Pokémon TCG: Sword and Shield—Brilliant Stars

Special Energies in General

M

MuRa

New Member
I have also posted this on the "Ask the Masters" Board because I want an official response, but I would also like a quick answer so I'm posting the same post here.

For example SS Arcanine's Burn Up, it says if you flip tail discard all fire energy attached to Arcanine. Is this only BASIC fire energy, or all eneries providing fire energy? For example:

Arcanine has Fire, Water, and Multi Energy attached, it uses burn up and flips tails.

I always though you had to discard the multi, but someone said that that the judges ruled otherwise at CA State Championship (that you didn't have to discard the multi because the fire symbol on the card only implies basic Fire energy)

Would the same ruling apply for manual discards? For example TA Cacturne's Dark Bind allows you to discard a Darkness energy to paralyze the opponent, could you discard the multi energy (assuming it is the only special energy attached and is providing all types) and could you also discard an Aqua Energy to do the same effect? (Even though the Aqua Energy would normally be discarded anyway)

Thanks for clarifying!
 
Unless something is written with word "basic" then whatever it is applies to Special Energy cards, if they meet the criteria.
 
MuRa said:
...I always though you had to discard the multi, but someone said that that the judges ruled otherwise at CA State Championship (that you didn't have to discard the multi because the fire symbol on the card only implies basic Fire energy)...
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I believe there was a misruling at the San Diego City Championships about this (Doreen, please correct me if I'm wrong), but for the record I am not aware of any such mistake made at the CA State Championships. And if there was, I humbly apologize.

Thanks,
- CHRISBO, Head Judge California State Championships
 
Yes, I misruled...used the EX-Dragons ruling...in one game at the SD City Championships. Then doublechecked and corrected it for subsequent games...again, my apologies. :(

'mom
 
Chrisbo said:
I believe there was a misruling at the San Diego City Championships about this (Doreen, please correct me if I'm wrong), but for the record I am not aware of any such mistake made at the CA State Championships. And if there was, I humbly apologize.

Thanks,
- CHRISBO, Head Judge California State Championships
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Just to clarify, since you're a head judge and all. It is 100% ok to discard Rainbow, Multi, Double Raindow, Aqua/Magma energies to pay for attack costs? Thanks again!
 
I'd like to add on another question that relates to this one. At the PA State Championships we had an issue arise with Swampert EX. Swampert EX has an attack that does 20 damage plus 20 more damage for "each basic energy attached" but not used to pay for the attack cost. I ruled that Boost Energy would not increase the attack damage because colorless is not a basic energy type. But as I got to thinking I grew unsure. Since the attack says "basic energy" and not "basic energy card" I wondered if cards like Rainbow and Multi would count towards the extra damage. And if those do, would Metal and Darkness energies work too? And did I make the right ruling in the first place with the Boost Energy? Why else would it say "basic energy" if it wasn't to stop special energies?
 
Mr. Grass said:
I'd like to add on another question that relates to this one. At the PA State Championships we had an issue arise with Swampert EX. Swampert EX has an attack that does 20 damage plus 20 more damage for "each basic energy attached" but not used to pay for the attack cost. I ruled that Boost Energy would not increase the attack damage because colorless is not a basic energy type. But as I got to thinking I grew unsure. Since the attack says "basic energy" and not "basic energy card" I wondered if cards like Rainbow and Multi would count towards the extra damage. And if those do, would Metal and Darkness energies work too? And did I make the right ruling in the first place with the Boost Energy? Why else would it say "basic energy" if it wasn't to stop special energies?
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You made the right decision in this case, because colorless is not a basic energy type. Rainbow and Multi energy would work though.
 
No, no Special Energy card would work.
Once you get the work "basic" in there, it has to be a basic energy card.

We can ask it at the chat, though, to get it official.
 
One more point on this matter. Blaziken's Firestarter doesn't say basic Fire, simply the Fire symbol. If the ruling for this card is consistant with the rest, that would that mean that Blaziken could firestarter Rainbow/Multi Energies? Is this correct?
 
MuRa said:
Just to clarify, since you're a head judge and all. It is 100% ok to discard Rainbow, Multi, Double Raindow, Aqua/Magma energies to pay for attack costs? Thanks again!
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It depends on the wording of the attack. If it says to discard a certain energy type (i.e. the Arcanine example at the top of this topic), then Rainbow, Multi, or anything else providing that type of energy can be discarded. However, if it says to discard a BASIC energy card of a certain type, then the special energy cards would stay.

So in short, if it doesn't say BASIC, it most likely applies to special energy cards too (there may be exceptions, but this is the general rule of thumb.)

P.S. Good question Mr. Grass; I hadn't noticed that wording before on the Swampert-EX. I'm guessing it's just a typo (should say "basic Energy card"), but we'll put it on the list to ask.

Hope this helps,
- CHRISBO
 
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What about this? Arcanine has Fire, Rainbow, and Multi. Burn up flips tails. Discard all Fire. You discard the Fire, then Rainbow. Upon discarding the Rainbow, the Multi IMMEDIATELY changes from Colorless to Fire. Do you discard it?

In some TCGs, you do things in sequence. At any time during that sequence, conditions can change and triggers can happen.

Anyway, I'd assume that in my example above, the check is done only once. Then the discarding happens. You don't check in between every time a Fire card is discarded.

Correct me if I'm wrong. I sometimes confuse my LOTR rules with my Pokemon rules.
 
I would rule the Multi would stay - at the time of the attack it was :colorless: and would not get Discarded. While you can do things in an ordered fashion (like damaging the Active and then damaging the Bench), they do happen at the same time. You can Discard one :fire: at a time if you like but since all :fire: energy cards should be Discarded at once, Multi stays :colorless:
 
Yeah, as BJJ says.
Also note the sequence laid out in the rule book for resolving attacks.
You make all choices required by the attack early in the sequence (which energy cards are getting discarded) but the actual discard happens late in the chain of events.
 
Thanks guys. I just need to remember which game I'm playing.

bjj said:
You can Discard one Fire at a time if you like but since all Fire energy cards should be Discarded at once, Multi stays Colorless.
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Well, technically, not true. At the time of the Discarding decision, Multi is Colorless. However, once Rainbow is discarded, Multi IMMEDIATELY becomes all-types. But that trigger has no effect since the Discarding decision was made previously.
 
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