marghoob]

Thanks everyone.