Well, school's out and I haven't got much better to do than write a few
Pokémon articles.  In the tradition of looking at frequently overlooked
cards, let's talk about Pinsir.  Here's his stats so you don't have to go
leafing through your binders:
Pinsir (Grass, Basic)
60 HP
[GG] Irongrip (20) Flip a coin.  If heads, the defender is now paralyzed.
[2GG] Guillotine (50)
Weakness[Fire]          Resistance[None]        Retreat Cost[1]

Why don't more people run Pinsir in their decks?  Well, there are a couple of
things that scare players away from this bug:

1. 60 HP-- Just misses qualifying for a Haymaker basic.  That extra 10 HP can
make a HUGE difference (like the difference between a KO and 10 HP left) and
if Pinsir had it, he'd see a lot more use.

2. No One Energy Attack-- Usually, when looking at big basics, it is a plus
if they can attack on the first turn.  Pinsir can't and that frightens a lot
of players.

3. High Energy Costs-- Players see 2 and 4 energy requirements and they
automatically turn the page in their binders to look for an Electabuzz or a
Hitmonchan, who can attack at lower costs.

However, if you use Pinsir correctly and play him at the right time, he is a
great card and will win you many games.  Pinsir is not supposed to come out
early.  The HP combined with the lack of first turn attack make him a bad
candidate for the early game (but if you do get stuck with him out early,
he'll still be able to manage for a turn or two until you regroup).  Pinsir
thrives in the late game.  Stick him on the bench with one or two energy for
a while until the game has progressed pretty far.  Don't power him fully. 
You don't want to tip your opponent off to what your doing.  Keep him/her
guessing as long as you can.  A Pinsir with1 or 2 grass energy is little to
fear because it doesn't LOOK like much to your opponent.  But when you play
that Double Colorless Energy (DCE) to power his Guillotine, your opponent
will start to look at Pinsir as a threat and be more likely to gust him out
or use removals on him.  That DCE makes the difference in Pinsir's attack
costs because it allows him to be powerd up much more quickly.  Almost always
put 4 DCE in a deck with Pinsir.  Then, when you bring out Pinsir with 2
energy, you can either use Irongrip as a set up move if your opponent has
more than 50 HP left on their active, or plop down a DCE and use Guillotine
for anyone with 50 or less HP left.  That's the great thing about Pinsir. 
His attacks form a great combo.  A chance to paralyze and do 20 one turn,
followed up with a brutal 50 damage attack the next turn will knock out many
of the popular cards in the environment right now.  Add a pluspower, and you
just KOed a Wigglytuff (or other 80 HP monster) in two turns.  Pinsir can
clean out anything left near the end of the game, especially if your opponent
has damage spread out among many Pokémon on the table.  He can also help you
take your last one or two prizes when time is of the essence.

Unfortunately, Pinsir still exists in the shadow of the other big bug,
Scyther.  I don't think he should.  The two bugs make an awesome combo. 
Scyther is better early with his 60 damage on turn two (with Sword Dance and
DCE) and Pinsir is better later on when you need to do major damage and clear
your prizes or the opposing bench.  I could definitely see having a
Scyther-Pinisr-Electabuzz (or Magmar) haymaker variant (if you can still call
it a Hay).  So add Pinsir to your decks and watch the results you get in the
late game.  And remember:  Don't think, "How can I win in today's tournament
environment?"  Think, "How can I CHANGE today's tournament environment?" 
Trust me, when you make a new kind of deck and start winning games and people
start changing how they play just to beat you, its a lot more rewarding than
just making a traditional Haymaker or Raindance and winning games.

-Jim T.
<A HREF="mailto:MrRK9@aol.com">MrRK9@aol.com</A>