Kamikaze!

[SuperWooper]

Throughout the years, pokemon has always been fairly trainer dependent. Even in Base Set decks were trainer dependent. When pokemon had first come out and only base set had been released my trainer engines looked like:

3 Computer Search
2 Item Finder
3 Pokemon Trader
3 Oak
4 Bill
4 Energy Removal
2 Gust Of Wind/Switch

For basically every deck. It never changed unless I needed breeder. And sometimes I played Super Potion back then with my rain dance deck since attaching another energy wasn't a problem. But that was it. Not so much variation as we have now, especially when Neon was the format. There was a crudload of trainer variation then.

I think Nintendo is leaning towards trainerless decks. Not litterally of course, like those 30 pokemon 30 energies dragon decks. Which are weird, I must say. One kid playing one placed top eight at my CC, and he was ten years old or something. High amount of luck is my guess.

Anyway, Nintendo is leaning towards trainerless decks. If the format does become EXon or RSon, Oracle, Copycat, POR, etc are gone. But the point of this deck (finally) is that tECh cards like Crystal Shard will be gone. Desert Shaman is gone, and some people will start playing Absol/Skarmory and cards like those. Crobat will be another form of hand disruption. Weakness Guard will be gone. Stuff like tECh and disruption will be limited, and it's coming back to us in the form of pokemon.

ADV 5 Electrode will probably be used in many many decks when Expedition, Aquapolis, Skyridge rotate out. Why, you ask? Rayquaza. KO. 2 prizes. Fully Metaled Aggron EX. KO. 2 prizes. Any EX: KO. 2 Prizes! In case you don't know what Electrode does, here's the spoiler. (courtesy of Nick15)

* ELECTRODE [70 HP] (Stage 1 Lightning Pokemon / Evolves from Voltorb)
[L] Speeder (30)
Don't apply Weakness or Resistance for this attack.
[CCC] Kamikaze Roll
Electrode and the Defending Pokemon are Knocked Out. If there are any
Special Energy cards attached to Electrode, this attack does nothing.
WEAKNESS: FIGHTING
RETREAT: C
41/83 Holo-Rare #085 [Kyoko Umemoto]

It is broken. Enough said. It will probably be used in an extremely high amount of decks that only use one or two evolution lines to start with, such as Gardevoir, Salamence, Victreebel (these last two are especially appealing because you can gust out an EX and get two prizes for one). Pokemon Reversal may actually become useful *GASP!* because you can gust out something you want KOd and it'll happen. 50-50 chance, but I think it might be worth taking. It works well in Gardy decks because you can go from nothing on the bench to: Voltorb, attach psychic energy, Psy Shadow twice, candy to Electrode, two prizes.

If anyone can remember if Nintendo kept the simultaneous KO ruling the same, tell me. Do you choose first, or do they? How do you think Electrode will affect the envio once this thing is rotated around?

-Woop

 

[SwampertEX]

dude... That's a little TOO broken... That'd be just WRONG w/ Vbell and Sally as u said... well, atleast it's a descent counter for every deck... Too bad it's not Boostable... This thing is like the ultimate TecHing machine. I like it, but if the wording stays the same there will be alot less ex's played...
-Swampy

 

[Dek]

ya know what would be another broken combo? Energy Trans Sceptile and that thing... *gasp* *thud*

But geeze, that IS going to be a big...uh...change in the game.

I could also imagine Playing that with Absol/Skarmory. *shudders* Destroy your opponent's hand AND KO the Defending Pokemon.

Yup, this game has definately become broken

 

[Prime]

Use it with blaziken and get the three energy back and move it up with manectric to rayquaza and keep attacking!

 

[mozartrules]

I don't think there is anything broken (at least judged from the standard of the just released Blaziken EX) about the card. Useful yes, but not broken at all.

It is correct that you typically gets a price advantage from the attack and the opponent loses more resources, but you are using an attack and have an evolution chain in your deck that may prove limited usefulness if you don't play against a deck with Pokemon EX. The rule that you cannot use the attack will at least make it more difficult to splash it into decks, at least if you want to use the first attack (which is a little too good, 20 would have been more reasonable).

Arthas, I don't think the combination with Absol/Skarmory is not very useful. Those attacks leaves the opponent with an OK hand of 5 cards and you cannot do the both attacks at the same time.

 

[mozartrules]

Use it with blaziken and get the three energy back and move it up with manectric to rayquaza and keep attacking!

That is a lot of evolution chains you need to play here and I don't think Blaziken is a deck that needs this card. Rayquaza can one-hit knock-out anything and doesn't give up the prize in the process.

The card becomes much more useful for decks that try to play without a big attacker which would otherwise have trouble with a 150HP Pokemon EX fully powered. This will - with luck - give us a bit more diversity in the desk department.

 

[Prime]

Well you will lose 3 energy every time it ko's it self, and you cannot attack ANY special energy to it, so there will no fast setup without assistance from another pokemon. Maybe team it up with blastoise EX, lay three in one turn, then OHKO the opponent's pokemon?

 

[NoPoke]

On the one hand I'm pleased that we have another way of combatting the Exs.

But I'm also saddened that the card is yet another single attack killer!.

On balance I think it will help the current game but its a close thing! I will change my view once that Blastoise EX is released if its raindance like power remains as it is.

As to the simulataneous KO its in the rulebook: the player to go next replaces first.

 

[SuperWooper]

Well you will lose 3 energy every time it ko's it self, and you cannot attack ANY special energy to it, so there will no fast setup without assistance from another pokemon. Maybe team it up with blastoise EX, lay three in one turn, then OHKO the opponent's pokemon?

Can you say, GARDEVOIR? Drop Voltorb, candy to Trode, attach, two Psy Shadow, two prizes for you. That's broken, and whoever said it obviously wasn't thinking straight. Wobbuffet counters Ray EX, Gardy rules against Blaziken EX, and Electrode KOs Aggron EX fully metaled! What else is there? Seriously! Gardy/Trode will be awesome, I'm planning on either playing that or BRAD (I like that name) , until Wigglytuff EX comes out (or has it already), and it'll be newage beatdown! I'm reviving Tuff and nobody'll stop me!

As other people in this thread have said, Blastoise and Sceptile will be good with this card, but I personally like Gardevoir with it because when playing Gardy I've had trouble KOing Aggron w/ 4 Metal energy, especially if they aren't powering up Wailord on their bench to give me more damage with PsyStorm. Electrode will give Gardy decks a huge edge in the format, and I see Gardy/Trode and BRAD dominating everything in RSon, if that becomes the format. I'm out,

Wooper

 

[mozartrules]

Can you say, GARDEVOIR? Drop Voltorb, candy to Trode, attach, two Psy Shadow, two prizes for you. That's broken, and whoever said it obviously wasn't thinking straight. Wobbuffet counters Ray EX, Gardy rules against Blaziken EX, and Electrode KOs Aggron EX fully metaled! What else is there?

If only it was as simple as that. You need 6 specific cards in your hand to do that trick together with two Gardevoirs in play, how often do you even have 6 cards in your hand playing Gardevoir? Gardevoir is working well (=fast) because of the tight Wynaut/Wobbuffet integration. It is going to be tough to fit another 2/2 evolution line!

I think Electrode is going to be a nice addition to the game. It will give the big attackers reason to be afraid of something (and that includes Gardevoir EX!). My main concern is that it doesn't do enough to stop Blaziken decks because they typically have multiple attackers and an amazing recovery capability.

 

[SuperWooper]

If only it was as simple as that. You need 6 specific cards in your hand to do that trick together with two Gardevoirs in play...

Nope. Only two, or maybe only one if Electrode's already in play. The candy Voltorb Trode thing was just for like a surprise, but you can just play Trode and the psychic energy, then Gardy does the rest, and you're 1/3 closer to victory. Of course your opponent gets 1/6 closer, but you should only use Electrode when in need, not just because you can.

 

[mozartrules]

Nope. Only two, or maybe only one if Electrode's already in play. The candy Voltorb Trode thing was just for like a surprise, but you can just play Trode and the psychic energy, then Gardy does the rest, and you're 1/3 closer to victory.

You still need 5 cards, but you are correct that it doesn't have to be at the same time. Your opponent will on the other hand also be 1/3 closer to victory since his EX Pokemon is likely to have taken a prize in the round before you attack with Electrode (which then would be from the same number of attacks).

But 4 cards is a lot to play in a deck just to have a threat to large EX Pokemon and it pretty much also prevents you from playing special energy. And if you don't play special energy the choice is having electric energy or use the card only on the suicide mission. It may be simpler to play Wobbuffet or the Ninetales from the same set (same power).

But take this the right way, I will probably find a deck in which to play this. I just think the card is perfectly balanced with just the right amount of capability and wrote my comments mainly to suggest that it isn't broken.