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- ↓ 0.17
- ꩜ 0.30
- ↑ 3.95
The Pokémon this card is attached to can use the attack on this card. (You still need the necessary Energy to use this attack.) If this card is attached to 1 of your Pokémon, discard it at the end of your turn.
{C} → Evolution
Choose up to 2 of your Benched Pokémon. For each of those Pokémon, search your deck for a card that evolves from that Pokémon and put it onto that Pokémon to evolve it. Then, shuffle your deck.
· Pokémon Tool rule: You may attach any number of Pokémon Tools to your Pokémon during your turn. You may attach only 1 Pokémon Tool to each Pokémon, and it stays attached.
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Weedle
A nice replacement for Boost Shake, once it rotates!
LightYearLiam
This is far better than Boost Shake. Two is bigger than one :)
SupaCrow
I think it’s hard to define “better” especially based on the context of when they were played. Evo requires an energy and is a tool card, whereas boost shake is an item. TM gets the ability to be searched via Town store. Boost shake was also killer with Galarian Weezing lock.
LightYearLiam
True, I was being cheeky and over-simplistic. Both cards end your turn, but evolving 2 Pokemon is a more worthy result of that. Using Boost Shake on your first turn is only better than an Evolution Incense on your second turn in situations where the mere presence of the evolved Pokemon makes a difference, which is pretty rare – I can’t really think of any good examples other than Galarian Weezing. I mean, yeah, evolving your Pokemon gives it more HP, but that doesn’t usually make a huge difference early in the game.
Space
I am pretty firmly on it being better than boost shake for the fact that it’s a more flexible option that largely gives a generally stronger outcome.
Arven and town store being as strong as they are for other tools make the TM easier to search out and the combination of turn 1 arven going second you can grab a VIP pass and the evo TM and then all you need is one energy to have 2 things ready to go turn 2. Tool search is more easily found than item search generally and in one of the most popular options, Arven, you get both so the status as a tool over an item is purely additive if you’re searching for another item like a ball that gets you a mon to evolve or energy search to enable the TM. Ever since the distinction between Item and Tool, tool support has increased and will only continue, which to me feels like the TM is more future proofed and will only become more usable.
The other important distinction is that the TM is attached and then you use it later in the turn so if you need to use something like a Prof Research, Iono, Squawk and Seize to discard or reshuffle your hand. You don’t have to stop just to evolve one mon the turn it’s played, and even allows you to potentially draw into new ones worth evolving. It also benefits mons that have higher energy cost or cheated energy cost to be able to do something without simply ending your turn. A lucario that can roaring resolve for an energy but needs 2 to attack properly or a chien-pao trying to set up a baxcalibur that can grab 2 energy but only attach 1. even just things with meaty attack and retreat costs that you’re stuck with due to a poor opening hand or stalling gust like a Radiant Charizard.
Not to mention the fact that you can just simply Not Use the TM if you don’t want to. it’s pitch fodder for ultra balls that can be searched easily, you can attach it to a random benched mon just to have it out of your hand for any draw up to effects. the boost shake needs to be discarded to be out of your hand, you can’t simply play it for no effect as it would still end your turn, meaning drawing it once you’ve evolved or on a turn where you want to attack makes it essentially a dead card.
The one area it does falter compared to boost shake is it’s only for benched mons so anything that is required to be in active for it’s evolution to be useful is a negative, but that’s a fairly niche case and i generally don’t feel it’s a case that outweighs the other good of the TM outside of very particular decks. It’s not nothing, but having 2 evolved mons on the bench vs 1 in the active is a case by case basis. Similarly evolving in turn 1, but relying on a turn 1 item with minimal search options (whatever needs to search is a pokémon and most of those need to be in the active to do their thing negating the former point without a retreat), it’s just a far more niche scenario.
You say the context in when they were played but it isn’t like they existed in metas 10 years apart. they’re both legal in standard at the same time and boost shake is just not seeing play while the TM is for it’s utility in enabling decks otherwise reliant on rare candies to get to stage 2 a turn quicker. And if you’re braving the desolate wasteland of expanded, Wally is there doing exactly what boost shake does without the downside. Sure he’s a supporter but if your deck is okay ending it’s turn to evolve something, it’s probably fine playing a supporter and not doing that instead, or is already playing a supporter to enable that.
IDK, personally i just think that the TM is a more solid option that allows for a greater range of choices. if a deck really needs boost shake then that’d be it’s better option, but i can’t think of many cases where that is the decision i’d make in a world where the TM exists.