Suicune Rulings Resolved!

The Wizards Pokemon TCG Rules team has released the following rulings clarifications. This is wonderful news for those that have been trying to figure out how to play Holo Suicune for the past few months. These finalized rulings are in line with existing rulings for such Attacks as Agility and should settle some of the uproar that has been caused by the temporary rulings. Enjoy:

Latest Pokemon Rulings 2/12/02

1. Suicune and all similar affects (Haunter's Transparency, Agility, etc.) have been clarified and finalized.

Please ignore the previous Suicune rulings released in Nov/Dec 2001. As stated in that rules release they were only temporary until they were correctly figured out.

While attacks are still always against the Defending Pokemon, regardless of where their effects end up, the effects end up on a specific Pokemon. So Suicune's Crystal Body Power which reads: Prevent all effects of your opponent's attacks, other than damage done to Suicune, means that ONLY effects done TO Suicune are prevented. So, an attack that does 20 damage and paralyzes would still do 20 damage but would NOT Paralyze a Defending Suicune.

If the attacking Pokemon (with Suicune as the Defending Pokemon) does damage to a Benched Pokemon, Suicunes Crystal Body Power does NOT prevent that effect or damage as it is NOT being done to Suicune.

Any additional effects the attack may have (such as having to discard an energy in order to use the attack, or self-inflicted damage) is NOT prevented as it is NOT done to Suicune.

If Suicune is a Benched Pokemon and Dark Arbok uses it Stare attack against it (Choose 1 of your opponent's Pokemon. This attack does 10 damage to that Pokemon. Don't apply Weakness and Resistance for this attack. (Any other effects that would happen after applying Weakness and Resistance still happen.) If that Pokemon has a Pokemon Power, that power stops working until the end of your opponent's next turn.), Suicune would still take the 10 damage but its Crystal Body Pokemon Power would prevent the Stare's effect of shutting off the Pokemon Power.

It is important to recognize that attacks are always against the Defending Pokemon, which is why Cleffa's Eeeek can be prevented by a Smokescreen effect or anything other attack prevention even though the Eeek! attack does not do anything to the Defending Pokemon.

So, Crystal Body, Agility, and Haunter's Transparency do NOT prevent Eeek!, only effects of attacks that are done TO them.

2. Pidgeotto's Mirror Move attack reads: If Pidgeotto was attacked last turn, do the final result of that attack on Pidgeotto to the Defending Pokemon. The final result of an attack is what is done to a Pokemon. If the Defending Pokemon has a Weakness or Resistance this is calculated BEFORE naming the final result of the attack.

Focus Band takes place OUTSIDE of the timing sequence of attack resolution. It does NOT change the Final Result of an attack. It is a replacement effect that takes place before a Pokemon is Knocked out.

If Pidgeotto has a Focus Band attached to it, the Final Result of an attack against it does NOT count anything that Focus Band may or may not do.

Meaning if an attack against Pidgeotto does 100 damage and a Focus Band triggers successfully reducing Pidgeotto's remaining HP to 10, the Final result of the attack against this Pokemon is 100 damage, NOT reducing the Defending Pokemon to 10 hp.

3. Magby's Sputter still works as previously ruled. It is an effect originating from Magby. If Magby evolves, is Benched, or leaves play, the Sputter effect ends.

4. Feint attacks (against the Defending Pokemon) and Swift attacks ignore ANY effect attempting to reduce their damage. This means that Murkrow's Feint attack if done against the Defending Pokemon is NOT reduced by Unown D's Darkness Pokemon Power.

This also means that a colorless Pokemon using a Swift or Feint attack is NOT reduced by a Sprout Tower either.

These attacks cannot have their damage reduced by any game effect.

5. If a Pokemon has a Pokemon Power that can only be used once per turn, or has an attack that can't be used on the following turn, they can use these attacks or Pokemon Powers if they evolve or devolve or leave play. In each of these cases it is no longer the same Pokemon and so it gets around the once per turn or not usuable next turn effects.

Benching a Pokemon does NOT get around these effects as they are still the same Pokemon and still in play.

6. Focus Band only prevents a Pokemon from being Knocked out if any effect or damage from an attack would Knock it out during that turn. This means that if Mew's Devolution Beam would Knock out the Defending Pokemon, Focus Band would trigger (this effect takes place during the attack).

Any effect caused by an attack that would Knock out the Defending Pokemon AFTER the attack such as Poison or Char would NOT trigger Focus Band.

7. A Special Energy Card remains a Special Energy card regardless of what happens to it. A Fire Burned Rainbow Energy may only produce Fire energy but it would still be considered a Special Energy card as well. This is important for Smoochum's Psykiss attack.

8. If a Pokemon has copies of other Pokemon's attacks on it (such as Sabrina's Alakazam), it will NOT have multiple copies of identical attacks.

This means that is Sabrina's Alakazam was your Active Pokemon and you had a Mind Shock attack that does 30 damage and a Mind Shock attack that does 40 damage on the bench, you would gain a copy of each of those attacks as they are NOT identical (the amount of damage done is different). Different attacks can have the same name. An attack is considered identical if it has the same attack cost, name, and does identical damage and effects.