The End of the ACE-SPEC Era

[AlexanderTheAwesome]

So, as I'm sure many of you have noticed by now, there will be no more ACE-SPEC cards (unless TPCI randomly stars reprinting them again). Now, I'll be honest, I loved ACE-SPECs. The idea of having cards that were so good you could only play one was just such an interesting concept to me and the fact that some of the mascot legendaries even got their own ACE-SPEC tool cards was just so awesome. Giving Black Kyurem EX 300 HP and even letting Victini EX KO a Genesect EX for no energy was just so amazing and really was one of the fun parts of the game to me. Every deck I built deciding which one to put was actually a lot of fun.

Then came XY base set. And as the full set list got released, there were no ACE-SPECs printed. Then came no more in Wild Blaze and that's when I figured that they were done printing them. That's actually a little upsetting, there are really only 3 big ones you can choose from now, Dowsing Machine, Computer Search, and Scramble Switch (and G-Booster sometimes), which really takes the surprise out of guessing which one they will use, usually just based on the deck they're playing you can narrow it down to either they are playing Scramble Switch or not.

So use this thread to discuss what mind of ACE-SPECs you would've liked to see printed, and how you think it effects gameplay or deck building with no more of them being printed.

 

[blaZofgold]

I don't really mind them not reprinting ACE Specs, so long as they give us Super Scoop Up and Junk Arm back eventually. G-booster is gone? Good riddance XD.

 

[AlexanderTheAwesome]

I don't really mind them not reprinting ACE Specs, so long as they give us Super Scoop Up and Junk Arm back eventually. G-booster is gone? Good riddance XD

Reprinting junk arm right now would be soooo OP, just because of the fact that Exeggcute exists and G-Booster would keep coming back. You could junk arm for Scramble Switch which would be super broken and get back all the currently unplayable ACE-SPECs such as Scoop-Up Cyclone. It would be good in a sense that it would make more cards playable, but overall just make the current Archetypes better rather than creating new ones. Thus making a bad meta.

Getting your one AS back is broken lol.

 

[TokenDuelist]

To be honest a few cards in the new set make me feel like they needed to be Ace Specs. Sacred Ash is just one good example.

 

[AlexanderTheAwesome]

To be honest a few cards in the new set make me feel like they needed to be Ace Specs. Sacred Ash is just one good example.

I could see that, but maybe if did 6 instead of 5 and did both pokemon and energy. That's be cool.

 

[Machamp The Champion]

I'm really going to miss Ace Specs. They were really game changing and what Ace Spec you played could really change how your deck works entirely. Computer Search is great if you wanted to have a consistent and faster deck. Dowsing Machine is good for a longer lasting and conservative deck, and Scramble Switch is good for more toolbox-y decks that don't need the consistency of the other 2. It really depended on the player and allowed each player to play a deck that suited them best. They were really good for the game, and made games more existing. I think it would be really cool if we had like 5-10 different really good Ace Specs. Decks would be more diverse, and both players would always be in suspense as to which one the other player is playing.

I think they could also expand on what types of cards Ace Specs could be. Like Ace Spec Supporters, Energy, Stadiums, the amount of new cards would be endless. As for Item Ace Specs, they could have a super Pluspower that gives you 40-50 extra damage. Or maybe one where you could put an Evolution from your hand onto your bench. Or one where you Mega evolve a Pokemon, and don't end your turn. You can pretty much just take any Item card, make it's effect better and BAM. New Ace Spec.

 

[Elbow]

I'm really going to miss Ace Specs. They were really game changing and what Ace Spec you played could really change how your deck works entirely. Computer Search is great if you wanted to have a consistent and faster deck. Dowsing Machine is good for a longer lasting and conservative deck, and Scramble Switch is good for more toolbox-y decks that don't need the consistency of the other 2. It really depended on the player and allowed each player to play a deck that suited them best. They were really good for the game, and made games more existing. I think it would be really cool if we had like 5-10 different really good Ace Specs. Decks would be more diverse, and both players would always be in suspense as to which one the other player is playing.

I think they could also expand on what types of cards Ace Specs could be. Like Ace Spec Supporters, Energy, Stadiums, the amount of new cards would be endless. As for Item Ace Specs, they could have a super Pluspower that gives you 40-50 extra damage. Or maybe one where you could put an Evolution from your hand onto your bench. Or one where you Mega evolve a Pokemon, and don't end your turn. You can pretty much just take any Item card, make it's effect better and BAM. New Ace Spec.

This is probably one of the best ideas I've ever heard in awhile on this site. Ace-Specs for everything sounds really interesting...Ace-Spec pokemon=Gold Stars?
BTS would be a good stadium Ace Spec. Boost Energy minus evolved effect Ace Spec. Double Prism Ace Spec. I have too many ideas going through my head with this concept. There were only 13 total Ace-Specs, I really wished TCPI made more!

 

[Frost Mage]

Ooh... What if Tropical Beach became an Ace-Spec?

 

[Machamp The Champion]

Ooh... What if Tropical Beach became an Ace-Spec?

If they errata it to become one, that'd be really cool. But Tropical Beach itself isn't nearly as powerful as the other Ace Specs, it's just super rare. So it would basically be the same as it being banned, which I can't complain about, but it seems a little redundant.

 

[RogueChomp]

There were a lot of playable ace specs. Really loved all of them. Gold Potion (ahem Machamp), Scramble, Computer Search, and Dowsing were all really good, but Rock Guard and Life Dew could catch your opponent off every now and then (AKA Nats 2013). Victory piece and G booster found their places also. Good for game, good for diversity, overall just great and will be missed.

 

[Card Slinger J]

Come to think of it we sort of had our first ACE-Spec card back in Diamond/Pearl: Stormfront before ACE-Spec's became a thing in the Black/White series. Remember Luxury Ball and how everybody ran that as a staple card a few years ago? I never understood why it didn't get reprinted as an ACE-Spec.

But honestly I would've looked forward to the end of the Basic EX Era more than the end of the ACE-Spec Era considering how Basics still take up 90% of Standard/Modified which still doesn't leave much room for Stage 1/Stage 2 Evolution decks nowadays that unfortunately need Tropical Beach to stay ahead on draw consistency.

As for best ACE-Spec's currently I'd say it's a tie between Dowsing Machine and Scramble Switch.

 

[Machamp The Champion]

Come to think of it we sort of had our first ACE-Spec card back in Diamond/Pearl: Stormfront before ACE-Spec's became a thing in the Black/White series. Remember Luxury Ball and how everybody ran that as a staple card a few years ago? I never understood why it didn't get reprinted as an ACE-Spec.

They did. No one remembers poor Master Ball.

 

[AlexanderTheAwesome]

Come to think of it we sort of had our first ACE-Spec card back in Diamond/Pearl: Stormfront before ACE-Spec's became a thing in the Black/White series. Remember Luxury Ball and how everybody ran that as a staple card a few years ago? I never understood why it didn't get reprinted as an ACE-Spec.

They did. No one remembers poor Master Ball.

Yeah, because it would've been fine with the old DPP wording, making it an AS made it unplayable becuz Comp Search is around. There were better options.

 

[pokedan24]

How about these ones.

-One that lets you draw 4 cards, no catch no conditions (other than being an ace spec)
-Rare Candy that lets you a) get the card from your deck if need be and b) play it the turn you play your basic down (just not on either players turn 1).
-A tool card that acts as an energy. It can be removed by both tool scrapper and any energy removal card, but doesn't count as an attachment.
-One that lets you search out any supporter (similar to Jirachi EX's ability, but in trainer form)
-One that lets you revive any pokemon from your discard pile regardless of stage (not sure how that would work for fossils though).
-One that lets your mega evolution attack for free for just one turn.
-A tool card similar to G Booster, but much less broken and for any pokemon. (ie: Gives said pokemon an attack that does 60 for C).

 

[BlazikenBro]

How about these ones.

-One that lets you draw 4 cards, no catch no conditions (other than being an ace spec)
-Rare Candy that lets you a) get the card from your deck if need be and b) play it the turn you play your basic down (just not on either players turn 1).
-A tool card that acts as an energy. It can be removed by both tool scrapper and any energy removal card, but doesn't count as an attachment.
-One that lets you search out any supporter (similar to Jirachi EX's ability, but in trainer form)
-One that lets you revive any pokemon from your discard pile regardless of stage (not sure how that would work for fossils though).
-One that lets your mega evolution attack for free for just one turn.
-A tool card similar to G Booster, but much less broken and for any pokemon. (ie: Gives said pokemon an attack that does 60 for C).

That would actually be a really good idea! I do admit, if they don't make more ACE Specs, there will be no sign of them coming back. I guess some things just disappear and we have to move on without them. That was the case for example cards from HG:SS and SP Pokemon.

Lol, one guy I'd met said how it was a 45 minute plus game, since he had a Sableye out and he would Gold Potion, then Crushing Hammer: Junk Hunt.

 

[AlexanderTheAwesome]

How about these ones.

-One that lets you draw 4 cards, no catch no conditions (other than being an ace spec)
-Rare Candy that lets you a) get the card from your deck if need be and b) play it the turn you play your basic down (just not on either players turn 1).
-A tool card that acts as an energy. It can be removed by both tool scrapper and any energy removal card, but doesn't count as an attachment.
-One that lets you search out any supporter (similar to Jirachi EX's ability, but in trainer form)
-One that lets you revive any pokemon from your discard pile regardless of stage (not sure how that would work for fossils though).
-One that lets your mega evolution attack for free for just one turn.
-A tool card similar to G Booster, but much less broken and for any pokemon. (ie: Gives said pokemon an attack that does 60 for C).

That would actually be a really good idea! I do admit, if they don't make more ACE Specs, there will be no sign of them coming back. I guess some things just disappear and we have to move on without them. That was the case for example cards from HG:SS and SP Pokemon.

That's what they said about ex's, but they remade those in BW series, you never know what could happen. Maybe after XY, they will re introduce legends or LV. X's (Mega Evolutions aren't the same!!!!!!!!).