Jason Klaczynski on Pokemon - Pokemon Trading Card Game Strategies

3.02.01 Hi every-a-body! For those of you that don't know yet how to abuse metal energy, read below. For those of you that do, read it, and smile and nod. I can't get a poll up for the Card of the Day because it's not working, so I'll surprise you next time with the next CotD.

The Way to Abuse it!

Read Metal Energy closely. It reduces damage taken by the Pokémon it is attached to by 10.. but if it if the Pokémon isn't metal type, it reduces any damage it does to a Pokémon by 10. Guess it kinda sucks for non-metal Pokémon? WRONG.

Think about it. Any Pokémon. Yes, that includes itself. That means..

Rocket's Zapdos: 3 Lightning, 1 Metal. Zapdos now Electroburns for 60 and 10 to itself! 10 for each lightning, which does 70/30. Now remember it's damage is being reduced since it's not metal, so it reduces it to 60/20, and remember damage taken is also reduced by 10, giving this final result. Zapdos needs a PlusPower for the magical number of 70, but for 10 to itself.. sounds worth it to me.

Arcanine: Same thing! One Metal, Take Down. It does 70, still enough to take out the hay basics, and 10 to itself!! With 100 HP that 10 to itself isn't really a problem for an easy KO a turn.

Chansey: Chansey, with 1 metal, can be a 60 to itself, 70 to them, 120 HP explosive egg. Not bad, while the metal protects this 120 HP Pokémon even more.

These are among the best ways to abuse it, on the best cards. While reducing damage to yourself from your attack remember their attacks will also be reduced by 10. A lot of people don't understand how this works, and it is a little confusing, but just read the card over until you understand that damage done and damage done to are both reduced by 10. With metal energy attacked to your Pokémon, make sure you watch out for...

Energy Removal!!

Like I said on the Steelix CotD report, metal energy is limited to 4 in your deck. Rainbow doesn't give the metal benefit. Just like the limited-to-4 double colorless, these things have "Remove me" written all over them. Your opponent can get rid of your damage-abusing combo with Energy Removal and not have their attack reduced by 10 by immediately attacking it after removing.

With Eco Gym you can let your opponent get the normal damage done, and slow you down from building up, but keep your metal.

With No Removal Gym you will lose your metal when your opponent removes it, but you will make it more difficult for them to remove it.

Personally, I would play neither, unless it's a metal-reliant deck or I wasn't playing Energy Removal myself. (Because if you don't play Energy Removal you might as well try to counter it because it is so popular.) For example, I played 2 metal energy in a lightning deck with 3 Zapdos, and I played Energy Removal myself. (Also remember since Zapdos is such a good Super ER combo you wouldn't want to counter removal, but instead play Super with it.)

I think promo Mewtwo with Energy Flow is a nice way of getting metal energy back if you are playing 4 in your deck.

Metal Pokémon VS Self-Damaging Non Metal

Sadly, I think it's Zapdos who works best with metal energy, not the metal Pokémon, though a Steelix with enough metal is like a wall. Since Zapdos powers itself up so fast, and it's downside is doing damage to itself, I think that a single PlusPower for the knockout is worth it.

Pretty much the only thing that could save you from a fully powered Arcanine with a metal is Energy Removal. The thing has a 100 HP, -10 from attacks and is knocking something out every turn. It's not hard to see how it's the non metal Pokémon can abuse metal more.

Other Ideas That I've Done/Seen

I have used metal energy on a Cleffa to give it a -10 barrier, making it need 2 attacks to be knocked out, which is very good, since your opponent is going to need 2 coin flips in their favor.

Metal Energy can protect an Electabuzz from doing 10 to itself from Thunderpunch, and here's an example of how that could counter itself. They have a Blastoise with 30 damage. You have Electabuzz. You Thunderpunch, flipping heads. It doesn't do 70, it does 60. Metal Energy reduces the 10 before weakness and resistance is applied, remember that.

If you need your attack increased by 10, retreat, and discard a metal energy, then send the Pokémon back out. Don't do it if it's not worth wasting the energy for. Sometimes it's best to just look for other options(PlusPower, deal 10 less but keep the metal, etc)

If something on the bench can be Gusted to lose you the game by giving up a knock out, maybe you can try to protect it with some metal.

My Rating

(1- Terrible, useless. 3- Pretty bad. 5- Average. 7- Tournament level. 9- Broken. Just too good. 10- Wrong.)

Metal energy is a good card, it's worth playing with Zapdos and is a must with Arcanine. It's easily abused, and deserves an 7.5 rating in my opinion. I think I gave the last 3 cards I rated a 7.5... coincidence? I think NOT! Well, actually, yes, it is, I guess.

Pointless Comments

When playing in a tournament, you may want to speak to the judge about the self-damaging combo, incase it comes up later. I did, but still had a very unintelligent, illiterate man question the judge for 6 1/2 minutes of our 20 minutes to play, stalling out the remaining time, drawing the game. Now that's low.

Even after the judge explained the ruling to him several times, he asked the judge questions like "Well wouldn't you think Wizards would give the metal benefit to metal Pokémon?" and started talking to his "friends" and asking them the same thing. By 6 minutes he wasn't even asking questions he was just using his turn to try to read metal energy.

Sorry I don't have a poll, again. Seeya next time.

~Jason (Ness) Klaczynski

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