Name:  Juggler

Text: You can play only one Supporter card each turn.  When you play this card, put it next to your Active Pokémon.  When your turn ends, discard this card.

 

Discard up to 2 basic Energy cards from your hand.  If you discarded 1 basic Energy cards from your hand, draw 3 cards.  If you discarded 2 basic Energy cards, draw 5 cards.

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This is an example of a card that is better than “the Math” indicates.  If you use option one, you trade 2 cards and supporter usage for 3 new cards.  That’s a 1:1 ratio if you consider your Supporter use only worth drawing one card (which I don’t).  If you use option two, then you trade 3 cards and supporter use for 5 cards.  In this case, its two cards for your ability to use Supporters (still not good).  So this card is a waste, right?

 

…

 

Depends.  First, what is the format?  In Unlimited, yes, it is bad: you have several superior choices, particularly given that basic Energies are usually rarely played.  One or two decks can make good use out of it (Neo Genesis Feraligatr wants to put energies in the discard, after all).  In Modified, it lucks out: there is more basic energy played, and there are fewer sources of draw, search, and cycling power.  For those unfamiliar with the terms, draw is getting more cards, search if going through the deck for specific cards, and cycling (I call it “sifting”) is where you get X cards out of your deck at a time, but are not solidly adding to your hand.  What does that mean?  Think of Elm, Neo Genesis Cleffa, Copycat, and POR: basically, if you shuffle the remainder of your hand gets shuffled back into your deck before you get to draw, its cycling.  “Filtering” is also an apt term for it.  Back to Juggler: it is one of two sources of significant draw power in Trainer form (the other is Professor Birch).  So with more energy and less options, it naturally gets better.  The other thing is that it combos well with some other cards: namely, anything that can get basic Energy back into your hand or deck.  Two Jugglers and one Fisherman net 10 cards for three Supporters… not too bad, though Bill is less of a headache (it’s always a 1:2 ratio, and not a Supporter, after all).  Another option (that will make decking out harder) is to use Town Volunteers: two TV takes care of 4 Jugglers, and then some.6 Supporters for 20 cards, plus two extra energy).  It may seem inefficient for such a large number of cards, but you will have gone through about half of your deck, and remember, these are multi-turn combos: they work so long as you get the cards more or less in the right order and before you’d need the Energies again (anywhere from 0-20 turns =P ).  Then there is the king of the combos in this format: Juggler plus Mewtwo ex.  Have Mewtwo active, discard two one Psychic Energy with Juggler, then use Energy Absorption to get them on Mewtwo ex, and you can hit next turn for a flat 60 with it’s Psyburn attack.  Pretty wicked.

 

Ratings

 

Unlimited: 1.75/5-Like I said, maybe one deck that can use it.

 

Modified/2-on-2: 4/5-Best form of “pure” draw power (not searching or cycling), and such draw power is potent, particularly if you are trying to get a combo going (like a Basic, then Stag1, and finally a Stage 2 Pokémon).  2-on-2 is a toss-up: your opponent would need two Sandstorm Wobbuffets to shut you down, and you can pair Mewtwo ex up with… but there are some possible combinations that can frustrate Mewtwo ex… and that is not the main issue so I think it’s stays the same.

 

Draft: 4.5/5, but it varies.  The only thing’s that might top in from recent sets are Copycat (got a bunch of cards you can’t use in hand?  Happens a lot in draft) and Professor Birch (half the time you have no hand-it’s a format of extremes ;) ).  If the set includes Neo Genesis or Base/Base 2, knock I down to 4.25/5 (draw is still incredible in drafts).

 

I had to hurry on this, so I apologize if I missed anything.

 

-Otaku

Ralphy-

Juggler, a card that has already seen play, gets the chance to be played more heavily with the more notable absences of Elm and Cleffa from the current Modified.

 

Unlimited- Don't even bother with this here. Supporters are given the "Supporter" status to slow things down. Why would you ever want to slow things down in Unlimited? Juggler means well, but many of the more competitive decks run little or no basic energy so there won't be anything to discard, which means you won't be able to draw any cards. 1.5/5 here.

 

Modified- Superb, that is if it is in the right deck. My E-on Modified deck runs a Blaziken line, so Juggler fits right in. Having Basic Energies in the discard benefits this deck as you get an extra energy attached per turn. If nothing else, Modified could use some extra draw options. Too bad about that darned Supporter status. 4/5

 

Limited- Not too many cards it Aquapolis I would rather draft than Juggler. Drawing of any sort is almost always a first pick in draft, unless you were drafting with a set that had the Hay Basics of old. Basic energies are usually supplied for you at a draft, so discarding a few shouldn't really be much of a problem. 4.995/5 here.