Dodrio · FireRed & LeafGreen (RG) #21

8 comments

1. 

   Anonymous

   (14 years ago)

   I can only see this being used for its poke body.

   Reply
2. 

   Nosredna

   (6 years ago)

   Does Retreat Aid stack?

   Reply
   • 

     007manyoNosredna

     (6 years ago)

     Yes! It doesn’t set the retreat to a specific number, it just reduces it by 2. If you had 2 Dodrio in play, it would reduce the retreat by 4 total.

     Reply
3. 

   televisionnation

   (5 years ago)

   I believe Baby Pokémon would have already rotated by the time this was printed since the last Babies were printed in Skyridge & the format would be Ruby & Sapphire on at this point; all “Baby Pokémon” at that time wouldn’t be specially designated as so instead only bearing the “Baby Evolution” Poképower. Interesting to see this restriction all the way in Fire Red & Leaf Green.

   Reply
   • 

     Otakutelevisionnation

     (5 years ago)

     EX – FireRed/LeafGreen released August of 2004, so it only just missed being legal for the very end of the 2004 Standard Format (also known as the 2003-2004 Modified Format). It is possible they had intended there to be a larger overlap, or that the Japanese releases of the cards included such clarifications, so they kept it while translating.

     Plus, the Unlimited Format was still a thing. I know it technically still is even now, but the difference is many more people played it back then, and Unlimited tournaments (not part off the Championship series, of course) also still happened. It was still common in my area (Central Iowa) to have an Unlimited Format deck with you at Pokémon League. Standard (Modified) Format decks were actually less common at League; basically, the cut off between the truly casual and the players who were at least semi-serious was an intentionally Modified-legal deck. ;)

     Reply
     • 

       AmbassadorOtaku

       (3 years ago)

       I’d actually like to follow up on this question and ask if there’s any other reasons this card, and EXD Salamence ex, are the only two Japanese cards of the entire Generation 3 TCG to specifically mention Baby Pokémon? For the English TCG, there’s these two cards, plus Lanette’s Net Search, and several cards sort of implicity acknowledging Baby Pokémon, but these are (kind of sort of) mistranslations. I’m working on figuring out what happened and I think I mostly have it except for this card and the aforementioned Salamence ex.

       Like, would it have been particularly awful for the Japanese unlimited format[*] if the e-Card Babies were given free retreat? (At this point in the game, I get the sense they already decided they wanted to move on from Baby Pokémon mechanic entirely, and only mentioned it out of obligation..?)

       [*] Pokémon VS-and-on. Don’t worry about the neo babies.

       Reply
       • 

         TwylisAmbassador

         (3 years ago)

         Considering both mentions of Babies are in cases of retreat cost reduction, I suspect free retreat on Babies really *was* considered that bad. Which was primarily because of the Baby coin flip rule — even ignoring the attacks, it made using Babies to stall a potentially viable tactic in a pinch, and they likely really didn’t want such a strategy to ever be cost-free.

         Likely wouldn’t have actually been that consequential, but considering the strength of the Neo Babies prior, I can see why they would play it safe.

         Reply
4. 

   Henry VIII

   (4 years ago)

   this was the first rare Dodrio card ever

   Reply