Sealed Till October... What's Modified v3?

October is when Pokemon USA is releasing formats and junk for their events. This means the Sandstorm Pre Release is completely sealed... So for the most part, the Ruby and Sapphire Challange and EX: Sandstorm Tournaments are completely random. Not that that is a huge problem or anything, everyone gets product for their decks.

So this means that we're going to have around 219 cards produced by Nintendo of America by that point (plus energies)...

109 Cards from EX: Ruby and Sapphire
108 Cards from EX: Sandstorm
2 (or more) Nintendo Black Star Promos

Is this a large enough card pool to support the future Modified Format?

Or should it be Expedition, Aquapolis, Skyridge, Ruby and Sapphire, Sandstorm, WotC 'Best Of' Promos, and Nintendo's Black Star Promos? That would pool around 670 unique cards, minus basic energies and extra copies of Darkness and Metal in each set (minus six and two if both are reprinted again in Sandstorm).

I have a strong gut feeling that since Nintendo is reprinting some older cards when the Modified Format is announced in October, Legendary Collections will not be included due to the fact that Sandstorm has some of the cards included from LC. For one point, the set offers Scoop Up to Mewtwo ex. Bad combination for the format with all the viable Pokemon ex that can recover easily from a Scoop Up. Same reason I dont think Wizards of the Coast Black Star Promos should be allowed with Pokemon Center and the evil, less powerful, Promo Cleffa.
-Phil

 

You know I've been thinking about it and untill recently the thought of Ru./Sa. - Up never occured to me but the more I think about it the less sure I am, for a more subtle change (and a better format IMO) Best of Game, Expedition - Up, No LC. Would make sense, but $$$ is on their mind (Why else the switch) so Ru/Sa up would make monetary sense. I would hate to see Modified with 2 sets, it just doesn't seem like enough to keep the format open. But I think we'll just have to wait and see.

Flipping Out
--FlipsAreCool :lol:

 

Sandstorm has 108 cards... it can't be, say a mix between ADV2 and 3, because that would add up past 108 (53 + 83 = 136). Could ADV2 be mixed with something that hasn't been released in the past... maybe... Vending? There's enough cards in vending to fill the other 55 cards needed to make ADV2 into a 108 card set.

I guess we'll see in September, won't we?

 

Either way, Fossil or other older sets will be alot of fun for Nintendo with the lack of ecard reader strips. Unless they are adding new ones onto those cards, which would cost alot to work from scratch. (and less money for OP? ). Let's hope not.
-Phil

 

108 cards in Sandstorm was an early misunderstanding in the marketing information - it'll "likely" be 100. (I think it came up from the confusion on whether to include basic/Darkness/Metal Energy cards in the set.)

I can't discuss the October 1st announcement, but I can suggest someone just might be listening. *cough*

 

I have a feeling that we'll get *some* of our old babies back in Sandstorm... and Scoop Up with Mewtwo-ex is the least of my worries with Linoone (I really dont think its too powerful IMO) running about

 

One the one hand it's true that Chansey-ex is a wrecking machine with Scoop Ups available, but on the other hand, that's half the fun! :lol:

I =do= happen to think that the entire Pokemon-e series, from Expedition on, makes for a pretty rich environment (I can personally do without LC). And I've been fielding e-mails from Beckett's readers that they'd hate to lose Pkmn-e sets for Modified (especially since they just spent all that $$$ on them over the past 12 months!).

I think a minimum of THREE sets is bottom line for a block, ne? At least 300 cards, jah?

 

Nintendo is advertising the game as "Pokemon-e". Expedition is the first set using the "e" name. For them NOT to include the sets designated as Pokemon-e would be dumb.

I think it'll be Expedition-on. The least amount of sets we EVER had in Modified was late 2000, with Rocket-Gym2. For nearly 3 years, we've had quite a number of sets in Modified, never getting down to 3 sets again. For a new company trying to not only get new players but also retain the current ones (us), they'll most likely do something that the older players relate to, and down the road a little (early 2004), prolly change it after they get themselves settled in. I have no proof they'll go my way, but I think it would be quite stupid to only allow their cards quite yet. Maybe in January or February, EX-on would work, but as of right now, it would be a bad idea.

Also, I went and made an EX-only deck the other day, and I must say, EX1 is horrible for Trainers. There is next to NO Trainer base in EX1, so if we are to even think of doing EX-on, EX2 had better have some awesome Trainers... My deck runs Potions, Poke Balls, and Energy Removal 2's. And they are some of the better Trainers... @_@ Imagine going to a national tournament and having people use Poke Balls... That would just bring the game down to a 4-year old's mental capacity.

*Strike one vote up for Expedition-on*

 

The ADV 2 had only 50+ cards for Sandstorm EX and the remaining cards are shrouded in mystery.

Well September will be coming than will be less expected.(When I think the "BER" are coming I think of Christmas already )!!! Then the mystery is revealed.

I would believe the Modified format would start from E-cards to the present. Who doesnt want Fisherman, Town Volunteers and Copycat in their decks???

 

I also think it will be Expedition-onward. Just EX-on is too small... I mean, its really limmiting what decks will be played. Wasn't one of the main goals of the entire Modified format deal to get the playing field much more even so more decks could be played... EX-on is limmiting, and breaking part of what Modified was, or at least what I think.

-marril

 

Wow, sounds like Jimmer is giving us an open invitation to try to influence the people who will decide the next format.

Here's my vote towards E-on (with Legendary Collection, if possible, but not necessary. I love my Bills) and promos 41-52? All the E sets came out so fast last year, I know I didn't have as many opportunities to use them as I'd like. By the time the next rotation rolls around for next years summer tour, I wouldn't mind seeing the E sets booted out as PUI will most likely have 3 or more sets on the market.

My 2 cents.

 

That's too bad, they might actually have to build a deck based on Pokémon.

 

Baboon note: I don't mean anything rude or malicious by this. It's just hard to say what I think in text without it appearing like I want to kill someone. (Anything in caps is just for emphasis. I'm not yelling.)

...I've been with the game since 1999. I know what decks need. I am NOT a person who wants 59 Trainers and 1 Pokemon in a deck, as you're making it out to be. All I mean by this is 99% of the decks out there NEED SOME good Trainers, of which EX provides almost NONE.

AND, every deck I make is based on Pokemon. The Trainers are there to make the deck work. When was the last time you played ANY kind of deck that had NO decent Trainers at ALL in it? Have you ever at all?!? It is a very boring and very slow game.

I just meant by my post that EX lacks a very basic component of every deck, at least a few usable Trainers.

Remember, at no point in this post was I yelling.

 

Oh, it'll be Expedition-on. Mostly because Modified would have been Modified again if Wizards had their druthers, and the only block set left to drop from Modified would be the Neo Block.

If Nintendo does likewise, then Modified would be Expedition-on. It's the only logical choice.

 

Mmm...I don't know about the rest of you, but a Modified with _two_ sets would be stale pretty fast, methinks. I'm going to have to vote for Expedition-On, simply for a bigger cardpool and decent trainers. This game NEEDS Trainers that do something as opposed to those that ALMOST do something.

 

Put me in for Expedition on without the WotC promos. The promos are nice, but are becoming harder to get for the newer players (except for those Elms, I've still got a sleeve of them or so ). Granted, Expedition, Aquapolis, and Skyridge are getting harder to obtain, but it's the only way that I think there will be a decent card pool to pull from.

 

My vote goes for:

Expedition onwards + WotC best Promos, not black star promos, LC or anything before that.

I'd say it would be better for it to stay like that until ALL the EX "Block" is out. You never know though, Aqua on could be interesting... :lol:

 

Are the 1st three Pokemon-e sets hard to get in your area? I noticed that my own favorite on-line seller, Potomac Distributing, has boxes of Expedition for $78/box, Aquapolis for $98/box, and Skyridge for $118/box. Those prices =are= actually higher than I paid a few months ago ... but I think there's still a supply out there. And, BTW, Potomac offers free shipping to U.S. customers -- except to those of us living in Hawaii (harumph).

Oh yeah, and EX: R/S is going for $84/box, hoo-HA!

I've also noticed blister packs of the 1st three Pkmn-e sets at Wal-Mart, too (repackaged) ... so they're selling. And the games guy at the one-and-only TRU here in Honolulu actually said he thinks Pokemon League will be as popular as the YGO tournaments they're running Saturdays now ... so Nintendo, let's see those League kits start flowing! :clap:

And four votes from Team Diamondz for a Pokemon-e-On (PEON?) :lol: Modified format this fall ...

 

Definitely gotta be Expedition Onwards and the format can the be Modified EON

As for Promo's well I would leave the card pool to settle a little and let any promo's in after all we now have loads of old WotC promo's floating around and it wouldn't hurt to see how they interact with the EON set.

As Nintendo get more cards in the pool the they can switch to their promos and maybe the best ones too .. I just keep looking at Elm and thinking bye bye big guy hello Oak's Research, Copy Cat, Birch.

I will miss Cleffa and the baby boys and gals so maybe we could get some promo's going there ... but please NO TYROGUE!

So vote EON you know it makes sense :thumb:

 

The best i can hope for is that if Nintendo starts OP for league, that Europe will get the same cards/promo etc. available at the same time and not months later or totaly not.

Cards from Expedition - Sandstorm including winner cards and Nintendo promo's will be my best quess