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

3.29.01 I'm finally back with with 2 CotDs in 2 days. Haven't done that for a while. Anyway, a lot of people overlook what this card can do, I'll show ya. Also, sorry about the messed up link yesterday, the strategy article is here.

I got a special dark background for Murkrow.. yes, it's a dark Pokémon, that's not a coincidence.

Anyway, I got the poll for the next CotD finally working again, it's on the bottom of the page. Have fun.

Mean Look/Feint Attack Combo- This Thing is Evil!

The card's unique ability is this attack. The best strategy with Mean Look is to Mean Look something that cannot attack Murkrow back. Then, remove their options of getting rid of the helpless Pokémon from the active spot. (Switch, Gust, Scoop Up etc.)

That's why you see Murkrow being used in Dark Vileplume/Slowking decks. If you have a Dark Vileplume out, and Mean Look a Cleffa, they're only option is KO their Cleffa with darkness/rainbow, or unlikely, evolve to Clefairy to end the effect. With Cleffa stuck out, all they can do is draw cards, while you need the coin flip every turn to attack their bench. It's pretty much a matter of decking yourself or not in this situation, as you try to wipe out their bench, then finish off the Cleffa (you'll need 1 +Darkness or a PlusPower, though.)

Unfortunately, Feint Attack to a benched Pokémon only does 20 damage reguardless of darkness energy, which only adds 10 to active-damaging attacks.

But Mean Look can also shut down a lot of other Pokémon, so you can just Feint Attack through the bench. For example:
Chansey- Your opponent's best option is to double-edge. If it cannot, you can you continue to Feint Attack your opponent's bench, knocking out Pokémon after Pokémon until they do. Especially great with Slowkings out, because you can use your trainers- especially Energy Removal, trying to prevent the Double-Edge, thus allowing more turns for you to Feint Attack the bench.

Mewtwo- Oh I love this, especially if you can get a Gold Berry on the Murkrow, which I've done. They have to absorb, you feint attack something, then it's only 10 a turn, because of Murkrow's resistance. By the time they get 40 on you, you've done some major damage, and if you have a Gold Berry on it, they're gonna be crying. Most likely they will absorb darkness energy if they play them to try to sacrifice their own Mewtwo before you can Feint Attack through their whole bench.

Slowpoke/Slowking- A lot of Slowking decks don't play psychic energy, so they won't be able to attack. Most likely they will use darkness to KO the Pokémon (which is popular in Slowking decks) or evolve to Slowking to end the effect. Slowking is only able to be darknessed til it's knocked out.

Gastly (either)- I don't think you'll run into a base one, but fossil's is only going to try to slow you down by paralyzing.. that's IF they play the psychic/rainbow in their deck.

Smeargle- A combo with a murkrow, and also a victim to it.

There's a lot of other cards Murkrow can Mean Look with a Dark Plume in play, or a couple Slowkings (making Scoop Up/Switch/Gust playable, just unlikely), but these are the most popular ones. Remember they can always knock out their own Pokémon with darkness, (and you can even remove it to prevent them from doing that), but if they're doing that early in the game, I think you have a decent advantage.

What's interesting is that last Saturday at a tournament, despite the high amount of Dark Vileplume decks, I played a Slowking deck, and still won. The problem that many people immediately recognize is that Slowking is useless if they have Dark Plume out. However, most Dark Plume decks don't play Switch/Scoop, so I Mean Looked a Mewtwo, and went through his bench. Murkrow can go in any darkness deck to counter Dark Vileplume, and also works nice with Chaos in play too.

Mean Look costs a single darkness, meaning your opponent would have to know your hand to know that it couldn't come into play and Mean Look any turn. This is very useful, since you can surprise your opponent with a perfectly timed Mean Look to win the game. Believe me- a nicely timed Mean Look WILL win the game if you know what you're doing.

Smeargle Adds to the Victim List

The new promo Smeargle has an interesting combo with Murkrow, and of course, Murkrow's assistant: Slowking(s), Dark Vileplume. While it is a coin flip, if you can get the heads, and turn something like Electabuzz, Scyther, Jigglypuff, Squirtle, or pretty much anything that can only to 30 damage, into psychic, Murkrow is now resistant to it. (although Buzz can do 10 on a flip, but that shouldn't be a threat, or Scyther could Swords Dance, then Slash if they played the grass/rainbow.) Then it can be Mean Looked, allowing you to pick off their benched Pokémon 1 by 1 without Murkrow having any trouble.Thhave a chance to attack. So Status effects are inferior to just plain ol' large, cheap damage and one hit knock out attacks, but they definitely are nice against the high retreaters.

Weakness/Resistance

No weakness always helps, and the psychic resistance helps even more, by making psychic Pokémon a target for Mean Look.

Retreat & HP

No retreat is always useful, especially since it's an Energy Removal target (if your opponent can play trainers, that is). The 50 HP isn't that great, but if you're using this card right, the HP doesn't much much. It is a first turn knockout target, though.

My Rating

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

I consider Murkrow to be one of the most overlooked, or underrated cards in the game right now. So many Pokémon fall right into Mean Look and end up helpless as the bench is wiped out. 8.5. Just play this card yourself, and you'll realize how strong it is.

- CotD Poll -

What should I do next for CotD?

	Dark Vileplume
	Dark Gloom
	Magby
	Snorlax

Results

~Jason (Ness) Klaczynski

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