Weekly Discussion #7 - Basics that Evolve

[ESP]

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TCG Weekly Discussion
Week #7 - The Importance of Basic forms of Evolved Pokémon​

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Background Information:
Much like the real world weekly discussions, the TCG Weekly Discussions are threads posted to get a good discussion going about various aspects of the Pokémon TCG. If you have any ideas for topics we could discuss in the future, please PM me or leave a profile comment.

Discussion Starter:
How important is it to play the "right" Basic form of the evolved Pokémon that your deck is based around? What even is the right one to play? With some basics such as Tynamo having two respectable forms, and others such as Tepig and Litwick having promo cards that are difficult to aquire, how do you choose?

This discussion started on 03/03/12.

 

[Vulpix Yolk]

It is often a difficult decision. I think the first thing that I look for is which basic has a more viable attack. Can it donk basics with 30 HP easily? Does it inflict your opponent with trainer lock and or a special condition? I think that a free retreat is another important factor, it is always useful, I like to keep in mind that a lot of decks are playing Skyarrow Bridge as well. The lower retreat, the more likely I am to play the basic. From there I look at the HP, which one has more? Does the change in HP make it harder for somethings in the format to get the OHKO? Some changes in HP are more important than others, for instance the difference between 30 and 40 HP is huge. Something with 30 HP can be donked by Voltorb if they hit a heads, or donked by Tyrogue. It is also one shotted off of the bench by Kyurem and Chandelure. Something with 40 HP survives all of these things. The different between say 70 HP and 80 HP however, if not critical. There aren't many thing in the metagame that hit for 70 damage, especially earlier in the game. It really isn't that big of a difference. Those are the main three factors that I look at, which is actually just about all of the traits a card has... Often times I run a split in basics if both are viable, such as Tynamo.

 

[Jirachi]

Well, I guess you choose the one most beneficial and can attack or help setup. The one with more hp would also be good so it is harder to OHKO. The one with the lowest retreat cost also is good if you want to retreat. It is pretty important to play the right one because the wrong one won't help you and can get KOd for example on the first turn. The right one helps get you on a better start than others. Like oddish helps you get out vileplume with its attack.

 

[venasour x]

I look at it like this:
Which one has more HP?
Which one has lower Retreat cost?
Which one has an attack to keep it alive longer (ex: Special Condition, something like Lampent's Luring Light)

I almost always go for one with more HP, simply because its harder to kill. If there is one that has a 1 or 0 Retreat Cost, I will probably choose that one instead, unless its my main attacker. I really don't want to have to waste 2 Energy to get some tech out of the way so I can deal damage. If everything is the same (same HP, same Retreat Cost), then I look at its attacks, because that is usually the deal breaker. If one of said basics has an attack that will keep it alive, such as inflicting sleep or paralasys, I will chose that one. Those are invaluably, because they will buy you a turn, which will win you games.

 

[Zorua]

When choosing which Basic Pokemon to use, I find it important to look at everything about it and how it may help you in your deck. The major Basics that have multiple forms in the format at the moment are Tepig, Cyndaquil, Tynamo and Litwick. Tepig and Litwick are special due to the fact that they have promo versions of themselves, which are often the forms people use compared to the ones out of the set. We can look at each of these side by side.

Litwick

Having played Chandelure for a few events, I know how crucial it is to decide which Litwick to use. We have three options when it comes to Litwick.

The first Litiwck comes from the set Noble Victores, #58/101:

The good thing about all the Litwicks we have is that they each have a 1 retreat cost. This really helps due to the fact that Chandelure lists usually run a low energy line, if any at all, and if a retreat be needed, it wont cost to much. The pro to this Litwick is the fact that it's attack, Teleportation burst, lets you switch Litwick with a benched Pokemon and does 10 damage. So not only are you retreating either way for 1 energy, your also doing 10 damage, which at times can be very crucial, like when your put up against a Tynamo, you can drop the 10, retreat out of Litwick, and then next turn evolve and KO it.

There really are no visible cons to this Litwick, although as we progress and look at the other Litwicks, you'll see that it's not the best choice.

Next we'll look at another Litwick from Noble Victores, #57/101:

The pro to this Litwick over the previous one is that it's attack requires a Double Colorless, not forcing you to use a Psychic energy to attack with it. It's attack, Searing Flame does 20 damage and tells you to flip a coin, if heads, your opponent's Pokemon is burned. The possible burn is really nice, as doing extra damage between turns really helps in spreading damage like a Chandelure list should do. The con of this, while only requiring colorless energy, is the fact that it costs 2 of them, which is a lot to ask just for 20 and flip for burn.

Once again, the only real con is the cost of the attack, but as we look at the Promo Litwick, we'll see that the promo is the best choice.

Lastly we'll look at Promo Litwick,

The biggest deciding factor in why this is the best Litwick to use is it's first attack. Call For Family, for 1 colorless energy, lets you search your deck for a basic Pokemon and put it on your bench. When combined with Pokemon Collector, you can have at least 4 Pokemon benched T1 and ready to evolve the next turn. This is huge, as it lets you get out multiple Chandelure and whatever support you may be running. It's second attack isn't really anything amazing, but you're really only going to be using this Litwick to get out basic Pokemon.

Looking over all 3 possible Litwick choices, we can see that Promo Litwick is the best choice. This is very well showcased by the fact that it was/is the most expensive Litwick out there and is the most used Litwick in Chandelure lists.

Tynamo

Next we'll look over Tynamo's, a basic key in any lists using Eelektrik, like MagnEel and ZekEel. The first Tynamo we'll look at is Tynamo #38/101 from Noble Victories:

This Tynamo has 40 HP, a Fighting weakness and a 1 retreat cost. The big thing holding back this Tynamo is it's 1 retreat cost, due to the fact that most Eel lists run a max 4 Tynamo, it's very likely that you may be starting with it and retreating out of it is a pain. While when you do retreat you will end up discarding an Electric energy, which benefits Eel lists a great extent, it also uses up your attachment for the turn which can really hurt you. The 40 HP is really nice though due to the fact that it makes sure Tynamo won't be KO'd by Chandelure's or Kyurem's.

Lastly, we'll look at Tynamo #39/101 from Noble Victories:

This Tynamo has 30 HP, 10 less than the other Tynamo. This puts Tynamo in range for a KO from Chandelure or Kyurem, which can really hurt you. The pro to this Tynamo though is it's free retreat. Due to this, starting with this Tynamo won't really hurt you as much as starting with Tynamo #39. The retreat cost is really the deciding factor when it comes to which Tynamo to use, but which one you do end up using is usually up to player preference.

Looking over both Tynamos, we can see that they each have their own pro's and con's and which to use is really up to player preference, although most players usually use both.

Tepig

Tepig, like Litwick, also has not only a promo version, but 2 promo versions (note, Tepig Mcdonalds Promo is not discussed due to it being a reprint of Tin Promo Tepig), differentiating if from Tynamo and Cyndaquil. The first Tepig we'll be looking at is Tepig #15/114 from Black and White

The good thing about this Tepig is it's one retreat cost. While Tepig #16/114 has 2 retreat cost, Promo Tepig also has a one retreat cost. Tepig #15 has 60 HP, which it also shares with Promo Tepig. We can rule out this Tepig as a good play due to it's 60 HP which is what the deciding factor is against Tepig #16.

Next, we'll look at Tepig #16/114 from Black and White

This Tepig on the other hand has 70 HP, 10 more than Tepig #15 and a two retreat cost, 1 more than Tepig #15. The 70 HP really isn't a huge advantage due to the fact that the 10 HP doesn't put you out of as many OHKO ranges as would be necessary The 2 retreat is what really kills it. Getting energy in the discard is a problem for Emboar lists since it operates from the hand rather than from the discard like Typhlosion Prime. While most lists will run Fisherman, you still don't want too many energy in the discard.

Now we'll move on to the first of 3 Promo versions of Tepig, Tepig Blister Promo

This Tepig has 60 HP, which is a little less than desireable, but nothing major. The good thing about this Tepig, which makes it better than Tepig #15, are it's attacks. The first attack lets you flip a coin to see if your opponent is Burned, which is always nice to have. The key thing about it's attacks though is that they each run on at least 1 Colorless energy, allowing you to use other energy types.

Let's check out the next Promo version of Tepig, Tepig Tin Promo

Looking at this Tepig, we begin to notice a pattern. 60 HP, 1 Retreat. 70 HP, 2 Retreat. The thing that sets this Tepig apart from Tepig #16 is that it's attack requires you to discard an energy, rather than do 10 damage to yourself. This is better since 10 damage is really what sets apart an attack from a KO, because 10 damage is key in this format. When faced between Tepig #16 and Tepig Tin Promo, go with Tepig Tin Promo.


In conclusion, it makes a huge difference when deciding which print of a Basic Pokemon to use. Be sure to always look over the card and see which one will work best with your list and with your playstyle.