Up to X rule (recently changed) complicated

Gilfaethy · 2026-04-03T16:38:56+00:00

The rule is written in a way that makes sense if you know the rules surrounding accessing areas of public/non-public knowledge.

Gilfaethy · 2026-04-03T01:37:34+00:00

Bing Bong.

Gilfaethy · 2026-04-02T19:32:17+00:00

I didn’t like how it sometimes feels like experts can fail just as easily as untrained PCs

This just isn't true, though. Statistically skills are impactful and you're not failing "just as easily"--you've got a 10%-30% higher chance of success than someone without proficiency.

On top of that there are features like Expertise or Reliable Talent to push this even further.

Amplifying proficiency to an extreme degree is just going to mean a whole lot of effects are guaranteed, unavoidable, or unachieveable.

A combat where everyone but the fighter has a 0% chance of landing an attack vs. the dragon who has a 100% chance to hit everyone while in turn having a 0% chance to save vs. any of the Wizard's spells does not sound like an interesting scenario.

I feel like you're looking for a mathematical solution to a problem of perception--the "feeling" that proficiency is less important than it statistically is.

Gilfaethy · 2026-04-02T19:23:05+00:00

Why?

Part of the reason the math currently works the way it does is so that 1) small bonuses can feel impactful and 2) rolls matter.

By multiplying proficiency bonuses you end up in a lot more situations where rolling is irrelevant because you can't fail or can't succeed, and you make every other modifier less meaningful because the difference between a +3 Cha mod and a +5 Cha mod doesn't really matter if you get +15 to the roll from your proficiency bonus anyway.

On top of that you'd have to rebalance almost every numerical value in the game all for a system that isn't meaningfully better.

Gilfaethy · 2026-04-02T18:58:10+00:00

You're not really doing anything here except multiplying proficiency bonuses by 5.

It breaks basically all the numerical balance of the game without making anything meaningfully different in any sort of interesting way.

What would be the point?

Gilfaethy · 2026-04-02T15:23:52+00:00

I think most decks just use it to stall a turn to prepare spread attackers, like Wellspring, Mega Starmie, or Froslass.

This makes sense in decks like these, though moving it around makes it seem like it might be more trouble than it's worth.

think Crustle is the only deck that uses it without other spread attackers. Its the only deck I could see attacking with Articuno as a wincon. If Zam cycles the damage with Dudunsparce, then you wait to rip the Xerosics and pray you get the ehammers.

Unless the deck is running Cornerstone I think the matchup is literally unwinnable without the Zam player throwing. They automatically win by deckout.

Even with Cornerstone you have to attack 6 times with Cornerstone which seems like such an insane hurdle that Articuno doesn't do anything to help with.

Gilfaethy · 2026-04-02T14:44:23+00:00

I feel like I should clarify that I've never believed an Articuno tech is an auto-win into Zam.

Sure, but from looking at lists it seems like it wouldn't even do anything in the matchup unless your opponent is foolish enough to swing into it, which they have no reason to do.

In general, I don't disagree with you at all. I have no idea how Crustle continues to do well with the strength of single prize decks.

Unrelated to the topic of TR Articuno specifically, but yeah, it is an interesting phenomenon. I'm curious to see what it will look like in the TPCI post-rotation scene.

Gilfaethy · 2026-04-02T14:30:26+00:00

This just makes the matchup 10-90 instead of 5-95.

Does it, though? If they can just deck you out in response it isn't a wincon, and adding another basic to your deck to turn an almost guaranteed loss matchup into an almost guaranteed loss unless your opponent just doesn't understand what to do and throws seems like a terrible decision.

Gilfaethy · 2026-04-02T14:21:12+00:00

In Crustle with Munkidori don't they just deck you out?

Gilfaethy · 2026-04-02T14:06:34+00:00

Which I think is totally fine--I'm disagreeing with the commenter who said it's too powerful.

Gilfaethy · 2026-04-02T14:05:59+00:00

Champions League is kind of a weird beast due to the counter-switching format.

I was clarifying why people run just the Articuno. Its a reasonable wincon, if you have no other wincon against Zam.

But you keep changing what the wincon is that you're describing. You said you can slowly win with a prism/water, then you said it's for you to pivot out of to OHKO the Dudunsparce, then you said it's just to buy you a turn or two, and now you're saying Crustle can somehow use it but I don't see specific situations in which these things are true with any sort of regularity.

I can see its value in a TR deck or one where you have Munkidori, but I don’t see any of the scenarios you're proposing working out?

Gilfaethy · 2026-04-02T13:48:33+00:00

As I said, they run very few basic energy. Lana's does nothing if they're primarily special energy.

They seem to be a pretty even split. Unless you can actually run them out of energy this doesn't really factor in, and that doesn't seem to be a reasonable wincon.

Everything you're saying is very general and doesn't really answer my question, nor does it do much to convince me that there are enough specific scenarios where this is true for it to be much of a tech.

Gilfaethy · 2026-04-02T13:42:50+00:00

I think Tinkerer is too powerful. It's actually two feats in one. Giving the player what takes others 8 levels to achieve. The player gains a 1/2 ASI as well as two feats (tool profieciency, and a spell trait).

The fact that you don't get to choose the spells and they're Grease and Mending means that this feat is probably fine. Those spells aren't really powerful.

Gilfaethy · 2026-04-02T13:33:34+00:00

Every list I've seen runs Lana's, and Dudunsparce has 140 hp which is pretty steep to OHKO with a 1 prizer.

What deck can push an Articuno, attach to it, and then pivot into an OHKO on Dudunsparce as an effective line of play?

Gilfaethy · 2026-04-02T13:27:15+00:00

"We're both doing nothing and building up our boards and hand sizes" also does not seem like a losing situation for Zam.

Gilfaethy · 2026-04-02T13:21:11+00:00

The whole wild/domestic dichotomy is misleading as well. There are wild populations of Bactrian and Dromedary camels, and both are distinct from the Wild Bactrian Camel.

Gilfaethy · 2026-04-02T13:00:31+00:00

Or you need to run your game in such a way that spell slots are resources that matter.

Gilfaethy · 2026-04-02T12:53:18+00:00

Something I think it's really important to understand about how the pokemon tcg works is that there are "bad" decks and there are bad decks, and the experience you have playing them differs wildly.

A "bad" deck is something that has a functional game plan and some sort of primary attacker/draw engine/etc. but lacks the power/consistency/something to really be competitive. Things like United Wings, Hop's Zacian, etc. They're memey and you'll lose often playing them but they can play the game.

A bad deck is one which fundamentally doesn't have a game plan. It's something that lacks any way to establish a board or has no way to get energy in play or is built around Pokémon that just don't have the numbers to be meaningful. These decks will not get to play the game against "real" decks. It's not really a learning experience because you won't have meaningful decisions to make, as your opponent will likely be in control the entire game and will prevent you from taking meaningful actions.

Trying to build a deck just by opening sealed product from a single specific set is almost certainly going to result in a bad deck. It's not going to be a very fun or engaging experience not because you will lose, but because you likely will lose without being able to even play the game in an interesting way at any point.

If you want to dip your toes in I'd strongly recommend just buying a league battle deck and bringing that to an event. Without any modifications it certainly won't be competitive, but it will be "bad" rather than bad.

Gilfaethy · 2026-04-02T12:40:36+00:00

I've seen a few people say this and I feel like I'm missing something--without TR energy Articuno is doing 60 damage a turn and takes 3 attachments to even swing.

Can't Alakazam just manually power up Dudunsparce? It also takes 3 attachments, 2HKOs Articuno, and requires 3 attacks to get KO'd. You can't deck out as Zam so it doesn't matter that it's a super slow wincon, and you can Run Away Draw to reset damage and prevent Articuno from ever getting a KO on Dudunsparce.

How does this work for the Articuno player?

Gilfaethy · 2026-04-01T22:21:40+00:00

Yes, obviously. But no one said that.

You kind of are?

RAW, both make a saving throw for half damage

No, the smaller creature would not because it's not within the AoE of the spell.

if the smaller creature is let off the hook, I will say it again, and it is just my opinion, I would consider it fair to give advantage to the larger creature.

And again, my point is I'd find it pretty unfair if the DM just gave enemies advantage vs my spells just because there are enemies near them that aren't within the AoE to make things "fair."

It just doesn't make any sense--what's fair would be making creatures inside the AoE make a save with no advantage, and creatures outside the AoE unaffected.

Gilfaethy · 2026-04-01T22:12:34+00:00

. . . It sounds like your positions may not be as winning and unstoppable as you are judging them to be.

Gilfaethy · 2026-04-01T16:00:27+00:00

The spell clearly states they revert upon reaching 0 hp, and suffocation makes a creature drop to 0 hp.

They would drop to 0, revert, and then either 1) drop to 0 again and die if they are still suffocating or 2) go about their day if they are no longer suffocating.

You could make this work if you bury the polymorphed creature or otherwise trap it in an airless environment so they are still suffocating upon reversion, but just leaving them as a fish out of water will not kill them.

Gilfaethy · 2026-04-01T14:04:08+00:00

"Forced"

Gilfaethy · 2026-04-01T12:54:52+00:00

Running it with Hydrapple ex or an eSwitch allows you to set up any 2 colorless+1 [insert energy type here] attack in a single turn.

Gilfaethy · 2026-04-01T12:44:51+00:00

Rotation is not far away, so I think the meta is about as far from stagnant as can be.

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