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Prop 15

Hi, It’s Jason Klaczynski again. I have been playtesting Prop15, and I wrote a little article, if you want to post it you can.

It seems more people are supporting Prop15, and I realized a few things when I’ve been testing it.  Although many people say it makes the game more boring, it doesn’t. You have to think just as much, if not more, with 15- trainers in your deck. I have made a Sponge deck with 15 trainers and Clefable, and an Arcanine deck beat it. This means evolution decks are just as powerful now, and can do good in tournament play.  Prop 15 does a lot of good things, over bad things it does.

Here’s the good:

·        I think there will be way more archetypes being used in tournament play.

(Yes, unfortunately there will be popular decks still, ones that are played way more than others, but all card games are like that.)

·        It seems first turn losses happen less as you normally draw more basic since you play more, and not many people waste Trainer space by filling up on PlusPowers.

·        It is fun to play with a lot of new decks, atleast I think so. Pokémon IS suppose to be fun, although the only part of Pokémon that would be changed like this is DCI tournaments, which many people take more seriously.

The bad:

·        Now, a worry I have is that a few archetypes will get overpopular in this format, and we will end up with the same thing we had before, but with limits on decks. I’m not sure what could end up overpowerful now.. maybe a Rain Dance, Energy Trans with Dark Weezing or.. anything!

·        With less trainers, the gameplay does get slower, and 20 minute time limits on games can be short. More games will end on prizes that could have ended differently if played out.

I used to be against Prop 15, but now I am kinda for it. At a tournament yesterday my Trapper did great, and then I lost the coin flip to my friend Alex who jabbed my Jigglypuff with two PlusPowers for the tournament win in the finals. I realized there if I had won the coin flip I would have won.  Coin flip are a big part of Pokémon, but a game shouldn’t be decided by it.

I believe Prop 15 as a good option, and I also believe in banning cards, although anyone who knows Magic: The Gathering knows banning can get messy.

Some trainer cards that aren’t really worth using in a deck are Energy Retrieval and Energy Search. Bill loses a lot of power.

Anyway, here are some Prop15 decks I have been playtesting.

4x Growlithe
3x Arcanine
3x Slowpoke (F)
3x Slowbro
3x Magmar (F)
3x Electabuzz
2x Scyther

10x Fire Energy
10x Lightning Energy
4x Double Colorless Energy

4x Professor Oak
3x Pokémon Trader
3x Pokémon Center
2x Misty’s Wrath
2x Gust of Wind
1x Computer Search

Use Gusts of Wind to take out weaklings AND.. believe it or not, Aerodactyl.  I think many people might try Aerodactyl in Prop15. Arcanine damages itself with Take Down, so drag it’s damage to Slowbro(s) and Pokémon Center. The 3 Traders help you get the evolutions out as quickly as possible. Misty’s Wrath is in there because there are no Bills, or Item Finders, so card drawing isn’t excessive, and you should be able to get away with playing one a game, as well as an Oak or 2 without decking yourself. (2 Oaks and a Wrath is pushing it though, there are no Nightly Garbage Runs!) You can still see the Haymaker traits in Pokemon, but with a bonus of two Stage 1 Pokémon.

Here’s another.

4x Bulbasaur
3x Ivysaur
2x Venusaur
4x Koffing (B)
2x Dark Weezing
2x Mewtwo (MP)
2x Scyther
4x Kangaskhan

14x Grass
4x Rainbow
2x Psychic
2x Double Colorless Energy

4x Professor Oak
2x Misty’s Wrath
3x Pokémon Center
3x Pokémon Trader
2x Gust of Wind
1x Computer Search

These decks have a similarity: Pokémon Center. In this deck you can get out Dark Weezing and as many Koffings as possible and use Mass Explosion. Heal your Koffings and Dark Weezings with Pokémon Center, and move the grass energy off to an undamaged Pokémon so you lose no energy.

Many rumors about the east STS being Prop 15 are going around, and I myself believe it might be Prop 15, so be prepared. Playtest Prop 15, it’s not a bad idea.

 

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