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Pojo's Pokemon Site - MonsterOfTheLake's Lake - Tools of HP-On
 | MonsterOfTheLake's Lake |  |
Tools of HP-On
Pokémon Tools. Fun little concept, first introduced way back in the Neo era (I MISS YOU GOLD BERRY! FOCUS BAND + BABY POWER = <3).
Nowadays, no one really thinks highly of Tools, mainly due to everyone running Pachirisu, and the lack of viable Tools that would warrant a spot in a deck of 60 cards, where every single card is vital to the deck's overall success.
We have 8 actual Pokémon Tool cards in the current format, and I will go over them for your reading pleasure. Or hearing, for my blind readers. All 0 of you.
LET'S DO THIS!
Honorary Tools
"What is going on?," I hear you cry. "Honorary Tools?!" Yes, that's what I said typed!
The perennially useless Unowns that are able to attach themselves to your Pokémon, very much like a leech. Pretty disgusting concept to be fair, but that's Pokémon for you.
Unown E (Mysterious Treasures)
Counters: Things that do exactly as much damage as your remaining HP
Used in: Banette
A fun little card, that has an interesting attack to boost.
Unown E's Power lets it attach itself to one of your Pokémon in play to give it +10 more HP. There are some enchanting combos possible with this card, such as placing 8 damage counters for free with Banette, but mainly, you would just use this for having the +10 HP and naught more. |  |
Unown G (Great Encounters)
Counters: Gardelade, Banette
Used in: Everything
The most widely used Unown card since Unown N, this little bugger stops Bring Down and Sonic Blade, effectively shutting down two critical attacks that Gardelade decks have.
It also stops Dusknoir's Hard Feelings and Banette's Ghost Head. Slightly less popular, but all the same, this card is game-changing at times. Just hope you don't start with it. Ever. |  |
Unown Q (Majestic Dawn)
Counters: Ariados swarm
Used in: Gardelade, Banette
A card reminiscent of the old Neo babies, with no bottom stats and 30 HP. It won't kill you to start with it, but if it's your only Pokémon and you end up going first, you're in for a world of hurt. On the other hand, it offers free retreats to Ralts, Kirlia, and Banette, and saves you from discarding DREs to retreat on your Gardevoirs and Gallades.
It's enchanting, really, but if you get T1'd with it, I'm sure your opinion will change. |  |
Onto the real tools!
Pokémon Tools (real ones!)
Amulet Coin (Great Encounters)
Counters: Plox. Sorta.
Used in: Noob decks
A card that new players immediately fall in love with, thanks to the draw that it offers, and the ease of obtaining the card.
Don't get me wrong, the card isn't bad. But it's not very good, and just begs to be Smash Shorted. Kinda like how a Neo Genesis Sneasel with 4 Darks begs for the twin SER. |  |
Buffer Piece (Dragon, Dragon Frontiers)
Counters: Everything but Sonic Blade, Bring Down, and Ghost Head
Used in: Politoed?
Stalling won't get you anywhere. While this card is fantastic in draft, it's just not good enough in any top tier decks. Although pulling the one that you teched in late game could cause deliriousness on your behalf, but then again, so would Energy Switch, and we don't see people teching that in. |  |
Cessation Crystal (Crystal Guardians)
Counters: Gardelade, Eeveelutions, Sceptile, Arbok/Weezing/Muk, and every deck running Claydol
Used in: Gardelade, Banette, Empoleon, Beedrill
The only tool as broken as Gold Berry and Focus Band were, this card is simply fantastic. Every single competitive HP-On deck depends on at least one Power or Body, usually a lot more. It's a double-edged sword, but you can get around it, while your opponent needs to topdeck the Windstorm, Pachirisu+Energy, or Warp Point to do anything about it, which should be relatively hard after you have Wagered them into oblivion.
It's a pity this card will be leaving us in DP-On, as with all the AMUs, Dusknoirs, Eeveelutions, and virtually every deck that will be viable still depending on Claydol and/or many other Powers and Bodies. A broken card, and the best tool in HP-On. |  |
Crystal Shard (Skyridge, Deoxys, Crystal Guardians)
Counters: Garchomp
Used in: 2007
An utterly useless card in HP-On; Crystal Shard is one of those cards that were printed to counter something popular way back in another format, another year, and another metagame, and now has no viable purpose to be used. See Battle Frontier. |  |
Leftovers (Great Encounters)
Counters: Poison damage (half the time)
Used in: Noob decks, draft decks, Wailord stall
Like Amulet Coin, this is a card that most new players fall in love with. The entire point of Pokémon is to not get your Pokémon knocked out and knock out your opponents' instead, right?
Thing is, healing 10 damage at the end of your turn, not at the end of both players' turns, renders this card quite ineffective. Well, more ineffective than it already is anyway. You attach Leftovers, heal 10, and your opponent brings up a Pachirisu with an unnecessary 4 PlusPowers, Strength Charm, Ampharos d and 4 Feraligatr ds in play. And then you cry and quit Pokémon. |  |
Memory Berry (Aquapolis, Crystal Guardians)
Counters: Cessation Crystal
Used in: Gyarados
Oh, this card is simply devious. So you're playing with Four Corners against Beedrill, and your opponent attaches a Cessation Crystal to their Beedrill, laughs maniacally, and hits you for 90, threatening knockout next turn. You don't run Windstorm, because you're very stupid. Your Pachirisus are all prized.
Bear with me, it's hard to come up with the perfect scenarios.
So you lay down two dice on your Gyarados, surely looking at defeat, at the hands of BEEDRILL nevertheless! You utter "heart of the cards," close your eyes, gel up your hair so you look like Goku, and draw a Castaway. You use the castaway to get the Memory Berry, and attach it to Gyarados while your opponent looks dumbfounded as you hit them for like, a BILLION damage.
And then next turn they knock out Gyarados with another Beedrill for their last prize, but still, that one MOMENT is so much fun. A Gyarados deck could do worse than tech one of these babies in. |  |
Mysterious Shard (Crystal Guardians)
Counters: Everything
Used in: Nothing
Another one of those "lost its purpose" cards, but this card isn't quite a has-been -- it's more along the lines of a never-was.
No one runs exs in HP-On. Even if they did, they can just retreat and hit this thing with a Pachirisu, or virtually any non-ex Pokémon. It's really quite worthless. Like Dunsparce. |  |
Strength Charm (Expedition, Team Magma VS Team Aqua, Deoxys, Dragon Frontiers)
Counters: Buffer Piece, 10+(20*n) HP
Used in: Gardelade, Banette, any deck that has some space to tech it in
A close second to Cessation Crystal in terms of broken-ness on the list of HP-On Tools, this card is essential for that extra 10 damage that you crave to one-shot your opponent.
Combos quite nicely with PlusPower, natürlich, and there is no reason to not throw one of these in your deck if you have an open slot for it. You never know when you will need that extra 10 damage.
Also works well with Lake Boundary. The card now reads "Before applying W+R," thanks to the errata a while ago, and thus is capable of an extra +20 with Lake Boundary in play, or against one of those now-rare x2 Weak Pokémon. Das ist sehr schoen. |  |
We're done! If you've actually made it through the entire article, you have my thanks. Cos I loves ya. Not in that way. Unless you're hot.
Suffice to say, I like feedback. Makes me feel warm inside, but that might be the weather, you never know.
In conclusion, take care, and never forget to use protective sleeves.
PoJoMOTL@gmail.com
AIM: PoJoMOTL
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