Hi everybody! Unlike almost everyone else who writes a so-called "Strategy"
or "Tip" for this section, and instead whine, I actually have something
worth printing ("I hate archetypes! They always beat me! If I only had some
talent, I could build a better deck and beat them!"). So before becoming
hypocritical (look it up, kiddies), here's my tip/strategy for Erika's
Gloom.

Erika's Gloom
60 HP
Stage 1- Evolves From Erika's Oddish
1 Grass energy: Healing Pollen: Flip a coin. If heads, remove up to 4 damage
counters from Erika's Gloom. If Erika's Gloom has fewer damage counters than
that, remove all of them.
3 Grass energy: Magic Pollen: Flip a coin. If heads, the Defending Pokemon
is now Asleep, Confused, Paralyzed, or Poisoned (your choice).

Now, I'm not a very big fan of Erika cards, and I absolutely hate all
previous Gloom cards, but this card is great. 60 HP is good, even though it
could be better, but will still last long enough to inflict severe damage.
With Healing Pollen, you can make sure that it goes a long way. Personally,
if I didn't have enough energy, and wasn't staring down a Pokemon that would
deal massive amounts of damage no matter what I did(i.e., Charmeleon), I
would just use Healing Pollen until I had the energy to use Magic Pollen,
and keep Gloom in top shape.

Its second attack, Magic Pollen, is just an awesome attack whether or not
you love conditions as much as I do. Sure, it needs 3 energy to use, but
just use Healing Pollen like I mentioned above, until it's ready. 30 damage
isn't bad, but the real gem of this attack is that YOU GET TO CHOOSE THE
CONDITION YOUR OPPONENT HAS! Asleep is too risky, I wouldn't recommend it.
Confusion is OK, I like it. My dream combination is: when you use this
attack the first time, choose Poison. Then, choose Paralyzation, and
continue to pick this. Your opponent is unable to attack or retreat, and is
dealt damage for it! An unbeatable combo. Asleep, Confusion, and
Paralyzation will stop any Pokemon Powers too, so bye-bye Raindance and Mime
Time decks!

The only BAD thing about Erika's Gloom is that you have to flip a coin for
both attacks. But coin flipping won't and can't totally ruin your chances of
making your opponent cry like a little kid because you beat them so badly.
Oh, wait, this is Pokemon TCG. Your opponent IS a little kid. Scratch that
analogy. You get the picture, though.

If you were insulted by the first part of my strategy, it means I'm right,
so you should have no reason to send hate mail. Any other comments, or if
you're a real induhvidual and still want to send hate mail (or just want to
know the definition of a big word), my e-mail address is
simpson_fan21@hotmail.com. Happy playing!

-Jeff