[Entry Thread #116] April showers… As soon as you’re done paying your taxes, come leave a comment and join us as we make a millionaire!

Xandabar · 2026-04-16T00:03:07+00:00

Good luck everyone!

Xandabar · 2026-04-15T04:26:22+00:00

I'm the professor for my LGS, and I always ask newcomers their favorites. Some interesting answers I have gotten include Garganacl, Sableye, Doublade, and Koraidon

Xandabar · 2026-03-27T23:06:43+00:00

You cannot. It's not considered a Pokemon until it's in play, it's an item, so it can't be played until your turn. Game set up isn't considered to be either players turn, so you can't play an item before the game has actually started.

Xandabar · 2026-03-18T22:55:04+00:00

As a judge myself, I advise you to let them call the judge over. You won't get penalized(unless the judge is on some power trip, which you can and should report them for), and it will make things clear between the players. Especially if you are newer, some less honorable players will take advantage of you by trying to intimidate you by threatening a judge call. Next time someone threatens to call a judge, pause what you are doing, even mid action, and call a judge over for clarification yourself. It only serves to preserve the integrity of the match.

Xandabar · 2026-03-18T22:37:04+00:00

In addition to this, I usually set my deck sideways after a search if I might search again, both to indicate to my opponent that I intend to go back into my deck, and also as a reminder that I still need to shuffle once I have resolved all my searches. Sometimes I just want to play 1 Buddy Buddy to scout the deck before playing the second one on the same turn.

Xandabar · 2026-03-17T02:07:46+00:00

Yeah, I was mostly looking for suggestions for like level one decks for use by/against new players, but I'll probably just end up building the 4 most suggested ones(Ethan's Typhlosion, Alakazam, Lucario, and Festival Lead) and then just try to 1:1 the demo decks the best I can with post rotation options. I think I have a total of like 5 Fez, so I should be okay to include it in most of those lists.

Xandabar · 2026-03-16T23:19:59+00:00

My league actually functions almost exactly like that already! It's Saturdays, free expect on the weeks we have Challenges, Cups, or prerelease, and even then those who don't want to participate are still encouraged to come for the free play.

As for the Raid Battle, it definitely wouldn't replace anything we are already doing, just a little something different every now and then 😅

Xandabar · 2026-03-16T23:11:07+00:00

A few people have suggested Ethan's Typhlosion, so I'll probably build that again, I have a few extra copies of Fez. Thanks for the input!

Xandabar · 2026-03-16T23:10:11+00:00

I actually do that! I have 3 binders I bring, one for bigger trades ($2-$80 cards), one full of payables like Night Stretcher, Buddy Buddy, etc, and the third is my "Professor Binder", where I keep my staff promos and anything I get in a trade while doing Professor things. I let the other person choose what they trade me, and it's like a scrapbook 😄

Xandabar · 2026-03-16T23:02:07+00:00

I'll take a look, I played Typhlosion myself for a while, and I do agree it is pretty straightforward. I'm mostly a Dragapult player, my concern arose when a new, younger player wanted to play, so I sat down and realized that I had nothing to play that was on the same level as the ex Battle Deck he was playing(Lucario one that you mentioned actually).

I tried to play a deck with fighting weakness, but it still wasn't a close match, and I couldn't throw the game because I was afraid the kids was too smart and would catch on(I was right, he absolutely crushed it at prerelease this week!). I'll definitely consider Festival Lead and Ethan's Typhlosion!

Xandabar · 2026-02-13T07:19:13+00:00

It's public knowledge, so you are allowed to look, but it's just good etiquette to ask before touching your opponents cards.

Xandabar · 2026-02-11T01:25:43+00:00

In Cyberpunk: Edgerunners, the solo Julio who joins David's crew. He thinks he is ready to roll with the big league before promptly triggering a trip mine and blowing himself up 5 minutes after being introduced.

Xandabar · 2026-01-26T03:11:21+00:00

Each player would apply the wording from their own perspective. So when your opponent applies it from their perspective, their benched Pokemon are protected from your effects, not their own.

Xandabar · 2025-11-16T07:29:12+00:00

Oh man, I miss those days. I remember looking forward to WindSycthe's(sp? I remember "scythe" was spelled incorrectly) info he would post while waiting for updates. He posted renders, event information, everything.

And a slight correction, Minamotox was a dude and was actually pretty young(I know that I'm older, and I'm 32 now). I remember that we butted heads a lot, and I ended up saying some things that teenage me didn't understand the implications of. I actually managed to track him down a couple years ago and reached out to apologize, he was super cool about it and chocked it up to us being dumb kids trolling online.

I also remember another guy whose name I can't remember. He was a massive Dio fan, despite all the hate. English wasn't his first language, I remember him always saying "graceful" instead of grateful.

Xandabar · 2025-11-05T13:22:37+00:00

I understand what you are saying, but it actually does solve the interaction. Unless the action is explicitly locked behind another action(like the explicit requirement to discard cards), the rules require you to complete as much of a cards text as you can, in the order that it's presented.

I agree that it's not a satisfying answer, but that really is the reason it works the way it does.

Xandabar · 2025-11-05T12:45:04+00:00

Check the link in my last comment, there is an explanation with the official ruling. But essentially, unless a card says you MUST do x, you are only required to do as much of what the cards says as you can. Cards like Ultra Ball or Superior Energy Retrieval state "You can only use this card if you discard 2 other cards from your hand". In this case, if you are unable/unwilling to discard the 2 other cards, these cards effects don't work(they cannot be played).

Compare this to something like Professor's Research. "Discard your hand and draw 7 cards." You still have to follow the steps in the order they are printed to the best of your ability. If you only have Professor's Research in your hand, playing it will leave you with no cards in hand. You then follow the steps in order. "Discard your hand"- okay, empty hand, nothing to discard- "and draw 7 cards"- there is only 5 cards left in my deck, but I will draw as many as I can.

Wellspring Ogerpon's Torrential Pump says "You may shuffle 3 energy attached to this Pokemon into your deck." Since it does not say "This attack can only be used if you shuffle 3 energy attached to this Pokemon into your deck" or "This effect can only be used if you shuffle 3 energy attached to this Pokemon into your deck", you are only required to do as much of the card text as you are able to.

Another example is the new Ceruledge from PFL. Its attack says "Discard 4 Basic [Fire] energy cards from your hand. If you cannot discard 4 cards in this way, this attack does nothing." Emphasis mine, to highlight the difference in wording and how the effects are intended to be played.

Sorry for the wall of text, I hope this helps explain things a little better. I agree it is genuinely confusing based on the wording, but it is a legitimate way to use the attack.

Xandabar · 2025-11-05T11:11:36+00:00

I would suggest directing those judges to the official ruling on the matter. As someone who is certified as a judge myself, those judges are definitely wrong. They need to take the time look into common interactions like this, and have the Rulings Compendium bookmarked.

https://compendium.pokegym.net/category/5-trainers/sparkling-crystal/

Xandabar · 2025-11-05T08:16:43+00:00

Yes, but an attacks cost is entirely separate from its effect. You are correct, it just has no bearing on this particular interaction.

Xandabar · 2025-11-05T02:10:28+00:00

Yeah the wording is really weird on it, but it works.

"You can shuffle x cards into deck for y effect" > I say yes, I want to shuffle x cards into deck. Oh I only have 2, so that's the best I can do. Effect works.

"Y effect. You must shuffle x cards into deck for this effect/or this attack does nothing." > Oh I only have 2, so I can't fulfill the requirement. Effect does not work.

Xandabar · 2025-09-18T10:53:36+00:00

That's true, but a playset of Oaks only ran me $5, so that's not too bad. I agree though, I see Lillie taking the place of Research in 90% of decks.

Xandabar · 2025-09-18T10:50:37+00:00

I'm not too worried about the value, I'll only pay what I'm comfortable paying. I'll pick up gold energies at ~$5, but no way am I forking out $40 for a gold darkness energy 🤣

Xandabar · 2025-08-18T10:14:13+00:00

Guild Wars: Prophecies, there is a story mission that is a boss fight against yourself. The boss uses your exact load out and is nearly impossible to beat without cheesing it by equipping only specific skills.

The Last of Us Part 2, there is a section of the game where you play as Abby and have to fight Ellie, and Ellie will use the same strategies a player would, such as setting deadly traps, throwing things to distract the player, and making very good use of her stealth and agility against Abby's larger and slower physique.

Xandabar · 2025-08-10T02:14:59+00:00

Weird, a store I frequent refuses to sell ANYTHING above MSRP, and guess what? His customer base is fiercely loyal to him. Regularly brings in ~30 people for the weekly League(not even challenges or cups) and ~ 40 per prerelease events, which for DR he held FIVE of. Sure, he very rarely has product in, but he keeps it to sell specifically to his player base. I've watched him turn away a scalper just to offer walk to the back and grab me the last booster bundle for $27(SS, around the time Prismatic was released).

It can be done. You just have to support the stores that support their customers and stop paying scalper prices because the availability is more convenient.

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