![]() ![]() Each Pokémon has at least one attack that costs a certain amount of energy to use. So, in order to play a Charizard, you first have to play a Charmander and then evolve it into a Charmeleon and then again into the Charizard card. In the same way that Pokémon evolve in the video games, you need to evolve your Pokémon from their base forms to their higher forms. There are three main card types: Pokémon, Energy, and Trainers. There are plenty of in-depth tutorials available online, but I’ll summarize the key points as best I can. ![]() I’m not going to through all of the rules for the game. Ready? Let’s go!ĭevils' Playground | Illustration by Wayne England Let me break down some of the features of Pokémon, how it compares to MTG, and how you as a Magic player can learn this game from scratch. But the Pokémon TCG is one of the most unique card game experiences out there, and for my money, one of the most well-designed TCGs of them all. Popular games like Hearthstone, Eternal, and Legends of Runeterra have some very obvious connections, like their use of a mana system. Today Pokémon is worth well over $100 billion, with projects across multiple games, anime series, and of course, a fantastic trading card game.Ī lot of trading card games take influences from the example Magic set back in 1993 these days. This fan-favorite game started as the vision of a young autistic kid from Japan who loved collecting insects as a hobby, and quickly grew into the most valuable media franchise in the world. If you’re currently in your thirties or younger, like I am, it’s likely that you’ve interacted with Pokémon. There are so many ways to finish off that VMAX.Īnd what if your Charizard VSTAR had Power Gloves equipped? Such a small alteration in the hypothetical encounter, and it's enough to change the tide entirely, dealing the 330 damage necessary to knock out a Charizard VMAX at full health.Comparative Analysis | Illustration by Willian Murai But there are, frankly, far more attacks in the TCG that deal 30 or more damage than those that deal less. Yes, that entitled them to two Prize Cards. If the player with the Charizard VSTAR pulls off a Blaze Star for 300 damage before Charizard VMAX can retaliate with G-Max Wildfire, and if the VMAX isn't healed between turns, that hulking behemoth only has 30 HP remaining. Let's go back to our playground-tumbling Charizard deathmatch example. As a result, and just like the conventional Pokemon V that evolves into either VMAX or VSTAR, defeating a VSTAR nets only two Prize Cards instead of three. A lot of that is tied to their truly top-of-class HP, which is something that, as you know, VSTAR Pokemon are lighter on. But it's telling that The Pokemon Company recognized just how mighty these cards are and made their heavy usage such a risk. VSTAR Pokemon trade a few dozen hit points for access to attacks that are either immensely powerful or cleverly strategic enough to break the game outright if permitted to be used more than once. Their HP is still going to be an issue for most of the competition, but they'll crumble to dust in a straightforward slugfest against their VMAX rivals. VSTAR Pokemon are like glass cannons made of the sturdiest glass around. So, it's not a matter of introducing a weaker variety of VMAX, then. You'll not only be locked out of using Star Blaze again for the rest of the match, on either Charizard VSTAR, Pokemon card, but you've also given up your chance to use Hisuian Typhlosion's VSTAR Power, Shimmering Star. ![]() It costs three Fire Energy and one Colorless Energy to use and requires you to discard two Energy afterward, but it hits for an incredible 320 damage. At one point, with one of your Charizard VSTAR set as your active Pokemon, you elect to use its VSTAR Power, Star Blaze. Quick example: let's say you have a deck with two Charizard VSTAR and a Hisuian Typhlosion VSTAR in it. ![]()
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