I'll think of a name that'll (hopefully) please everyone.
Aipom Lv. 13
Basic [C] Pokémon
50 HP
Picture: The view is straight up from the ground into a canopy of trees, where there's a break in the leaves visible and a ray of sunlight beaming through it. An Aipom has its arms outstretched in front of it and its legs stretched behind it, as well as its tail stretched out behind it. The Aipom's underside is the only side visible. The Aipom's face is visible, but instead of looking at the picture, it's looking out in front of itself, probably toward the branch it plans to land on. The Aipom takes up a good amount of the picture, and is located in the center. The trees around are relatively shadowy around him due to them not getting nearly as much sunlight.
[.] Monkey Sneak
Look at your opponent's hand. Your opponent draws one card afterwards.
[C] Tail Pick
Look at the top 3 cards of your deck, choose 1, show it to your opponent, and put it in your hand. Put the remaining cards on top of your deck. Shuffle your deck afterwards.
Aipom are very playful little Pokémon. They use their tail end, which is shaped very similar to a human hand, to climb and swing from tree branches.
Weakness [F]+10
Resistance
Retreat Cost [C]
Rarity: Uncommon
Explanations: HP - 50's fine for a frail Pokemon like Aipom.
[C] Type - Well, there's not another choice is there?
Weakness - All DP Basics (that I'm aware of) have +10 Weakness, and Normal's only Weakness is Fightning.
Resistance - Normal has no immunities besides Ghosts, but I feel that Aipom would be unbalanced with [P] Resistance. All other DP-On Normal types don't have [P] Resistance either.
Retreat Cost - Aipom's fairly fast, especially for a Basic, but no retreat would break the card, so 1 [C] was the only sensible choice.
Rarity - Uncommon because it's evolving, so it needs a Common/Uncommon rarity, and because it's better than nearly all evolving basics out there, I made it slightly more difficult to get.
Lv. 13 - A rather low level, I could have either made it higher (like 17-20) or lower (9-11), but 13 felt just right.
Attack 1: Monkey Sneak: For no Energy, Aipom can have a quick peak at what you're opponent's hiding. This is balanced by giving your opponent an extra draw. This attack is easily countered as well, as your opponent can play Copycat or Team Galactic's Wager to take away the advantage gained from Aipom's attack. You coudl even be crafty and take advantage of the extra draw as well, perhaps stopping your oppoennt having a chance to use Steven's Advice, or forcing to work harder at using it?
Attack 2: Tail Pick: For an Energy of any type, Aipom can have its tail dig three cards down into your deck and fetch you a card. Afterwards, the deck's shuffled. This attack is arguably better than Monkey Sneak, but both have their many uses. This can fetch you a card you're just having trouble getting out of your deck. Both attacks setup Ambipom very well, and that's what good basic does.
Strategy/Combinations: Aipom is obviously mean to simply evolve into Ambipom, but this one's got a bit more strategy behind. This Aipom is one of the few Basics you use for evolving, and it's a fantastic starter! Monkey Sneak allows an easy look into your opponent's plans. Not only that, it also combos near perfectly with Ambipom's Tail Trickery. You can look at your opponent's hand one turn, and discard the best card(s) from it the next. Aipom's second attack makes it even better than before, because in the event that you don't a have a need to see what your opponent's up to, you can filter through your deck for 1 Energy! You can grab Celio's Network, Ambipom, Castaway, Holon Mentor, or other great cards. If you can find a good way to manipulate the top cards of your deck, you can even control the card you pick. The HP is average, as are the bottom stats.
Ambipom Lv. 36
Stage 1 [C] Pokémon
Evolves from Aipom
80 HP
Picture: In the same foresty environment that Aipom's background is set in, an Ambipom is in the center of the picture. It's using one of its tails/arms wrapped around a tree trunk. The tree trunk is fairly thick. The other arm is waving toward the person viewing the picture. The Ambipom is smiling toward you as you look at the picture. Its arms are just hanging loose, and its legs are perched on the tree trunk. It looks to be about half-way up the tree. Everything except the Ambipom is holo, and Ambipom's eyes have a holo sparkle.
(Poké-POWER) - Tail Trickery
Once during your turn (before your attack), if Ambipom is your Active Pokémon, you may name one card name. Look at your opponent's hand. Discard all cards with that name from your opponent's hand. If there are no cards with that name in your opponent's hand, put 2 damage counters on Ambipom. You can't use more than 1 Tail Trickery Poké-Power each turn. You can't use this power if Ambipom is affected by a Special Condition.
[C][C] Target Tail
Choose one of your opponent's Benched Pokémon. This attack does 40 damage to that Pokémon (don't apply Weakness and Resistance for Benched Pokémon). If that Pokémon has a Poké-Power or Poké-Body, your opponent can't use that Poké-Power or Poké-Body until the end of his or her next turn.
Ambipom tend to be mischievous in nature, with access to two arms as well as two tails that function even better than its true hands.
Weakness [F]+20
Resistance
Retreat Cost [C]
Rarity: Rare Holo
Explanations: 80 HP: Ambipom's not bulky in any way, but 70 is too low, so 80 becomes the perfect number for HP.
[C] Type: See Aipom
Weakness: [F], same reason as Aipom. +20 because it's the DP norm.
Resistance: Aipom.
Retreat Cost: 1 Retreat because Ambi is agile and speedy, but 0 Retreat would break it.
Rarity: Too good to be a Rare, and it's a good Stage 1.
Lv. 36: It's after the Lv. that Aipom's USUALLY evolve (they can evolve at Lv. 2, potentially), and is a bit high.
Poke-POWER - Tail Trickery: Ambipom uses its mastery of its 2 tails to trick the opponent and grab a card (or more) from your opponent. Ambipom, being a devious, playful Pokemon, can guess at the card its supposed to be picking out. If the card's there, its discarded. If not, then Ambipom's tail gets slapped away by the opponent and he takes 20 damage.
Attack #1 Target Tail: Ambipom can throw a sucker punch at any of your opponent's Benched Pokemon for 2 Energy. This unsuspected attack stuns the Pokemon into not being able to use its Power or Body for a whole turn.
Strategy/Combinations: He's an awesome sniper, and can therefore grab unexpeted KO's with Absol ex. His attack works wonders as almost a Cessation Crystal for 1 Pokemon at a time. This attack is particularly disruptive early game, when you can snipe a Pokemon (like Energy Draw Delcatty, Chingling Active, Magneton PK, etc.) while their using it to setup. 30 damage would have been too weak, and 50 would have allowed it to 2HKO Nidoqueen d and shut it off for a turn before it was KO'ed, so that was too good. 40's a decent number for damage. His power is perhaps even more impressive. It combos very well with Aipom's Monkey Sneak, Mew ex HP's Psychic Vision, and combats your opponent's Castaways, Celio's Network, Evolutionary Call (Meganium d DF), etc. well. Being a skillful player with great prediction can potentially work just as well, such as predicting a Stage 2 card your opponent was holding onto, a Rare Candy, a game-clinching tech, etc. Ambipom LV. X works perhaps best of all, but you'll see why in due time...You see, the Ambipom line gets its main power from...
Ambipom LV. X
[C]
LEVEL-UP Put onto Ambipom
100 HP
Picture: The Ambipom is done in the same basic manner as the LV. X's we already have. It's leaping towards the picture, very close up, with one of its tails popping 'out' of the picture to the right, one of its two hairs on its head goiing off the page at the top, and the tip of its foot is going off at the bottom-right. The background's light green, and the Ambipom is grinning.
(Poké-POWER) - Double Lure
Once during your turn (before your attack), when you play Ambipom to Level Up your Active Pokémon, your opponent chooses one of his or her Benched Pokémon. That Pokémon and all cards attached to it are returned to your opponent's hand. Then, look at your opponent's hand. Choose a Basic Pokémon card there and put it on your opponent's bench. You may switch the Defending Pokémon with the new Benched Pokémon. You can't use more than 1 Double Lure Poké-Power each turn.
[C][C][C] Palm Blitz 60
If the Defending Pokémon is an Evolved Stage 1 Pokémon, this attack does 20 damage to 1 of your opponent's Benched Pokémon. If the Defending Pokémon is an Evolved Stage 2 Pokémon, this attack does 20 damage to each of your opponent's Benched Pokémon that are the same type as the Defending Pokémon (don't apply Weakness and Resistance for Benched Pokémon). Don't apply Weakness, Resistance, Poké-Powers, Poké-Bodies, or any other effects on the Defending Pokémon.
Put this card onto your Active Ambipom. Ambipom LV. X can use any attack, Poké-Power, and Poké-Body from its previous Level.
Weakness [F]x2
Resistance
Retreat Cost
Rarity: Level X Holo
Explanations: 100 HP: Read Ambipom, then this one's a Level X, so it gets extra HP.
[C] Type: See Aipom and Ambipom.
Weakness [F]x2: Read Ambipom and Aipom, then x2 because it's a 'Stage 1' Pokémon LV. X.
Resistance: See Aipom and Ambipom.
Retreat Cost 0: I was really borderline about this, going back and forth between 0 and [C]. I've decided that since he needs [C][C][C] to do something really great, and he's rather fragile, 0 should be OK.
Rarity - Level X Holo: Requirement for Round
Lv. X: Requirement for Round
Poké-Power - Double Lure: Ambipom Lv. X bounds into play and lures your opponent's Benched Pokemon back to them. Then, you look at your opponent's hand a force a Basic down. After that, the basic can be lured to the Active spot. Ambipom Lv. X uses its trickery and its interesting tails to appeal to your opponent's Pokemon.
Attack #1 Palm Blitz: This attack makes Ambipom use its mastery of its hand-like tails to repeatedly pummel your opponent's Pokémon. Depending on what Ambi's pummeling, its friends on the bench could also take damage. If its a Stage 1, anything of your choice takes 20 damage, similar to Empoleon's Aqua Jet attack. If its a Stage 2, everything the sam etype takes that 20 damage, making almost always better then the Stage 1 attack. Nothing applied to the Active damage because Ambipom's tails are smashing away at the opposition so rapidly.
Strategy/Combinations: He works perfectly with his non-Lv. X form. Double Lure works when Ambi LVX comes into play, allowing you to disrupt your opponent in 4 different ways. Although minor apart, when putting cards back into their hand, looking at their hand, forcing a basic down, and and switching with their Active, the end result becomes very unpredictable. Only one thing's for sure, your opponetn won't be happy with the end result. Especially when you take into account that your opponent now has no secrets from you, and you can take advantage of that with Tail Trickery, passed up form Ambipom. You'll nail their hand 100% of the time the turn after playing Ambi LV. X. If you see they have Copycat, you can call that to stop your opponent from shuffling their hand back. Discarding Candies, Celio's, Evolutions, and tech basics can screw up any strategy out there. Remember that you choose what comes up after you Lure, and you have a handy sniping attack so you can stick your opponent with that basic for a while. Dropping Ambipom Lv. X literally cna turn the game around and flip the gameplay upside-down! Ambi can potentially spread, snipe, hand disrupt, and alll with power and ease! Everything a Lv. X should be.
WHOO! Done!
powr: Tree Sharpen
