Pokémon TCG: Sword and Shield—Brilliant Stars

New Rulings: Thanks for all the questions!

bulbasnore

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The Rules Team wishes to thank all the members for the great questions. And PUI for the answers!

Here are some answers! Some of these answers are relevant for Worlds, but many more are interesting as they help to define meta-rulings for the game, i.e. the way things work in the Pokemon TCG.

The Rules Team has new rulings for:
  • Conversion/Frenzy Plant & levelling up
  • Psychic Lock vs. Phoenix Turn
  • Restore or Call for Family with full bench
  • Skill Copy & Spiteful Pain or PKMN with no attacks! or trying to discard and NOT use one of the attacks.
  • Power Cancel, explained in the flow of the game
  • Attaching Unown to a PKMN with a Tool on it already
  • Crystal Sharding your colorless Pokemon (for extra [DEL]coolness[/DEL] colorlessness)
  • Special Conditions and Levelling up (on p.22 of the MD Rule Book, but not online)
  • Copying Ascension to no avail vs. getting to search your deck
  • Holon Circle vs an impossible attack
  • Call for Family with 3 Eevee in discard
  • Check for Leaf Hurricane confusion before or after damage
 
Where is the summary? I really do not have time to search the Compendium looking for updates.
 
Got bored, so i did it:
1)
Q. If I use Torterra's "Frenzy Plant" this turn, can I use it again next turn if I level up to Torterra Lv.X?
A. According to the rule book, leveling up a Pokemon removes all effects and status. So yes you would be able to use Frenzy Plant after leveling up to Torterra Lv.X. (Jul 10, 2008 PUI Rules Team)

2)
Q. If I knock out Ho-Oh with Gardevoir's "Psychic Lock" attack, does the disabling of Poke-Powers happen before or after Ho-Oh's "Phoenix Turn" Poke-POWER?
A. Psychic Lock says they can't use any Poke-Powers "during your opponent's next turn". Phoenix Turn starts and finishes during the attack, before "your opponent's next turn," so Psychic Lock does not stop Phoenix Turn. (Jul 10, 2008 PUI Rules Team)

3)
Q. Can I use Garchomp Lv.X's "Restore" attack, even if I don't have an open spot on my Bench?
A. Yes you could do the attack, but it would have no effect (other than perhaps to get rid of Holon Circle, etc.). (Jul 10, 2008 PUI Rules Team)

4)
Q. If I use Alakazam*'s "Skill Copy" attack and discard a Banette with "Spiteful Pain" on it, would it do 40 damage (before Banette is in the discard pile) or would it do 80 damage (after Banette is in the discard pile)?
A. The discard is a requirement of the Skill Copy attack and takes place before the damage calculation. So Banette will be in the discard pile and Skill Copy will do 80 damage. (Jul 10, 2008 PUI Rules Team)

Q. What happens if I use Alakazam*'s "Skill Copy" attack but discard a Pokemon that has no attacks on it (i.e. the Snorlax that only has a Poke-POWER and a Poke-BODY)?
A. In this case the Pokemon would stay in the discard pile and nothing else happens. (Jul 17, 2008 PUI Rules Team)

Q. Can I use Alakazam*'s "Skill Copy" attack to discard a Pokemon but then choose to not use one of its attacks?
A. No, you must pick one of the discarded Pokemon's attacks and use it if you are able to. However, if you pick one of the attacks that you do not have the proper energy requirements for, the attack does nothing. (Jul 17, 2008 PUI Rules Team)

Q. What happens if I use Alakazam*'s "Skill Copy" and pick an attack that cannot be completed, such as Shuppet's "Ascension" which has you search your deck for an evolution of that Pokemon?
A. You may pick the "Ascension" attack in this scenario, but you would not get to search your deck because Alakazam* cannot evolve higher. Refer to the "Metronome" section for other possible scenarios that cannot be copied. (Jul 17, 2008 PUI Rules Team)

5)
Q. If I use a Poke-POWER that says something like "choose two of your opponent's benched Pokemon...", but the opponent has Alakazam with "Power Cancel" that can optionally negate my Poke-POWER, do they have to use "Power Cancel" before I declare which two Pokemon or can they wait until after that point?
A. Power Cancel is tricky as it interrupts the typical flow of things. If you are activating the Poke-POWER described above, you may request whether or not the opponent wishes to "Power Cancel" it prior to declaring which two Benched Pokemon are being chosen. On the other hand, if you rushed through and said "I activate Power-XXX and choose these two Pokemon" before the opponent has had enough time to Power Cancel it, the opponent may still invoke the Power Cancel up until the Poke-POWER is deemed unrewindable (i.e. searching or shuffling deck, etc.). But once the opponent says they are not going to use Power Cancel, they cannot change their mind until the next Poke-POWER gets activated. (Jul 10, 2008 PUI Rules Team)

6)
Q. If I have one of the Unowns with a Poke-POWER that lets me attach it as a Tool, can I use it if there is already a Tool card attached?
A. No, you cannot have more than one Tool attached to a Pokemon; therefore you could not use Unown's Poke-POWER to make it a second Tool card. (Jul 10, 2008 PUI Rules Team)

7)
Q. Can you attach Crystal Shard to a colorless Pokemon?
A. Yes, you can. It may not change its type, but it does change the fact that it now has a Tool card attached to it. (Jul 10, 2008 PUI Rules Team)

8)
See Rule Book

9)
Q. What happens if I use Alakazam*'s "Skill Copy" and pick an attack that cannot be completed, such as Shuppet's "Ascension" which has you search your deck for an evolution of that Pokemon?
A. You may pick the "Ascension" attack in this scenario, but you would not get to search your deck because Alakazam* cannot evolve higher. Refer to the "Metronome" section for other possible scenarios that cannot be copied. (Jul 17, 2008 PUI Rules Team)

10)
Q. If I announce an attack but cannot meet the energy requirements for that attack, is Holon Circle discarded or not?
A. No, if you don't meet the energy requirements for the attack, you cannot discard the Holon Circle stadium. (Jul 17, 2008 PUI Rules Team)

11)
Q. Can I use Eevee's "Call for Family" to search through my deck if I already have four Eevee's in play or in the discard pile?
A. Yes you could use Call for Family, because contents of a deck search cannot be deduced, even on the basis of public knowledge. As long as you meet the requirements to use an attack, you follow what it does (in this case, searching your deck). (Jul 17, 2008 PUI Rules

12)
Q. For Wormadam Plant Cloak's "Leaf Hurricane" attack, do you check the Defending Pokemon's remaning HP before or after doing damage?
A. If the Defending Pokemon has fewer remaining HP *before doing damage*, then the Defending Pokemon is confused. (Jul 17, 2008 PUI Rules Team)
 
I can't say I am surprised with any of the rulings, but the Power Cancel one is pretty interesting, at least.
 
I don't understand the Power Cancel ruling. Can someone please explain it?

I believe that they are saying that if you have an Alakzaam in play and say your opponent announces plans to use the telepass power, you can block it from happening up until the point where they look though their deck (I.E. change the game state irreversibly) if you do not announce that you are blocking it by the time the deck had been picked up and searched through then it is too late to use it. For other powers like Shady Move where a damage is moved from one pokemon to the next, You can block it after the effect as been done because this is easily reversible. At least that is my understanding of the ruling.
 
Q. Can I use Eevee's "Call for Family" to search through my deck if I already have four Eevee's in play or in the discard pile?
A. Yes you could use Call for Family, because contents of a deck search cannot be deduced, even on the basis of public knowledge. As long as you meet the requirements to use an attack, you follow what it does (in this case, searching your deck). (Jul 17, 2008 PUI Rules

I have to heartily disagree with this ruling, as it sets an unfortunate precedent, in which the game knows (or at the very least chooses to know) only some of its rules. It's only a mattter of time before [DEL]I[/DEL] someone finds a way to abuse this loophole. :wink:
 
2)
Q. If I knock out Ho-Oh with Gardevoir's "Psychic Lock" attack, does the disabling of Poke-Powers happen before or after Ho-Oh's "Phoenix Turn" Poke-POWER?
A. Psychic Lock says they can't use any Poke-Powers "during your opponent's next turn". Phoenix Turn starts and finishes during the attack, before "your opponent's next turn," so Psychic Lock does not stop Phoenix Turn. (Jul 10, 2008 PUI Rules Team)

QUOTE]

i know that plox does not stop ho-oh .but if we use psychic lock before the opponent used the ho-ho's power could that be stoppable?
or if we attach cess to gardy can it be stoppable?

Pls do let me know thx have a great day profs
 
Okay, I don't understand this ruling:
11)
Q. Can I use Eevee's "Call for Family" to search through my deck if I already have four Eevee's in play or in the discard pile?
A. Yes you could use Call for Family, because contents of a deck search cannot be deduced, even on the basis of public knowledge. As long as you meet the requirements to use an attack, you follow what it does (in this case, searching your deck). (Jul 17, 2008 PUI Rules
when compared to this one:
Q. What happens if I use Alakazam*'s "Skill Copy" and pick an attack that cannot be completed, such as Shuppet's "Ascension" which has you search your deck for an evolution of that Pokemon?
A. You may pick the "Ascension" attack in this scenario, but you would not get to search your deck because Alakazam* cannot evolve higher. Refer to the "Metronome" section for other possible scenarios that cannot be copied. (Jul 17, 2008 PUI Rules Team)
It is not just public knowledge, but a game rule that there cannot be more than 4 Pokemon of the same play in all of the player's 60 cards. This is not a case of the game's extremely-short-term memory resetting. It is also public knowledge and more or less a rule that Alakazam does not evolve. Instead, let's look at Steelix, a Stage 1, along with the potential to play Wally's Training on it. Steelix, being a Stage 1, has the possibility of being able to evolve (only stage 2 pokemon can't evolve any further). We only say you can't conduct the search because of public knowledge and/or game rules saying that Steelix does not evolve.

How about booster drafts? Could I search my deck for an evolution card that does not exist in the set, but does exist in the game? Take, for example, the Sandstorm set, in which there was an Electabuzz as well as Wally's Training. Could I use Wally's Training on Electabuzz to search for a Electivire that doesn't exist? Or Emerald, with Wally's Training and Rhydon to search for Rhyperior that doesn't exist in the set?
 
I believe that they are saying that if you have an Alakzaam in play and say your opponent announces plans to use the telepass power, you can block it from happening up until the point where they look though their deck (I.E. change the game state irreversibly) if you do not announce that you are blocking it by the time the deck had been picked up and searched through then it is too late to use it. For other powers like Shady Move where a damage is moved from one pokemon to the next, You can block it after the effect as been done because this is easily reversible. At least that is my understanding of the ruling.

Thanks. I completely misread that and was about to post saying how stupid that ruling is, but knew noone would make a ruling like that.

The rulings seem to be fairly common sense, no real surprises
 
PokemonSteve;11702372) Q. If I knock out Ho-Oh with Gardevoir's "Psychic Lock" attack said:
i know that plox does not stop ho-oh .but if we use psychic lock before the opponent used the ho-ho's power could that be stoppable?
or if we attach cess to gardy can it be stoppable?

Pls do let me know thx have a great day profs

As the ruling states:
Psychic Lock says they can't use any Poke-Powers "during your opponent's next turn". Phoenix Turn starts and finishes during the attack, before "your opponent's next turn," so Psychic Lock does not stop Phoenix Turn.

If Ho-oh would be knocked out by an attack, you then flip for Phoenix Turn. Phoenix Turn is part of resolving the attack on Ho-oh, once Phoenix Turn is complete, you then move to the 'In Between Turns' part of the game, resolving Poison, Burn, Asleep, Ect.

Once into your opponents next turn, PLOX would be in effect, preventing your opponent from using any Poke-Powers during their turn.

For the second question, having Cess attached to your active - in this case the Gardy, yes, it would shut down the Phoenix Turn.

But, it would also end your Telepass and any other Poke-Powers either player has available.


Okay, I don't understand this ruling:

when compared to this one:

It is not just public knowledge, but a game rule that there cannot be more than 4 Pokemon of the same play in all of the player's 60 cards. This is not a case of the game's extremely-short-term memory resetting. It is also public knowledge and more or less a rule that Alakazam does not evolve. Instead, let's look at Steelix, a Stage 1, along with the potential to play Wally's Training on it. Steelix, being a Stage 1, has the possibility of being able to evolve (only stage 2 pokemon can't evolve any further). We only say you can't conduct the search because of public knowledge and/or game rules saying that Steelix does not evolve.

How about booster drafts? Could I search my deck for an evolution card that does not exist in the set, but does exist in the game? Take, for example, the Sandstorm set, in which there was an Electabuzz as well as Wally's Training. Could I use Wally's Training on Electabuzz to search for a Electivire that doesn't exist? Or Emerald, with Wally's Training and Rhydon to search for Rhyperior that doesn't exist in the set?

Not gonna try the first part, as I will fumble that one.

Second part:

How about booster drafts? Could I search my deck for an evolution card that does not exist in the set, but does exist in the game? Take, for example, the Sandstorm set, in which there was an Electabuzz as well as Wally's Training. Could I use Wally's Training on Electabuzz to search for a Electivire that doesn't exist? Or Emerald, with Wally's Training and Rhydon to search for Rhyperior that doesn't exist in the set?

Just because the card is not in that set, does not mean that it does not evolve. Several sets that have been released have not included the pre or post evolutions of a card. Does this mean in your example that those Pokemon cannot be used in a deck? That is what it sounds like you are saying.

Here is Sand Storm Wally, via the POP Card Dex:

POP Sand Storm Card Dex said:
Wally's Training
Trainer card [Supporter]
Illus. Ken Sugimori
You can play only one Supporter card each turn. When you play this card, put it next to your Active Pokémon. When your turn ends, discard this card.
Search your deck for a card that evolves from your Active Pokémon (choose 1 if there are 2) and put it on your Active Pokémon. (This counts as evolving that Pokémon.) Shuffle your deck afterward.
Collector Number: 89/100
Rarity: U

Read: Search your deck for a card that evolves from your Active Pokémon (choose 1 if there are 2) and put it on your Active Pokémon. (This counts as evolving that Pokémon.) Shuffle your deck afterward.

At this point, I would say you are looking for the famous 'Evolves From' Text and logo, even though Wally may not have known that Snorunt, Kirlia, Eevee, Electabuzz, Rhyhorn, Tangla, Togitic, Ect, have evolutions in Sand Storm, it must be assumed that he gains wisdom while seeing these evolutions within a deck.

After all, aren't new Pokemon being discovered all the time? We have to assume that other evolutions will be discovered for existing Pokemon that we may not know of now, but will in the future.

Hope that helped.
 
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I have to heartily disagree with this ruling, as it sets an unfortunate precedent, in which the game knows (or at the very least chooses to know) only some of its rules. It's only a mattter of time before [del]I[/del] someone finds a way to abuse this loophole. :wink:

I think the reason why is that you COULD have more then 4 in the deck. For example 4 eevee's and 4 XXX's Eevees.
 
I think the reason why is that you COULD have more then 4 in the deck. For example 4 eevee's and 4 XXX's Eevees.

The card says "as many Eevee" not "as many cards with Eevee in their name". So that doesn't work.

Here's another example. Suppose I use Mr. Stone's Project and look through my discard pile, only to find there's no basic energy there. Am I stuck getting nothing? This ruling would seem to imply that's possible.
 
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