The future: Cold Flare and Freeze Bolt

zero2exe

Veteran Breeder - Expert Translator
is a Contributor Alumnus
http://pokebeach.com/2012/07/bw6-freeze-bolt-and-cold-flare
Ok seriously people I can't believe no one's started a thread about the most recent tcg update already. The scans for Cold Flare and Freeze Bolt have been translated kindly by our fellas at pokebeach and are tempting us with some seriously powerful cards while it seems there's still hope for strategy rather than pure brute force.

Personally I've been looking forward to most of these, but the one that I'm 99,9% sure will be in everyone's decks is (curiously) an old classic:

Computer Search – Trainer
Item

Discard two cards. Search your deck for any one card and put it into your hand. Shuffle your deck afterwards.

ACE SPEC: You can’t have more than 1 ACE SPEC card in your deck.

You can use any number of Item cards during your turn.


So the old good computer search is back, too bad there can only be one per deck but hey, searching for any card is always welcomed. (too bad the early translation was flawed since it said you could look for 2 cards instead of one but meh reality is harsh xD).

Another card that caught my eye was Skyla:

Skyla – Trainer
Supporter

Search your deck for a Trainer card, reveal it, and put it into your hand. Shuffle your deck afterward.

You may play only 1 Supporter card during your turn (before your attack).


I'm kinda dissappointed this wasn't an item card but whatever, it was too good to be one anyway xD. The first thing that comes to mind when thinking about this card is "Computer Search" and "Catcher". Being able to get either of these at any time sounds really game breaking to me honestly. Also if the translation is as accurate as it looks when it says "search your deck for a Trainer card" then we could assume this includes other supporters as well (since every card now differentiates when referring to item trainer cards, supporters, etc.) but this las bit is just speculation, although getting your N's or Biancas ready for the next turn doesn't sound bad either.

Finally, and to not extend this post too much I'd like people to check an old classic revived, this is Blastoise:


Blastoise – Water – HP140
Stage 1 – Evolves from Wartortle
Ability: Rain Dance.
As often as you like during your turn (before your attack), you may attach 1 [W] Energy card to 1 of your Pokemon. (This doesn’t use up your 1 Energy card attachment for the turn.)

[C][C][C][C] Hydro Pump: 60+ damage. This attack does 10 more damage for each [W] Energy attached to this Pokemon.

Weakness: Grass (x2)
Resistance: none
Retreat: 4


So basically this is Base set Blastoise pumped up. Rain dance will be back into the format and except now it works exactly like Emboar's Inferno Fandango as the water energy can go to any pokemon even if it's not a water type. While not the best attacker requiring a massive 4 energy cost to attack or retreat, 100 damage for 4W is still nice if you're in a desperate situation, also the energies aren't that hard to come by if you include stuff like Cilan among your supporters (no more than 1 or 2 though). Considering the above trainers I mentioned I think playing Blastoise won't be hard to play at all, specially considering that its basic form Squirtle, while having an acceptable 60 hp also counts with an amazing ability "Shell Shield - As long as this Pokemon is on the Bench, it takes no damage from attacks" meaning we have a benchsitter that is inmune to snipe attacks so the only way to stop your squirtle army will be by burning out all catchers.

I could write about a lot of other amazing cards here (check raticate, keldeo-ex and Charizard for starters) but that would take up a lot more space in this post that I want to. Tell me what you think this expansion will bring if it makes all the way to america. :p
 
Hi, it's me, the guy who finds a bunch of bad gimmicks and doesn't have enough cards to go to tournaments.



[C][C][C] Roar of Destruction. Look at your opponent’s hand, and discard all Items in it.
[C][C][C][C] Round: 50x damage. This attack does 50 damage times the number of your Pokemon with a Round attack.

Probably won't be used, but the first attack could really mess with your opponent. It doesn't get rid of supporters, but unless they top deck they can't catcher kill you.



[C][C] Steel Strike: 40 damage. During your opponent’s next turn, this Pokemon takes no damage from attacks by Pokemon-EX.
[M][C][C] Slash Down: 100 damage. During your next turn, this Pokemon cannot use Slash Down.

Impervious to EXs for a dce? Not bad. The downside being you have to evolve it, which is no fun considering this set's scyther has 20 damage for it's strongest attack. But there's always DEX Scyther.
 


Ability: Transform
During your turn, you may play a Basic Pokemon from your hand onto this Pokemon. This Pokemon is treated as that Basic Pokemon. (Any cards, damage counters, conditions, and effects on this Pokemon are transferred to the Basic Pokemon.)


Someone tell me what the point of this is...
 

zero2exe

Veteran Breeder - Expert Translator
is a Contributor Alumnus


Ability: Transform
During your turn, you may play a Basic Pokemon from your hand onto this Pokemon. This Pokemon is treated as that Basic Pokemon. (Any cards, damage counters, conditions, and effects on this Pokemon are transferred to the Basic Pokemon.)


Someone tell me what the point of this is...
My guess is that ditto uses the basic pokemon as a shield, so if it is KO'd you discard the basic pokemon instead of ditto but keep stuff like energy cards attached to ditto instead. At least that would make it useful .__.
 

Nova

snitches get stitches
is a Site Content Manager Alumnusis a Team Rater Alumnusis a Tiering Contributor Alumnusis a Contributor Alumnus


Ability: Transform
During your turn, you may play a Basic Pokemon from your hand onto this Pokemon. This Pokemon is treated as that Basic Pokemon. (Any cards, damage counters, conditions, and effects on this Pokemon are transferred to the Basic Pokemon.)


Someone tell me what the point of this is...
If you play an EX card on Ditto and it gets knocked out, the opponent only takes 1 prize? Just my guess :9
 

zero2exe

Veteran Breeder - Expert Translator
is a Contributor Alumnus
If you play an EX card on Ditto and it gets knocked out, the opponent only takes 1 prize? Just my guess :9
Must admit it is kinda strange there's so little info about ditto in the card. If you take a look at Fossil set Ditto's Transform it was very explicit about what the power could and couldn't do.

Anyway moving on, the other card is just too beautiful to pass by, Charizard:


Charizard – Fire – HP160
Stage 2 – Evolves from Charmeleon

[R][C][C] Bomb: Select two of your opponent’s Pokemon. This attack does 40 damage to each of them. (Do not apply Weakness and Resistance for Benched Pokemon).
[R][C][C][C][C] Burn Out: 150 damage. Discard a [R] energy attached to this Pokemon.

Weakness: Water (x2)
Resistance: none
Retreat: 3

So first we get an attack that deals 40 damage to 2 pokemon for RCC, which shouldn't be too hard to get considering that charmander's first attack is
"[R] Draw In: Search your discard pile for up to 2 Fire Energy cards and attach them to this Pokemon." The little lizard also has 70hp which is great for a basic pokemon meant for stage 2 so you should be charged up by turn 2.
Charizard's second attack, Burn out, for the high cost of RCCCC can deal a massive 150 damage by discarding only a single R card. What's beautiful about this attack is that it requires a lot of C rather than fire energy, so you can use either Emboar, Eelektrik or even Blastoise as motors for the other energies, of course emboar is the most consistent (and has more hp), but for water decks being able to almost tech Charizard I think it's an interesting strategy. 160hp is also really nice since it avoids the KO from stuff like Zekrom-Ex Reshi-Ex if they lack the plus. Also after discarding the R energy mewtwo-ex lacks the power to beat charizard (only being able to deal about 120 damage or 140 if mewtwo has an extra energy, which is usually not worth it)
 
Multiple Stage 2 strategies need to be looked at with a lot of scepticism.

The Ditto confused me at first, but there's actually numerous uses for it. They all center around the fact that you can put a Pokemon on the field with Energies and other things on it before you have to dedicate to what exactly it is. It threatens a lot of things by being there, but it leaves your options open until you want to choose a path.

For example, in Eelektrik decks, you can just play down a Ditto, and then next turn throw a Tynamo and an Eelektrik on top of it and you never had to deal with a 40 HP liability on your field. Or, if your opponent has a Mewtwo in play with no Energy on it, you can put some Energy on your Ditto. Then next turn, power it up fully, turn it into Mewtwo, Catcher theirs and X-Ball for two prizes. But you can also turn it into a Zekrom, Zekrom EX, Raikou EX, Bouffalant, whatever you want.

"But what if they Catcher and KO Ditto and its silly 70 HP?"

Then they used a Catcher on Ditto, leaving alone any Eelektriks or powered up attackers such as Zekrom or your EXes. It is only worth 1 prize, and they only have 4 Catchers to work with to begin with.

Now whether decks will have enough space for this thing is a large question mark, but I see no reason not to play at least one Ditto in theory.
 

Users Who Are Viewing This Thread (Users: 1, Guests: 0)

Top