Pokémon TCG Questions Thread [general questions]

[LordCBH]

Thanks for the explanation. I've got a card with the shiny silvery border, it was the Raikou that came out of the Raikou tin. Other than that, I'll just keep on looking and hoping I get some cool cards.

[Electricbluewolf]

Thanks for the explanation. I've got a card with the shiny silvery border, it was the Raikou that came out of the Raikou tin. Other than that, I'll just keep on looking and hoping I get some cool cards.

That's okay- if it has a silvery border than it'll be the promo shiny Raikou they released along with the event to get them in game. There are a lot of cool cards in the new packs I've heard n_n

[LordCBH]

My quest to find some cool cards shall continue!!

[ChrisD240]

Ummm I just started off and i just bought some cards. My question is are cards from 2009 legal in tournaments and leagues or does it depend on the league. What cards are legal today
So for example... is this card still legal?

gengar card.jpg

Thanks everyone.

[LordCBH]

Just to be completely 100% sure, this card is definitely a Prime, yes? I'm asking because I found one in a pack and I wanted to be sure.

Blissey.jpg

[Electricbluewolf]

Ummm I just started off and i just bought some cards. My question is are cards from 2009 legal in tournaments and leagues or does it depend on the league. What cards are legal today
So for example... is this card still legal?

gengar card.jpg

Thanks everyone.

Yes, that is legal. Only a few cards are banned from TCG play: there's a list of them here and an explanation to go with it.

Just to be completely 100% sure, this card is definitely a Prime, yes? I'm asking because I found one in a pack and I wanted to be sure.

Blissey.jpg

Yep, that is a Prime n_n

[ChrisD240]

[QUOTE=Electricbluewolf;14704799]Yes, that is legal. Only a few cards are banned from TCG play: there's a list of them here and an explanation to go with it.

Thanks.

[SkittyOnWailord]

Yes, that is legal. Only a few cards are banned from TCG play: there's a list of them here and an explanation to go with it.

That's not completely true. Since WotC lost the licence years ago, Pokemon has had two formats, modified and unlimited. Unlimited means you can use any English printed cards while modified means you can only use cards from these sets (The list changes roughly every year. And on September 1st it'll only be B/W and up).

Heart Gold Soul Silver
HS Unleashed
HS Undaunted
HS Triumphant
Call of Legends
Black and White
BW Emerging Powers
BW Noble Victories
BW Next Destinies
BW Dark Explorers
HS Trainer Kit
BW Trainer Kit
Black Star Promo Cards numbered HGSS01 and higher and Black Star Promo Cards numbered BW01 and higher
2011 McDonalds promos
2012 McDonalds promos
Battle Road: Victory Medal
Battle Road: Victory Cup

It's up to the specific league if they allow unlimited or just modified. But any sanctioned tournament only uses modified.

[FE21]

On one of my Tyranitars attacks, it says "Put a Shock-wave marker on 1 of your opponent's pokemon". Is that the third generation equivalent to "Choose 1 of you opponent's pokemon. That pokemon is now paralized"?

[ven?]

ignore my first post, the first attack put's a shockwave counter on the pokemon the third attack KO's a pokemon with a shockwave counter, it is that simple.

[FE21]

ignore my first post, the first attack put's a shockwave counter on the pokemon the third attack KO's a pokemon with a shockwave counter, it is that simple.

I can see that, that wasn't my question. My question was, is a shock-wave marker a paralisis marker or exclusive to this pokemon card/this expansion/this generation/Pokemon TCG?

[G50]

A shock-wave marker is unrelated to paralysis.

It's just a marker that when put on the defending Pokemon, that the Shock-wave attack by Tyranitar KOs it.

[ven?]

There was a couple pokemon cards that had similar effect's to try and give the game a larger style/radius of play. There was never any kind of add on to status effect's other then the damage calculation for confusion and burn being messed around and stackable poison (one of my favourite unlimited rule's). So in other words if it did a paralyze effect then it would say that on the card.

[Stay Gold]

I know this is probably a ridiculously nooby question, but can someone explain the "rotation" and "format" changes to me? I know it means you cant use older cards, so does that mean you pretty much have to buy all new cards whenever the format changes and that all the cards you previously used are completely useless?

And does anyone have any idea when the next change will be? I dont wanna go buy cards only to have them become useless in tournament/league play soon after.

[ven?]

The format is a combination of three thing's, 1. the current rule's, 2. card's in rotation or in other words what cards you can use towards making your deck and 3. the top deck's being used to win tournament's.

Rotation is where they rotate out or get rid of the last 3-4 maybe 5 set's of the tcg rotation block every year to make certain that new player's can join in alot easier buy only having to worry about buying new set's, also don't worry as the tcg release's about 3-4 set's yearly.

and that sum's it up

There is talk of rotation in augest, they are getting rid of the currently useless heart gold soul silver expansion of cards making the rotation with set's like this left available


black and white
emerging power's
noble victories
next destinies
dark explorer's
and the up coming dragons exalted

[32er]

The format is a combination of three thing's, 1. the current rule's, 2. card's in rotation or in other words what cards you can use towards making your deck and 3. the top deck's being used to win tournament's.

Rotation is where they rotate out or get rid of the last 3-4 maybe 5 set's of the tcg rotation block every year to make certain that new player's can join in alot easier buy only having to worry about buying new set's, also don't worry as the tcg release's about 3-4 set's yearly.

and that sum's it up

There is talk of rotation in augest, they are getting rid of the currently useless heart gold soul silver expansion of cards making the rotation with set's like this left available

call of legend's
black and white
emerging power's
noble victories
next destinies
dark explorer's
and the up coming dragons exalted

Call of Legends is actually rotating out aswell.

[ShadoWolf0913]

The format is a combination of three thing's, 1. the current rule's, 2. card's in rotation or in other words what cards you can use towards making your deck and 3. the top deck's being used to win tournament's.

Rotation is where they rotate out or get rid of the last 3-4 maybe 5 set's of the tcg rotation block every year to make certain that new player's can join in alot easier buy only having to worry about buying new set's, also don't worry as the tcg release's about 3-4 set's yearly.

and that sum's it up

There is talk of rotation in augest, they are getting rid of the currently useless heart gold soul silver expansion of cards making the rotation with set's like this left available


black and white
emerging power's
noble victories
next destinies
dark explorer's
and the up coming dragons exalted

But why do they change the cards you can use in your deck? Wouldn't it be easier just to allow all the cards, old and new, so that older players don't have to keep buying new cards and completely rebuilding their deck whenever it changes? ...unless that's their plan... :/

[ven?]

To make buying and producing packs for the game easier to play for new player's, to make the game continuously interesting instead of 1 deck that can win, which in unlimited there is tons of turn 1 victory deck's, doesn't' make thing's interesting at all.

I do have to buy new pack's but that's okay because I get a discount on my cards.

[ShadoWolf0913]

But I don't see how can having older cards make a deck unbeatable. It's the newer cards that are getting more and more powerful with each set. If everybody is allowed to use any card, I don't see how the game is any less fair or interesting. If anything, it would be more interesting because of all the variety, whereas if they only allow a handful of sets, you would probably end up with a lot of people using the same cards.

But I'm getting a bit off-topic and there are never any tournaments happening near me anyway. I just don't get the point of doing this beyond making people have to keep buying new packs...

[SkittyOnWailord]

But I don't see how can having older cards make a deck unbeatable. It's the newer cards that are getting more and more powerful with each set. If everybody is allowed to use any card, I don't see how the game is any less fair or interesting. If anything, it would be more interesting because of all the variety, whereas if they only allow a handful of sets, you would probably end up with a lot of people using the same cards.

But I'm getting a bit off-topic and there are never any tournaments happening near me anyway. I just don't get the point of doing this beyond making people have to keep buying new packs...

It's the old trainers that are broken, and not the actual Pokemon. And all good unlimited decks (all older cards allowed) will win on their first turn about 95% of the time. As an example, I was playing against my friend's unlimited deck a while ago. I went first and ended my turn with 3 Reshiram (130HP), 2 Tepig (70HP) and a Zekrom (130HP). And then my opponent beat me on his next turn. Yep, that was a really fun game.
If they allowed all of the older cards to be used then there's no doubt that it would still be fair. But games wouldn't last more than 1-3 turns ever.