Pokémon TCG: Sword and Shield—Brilliant Stars

State of the Format.

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well there is lots right with the format but here are the problem areas:

http://pokegym.net/forums/showpost.php?p=1390521&postcount=12
http://pokegym.net/forums/showpost.php?p=1390098&postcount=16
and
http://pokegym.net/forums/showpost.php?p=1390521&postcount=34

donks aren't bad, having the match end without getting to draw many cards is bad. Or more precisely bad if we are trying to determine the most skilled players on the day. I like the luck in pokemon I just don't want it to dominate outcomes or limit my time at the tables actually playing.
 
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I Hardly get donked but i have donked ppl so many times.
but thats not the point you see.donking is very annoying in so many ways as the game finishes in less than 14 seconds.u dont want a game like that.
this format sounds intresting n annoying.last format was all '''Gallade/Gardevoir''' psychic lock/cut hard feelings n u know more..
but the thing is every format has its drawbacks.
 
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ryanvergel said:
My team ran GG for regs and won. It beat up Dialga just fine. You just misplayed por got unlucky.
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He ran the same list as James F who did fine... he never said GG was unfavorable. He did say he got unlucky. After comparing the two's records, what does that say about the format? And really, you think he'd make an entire topic griping about the format because of misplaying? That's hardly an argument at all.

I don't get how this entire thread can say Machop, Candy, Machamp, Energy, GG... T1... is in any conceivable way "fun." I saw it all around me this past regionals. You can say all you want that the format is diverse, but almost every card the the OP is just the same formula with a new outfit. Basic, Candy, Evolution, Energy. Win. Is it only diverse because of the different colors? If that's your kind of game, I hope you enjoy it. It's almost like pre-Claydol last year, only instead of suffering the entire game without a hand... you just lose. Instead of playing Rock, Paper, Scissors, you flip a coin. 2nd player has such a huge advantage. Uxies, BTS, Unown R, and the like from the OP make up a dominating field by that turn just by a coin toss. It almost feels like Unlimited, to be honest.
 
BLiZzArD said:
you seem to have forgotten my new nemesis Porygon Z(promo) just as broken as above listed decks and just as annoying to lose to.


1st turn Sableye special dark vs my 50 hp basic isn't a fun way to lose either


Yet the point could be made with all these decks the format is wide open and that could be a good thing. not in my opinion the less skill involved in a format the more random it is and this is sure is not a skill based format.

BLiZz
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I play Porygon-Z and that is a possible T2 80 if you go second. Even then, that's still kinda hard to pull off. I boil it down to people want to be competitive and win. These are all quick decks that win. I can't knock them for playing with them. It just gives us the task of finding something that is more consistent against these decks. Challenges are fun.
 
I don't like donk decks because I don't think a T1 or T2 win really tests the players' skills. But there is luck in every deck. Luck is a part of Pokemon - flip cards, draws, prizes, weakness, resistance, etc. And as stated above the donk deck player needs skills to build the deck and luck to draw the needed cards in the opening 7 AND get to go second.

My biggest problem is that there is such a huge disadvantage to going 1st. You cannot search for a basic to fortify your bench or use trainers or stadiums to evolve/strengthen your starter. But your opponent can do all of that. The only possible help beyond running many, many basics is Call Energy. I don't have the answer though because it would not be fair to player 2 if player 1 got to do all of that and KO'd player 2 before they got to play anything.
 
Could we be seeing a new rule change next season?

Both first and second player can use trainers, stadiums, and supporters?

Sounds like a way to even the odds just a little bit.
 
^that makes it even worse... then some people will never get a turn... they could just allow supporters.
 
mine is cooler said:
Could we be seeing a new rule change next season?

Both first and second player can use trainers, stadiums, and supporters?

Sounds like a way to even the odds just a little bit.
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do you honestly know what that would do?? That would make donks happen more frequently.
Think about it.. when you get donked by Champ or whateva look at your hand.. usually YOU have the donk too, it all depended on who went 2nd except if they changed it would be who went first..If they did change it then it would be the same exact scenario except most ppl wouldn't get a turn of play.anyway, honestly guys donks happen get over it.. that's y u can lose 2 games and still make cut (usually) The way i see it even a donk deck is like a set up deck.. u still have to set up the champ to turn 1 KO the opponent. You still need to get the chop candy champ, either through pure ripping it off the top or drawing lots of cards early in hopes to get it out. It still takes a gr8 deal of skill though deck building to get a deck to donk consistently, it may take a bit of luck, but it takes a gr8 deal of skill as well..
 
Seems like one of the culprits is rare candy. With BTS in the format, maybe we can see a time when Rare Candy isn't legal. It's up to Japan, though.
 
Both first and second player can use trainers, stadiums, and supporters?
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It used to be that way. It became too problematic because player one could donk before the opponent even had a chance to move. There needs to be some sort of balance to the player that goes first/second or something. Some sort of defense. In football, there is no advantage/disadvantage to recieving or kicking first. If you want to kick, it shows you have faith in your defense. Perhaps a turn 1 setup phase where neither player is allowed to attack? Kind of like a summoning sickness, to be fair? The only way Magic is allowed to attack immediatly upon spell casting is if the creature has haste, not a very common/powerful mechanic as far as early game goes.

Magic actually has a choice to going first/second. If there were some way to allow a choice in who goes first/second, perhaps there could be more balance. For instance, I may have a decent enough hand to go first to even offset bad trainers (for instance, a couple supporters, a couple basics, a solid evolution (Claydol?), a call energy or other such things.), and wanting to get my evolution off before my opponent may be far more advantagous than going second.

The issue with going second is your opponent will typically have a far better advantage by getting supporters, candies, stadiums, etc out first. You will never see Deafen from Dialga T1. Ever. However, going second, you almost always see it.

There needs to be a balance. I don't care how its done, but something needs figured out.
 
So allow player 1 to use all cards, but not be able to attack? That seems fair.
 
Well, it would give Player 2 a huge advantage by being able to attack though, unless of course that was sarcasm... But, I guess that could be a really good price to pay for being able to set up just as fast, AND it would prevent donks.

I wouldn't mind having Gengar ready to go Turn 1, but be unable to attack. It could be an outstanding defensive measure.
 
Or just let the first player be able to play a supporter only. Odds are, they're gonna have some sort of searcher in hand to get another pokemon they need. Some of the donks are a waste. It's like if you know you are going second, you have a chance, but if you go first, you're done.
 
I think you just have sour grapes. I do agree with Chuck though that whoever goes 2nd does have the greatest chance to win. Wasn't there a time when the Holon Engine was also up there and everyone complained about it. If you wanted to win you had to run the Holon Engine. Same thing this year except with the Cyrus Engine and broken basics. Every year there is going to be something that is broken that everyone will abuse.
 
Naki Feralkin said:
Well, it would give Player 2 a huge advantage by being able to attack though, unless of course that was sarcasm... But, I guess that could be a really good price to pay for being able to set up just as fast, AND it would prevent donks.

I wouldn't mind having Gengar ready to go Turn 1, but be unable to attack. It could be an outstanding defensive measure.
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How is 2nd player attacking first a huge advantage? If 1st player can use any card, they can use roseanne/great ball and fill their bench. Heck, they can drop BTS and evolve up or rare candy to a stage 2. The most 2nd player could do is do the same, rare candy, attach a single energy, and do little damage to the opponent's active.

You wouldn't have T1 donks because 1st player can roseanne/call/greatball now before the opponent has the chance to donk. Also, they can rare candy up, removing the chances that 60 dmg from kingdra or take out from machamp will ko them.

Seems fair to me minus the 1st player wagering the opponent and winning it, forcing the 2nd player to start the game with 3 cards in their hand. But even with that, it would just force players to run starters again, which we haven't seen at all this format.
 
I think just running a supporter would work. If the first player was allowed to run trainers again there would be the same problem as there is now. It would just be who goes first would donk instead of the 2nd.
 
How about preventing the player that goes 2nd from attacking with their EVOLVED Pokemon? That will help a lot of decks and make our physicly traumatizing card that people still play for some reason because it's utterly cheap and broken be a rare sight at tournies.
 
Mathorn1 said:
I think just running a supporter would work. If the first player was allowed to run trainers again there would be the same problem as there is now. It would just be who goes first would donk instead of the 2nd.
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With sets being rotated at the end of the year, maybe, it could get rid of TGW and other hand downsiders.
Leaving; lookers, bebes, roseannes, cyrus, and others.

So who knows..
 
afstandopleren said:
How about preventing the player that goes 2nd from attacking with their EVOLVED Pokemon? That will help a lot of decks and make our physicly traumatizing card that people still play for some reason because it's utterly cheap and broken be a rare sight at tournies.
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There still could be donks even with that rule. An Uxie with three plus powers against a Baltoy. And yes, I've had this happen. Because my opponent didn't drop a basic during his first turn, and I had three pluspowers in my opening hand, I was able to pull out the win on my first turn....with a basic.

Though the odds would certainly be a lot lower for donks like that.
 
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