Hey there Pokemaniacs. It's for once a usual day at the office. Not
completely boring. There was the marching band that came through here at 10
AM and then the lawn bowling tourney at 1:30 (I placed 3rd)...but other than
that it's been a textbook day.

     My secretary has taken the rest of the day off to go get her nails
done. She's abandoned the concept of opening mail with a letter opener. It's
her belief that using her pinky pretty much scares the dickens out of anyone
who sees it. She's right of course.
     Of course her absence doesn't give me a whole lot to discuss, so I
guess we can go right into the inner office to fix your deck.

     Hey I know!! Why don't you let Hypno give it a good once over? He's
been very patient and I DID promise he could help out more in return for
rearranging the furniture and dusting the bookshelves. How's about it?

     Hypno!! C'mere!

    HYPNO! Hyp, Hyp!!

     Wanna give me hand today guy? It's as good time as any.

    HYPNO!!!!

     All right...that's a yes. He's ready. So am I. Let's do it!


>From: Robby Hinton
>
>Hello, I was just wondering if you could help me with
>my Haymaker.  It's 12-1 right now so it's not doing
>too bad, I just wanted you to make it even better.
>Here's my deck:
>
>My Haymaker
>
>(4) Hitmonchan
>(3) Scyther
>(3) Grimer
>(2) Muk
>(3) Fossil Magmar
>(1) Jigglypuff
>(1) Wigglytuff
>(1) Hitmonlee
>
>(2) Gust of Wind
>(2) Energy Retrieval
>(3) Energy Search
>(1) Plus Power
>(4) Energy Removal
>(2) Super Energy Removal
>(4) Bill
>
>(4) Double Colorless Energy
>(7) Fire Energy
>(9) Fighting Energy
>(4) Leaf Energy
>
>My strategy is to hit hard with Scyther and Hitmonchan
>early in the game, then throw out Wigglytuff later in
>the game to pile on more damage faster.  The Muk are
>to stop Curse, Damage Swap, Raindance, and many other
>decks that revolve around the Pokemon powers.  The 4
>Bills speed up the deck significantly and the Energy
>Removals are great early in the game.  The only
>problem I can see with this deck so far is the energy
>ratio.  I often end up with not enough later in the
>game.  Thanks for your time!!
>
>
       Hyp?? Hyp..hypno no hypno hyyyyp.

    Yeah I see it too Hypno. This deck is walking a fine line between being
a Haymaker and a Potpourri variant.

       No.hyp..hyp-hypno. Hypno..hy...no-hyp, hypno.

   Yes that's true Hypno. The only thing that truly defines a deck as being
Haymaker is the typical inclusion of several key cards like Hitmonchan and
Scyther. Potpourri is really just a variation on Haymaker philosophies using
a more versatile mix to have a stronger meta-game. Traditional Hays can
often be beat with Psychic and Fire types. Potpourri just circumvents this
flaw more successfully, yet it is viewed as a distinct type of it's own.

      So what we have here is Hay-pourri. Not that this can't or won't work.
If revised I'm sure it will. So Hypno, what do you think we should do
first??
      Hypno...no no hyp hy hypno hypno.

    Good idea. Let's pull the lone Hitmonlee. It seems to be just sitting
there with no real intent. Plus this deck is already weak enough to Psychic.

      Hypno..hyp no hyp no.

    Yeah, I thought so as well. We can probably remove a Hitmonchan without
disrupting much. 3 is still plenty to work with.

      Hypno...hypno...he..he...hypno!!

    Now quit reading his mind Hypno. Polka dotted dress or no dress...what
he does on his weekends is his own business! See anything else to do with
this deck?

       Hypno?? Hyp Hypno?

    Yes. True. I'm wondering about the Wigglytuff family too. While some
like to keep them in their decks, I'd honestly remvoe them in this case.
Wigglytuff is really good, but you can only have so much going at once. Take
them out, we can find some good Trainers to go into their place.

    The Scythers and Grimer/Muk families are good solid additions. Anyone
would be hard pressed to find a downside to Scyther and Muk effectively
shuts down anything that could be a large threat to this deck, like
Raindance or Curse.
    The Magmars are a nice meta-game addition to your deck too.

     Hyp-Hyp-No Hypno!

   That's right. Hypno says he's always seeing people playing with Scyther.
Magmar is a great way to knock Scythers out with minimal effort and an even
better way to throw a kink into an opponent's early game strategy.

   You have 14 strong Pokemon; this is plenty for most decks. If later on
Hypno and I find a need to add more, we can always come back.

    So...Hypno. Tell me. Is Robby even mentally qualified to be a Pokemon
Trainer?

     Hmmmm...Hypno...(Gazes into eyes) Hyp...!! Hypno hypno hyp-hyp hyp no!
Hypno!!

    Wow. He says you once single handedly saved a Magikarp from certain
destruction at the hands of a hungry Kangaskhan. I guess the only logical
follow up would be WHY??

     Oh...YOU were hungry. Well, lol yeah that makes sense.

    OK, let's see them Trainers Robby.

  Hyyyyyyyyyyyyppp.....

     What is it Hypno? Oh yeah, that is a problem. Hypno has noticed a
complete lack of power card drawing power. This can be fixed by adding 2
Professor Oaks. He's a handy guy to have at your disposal. If you don't want
to trash your hand, (Although there's no drawback to trashing trash) you
could also add a Gambler in addition. Gambler puts your cards back into the
deck for future use. Of course, you'll only get back 1 card sometimes, but
this is the price of gambling. :)

    The Energy Removals are pretty good, and most definitely have a spot in
this deck. The 2 SER's is also a good measure of strategy without hurting
yourself too much. Good good.

    Hypno...?? Hypno?

   I know. Why just one PlusPower? That's like having just one Scyther or
just one Alakazam in a deck. You're either running numerous PlusPowers or
you're wasting space. You've got 3 colors here, so maybe PlusPowers aren't
your best bet. You can deal good damage without having to totally annhilate
the enemy like roadkill. (Not that that isn't fun) Remove that lonely
PlusPower.

   I'd keep most of your other Trainers the same. They show a good grasp of
how your deck should run. I only have a couple more suggestions to help
round out your deck.

    Increase your number of Gusts of Wind up by one. With 3 different colors
in your deck, odds are something will cause you a problem. Be prepared I
say.

    Put in one Computer Search, you know just in case you really need that
Muk and don't have it in your hand. Or maybe your enemy loaded up his
Dragonair with 2 Double Colorless and you're staring down the barrel of an
angry Hyper Beam. An extra Energy Removal would really help. The
possibilites of Computer Search are endless.

    Hypno!! Hyyypno..hyp-hypno no no hyp.

  Good idea Hypno!! Hypno suggest putting in either some Scoop Ups or some
Mr Fuji's. Scoop Up can rescue your Active Pokemon, but you lose the
attached Energy. Fuji can save your bench and your energies too, but your
Active is helpless. The best choice for this deck is a combination of the 2
in diffeing amounts, depending upon how you feel best represents the
problems you see.

  I see we've got some room for a few extra cards at the end here. So
looking over this deck I see that it's biggest weakness is...Psychic. We can
counter this by adding some good Psy resistant critters. In a deck like
this, I think a Lickitung or 2 could actually help you out. His attacks are
low cost and he's a battleship for HP with 90. Resistance to Psychic is a
bonus as are his ability to paralyze with a good flip of a coin. The only
drawback in his 3 retreat cost. Still he can save your butt if a Mewtwo
comes flying out, which is very likely to happen nowadays.

  And since there are a few guys in here with moderate retreat costs, I'd
put in 2 Switches. They save your Energy better than anything else. I've
received some grief from those who say Switch is unnecessary or that it
sucks, but I assure you that through extensive testing Switch is a darned
fine card. You'll appreciate it more than you'll curse it, believe me.


    Hypno!! Hypno??

     You bet Hypno. Let's see how this deck has come along to look now. By
the way Robby, Hypno knows you've got a roll of Butter Rum Life Savers in
your pocket. I think he's kind of looking for a treat. You may want to
indulge his sweet tooth, or he may reveal more hidden secrets about you and
your toenail collection. (oops, I shouldn't have revealed that.) Give him a
Life Saver quick!

           Pokemon-
       3 Hitmonchans
       3 Scythers
       3 Magmars (Fossil)
       3 Grimers
       2 Muks
       2 Lickitungs

           Trainers-
       4 Bills
       2 Professor Oaks
       3 Gusts of Wind
       4 Energy Removals
       2 Super Energy Removals
       1 Computer Search
       3 Scoop Ups/Mr Fuji's
       2 Switches

          Energy-
       4 Double Colorless Energy
       7 Fighting Energy
       6 Grass Energy
       6 Fire Energy


     Here it is. This deck is now tighter, more streamlined, focused etc.
The obvious risk of running 3 different colors is that you'll be stuck
without the Energy you need. Thankfully most of these Pokemon require very
few than one of their specific Energies to get by. Muk and Hitmonchan will
need more than one any type. With Muk, this isn't a big worry since I doubt
he'll be fighting much. With the Chan it could be a bigger dilemma. Play it
carefully and don't toss your Energy to Computer Search if you don't need
to.

     You're cured. I'll take the payment today since my secretary is still
out.

     Hypno!!

     Oh yes. Hypno will take that Life Saver too now.

   Well I've gotta hurry along. It's gonna be a pretty typical afternoon
until 4:00 when the entire Northeast Regional Shriner's Club comes by on
their little bikes to help me fix their Damage Swap deck.

    Hypno!! Hypno...hyp...hyp-no. he he.

  You didn't...did you Hypno??? You shouldn't do that. You'll get arrested
for credit card fraud you know.

    no..no Hypno no.

  Yeah that's true. You'll just be given to a Pokemon orphanage. I'm the one
who'll get sent up the river.

    Hypno! :)

  Shut up and eat your Life Saver Hypno. And dust the shelves.


                     Good Luck!!
                  Dr. Crash Landon


______________________________________________________
Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com