Confusion on Rare Candy and what we formerly knew as Babies.

[P_A]

Kids still seem to be confused about Rare Candy. I know that the compendium states that you can't use rare candy to evolve Pichu into Raichu. However the reasoning behind this is somewhat due to the wording on Rare Candy itself:

"Choose 1 of your Basic Pokemon in play. If you have a Stage 1 or Stage 2 card that evolves from that pokemon in your hand, put that card on the Basic Pokemon. (This counts as evolving that Pokemon.)

In the case of Pichu, many people say that Raichu does not evolve from Pichu, but in fact it evolves from Pikachu, and therefore misses the chance to be rare candied. Let's take this to another level here. So I can't evolve Pichu that way - fine. Why is it that I can rare candy Squirtle into Blastoise? Blastoise doesn't evolve from Squirtle. It evolves from Wartortle. Not that Blastoise is used that much in the current format, though there are a few out there, but we did have a younger person want to rare candy an Elekid into an Electivire at our last City Championship. He reasoned that Elekid said it was a basic, and Electivire was in the same evolutionary line, although it didn't directly evolve from that. Can we get a clearer way to determine how to use Rare Candy, and why it can't be used on what we formerly considered babies? Perhaps an errata on Baby Evolutioned pokemon would be a good idea. Any thoughts on this?

 

[bulbasnore]

Interesting questions P_A. You get the complicated answer, since you ask. Everyone else can skip to my suggested solution to the problem you are posing (help the kids understand) in the last paragraph.

The only current way to evolve Pichu to Pikachu is to use its Baby Evolution Poke-POWER.

You will not find a picture of Pichu, for example, on any Pikachu. However, you will find a picture of Squirtle on Wartortle and Wartortle on Blastoise. Next to the picture it says, "Evolves from .... ". That is the sense in which RC uses "evovles from", i.e. there is a normal evolution chain from one to the other.

That answers why Squirtle works (it is part of the normal chain that Blastoise "evolves from"), but that's not the main reason RC doesn't work on Pikachu that is put on Pichu (not evolved) by Baby Evolution,

Q. Say I use my Pichu's "Baby Evolution" power to evolve Pichu into Pikachu, which is now an "evolved Basic Pokémon". Can I then play Rare Candy on my Pikachu to evolve it into Raichu or Raichu-EX during the same turn?
A. Since Pikachu would be considered an "Evolved Pokémon" at that point, Rare Candy cannot be used on that Pikachu. Rare Candy can only be used on "non-Evolved" Pokémon. (Apr 14, 2005 PUI Rules Team)

In this case, RC uses the term 'basic' as in un-evolved. Should different wording be used? :thumb: For judges and adults, though, I hope we have it covered in the Compendium. I don't think PUI will issue an errata on any of these cards. If they did, I'm not sure it would simplify it for children.

The way I explain RC to younger children is to look for the "Evolves from..." pictures. If the Pokemon you're trying to use Rare Candy on isn't in one of those pictures, then you can't use Rare Candy.