Pokémon TCG: Sword and Shield—Brilliant Stars

How Unown Q is going to change the game

R

revdjweb

New Member
i think unown q is a really terrific card and by far the best unown out there. why, well let me tell you...

first off, if you get forced to start with him at the beginning of a game it isnt a total disaster. 20 damage for one colorless (plus the fact that it's psychic) is reasonable, but even more important is the fact that unown q is a basic with a ZERO retreat cost. which means if you go second you can play a supporter for the basic you really want as your starter and make the switch with no delay.
of course the real reason to play unown q is it's pokepower which will be fantastic in the right kind of deck. what deck is the right kind of deck you ask? well, i haven't looked at all the cards yet but i can tell you that it is going to be one where the main attacker has a normal retreat cost of :colorless. let's face it, there is a strategic world of difference between a 1 retreat and a free retreat so that warp point becomes your best friend. and since usually the pokemon with unown q attached as a tool is heading to the bench that means it isn't an easy target for a pachy cheapshot and even windstorm can only be used after the fact.

so yeah, while it doesnt belong in every deck i think unown q is the best non-rare pokemon in MD, hands down.
 
Good Job. You've located the gem of Majestic Dawn.

Starting with any pokemon you want, at any time is always nice...

Only Riolu can OHKO this thing on turn one, and anything else silly enough to attack it will watch those damage counters vanish right away.
Free retreat IS amazing on a lot of cards. I wanna switch my Pachirisu for Phione without wasting that energy card from earlier? Sure. I had to start with Baltoy, but look! I drew into Phione. Let's free retreat so Phione can use its useful attack. Even better, by not discarding that energy card (in the first example), I can do something productive with it later, like move with Swampert/Sceptile/Electivire, have it count for Leafeon LV.X's attack...


People scream for Swoop!Teleporter... This is about as close as you're going to get to always having control over your starter. The thing is, this trick's searchable. Swoop wasn't. This is useable first turn. Swoop isn't. This can't search your deck for cards. Swoop can. This won't make the starter turn into a useful pokemon. Swoop did. But being able to fix starts a lot faster is VERY important. There certainly are differences between this and Swoop, but I'd be willing to bet it'll have a similar impact on the game.
 
I'm looking forward for Unown Q vs. Unown Q mirror openings.

It's a good card, and it makes some cards better (Claydol with Palkia X), but it's still vulnerable in the beginning. 2 sounds like max amount to play it.
 
The list of things that can OHKO it t1 going first include:
Drifloon
Riolu
Serviper
Unown K
Unown H
Unown F
Uxie

How many of those see play outside of Riolu?
 
this started out as how it will change the format and worked it's way down to what can kill it. The boards at it's best. Besides pokemon don't get killed! the just get KO'd. Gosh you guys. Anyway, Unknown Q doesn't really add much to the format. It can make using a deck with things that have one retreat better I suppose. But in all honesty, Play switch. Oh wow Unknown Q only makes me pay 1 energy to retreat my gardevoir, or my leafeon X. Switch lets you retreat it for FREE! WOW!. Yeah it's gonna change the format...broken card you guys. be sure to play it and let pachirisu hit you for 40 and totally lose your retreating ability.
 
LOL. It's worth mentioning the risks to play this as well as the potential rewards. Rai had a very nice post about the potential of the card. It's only fitting that the downsides be mentioned as well so that a proper risk can be assessed. Patchi is a good one to note as well.

Lowering retreat in nearly always useful especially if you make it free, but it's the first or second turn where Q can have the biggest effect IMHO. Starting Q can literally set the tone for the entire game if it turns out well.
 
I would sooner use Warp Point in my decks, an early Warp Point can have dire consequences for an unprepared opponent unlucky enough to face it early.
 
Used to do what? Deal 20 damage? I would rather have a good starter, thank you. I fail to see any deck that will truely benefit from a -1 retreat cost that would like to risk starting with a 30 hp basic by itself.
 
Unown Q is only nice in decks that use roseanne's research and/or holon mentor. But turning these two supporters into a switch is very good. Sadly, Pachi vulnerability (particularly Empoleon) and if paralysis from Magnezone or otherwise hits big hinder Unown Q.

I'm a fan, and I think it is a very useful card particularly in my HP-MD deck all-basic Redshift deck.
 
Not to mention a ralts w/ a strength charm and 1 energy can OHKO it. Some, if not most, GG lists run strength charm and castaway, and of course ralts and energy.
 
Black Mamba: Dark Donphan is still good, 2HKOs the format. It's just hard to find the right stuff to take the punishment in your opponent's turn, hope Q makes it easier.
 
I like Unown Q in Donphan decks. I think it works best in Mime builds since you can Mentor or Roseanne's for your free retreat mechanism instead of wasting spots for 2-3 Scott and 3-5 stadiums, as well as making Shuckle a very viable option...almost better than Mime in several situations.

Free retreating basics are a god-send. I almost wish Copycat every turn (aka Chatot) was a good play because it turns your so-called "dead basics" on the bench into Warp Point tricks, among other things.
 
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