Venomoth · Jungle (JU) #29

4 comments

1. 

   Curtis

   (14 years ago)

   This power would be so much better if the attack didn’t only do 10 damage.

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     reshikrom64Curtis

     (14 years ago)

     30 damage at least would have been nice.

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       Adam Capriola reshikrom64

       (14 years ago)

       That would have been too good – basically 60 for 2 plus a chance at Poison AND Confusion? And Confusion was deadly back then since you had to flip to retreat out of it.

       20 would have been a little more appropriate I think. Or 15 damage.

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         AnonymousAdam Capriola

         (2 years ago)

         The original rules for Confusion in Japan made this status condition even more powerful. If a Confused Pokémon flipped tails while trying to use an attack, it used that attack on ITSELF.
         https://jklaczpokemon.com/original-rules/#confused-attack
         Beyond that, Venom Powder is essentially a stronger version of Lapras FO’s Confuse Ray, since it also Poisons the defending Pokémon if you flip heads, and since Shift lets you hit for non-Grass weaknesses with some planning. Free retreat also gives Venomoth an advantage over Lapras, but unfortunately it had 10 less HP than Lapras, had to evolve from a 40 HP basic (Venonat JU), lacked the reliable chip attack that Lapras had in Water Gun, and could not rely on Blastoise BS’s Rain Dance for quick Energy attachments. On top of all this, Lickitung JU fits the niche of resident status condition abuser far more snugly, with a low attack cost for Tongue Wrap and a high HP that compliments Pokémon Center BS and Scoop Up BS well, not to mention it’s own Confusion-inflicting attack that it can use for a single Double Colorless Energy BS when Tongue Wrap isn’t sufficient.

         Back to Venomoth. The attack cost of two Grass Energy is yet another factor that holds Venomoth back. Even if being Double Colorless compatible was too strong under the old Confusion rules, having one Colorless Energy in the attack cost would let it fit into existing decks more easily, and would eventually let it use Darkness Energy N1 and Metal Energy N1 more effectively. Doing 10 more damage when you flip tails would also have been helpful.

         I used to use Sabrina’s Venomoth G1 in Prop 15/3 with Sabrina’s Kadabra G2. It is amazing how much more powerful Sonic Distortion feels. 10 damage and a 75% chance of Confusion for only one Psychic Energy? Perhaps unsurprisingly, this card was printed after the rule revision; The rules for attacking while Confused were revised in May of 1999, and Sabrina’s Venomoth was printed in Challenge From the Darkness, which was released in Japan on June 25, 1999 (That feels very sudden when compared to the three month delay in the international release of Team Rocket due to the creation of Dark Raichu, however. Was PCL sitting on the rule change for a month or two, or was Wizards just slow (Possibly both)?).
         https://jklaczpokemon.com/prop-15-3/#life-drain

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