jjkkl
Front Page Article Editor
It may. I don't doubt that when Shiftry succeeds on the coin flip, it's bad news bears for whoever is on the short end of that stick, but there's some very important differences that I want to address between the two (assuming the OP's translation is accurate and my reading comprehension isn't rebelling against me):
- Shiftry's attack requires a coin flip, whereas Dusknoir's did not, meaning that there is the possibility of failure - if playing a deck that relies on such a method, then the efficacy is sorely compromised
- Rare Candy has been severely limited - the possible 'surprise' tech of Shiftry is not only greatly hindered in its capacity because they can see the Pokemon coming, but also they can snipe / Catcher / whathaveyou it to death before it becomes a possible threat
- Shiftry not only requires a coin flip, but is also a coming into play power - that means that for each Shiftry, you have one shot, and that one shot is reliant on a 50/50 chance. Additionally, that one shot is a Stage 2 Pokemon with a mediocre attack. Dark Palm, in comparison, was viable every turn, insofar as the 4 bench condition was fulfilled. That - because of the aforementioned Rare Candy surprise tech maneuver - made Dusknoir was a viable tech.
I don't know, maybe I'm terribly wrong, but I don't see Shiftry as an effective card at all, since it fails to fulfill one of the two positions it's meant to fulfill with its Ability. It's not an effective main or secondary support card since it requires a lot of work to maintain, has a lackluster attack and can be OHKO'd by a Donphan with Pluspower. Additionally, it cannot fulfill its role as a tech because of not only its limitations by the Rare Candy rule change, but also because of the fact that its crowning Ability is reliant on an uncontrollable and unpredictable outcome.
Of course, this is all theory, so Shiftry, for some reason, could become BCIF for all I know.
