Ness's Card of the Day - Pokemon Trading Card Game Strategies

         As you probably guessed, this review is on the GOOD Feraligatr, not the bad one with Berserk. After seeing how good Clefable did at the last STS, I reviewed it, and since Feraligatr was obviously the best card in this format, I thought I should have a review in it.. first, let's look at it from the Standard point of view.

Feraligatr- The Main Idea
    The main idea of making a Feraligatr with 3 water energy on it successful is having the ability to do constant and enough damage. It does damage depending on the amount of water energy in the discard, but after the attack, shuffles it all back in. Doesn't seem like it can do a lot of damage consistantly, but it can.
    Cards like Misty's Wrath can fill the discard with cards, especially the water Feraligatr needs. But regardless of what it discards- after using it's attack, you lose all your water, but the rest stays. This is when a large discard pile is useful. Trash Exchange allows you to get a whole new random discard pile, and most likely enough water back in there. The Trash Exchange and Misty's Wrath idea are MUSTS in a Feraliagtr deck. This is how Feraligatr can do excessive damage with Riptide every turn.
    And if you have to, just use Downpour and put water in there.

4 Misty's Wrath? Won't you deck yourself!? Now I'm scared!
    Fortunately, Feraligatr is like one of THE best anti-decking things there is. If you can keep your Feraligatr attacking, you will never deck yourself. It's repetitive, and it's hard to stop it, considering it has 120 HP. Fortunately, in standard format (where it really isn't used) you can just Super Energy Removal the stupid thing, but this water can actually be used advantageously considering Feraligatr does 20 more because of that Super. Still, 3 water is expensive.

Totodile and that Chompasaur thing
    Totodile at the STS was famous for getting 3 heads and knocking out Cyndaquils. It happened to me, actually.. and it also KO'd babies first turn, despite the fact that it needed 4/4 heads. But anyway, Fury Swipes isn't THAT bad of an attack. I'm not even going to mention anything about the 40 HP Totodile just because it simply has NO advantage over the 50 HP one and is a waste of a card.
    As for the Croconaw, I'd play the 80 HP one, since 80 HP is safer, and it's attack can get 3 cards off your deck to help Feraligatr's Riptide attack. The 70 HP one isn't that good, you can Jaw Clamp something that can't attack to stall.. or you don't, and just play the other one.

So WHY was it successful at the STS?
    At the STS, Feraligatr's backup trainers, Misty's Wrath AND Trash Exchange were both legal. (How convenient- sorry had to say it once, if you saw me at the STS you'd know it's my favorite thing to say) And there was a lot of fire being used, so Feraligatr went through those things. A Cinnibar City Gym never gave Blaine's Arcanine a chance. Yeah, hang in there Arcanine..

    And at the STS, no one had to worry about being Super Energy Removaled. And no one had to worry about a turn 2 Sneasel gusting your Chompasaur (as I like to call it) out 2nd turn and using Beat Up and getting an unnecessary 6 heads and KOing it and making you cry and scream "WHY Sneasel why!?"

Let's Rate this puppy
    Feraligatr in the STS, is something I would give a 9.5/10. Slowking is what stopped this card, although Slowking wasn't that popular, although those little rigged dice that wouldn't roll helped it. Slowking stopped it because of it's ability to stop excessive amounts of water from getting in the discard.
    As for standard, I would rate Feraligatr a 6.5/10. This card is actually a little underrated. It is almost useable in tournaments.

-jaaaaason

And to all you people at the STS who wanted to get on pojo...
    Hello to Dylan, who made top 8 with the Feraligatr deck he didn't wanna play.. hello to Alex, who got killed when he played Dylan, hello to Martin, who likes the coolest song in the world also (South Side with Moby and Gwen), and his cool Uncle, hello to Jeremy who also made top 8, but lost the first game, hello to Phil and his friend (though seemingly slave) Steve, who proved Slowking is still a threat in this format, hello to Rudy, who gave us all a love for Nidoran, hello to Matt, who had the best idea for a Feraligatr deck by playing metal energy, hello to Crispy, who helped prove how good Illinois is by making semi-finals, hello to Tom, who gave me a good but extremely long and boring game for the finals, and hello to everyone else I am forgetting..

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