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  10. Ambassador

    (As of September 2022), there is no pure {M} type in the TCG capable of inflicting Burns in the TCG. Flareon ẟ is as close it gets. Delta Species cards are also the only way any {M} type has ever been able to inflict Poison.

  12. Ambassador

    There is absolutely a strategy to Rock-Paper-Scissors and there are people who are good at it. The previous instances of RPS in the TCG feel like they were balanced for this… but this Mr. Mime, not so much. It’s waiting for someone good at RPS to pilot a rogue deck to rage-inducing victories.

  27. TwylisAmbassador

    I think “HP is an effect” isn’t the conclusion they intend when they say everything other than damage is an effect — I think HP is inherently excluded as a game mechanic, like weakness and resistance, by virtue of being an inherent property of a card. I think effects fundamentally need to be something that a player or card causes to *happen* that somehow alter the game state — and the basic parameters of a card would fall outside that purview.

    Even if the JP TCG doesn’t specify effects only apply to things that are in play, it still remains the case as a basic function of gameplay, because the deck and hand are both private. Effects being removed and not applying to cards that are private is necessary for the sake of the game being consistent and making sense for both players. A card with an ability that says “all Lightning-type pokemon have 40 more HP” wouldn’t change your ability to search out a Flaaffy with Level Ball, because until your opponent *knows* it’s a Flaaffy, no conflict would arise — which the game just circumvents by only applying effects to pokemon that are in-play (unless otherwise stated).

    The concept of hand and deck privacy is pretty core to making sense of a lot of the “effects” concept — it’s the core reason why Scoop Up Net clears literally all effects, because there’s no way for the game (or the opponent) to keep track of effects applied to cards that aren’t public (i.e. in play). The discard pile is the one area where this gets murky again, since it’s neither private nor in play, but its contents still usually aren’t affected by anything unless stated.

  28. Ambassador

    Aha. Possibly the cause* of the rabbit hole I fell down today with N1 Electabuzz, ROS 74 Altaria, BKP Zebstrika, Big Parasol, Espeon VMAX…

    Protective Dust:
    JP: このポケモンは、相手のワザによる効果を受けない。
    JP-TL: Prevent all effects of attacks done to Dustox by the Attacking Pokémon.
    EN: Prevent all effects of attacks, except damage, done to Dustox by the Attacking Pokémon.

    The JP text doesn’t say “except damage” because – damage is not an effect. There’s no need to specify. In fact, saying “except damage” implies damage IS an effect, and you are not going to see any card outright tell you “Damage is not an effect.” to clear this mess up *until* DAA Big Parasol.

    * WOTC caused this problem, right from the get-go in Base Set’s Mewtwo and Raichu. “Prevent all effects of attacks, including damage…” implies damage is an effect. The JP text doesn’t say anything like this – it’s saying something closer to “You won’t be affected by attacks during your opponent’s next turn.” HOWEVER, this card is really entrenching it. So I don’t think my conjecture on ROS Altaria was completely without merit – the language regarding attacks vs effects has been sloppy over the years, and they’ve been slow to fix it. It’s no wonder there’s they now print a “(Damage is not an effect.)” reminder on relevant cards. For lack of precision in the language, the opposite has been implied for c. 25 years.

  29. Ambassador

    This is the first appearance of the phrasing “This attack ALSO does…” [emphasis mine] in the English TCG. It’s normally just “This attack does…” and you won’t see it phrased that way again until Cosmic Eclipse’s Reshiram & Zekrom GX. It’s become a standard phrase during Gen 8 of the TCG – co-existing with “This attack does…” and when you look at it in context it makes grammatical sense.

    It does make grammatical sense on this Golem, tbqh, but I don’t think it fits the ‘style guide’ of the time. “Then, this attack does” is also an unusual phrase that only shows up on Dark Weezing and Dark Ivysaur, but much more common is “and this attack does”. If you want to browse this yourself, make sure to put a + symbol in front of your search* to get exact text string results.

    * i.e.;
    https://pkmncards.com/?s=%2Btext%3A%22this+attack+does%22&sort=date&ord=rev&display=images
    https://pkmncards.com/?s=%2Btext%3A%22this+attack+also+does%22&sort=date&ord=rev&display=images
    https://pkmncards.com/?s=%2Btext%3A%22then%2C+this+attack+does%22&sort=date&ord=rev&display=images
    https://pkmncards.com/?s=%2Btext%3A%22and+this+attack+does%22&sort=date&ord=rev&display=images

  30. AmbassadorAmbassador

    Regarding the Glaceon VMAX question asked above, I found them interesting enough to keep digging for answers.

    Glaceon VMAX’s Max Icicle will still damage a benched Pokémon – it is specifying damage, and not damage counters. The Q&A I posted on Big Parasol has what I consider to be a very nearly identical situation – Big Parasol fills in for Espeon VMAX’s Solar Revelation, and Cramorant V’s Spit Shot is similar-ish to Max Icicle; it does 160 damage as the ‘text’ of an attack rather than printing it as “160” to the right of the name of the attack. Doesn’t matter, in specifying damage rather than damage counters, it overrides (or more accurately, isn’t affected by) Big Parasol and the damage will be applied.

    (As far as Hisuian Samurott VSTAR’s Merciless Blade, I don’t know. I can’t see why it would be blocked. It’s part of a calculation to do damage, and damage is not an effect.)

  31. Ambassador

    From pokemon-card.com/rules/ Q&A [ https://archive.ph/wip/sgN7c ] (some translations are paraphrased, square brackets are editorialism on my part);

    𝑸. If I use LOR Cresselia’s Moonlight Reverse when my opponent’s Active Pokémon has Big Parasol attached [and for the sake of the Q&A I take it we’re meant to assume it’s their only Pokémon in play], can I use the effect of the attack to remove 2 damage counters from each of my Pokémon?
    𝑨. Yes, but Big Parasol will block [the effect of the] attack. Remove 2 damage counters from each of your Pokémon and [end your turn].

    𝑸. If my opponent’s Active Pokémon has Big Parasol attached, can I use FST Galarian Cursola’s Force Regeneration to put a Basic Pokémon V onto their bench from their discard pile [and put damage counters on it as the attack’s effect says]?
    𝑨. Yes, you can put a Pokémon onto the bench as the attack indicates. But you cannot put damage counters on that Pokémon. [Interesting!]

    𝑸. If there is a Pokémon on the opponent’s side of the field with Big Parasol attached [and I infer we’re meant to assume it’s their *only* Pokémon on the field for the sake of this Q&A], and I use Ghostly Cries, I won’t be able to put a damage counter on them, but can I still return any of their Pokémon in the discard pile back to the deck?
    𝑨. No.

    𝑸. The opponent’s Active Pokémon has Big Parasol attached. If I play BST Phoebe, can Butterfree VMAX’s G-MAX Toxbreeze inflict Confusion and Poison?
    𝑨. No. [Fairly obviously not.]

    𝑸. My opponent’s SSH Morpeko V, which has a Big Parasol attached, uses Electro Wheel and returns to the Bench. I used Galarian Stunkfisk V’s Trapping Bite the turn prior. Can I put damage counters on the Benched Morpeko V?
    𝑨. Yes. [Morpeko V is no longer in the Active Spot.]

    𝑸. [Same question as the previous one but this time the Pokémon put in the Active in Morpeko V’s place is the one with a Big Parasol attached.]
    𝑨. [This time no. Big Parasol will stop the placement of damage counters.]

    𝑸. Can Drapult VMAX’s Max Phantom put damage counters on the opponent’s Benched Pokémon if the opponent’s Active Pokémon has a Big Parasol attached?
    𝑨. No.

    𝑸. The opponent’s Active Pokémon has Big Parasol attached. Can Cramorant V’s Spit Shot damage to the opponent’s Benched Pokémon?
    𝑨. Yes. [It seems very important here to note that Cramorant V’s Spit Shot attack says to do “160 damage”, and *not* “place 16 damage counters. Damage is not an effect.]

    𝑸. Does DAA Rookidee’s Pluck remove a Big Parasol attached to the opponent’s Active Pokémon?
    𝑨. No.

  40. Tatu chín đai

    “Brilliant Search” re-appears on LOT Gardevoir, and a much-improved version of it appears on Charizard & Braixen GX as “Brilliant Flare”!

  48. Tatu chín đaiAmbassador

    None appeared during gen 5 or 6, and then Beast Ring was probably rare because of how absurdly good it is. But from 2019 on, rare trainers have only appeared in two special sets in order to “pad” the sets with more rare cards. So yes, definitely the exception rather than the rule!

  55. Tatu chín đai

    The move “Cry for Help” appeared four more times in the TCG, but this was the only time it allowed you to choose –one of TWO types– of Pokemon to search for.

  56. AmbassadorJiří z Poděbrad

    Same source as most of my comments of late, pokemon-card.com/rules/ Q&A engine;

    𝑸. If there is a Pokémon on the opponent’s side of the field with Big Parasol attached [and I infer we’re meant to assume it’s their *only* Pokémon on the field for the sake of this Q&A], and I use Ghostly Cries, I won’t be able to put a damage counter on them, but can I still return any of their Pokémon in the discard pile back to the deck?
    𝑨. No.

    (This Q&A seems very obvious given the EN text of Ghostly Cries, but the JP text doesn’t have anything along the lines of the “if you put placed any damage counters in this way” so I can see how it came up.)