I've found a reason why every wiggly deck out there should use challenge
(it seems to be some sort of a flaw in the game).  I'll get to the details a
bit later, but first of all, the text of the trainer Challenge!

"Ask your opponent if he or she accepts your challenge.  If your opponent
declines (or if both Benches are full), draw 2 cards.  If your opponent
accepts, each of you searches your decks for any number of Basic Pokemon
cards and puts them face down onto your benches.  (A player can't do this if
his or her Bench is full.)  When you both have finished, shuffle your decks
and turn those cards face up."

   At first sight it looks great for wiggly decks.  However, it can be _much_
better than it appears to be.  If you're running a turbo tuff deck you should
have a powered wiggly by turn 2 with a full bench if everything goes as
planned.  After you get the wiggly powered and active, don't fill your bench.
 Only play 4 benched pokes, to lure your opponent into accepting the
challenge.  They'll see you have an almost full bench, and they are gonna get
beat up by your powered wiggly, so they do the sensible thing and fill their
bench with hitmonchans or whatever they can to stay alive longer. 

   At worst, they decline, and you get a free bill.  "Why would I wanna give
my opponent this huge advantage?" you ask.  You can immediately take over the
game.  Use Challenge!, and if they accept, do EXACTLY what the card says. 
"Search your deck for any number of Basic pokemon cards and put them down
onto your benches."  Pull out a good 8 or 9 pokes and stick em on your bench!
 

   The rules say 5 pokemon max on your bench.  The card says put as many as
you want.  Obviously, there's a contradiction.  When there's a contradiction,
the card text takes precedence.  (ex.  You're playing snorlax and your
opponent uses lullaby to put it to sleep.  You don't let it get put to sleep
because Snorlax's power says it can't be put to sleep, even though the rules
for the attack clearly show that Snorlax should be asleep.  The card text has
taken precedence over the rulebook.)  So, you fill your bench with basics. 
Play a lass and take out your opponent's SER's, GOW's, and anything else they
can do to hurt wiggly.  CPU search for a wiggly or DCE or something if you
have it in hand (discarding the trainers that would be lassed) so you can get
a second wiggly built up just in case.  With wiggly up front doin 120
damage/turn, you won't have to worry about losing your pluspowers!  and if
your opponent DOES happen to pull something spectacular and draw a super
energy removal or something, you hopefully are prepared with energy in your
hand or a built up wiggly on the bench. 

   Clearly Challenge! is not intended to be played this way.  But rules are
rules, and you can't break them whether they were intended to be played that
way or not.  For example, everyone knows the non-foil vileplume should have
weakness to fire, but it doesn't.  Mistakes in creating the cards happen, as
it did with team rocket.  If anyone plays magic you may remember the Chaos
Orb incident.  I find this is a similar issue - the card text is actually a
little mis-worded.  The card wasn't intended to be played this way.  However,
by doing this little "trick" you follow all the rules and  still come out a
winner.

I know you guys have to have some sort of comments on this.  Please email me
with questions, concerns, comments, etc...

Chad Mills
azkeeper@aol.com