Regarding Emporer Unknown's article on Venomoth dated August 3rd:


Venomoth is one of the most underrated cards in the game.  In fact, with its
70 HP, resistance to fighting, and free retreat costs, Venomoth is
essentially an less potent, more strategic version of Scyther, everyone's
(well, almost everyone's) favorite pokemon.  Once you've flipped heads, the
defending pokemon usually faints, unable to attack without hurting itself,
and unable to afford the loss of energy on an unsuccessful retreat (love that
confusion!).

However, the key is Venomoth's pokemon power, which allows Venomoth to switch
its element type to that of any other element type (except colorless) in play.
 

This means if you want to double Venomoth's damage to twenty against, say, an
electric pokemon, there has to be a fighting-energy pokemon somewhere in play
before Venomoth can switch to fighting.

Keep in mind that Venomoth can switch its element type only once per turn,
can't use the power if it is Asleep/Confused/Paralyzed, and Venomoth's energy
type is always grass.

The most effective method for using Venomoth is in a rainbow deck.  This way,
you' maximize the opportunity to shift Venomoth, which, combined with your
other elemental  pokemon, gives you two pokemon to take advantage of your
opponents weakness.  Foe example, if your opponent has a rain-dance water
deck, bringing out an electric pokemon (say, Jolteon?) and Venomoth now give
you two pokemon which can inflict double damage on water types.  Plus,
Blaistoise can't raindance if he is confused.



Lunar Reflection


Pokemon (22)

3 Venonats
3 Venomoths
4 Eevees
2 Flareons
2 Jolteons
2 Vaporeons
2 Rhyhorns
2 Gastly (Fossil)
2 Haunters (F)

Trainers (14)

2 Gamblers
2 Bill
4 Pokemon Trader
2 NRG Retrieval
2 NRG Search
2 TR's Nightly Garbage Run

Energy (24)

3 DCE
5 Grass NRG
2 Fighting NRG's
3 Psychic NRG
4 Fire NRG
4 Water NRG
3 Eletric NRG

Eevee is the most obvious pokemon to use in a rainbow deck; the fact that his
evolutions are all solid is a huge bonus.  Gastly is the best opener in the
game among evolutionary pokemon, and Haunter is the best staller--crucial to
this deck design.  Plus, the ghosts rip thru psychic and fighting pokemon
alike--two of the most popular elements.  Rhyhorn needs only one fighting
energy to attack, can stall with leer on any one energy, is devasting to most
colorless pokemon (ie, Wigglytuff), and can knock out Electrabuzz without
even attacking.

Most of the pokemon assembled can use colorless NRG except Venomoth, which is
why the emphasis on grass.  NRG seach and retrival get the right type when
you do  need it (Rhyhorn, Gastly), and Pokemon Trader turns any pokemon into
the one you need right now. Gambler works better here that Oak, since it
ensures that NRG or evolutions you need later will be available in your deck.
 Plus once Venomoth has shifted, its 20 damage, plus 10 for poison after each
turn, and 20 more if the defending pokemon flips tails while attacking (or
lost energy on tails while retrerating, and usually not enough NRG left to
attack). This deck is heavy on pokemon and light on trainers, but it's a slow
deck, designed to win 6-5, not 1-0.  I've had very good results with this
deck; if your looking for something different than the usual archetypes,
here's one to ponder....

C Keefe

CKeefe73@aol.com