“Hey! Learn our syntax here.”
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- cred: P.P.
883
- ↓ 0.25
- ꩜ 0.60
- ↑ 1.50
Flip a coin for 1 or 2 of your non-Baby Pokémon that can evolve. For each heads, search your deck for a later-Stage card that matches that Pokémon. Then put that card into your hand. Shuffle your deck afterward.
illus. Ken Sugimori
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Nosredna
not sure if I’m stupid or not, but I don’t understand how this card works. If I had something like a machop on the field, could I use this cards effect to search for a machamp? Or can it only be the card that machop evolves directly into, being machoke?
Elias Sant'Ana
Yes, you could search for Machamp.
(And you’re not stupid :P
This “later-stage” wording is somewhat flawed. There is nothing on Machamp that clearly indicates it’s Machop’s later stage. The game rules also don’t define this term. You are kind of expected to guess what you can search with this card)
Nosredna
I just realized the card doesn’t specify that you have to reveal the card you searched for, just another reason playing this card can create a headache. What a weird card.
Jereshroom
The ruling compendium says there’s been an official ruling that you must show the card to your opponent.
Nosredna
I figured as much, this card is just very confusing to beginning players and that lack of reminder text adds to it
Otaku
Do remember that this is a WotC-released card from 2001, referencing a mechanic (Baby Pokémon) retired in 2003. That doesn’t mean it is “good” wording, but at least it isn’t like Rare Candy, which still requires you have knowledge not printed on the cards to use it. ;)
Anytime you use a non-universal search effect, you must reveal the card or cards you searched out, as this is how the game prevents a player from grabbing an illegal search target. The text was most likely left off this card because of space concerns… and because, even back then, most players I knew considered it redundant, reminder text. New players need to learn this, so if there is a problem, it is that even now this isn’t clearly taught in the rule book. :)