Responding to a bash of my article on Blaine's Arcanine "Re: Blaine's
Arcanine 11/13 - Matt Frazier"(to be found at this address:
http://www.pojo.com/TCGStrategies/November2000/25i.htm )




> A: Is Bigger better? I think not

Yeah, that's why Chansey, Wigglytuff, and Rocket's Zapdos all suck too.
They're all big, so they must not be better than Magikarps and Porygons.

>    On the contrary to the recent review of Blaine's Arcanine, I believe
> this
> card lacks the power to be a force in the current tournament environment
> (IT'S IN A THEME DECK FOR CRYING OUT LOUD!).

If played properly, Misty's Tentacruel can work effectivly in most
enviornments. Maybe tournament worthy, maybe not, but I for one play the
game for the sake of the game, not to win every single tourney. It's all
in how you play. Oh And as we all know, being in "Blackout" totally
RUINED Hitmonchan. Being in a theme deck killed it where it stood. Sad,
really. Never got played again because of that.

>To show examples of this, I
> will
> try to realisticly show the outcome of Battles with current Archetypes:

I notice they are conviently optomized AGAINST the deck including the
Blaine's Arcanine. Gee, I wonder why.
 
> 1: Haymaker,Potpourri,Sponge
>
>    V.S. Haymaker, B's Arcanine's energy requirement would be it's
> downfall;
> with volleys of Energy Removal and SER, it wouldn't be able power up.

Funny, just today at Pokemon League I put the smack down on somebody
with my Blaine's Arcanine deck, using Blaine's Arcanine, even though he
used many ERs and SERs. Life's funny like that. And another thing I've
noticed in my travels, (get ready for a huge shock) not everybody plays
ER and SER. Dang, I guess they'll wish they had.

> Also,
> if it used Heat Tackle, that 10 damage to self would quickly stack up,
> and
> it would be knocked out easily afterword.

Ever notice how 40 damage adds up a LOT quicker than 10? Me, I never
noticed that.

>Even if you used Blaine, RSA
> would
> just get rid of it, as would Lass. 2 Psyburns and plus power kills it on
> turn 3 with Sponge!

You're right, because as everyone knows, The Archetype always Lasses and
RSAs away your trainers, causing you to lose without fail. Unless, that
is, you Lass and/or RSA them first. Who would have thought of that?
Certainly not people who bash Blaine's Arcanine decks without playing
them.

> 2: Trapper
>
>    An B's Arcanine deck would stand little chance against a Trapper
> going
> off on turn 1 or 2; without a hand, there is no B's Arcanine! SER's and
> RSA
> would keep the Big Dog at bay while Chans and Buzzes made short work of
> it.

Yeah...Gotta love that coin flip for TRT. Oops, you got tails. Just Item
finder for it. Heads. 3 cards down, 4 more to go. They oak, RSA, get a
trainer, trap, miss, oak, trap, heads, there goes my hand. Oh wait...
Shoot, man, where'd all your deck go? Oh well, I guess I'll Stall you
out with my Magmars and Scythers and Dratinis.

> 3: Wigglymaker
>
>    A turn 2 Wiggly can be devasting, especially against an Evolution
> with
> high energy cost. A Wiggly can also take out an Arcanine with 3 Plus
> Power,
> which is possible with Itemfinder and some clever Oaks. Thundser
> Punching
> doubled with Heat Tackle's 10 to self could wipe B's Aracanine out in a
> few
> turns. Though it has that big 120 attack, B's Arcanine is simply too
> slow to
> defend against Wiggly's power and speed.

Funny, I notice that some people tend to play more than one Blaine's
Growlithe and Blaine's Arcanine in their decks... I wonder if that
Wiggly Player will be sorry he flushed 3 plus powers to kill the 1
Arcanine when the others are hammering him. And gee, where'd those
Scythers and Magmars come from? Evolution decks shouldn't have support
BBPs! Oh well.
 
> 4: Plasma
>
>    Not many people consider Plasma an Archetype, but it has the
> potential,
> and the power. R's Zapdos' Plasma coupled with SERs and Super Potions is
> a
> deadly combo that almost nothing can overcome, making useless Heat
> Tackle,
> and disabling Firestorm. GOW is also a threat, as the retreat is a way
> too
> high for a Stage 1. Rocket's Training Gym eats this Dawg alive.

Yeah, I sure do retreat him a lot. For no reason at all. Oh wait, that's
stupid. That's what Scoop up and Nightly Garbage Run are for. And I'm
positive that GOW doesn't threaten any other card in the game, just
Blaine's Arcanine. And just think how stupid Zapdos will look when all
it's SERs are used up on the single fire energies on that Magmar keeping
it from doing Plasma 50% of the time with Smokescreen. Last SER? Darn,
guess I'll start really attacking instead of stalling. Although you
could NOT SER the Magmar, but then it would just blast you good with
Smog. I guess some things CAN stop the Plasma "Archetype", huh?


> 5: Raindance
>
>    Though most consider Raindance dead, it's absence from the
> environment
> could be a good thing, if a rogue one showed up, players wouldn't be
> prepared. The though of B's Arcanine V.S. Raindance is a laughable
> situatrion; because raindance is not often used in highly competitive
> Tournament play, Cinnabar Gym would not ofetn be player; even if it was,
> most Neo Raindances I've heard use LOTS of No Removal Gym, nullifying
> the
> threat.

Yeah, as we all know, Raindances REALLY fear getting their energy
removed...except they don't...they just Raindance more. Seems pretty
stupid to play No Removal Gym in a deck where Energy Attachment usually
isn't a factor. And if I were playing a tournament, I might put in
Cinnibar Gym. But wait! I have Pokemon that aren't weak to water that
could fight for me... Wow, just crazy enough to work.

> 6: STS?
>
>    With Prop 15 3C  in effect, most decks will be full of high HP
> basics,
> and SERs, while being an evolution with the limit being 3 for cards,
> Blaine's Arcanine will a waste of space; who cares about 120 damage,
> when
> all you need is 80 to kill most popular Pokemon?

Yeah, everybody played SER up at the STS, using up valuable trainer
spaces on it that could have been used for draw or disruption trainers.
Except they didn't. I barely saw SER at the STS. Although I will grant
lots of people had the standard Big Bad Basics. And it probably wouldn't
have been viable, but like I see it, P15-3C hurt Original Decks more
than it hurt Archetypes.
 
> 7: Good or Bad? Ratingh 1-10
>
>    I now conclude that, despite it's few good points, Blaines Arcanine
> is
> not fit for Tournament play as of now, and perhaps never will be, until
> new
> sets and bannings are issued. 

I could bash pretty much any archetype card ever concived using the
method you used to bash B's Arcanine, but I don't, because that would be
stupid. You ignored multiple good points and exagerated bad points.

>I give it a 3, not completly worthless,
> but
> bad none the less. A sad attempt of  milking the Charizard phenomenon of
> cool cards with big numbers (OOOh!120!Shiny!).
> Who let the dogs out? Wizards, but I wish they hadn't.
>
> Blaine's Arcanine: 3/10

I apologize if this was a bit heavy on the sarcasm and jabs, bordering
on meanness, but Bashers of good cards really REALLY smeg me off. And so
does that Stupid "Who let the dogs out?" song. Now, you will note that
the game play situations retorts are indeed just that: Situational. But
the ones used to bash were just as situational, and the whole game is a
sequence of situations too. It all depends on the quality of the
players, and the quality of the decks. Sponge, Potpurri, Hay, Wiggly,
and all those other Archetypes you listed don't play themselves. Any
two-bit schmoe with an ISP can dial up a dotcom and swipe an archetype,
but when he tries to battle a good player, he'll go down in flames. Even
if the good player is playing a sub-par or original deck. Players are
more important than decks. Decks are very important though. And you can
make a good deck with almost any Pokemon line, with a few notably
horrible exceptions. Blaine's Arcanine CAN be used, and used well, IF
you know how to play with it right. If you do, and your general skills
are good, and your deck is good, you have just as much of a chance of
winning that the archetype player you're facing does.

I hope in the future you will refrain from senselessly bashing good
cards, and I hope there will be no hard feelings. Remember, it's just a
game.

I'm Lord Gothmog. You can contact me at lord_gothmog0@hotmail.com .
However, please think before you write to me. Don't use all caps. Don't
send mass advertizments. Don't ask me to build you a deck with
Charizards in it(shudder). And if at all possible, use good grammar and
spelling, and don't be an idiot. Also, hate mail and the like will be
turned over to your email provider for desciplinary action. Aren't I
nice that way? =) Have a nice day, and may the Smeg be with you.