---------- Original Message ----------------------------------
From: "Tammy Pocock" <tamb@primus.com.au>
Date: Sat, 12 Feb 2000 19:15:26 +1000

>Hi. I have a fire and ground deck, Dessert Drought.
>I haven't played many battles yet, except for playing against my brother, (who many times cheated!) I won against him every time though, but only just! I haven't got a stratagy yet, so do you have any tips on a stratagy, or, do you have any tips on how to improve my deck?
>These are the cards in my deck:
>
>2 Colourless energy,
>8 Fire energy,
>13 Ground energy,
>
>1 Geodude, 1 Graveller, 1 Golem,
>2 Machop, 1 Machoke, 1 Machamp,
>2 Charmander, 2 Charmeleon, 1 Charizard,
>2 Magmar,
>2 Ponyta,
>2 Sandshrew, 1 Sandslash,
>2 Diglett, 2 Dugtrio,
>1 Hitmonchan,
>1 Growlithe, 2 Arcanine,
>1 Jigglypuff,
>
>2 Pokemon Breeder,
>1 Switch,
>1 Plus Power,
>1 Potion,
>1 Professor Oak,
>1 Gust of Wind,
>1 Bill,
>1 Energy Retrieval,
>1 Energy Removal.

>
>This is an example of a deck that needs a good course in
"Aaron's School of Higher Learning".  For all of you new to deck building this will be a fix you will want to read.  My main concern with the Pokemon is too many evolutions.  There are SIX evolution lines in this deck...I've seen very few good decks with more than 1 Evolution line.  The reason why is because Evolutions require other cards to work correctly.  Take the Geodude line for example...in order to play Golem you also need to draw Geodude and Graveller.  If you only play with one copy each of these cards it's VERY unlikely you will draw them all consistently.  To remedy this most evolution decks use the 4/3/2 pyramid strategy(4 Geodude/3 Graveller/2 Golem) so they can build their 2nd stage Evolutions more often!

With that being said...the Geodude line SUCKS!  2 Energy for an attack that will do NOTHING 50% of the time is downright bad!  Better Fighting Pokemon include Hitmonchan and Hitmonlee.  For the Fire Pokemon I raised the amount of Fossil Magmars and Growlithe/Arcanines as I like their high Hp and good attacks.

While there is too many bad evolutions in the deck...there isn't enought trainers.  Let me make this clear...

                TRAINERS WIN GAMES!!!

Also most good decks use Multiples of only the best trainers so they draw them more often/consistenly.  Don't use one copy of Bill, use 4!!!  If you are unsure what is a good Trainer and what isn't...look at any deck posted by any Deck Mechanic.  I'm sure you'll see lots of:

Bill, Professor Oak, Computer Search, Item Finder, Plus Power, Energy
Removal, and Gust of Wind just to name a few.  Most decks will have several copies of these cards.

Here's my "Fix"

4 Hitmonchan
2 Hitmonlee
4 Fossil Magmar
3 Growlithe
2 Arcanine

4 Bill
3 Professor Oak
3 Gust of Wind
2 Computer Search
2 Item Finder
4 Energy Removal
3 Scoop Up

3 Energy Retrieval
9 Fighting
12 Fire

Notice how this final version of the deck is very close to the deck building suggestions posted on my garage.  Please note I'm more likely to review a deck where the sender has taken the time to read and try to apply my suggestions to their deck they send me!

Hope this helps...have fun!
Aaron


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