Jason Klaczynski on Pokemon - Pokemon Trading Card Game Strategies

So many people underrate the ability of metal Pokémon to use metal energy. Imagine, you got 2 metal on this thing. It's got 110 HP. Wigglytuff is fully loading and Doing the Wave for 40. That normal one-hit KO can be Gold Berried away. Even a single metal. Buzz Thunderpunches it for 20/30 while Steelix needs most likely 2 hits to knock it out. This thing is difficult to knock out when you get metal on it. The best way to damage it is to Energy Removal it and get as most damage done when it doesn't have it's metal on it to protect it.

Eco Gym is it's Best Defense Against ER

We all know how you can only have 4 Metal in a deck, and though Rainbow can provide metal, everytime you attach it it deals 10 to Steelix, it doesn't give the +10 and Steelix might get mad and bite ya or somethin. Energy Charge is not a solution to getting it's energy back, but Energy Flow and Promo Mewtwo is an idea. No Removal Gym is inferior to EcoGym. I definitely would prefer Eco to back-up it's energy. Remember the Eco won't save your double colorless, though.

Tail Crush- 80 damage avg/ 2 turns

Most of the Pokémon we encounter in tournament environments have 70/80 HP. Steelix should get an average of 1 heads out of 2 Tail Crushes, dealing 80 in 2 turns, which should be enough to knock those Pokémon out. Getting tails, then heads, if a nice, slick maneuver around a Gold Berry. When it's Steelix VS Steelix, it's pretty much about who can flip more heads.

Bottom Stats!

That weakness to fire isn't that bad, since the most popular fire Pokémon, Fossil Magmar, can have it's attack's base damage stopped by a metal or two to stop Smog. But remember metal won't stop poison damage. Another reason you need your... Switch! A 4 Retreat is nasty. Lategame if your deck is low this thing will be a Gust/ER target. Be careful. Also, notice how Onix's weakness becomes resistance when it evolves. Take that Scyther and Meganium!

Sir Onix

Onix really isn't an attacker, and if you played a Steelix deck you wouldn't even need fighting since it has weak attacks, but the 90 HP isn't bad, making it something that can take a few hits and be scooped, and it won't give up a fast knock out, and most importantly, they cannot Gust it and take it out to get rid of your Steelix threat. (Well, not easily.)

My Rating

(1- Terrible, useless. 3- Pretty bad. 5- Average. 7- Tournament level. 9- Broken. Just too good. 10- Wrong.) Steelix is definitely an underrated card because of it's metal energy abusing power. It can 2 turn most basics, but coin flips can go wrong too. One of our quote givers, Bob, won a tournament with a Steelix deck. 7.5.

The STS is coming back, but I'm not going because I'm 15. Wizards makes me sick. We have to battle their terrible decisions to enjoy Pokémon. So why should I bother rating it in 15/3? Actually, since 15/3 is done, I might as well stop rating cards in it period. But if I did have to rate it for 15/3 it'd probably be around 8.0 because their is less removal.

Pointless Comments

Swoll's got another roll call for us!

My name is Wizards! YEAH!

No fifteen plus! Yeah!!

That is so sick! Yeah!!

Don't make me cuss! - Swoll

Metal Energy is the next CotD. It has some interesting strategies and ways to abuse it. Polls will be on the next CotD.

~Jason (Ness) Klaczynski

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