Hmm...With the addition of Rocket (It may have been out for awhile so
everyone is now in the kick of things now...) and it has proven helpful to
some decks...a pain for others...and...to all us creative people...(Not Me!!)
New Decks arrive...(Oh and..expect a 'long' article here)

Instant Staus Effects

Before Rocket, how many Pokemon could do an instant (Err...50/50) status
effect...
...A lot...
Now, how many can do that from the bench befoee Rocket? 0.

Thanks to that, a new deck can actually rear its face around...Using..

SNORLAX!!!

Sample Deck. #1
Pokemon-24
4 TR Drowzee (50/50 Sleep)
4 Snorlax (The Point of the Deck)
4 TR Oddish (Status Effects basically)
4 Dark Gloom (Confusion)
3 Vileplume (Fully powered up Snorlax. Play This...They are screwed)
3 Aerodactyl (Only used 'AFTER' Vileplume is put into play)
2 Mew (Its Okay...Helpful at Times)

Trainers-9
4 Mysterious Fossil
3 Trader
3 Comp. Search (Gee...A lot of Trainers?)

27 Energy
4 Potion Energy (-10 Damage...Not To helpful but imagine...late
game...Opponent is Confused/Paralyzed/Asleep and you start using
these...thats a posssible 40 away...And they can't do crap about it!)
4 Dbl Colorless. (Very Much Needed...)
10 Psychic
10 Grass

It's just a Sample...Take the idea and twist it to your own standards!!

Retreating

With Dark Muk Running Around...Retreating is a bit more complicated...

Imagine, Your Scyther must discard 2 Energy to retreat, 4 for
Chan/Buzz/Wiggly and a whopping 6...6! For Snorlax! (And Golem) And, nothing
has a resistance to its color.

With it as an Active, a Vileplume on the bench and Aerodactyl out...It really
screws the opponent. But This deck has no Aero...Since, most Basics that
evolve have a pretty low retreat cost and by letting them not evolve...They
are stuck

Sample Deck #2
Pokemon-26
2 TR Grimer (A Splash)
2 Grimer (A Splash)
4 Dark Muk
4 TR Oddish (Evolving)
3 Dark Vileplume
4 TR Dratini (Evolving)
3 Dark Dragonair. (With Vileplume out, you can still search for your
evolutions!)
4 Scyther (Helps stall while Dark Muk is getting Pumped up)
Trainers-13
3 Breeder (Since No Glooms....)
4 Energy Removals (Use Before Vileplume...Its pretty Helpful...Supers Too)
3 Scoop Up (Risky? Yeah but it may help if you can't get Vileplume out in
time...Muk Too..It's happened before to me)
3 Comp. Search
Energy-21
17 Grass
4 Dbl. Colorless.

Pretty standard Deck, It may not win Tourneys but take it to the League for
laughs..(I'm playtesting some Rocket Decks to find one and MAKE it Tourney
Worthy)

Also, Alakazam completely 'SKIPS' the Retreat fee all together. It's Teleport
Blast allows it to go around that and bring out Mime, Scyther or better
yet... Fossil Haunter.

Sample Deck #3
Pokemon-21
4 TR Abra (10 More Hp goes a long way)
2 Alakazam (Damage Swap does come in handy)
1 Dark Kadabra (For Dark Kazam...In case of Breeder shortage)
3 Dark Alakazam (Point of Deck)
3 Chansey
3 Fossil Gastly
3 Fossil Haunter
2 Mime
Trainers-20
3 Bill
3 Oak
3 Scoop up
3 Garbage Run (Poor Abra...Garbage Run it back!!)
3 Comp. Search
3 Breeders
2 Item Finders
Energy-19
15 Psychic
4 Dbl. Colorless (Chansey)

Not a Great Deck, I'm not great at Stall Decks but it does get the job done...

Bench Destruction...

2 Pokemon 'REALLY' Helped here...

Dark Golbat's ability to do 10 when it comes into play and 20 to whomever it
chooses and

Dark Raichu's Surprise Thunder...Decimates Benches.

They really bring that deck out of the gutter (I haven't seen much till
Rocket came...Stupid Raichu!!)

Sample Deck #4
Pokemon-20
4 TR Zubat
4 Dark Golbat (Power and Flitter...Personally..I hate this Bat)
4 Movie Pikachu (It's the best way to bring out the Rai)
3 Dark Raichu (Bye-Bye Bench)
2 Fossil Raichu (Bench Go Boom!)
3 Scyther (Back Up)
Trainers-17
3 Bill
3 Oak
3 Super E.R. (That way they can't attack while you kill their
basics...err...K.O.)
3 Garbage Run (Get the Basics/Evolutions/Energy back!)
2 Comp. Search
3 Scoop Up (Scoop Up The Evo. then Garbage Run)
Energy-23
9 Grass
11 Electric
3 Dbl. Colorless. (Run helps get Energy back..Not Dbl. Colorless Though)

Its a pretty strong deck though. Major Weakness to the Fire/Fighting Haymaker
running around though. De-evolution Spray actually has a use. Spray then next
turn re-evolve!

The Big Bad 4 Decks!! Charizard (?) Haymaker (!) Raindance (Duh) Wiggly
(Around here...It's uncommon...3 people I know of...)

Charizard got a BIG Boost...It may have lost 1/3 of it's HP but for Two
Energy, it can do 100...The same Charizard Base Set does for 4! (Guaranteed
though)

And, it has an attack against Mime! Nail Flick it 4 Times...but if they
Center/Scoop/Retreat Fuji/Swap You are screwed.

All in All...Charizard still sucks in my mind (But the Charmander proves that
it 'CAN' get energy in the late game)

Sample Deck? No...(I'm not great with Charizard...And, last one I tried was
decimated by a Grass Deck...Embarassing lost...)

Haymaker.

No real help here. Goop Gas Attack kills Those Mimes that have to take 2
turns to knock and those Dittos (So does Gust though...) All Basics in Rocket
don't pack the needed punch to imporve it though.

Sample Deck? Not needed...no new cards (Cept The Garbage Run and Rocket Sneak
Attack)

Raindance

Okay, It got the 'BIGGEST' Boost...

Fossil provided the needed High Hp Basic and Rocket provided the needed
FirePower and the Quick Evo.

Dark Blastoise may have 70 Hp (Buzz with PlusPower...No Problem on the
KnockOut) but...it can do 70 for 4 ENergy...instead of 60 for 5 so it gets
points there...

The New Squirtle proved a higher hp (Now..It take a Shock with 3 Plus Powers
for a 1st turn knockout!)

And the Magikarp...Play it and Raindance onto it and get a Gyrados out...the
turn you played it! But, This deck doesn't run it...

Sample Deck #5
Pokemon-18
2 TR Squirtle (The Hp Is helpful but the lack of 1st turn stall attack)
2 Base Squirtle (The Paralyze can prolong its life...)
3 Base Blastoise
1 Wartortle
1 Dark Wartortle
3 Dark Blastoise
3 Articuno
3 Lapras
Trainers-21
3 Bill
3 Oak
3 Garbage Run
3 Comp. Search
3 Breeder
3 Item Finder
3 Super Energy Removal
Energy-21
21 Water (Duh!)

Wigglytuff

Okay, It may have gotten a 0 boost for it's Basics but Trainer Wise....

Lass can be replaced now by the Mighty Sneak Attack. No need to Lass away
your Oak...Make them get rid of what you want them to get rid of!! (If only
it said Discard..)
Energy Retrieval replaced by Garbage Run. You lost your Wiggly? Oh well, get
it back with this!
Bill (?!) for Challenge!. Even though Bill is a guaranteed 2
cards...Challenge is either 2 or up to 5! PRetty good for an Uncommon eh?

Sample Deck #6
Pokemon-15
3 Hitmonchan
3 Scyther
2 Ditto
4 JigglyPuff
3 Wigglytuff
Trainers-28
3 Challenge!
3 Oak
3 Garbage Run
3 Gust of Wind
3 Scoop Up
3 Comp. Search
3 Item Finder
3 Rocket Sneak Attack
4 PlusPower
Energy-17
13 Fighting
4 Dbl. Colorless

It may run no Energy Removal or Super Energy Removal but a
Wiggly+Gust+PlusPower could easily be that!

Rainbow Decks?

With the addition of Rainbow Energy, a 3 Color, maybe 4 color deck is
possible now! But, if you take a close look...some Pokemon don't need that
for a 'Rainbow Deck'

TR Squirtle-2 Colorless for 20?
TR Magnenmite-2 Colorless for 20?
TR Machop-2 Colorless for 20?
Base Set Ponyta-2 Colorless for 20?

All those Pokemon can do 20 (40 for Weakness) For 2 Energy! The downside is..

2 turns till they can attack (1 if Dbl. Colorless is used)
Low Hp
For Basics, they just plain suck...

Sample Deck? No. I don't have Rainbow Energies so I couldn't playtest one.

And Finally...Trainers and Energy

The new trainers provided include the following...

Here Comes Team Rocket!-Ups and Downs for this card. You may be able to see
your prizes but, your opponent can too! It might be helpful for some players
but for me...I can't use that.

Rocket Sneak Attack-This replaces Lass on my Fav. Trainer Be Gone Card. The
ability to look at your opponents hand and choose a Trainer and send it to
the deck is priceless. And, they don't get to see your hand and you don't
lose and Trainers (Cept the Sneak Attack) to use it.

Sleep-Bah...Its a stupid card but it gives a use with the Base Set
Haunter...(Nah,,,Base Set Haunter is STILL Useless...)

Challenge-A Bill or A Search For Basics (For Free) Is a very powerful
combination...Watch out for this card in Low Basic Decks...and of Course, the
Wigglies!!

The Boss's Way-Its Basically a Trader for Rocket Evolution Minus the Trade a
Pokemon for a Pokemon. Not really worth it but it helps in an all Rocket
Evolution Deck.

Digger-If you have lucky flips then this is your instant PlusPower. Your
opponent is 10hp away from knock out and you play this. You have a chance to
KO two Pokemon in 1 Attack!! Pretty good but I'm an unlucky person so It's
useless for me...

Imposter Oak's Revenge-What the F***?! If you are making them deck out then
you want them to do something else! Discard their hand and draw 7!! But, if
you make them draw 4, less chance they get something good...Depends on how
you look at the card...

Nightly Garbage Run-The ability to take 3 cards from your Discard Pile
(Basic/Evolution/Basic Energy) is Powerful If only you can grab Trainers
(Grab the Garbage Runs and keep up the Runs!!)

Goop Gas Attack-Ever have that Mewtwo up front vs a Mime and you can;t harm
it? Or that Ditto with 6 Damage Counters vs your Chansey or other High Hp
Basic? Goop Gas Attack gets rid of all Powers for 1 turn (2 actually...your
turn) Its a Portable Muk!! Decks Revolving around the Swap Strategy can be
stopped temporarily, allowing you to get a prize...maybe...

Potion Energy-Okay, 1 Colorless Energy and take off 10 Damage...eh...It's
okay. It might prolong your life...(Scyther vs Your Magmar. 1 Slash with PP
knocks it out...Play the energy and Slash with 2 PP to Knock out...)

Full Heal Energy-Ever have that Wiggly up Front (Or other good
Basic/Evolution) and you couldn't attack (Or not risking it) thanks to Status
effects? Say no More!! Provide an energy and curing your status. Its okay.

Rainbow Energy-Well, this card makes Multcolor decks possible, but at the
expense of 10 Damage. Oh well, next turn Potion energy! Heh. It's okay (Only
time a non-grass deck can get a Scyther to do 60 Damage on Turn 2 without
plus powers)

Sample Deck. I've tried to make one...there is only a possible of 36 Trainers
(4 of each) and 48 Total coutning the Energy

______________________________________________________________________

There, that completes my look at Rocket. I know it got a bit lengthy but I
tried to include every card I thought could make its own deck to surround it
(I forgot the Arbok/Hypno...They can do some damage actually...Arbok does 70
for 3...10 to All your Oponnents Pokemon AND Poisoned active)

There is basically a long list of other combinations left...and imagine what
happens when Gym Arrives!!

Comments? Criticism? Death-Threats (Ignore that one)? And others?
Send them to...

shishihoco@aol.com

Thank you for your time and patience!!
Howard Adkins