Monday, June 8, 2015

Another TCG question

According to Bulbapedia:

Some cards in sets that are part of the current rotation are reprints of cards that appeared in older rotations. If a card is included as part of any set in the current rotation, any version of that card is legal for tournament play. For example, at least one version of Rare Candy has been legal in every modified format since it was printed. Thus, older versions of Rare Candy, even those from rotated sets like EX Sandstorm and Great Encounters, are still legal cards. Similarly, basic Energy cards from all sets are still allowed in tournament play.

Okay, that I understand. Here's the catch, though. What about cards that have different names, but do the same thing? For instance, once Plasma Freeze gets rotated out, would Juniper still be usable considering Sycamore is still in the rotation and does the same thing? (Yes, I'm aware you can only use one of the two, no need to ask.)

14 comments:

  1. If I'm not mistaken, with the advent of the game going online, will cards get rotated out anymore? I believe all sets since Black and White are eligible because they all follow the same rules. Please correct me if I'm mistaken.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Tournament play doesn't take place online, though. The standard format only goes all the way back to Boundaries Crossed.

      Delete
  2. i haven't played since b/w but i'm pretty sure the way it works is that the card does need to be named the same thing in an older set as it is with its corresponding card in the current format in order to be used as a replacement or in tandem.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. yeah i'm pretty sure once plazma freeze gets rotated out you won't be able to use juniper anymore...

      Delete
  3. Wouldn't know. My only experience was the GBC game. In that era, something called the Haymaker cards were king. Oh, and Kangaskhan was good in that game because one could manipulate the coin flip for Comet Punch...

    ReplyDelete
  4. You cannot use a card with the same effect but a different name. No Juniper once she rotates out.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I see. Are there any precedents?

      Delete
    2. An infamous (?) one was Warp Point. Both people swap their active pokemon.
      It was rotated out somewhere towards the end of the HGSS era, and then Plasma Freeze introduced Escape Rope, which has the same effect. But due to the name clause you cant use Warp Point in its place.

      Likewise, once the BW sets fully rotate out, Cheren won't be playable even though Tierno has the same effect.

      Delete
    3. Well this is... kinda stupid. "Give us moar of your money for a card that does the exact same thing!"

      But thanks for the answer.

      Delete
    4. It's stupid but more in the sense that most of the time these cards arent, like, hard to get. I am tripping over Tiernos and Cherens without actively trying, I have several Escape Ropes.
      You're bound to get a play set of them just through usual by-chance means.

      it will be more silly if, say, Pokemon Catcher rotates out and then a new card that does the same thing is printed. There's a ~golden~ pokemon catcher that people who bling out their decks would clearly miss.

      It's neat when they do just straight reprint a card though. Rainbow Energy was reprinted in XY and it plays the same as every other Rainbow periocially released so you can play the one from the old TR set if you really wanted to.

      Delete
    5. I'm just wondering how expensive it is to be a tournament-caliber player already. Imagine the dough it must cost to snag, say, four Shaymin-EXs. (And then LTC gets banned, making them all but useless within weeks.) I don't think they'd appreciate an extra burden on their wallets.

      Delete
    6. Eh it varies. Shaymin-EX is Hella Good and goes for ~$30 even for the non full art version. LTC being banned will prrrrobably bring down the price, but the effect is just that good and it's new. Seismitoad-EX, for example, will run you about $15 despite being also great; so some price stabliizing will go on as time goes on.

      Meanwhile getting the trainers isn't that bad. 4 sycamores is like $5 tops. Lysandre's Trump Card also wasn't that expensive. Full Arts are a different story but those are also the secret meant to be rare cards so I give those a pass. Same applies to the assorted other non-ex pokemon, you can get most of them for maybe $5

      Going back to Shaymin, though, I think you're really underselling how good that draw support is. Especially with the rotation looming on the horizion, about to drastically shake up every deck's draw engine.I wouldn't be to osurprised to see a Shaymin-EX tin or Deluxe Box come out eventually; they tend to release those for very good Pokemon and that keeps the price down (see: Yveltal-EX, an ABSURD card, going for about $10 because it has like 4 prints, 2 of which are promos)

      Delete
    7. Maybe "useless" was a bit too strong of a word, but it's still certainly not as obscenely powerful in a world where you can deck out.

      Delete
    8. On the flipside, if you're dedicated, your investment can pay out pretty well. Most cards will be guaranteed to stick around for many years. Going back to Shaymin, buying a playset (or I don't know, maybe just the 1 or 2, LTC's ban will probably effect that) will last you for probably at LEAST 3 years, not counting possibility of reprints. And the Expanded format will mean even post-rotation there will still be a place for something like the around-for-entirely-too-long Virizion-Genesect.

      Delete