Card of the Day
Pokémon Tower

In Loving Memory =D
       Most of you probably remember my CotD section.. I did it shortly after I started writing for Pojo.  I used to have fun with it, but it did get tedious.  However, while I was writing, I figured, for old time's sake, I would write a detailed CotD like I used to, to tickle my fancy.  It's late, I just got finished wiping my friend Matt out in poker (yes, we all bet junk rares, sometimes in stacks of 100 in poker.. it's fun), and I don't have anything else to do.  This, literally, is being written exclusively because it tickles my fancy. Yes: My fancy is tickled.  ANYWAY... let's see if I remember how to do this.

THE ANTI ITEM FINDER
Pokémon Tower literally prevents Item Finder from doing it's job- getting the card back.  Sure, your opponent can discard it and two cards from their hand while Tower is in play if it tickles their fancy, but this usually isn't going to help them do anything.

The problem?  The fact that basically every deck relies on Item Finder for consistency and speed.  Now, there are three ways to look at this, and I prefer the second:

1) Pokémon Tower Hurts a lot of decks.  The opposing deck is forced to play a default gym to allow their Item Finders/Recycle Energy to be productive, and this allows you to play YOUR Item Finder, then play Tower again.

2) If you play enough copies of each trainer, you can get by without Item Finder.  It just is more important that you use the trainer at the right time, because like Chandra Levy- it ISN'T coming back.  Yeah, that was really low of me.   I'm attacking a dead woman.

3) Even if Pokémon Tower hurts you, the psychological effect of it's dark background is so scary, it can freak your opponent out- completely, causing him or her to go into shock, and have a foaming seizure on the floor, allowing you to win by default.  Some people have trouble getting the total psyche effect on their opponent, and this is where you may want to repeatedly play Towers over the old one, and eventually they'll break down sobbing, followed, OF COURSE, by the foaming seizure.  If this doesn't work, stand up on the table and take a big crap all over it.  If your opponent doesn't resign after that, then THEY'RE the weird one.

Of course, Pokémon Tower has another important use in today's standard environment, and that is:

METAGAME: RECYCLE ENERGY
       Recycle Energy's best option versus Pokémon Tower is similar to that of a 6 year old boy's best option when surrounded by 3 catholic priests:  BEND OVER, AND TAKE IT LIKE A MAN.   Just kidding.  No need to offend any priests out there. 

       Like you'd think, Recycle Energy goes to the discard, but it simply doesn't come back.  It justs sit there.   Combined with high energy removal, Pokémon Tower is deadly versus Wigglytuff, Chansey, and even Clefable focused decks.  These decks usually play 4 Recycle Energy, and rely on colorless to attack, and because of this, they play low energy, usually around 12.  A 4/4 ER/SER line with Pokémon Tower could literally remove EVERY energy in the deck.   However, Pokémon Tower is unable to stop the Energy Charge options, but it is able to prevent Item Finder for the Energy Charge, which is good, considering numerous heads are needed to get back the recycles, dce's, etc. that you remove.

WHAT TO PLAY IT IN
       Well, high Energy Removal is obviously needed for Pokémon Tower.  The problem?  SER works with the Recycle Energy.  Recycle Energy doesn't work with Tower?  If you play Sneasel, or Steelix, you may be forced to SER away your dark or metal energies.  Not cool.   So, it's obvious that Pokémon Tower, with it's high ER/SER, works best in basic energy decks.  
These decks include:
1) Typhlosion
2) Arithmetic Variants
3) Jumpluff
Typhlosion and Zapdos have the ability to get energy back from the discard to play (not to the hand, and therefore are not prevented by Pokémon Tower like many people think), and Jumpluff manages to attack for one energy, allowing you to be able to afford discarding your energy because it simply will hurt your opponent more.

AGAINST POKEMON TOWER
       Your best bet versus Pokémon Tower is not to lay the two recycles versus their big hand and walk right into the Tower+SER.  You want to default, then use your Item Finders for a card that will be useful later while you can.  Gust of Wind and Super Energy Removal are usually good choices to leave yourself with, when possible, as they're both good in the lategame, and games with Pokémon Tower can be stretched out.  A good example is Arithmetech versus Snechu.  Snechu should win because it eventually gets the EcoGym in play that Arithmetech cannot Tower because it only plays 3 Towers.  Snechu plays 5 gyms.  Eventually Arithmetech runs out- and with the Energy Charges- Snechu is abel to build the Sneasel, and take down the Rocket's Zapdos.  Arithmetech is still left with the Tyrogue option, however.

MODIFIED AND MODIFIED MODIFIED USES
       The card simply isn't worth it in either modified.  Sure, Recycle Energy shows up occasionally, usually not maxed out, but Item Finder isn't around to metagame, Energy Removal isn't around to help, and there are simply better gyms to play because of this.

RATING
       From 1-10, I would rate Pokémon Towe a 7.0 in standard, and definitely consider it one of the best Stadium cards ever made.  As for modified, I'd give it a 4.0.

Have fun guys, and play Pokémon with your friends.. that truly is the best part of Pokémon..  and if you have a lot of junk rares, play some poker with them.  =)

-jason
onettness@aol.com
(note: ness@pojo.com is no longer my e-mail address)

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