Hi,


I would like to start out by saying that the current environment is not
really that bad. It is actually getting better here's how:


Base:
   The first set in a series and it introduced many types of decks to the
environment such as Haymaker, Raindance, and Damage Swap. The Haymaker was
the most powerful and with Raindance following directly behind. At that time
everyone was playing the same deck. The typical decks looked like this:


Haymaker


4x Hitmonchan
4x Electabuzz
4x Farfetch'd


4x Professor Oak
4x Bill
4x Scoop Up
4x Computer Search
4x Super Energy Removal
2x Energy Removal
4x Lass
2x Gust of Wind


9x Fighting Energy
7x Electric Energy
4x Double Colorless Energy


Raindance


4x Squirtle
4x Blastoise
4x Seel
4x Dewgong


4x Professor Oak
4x Bill
4x PokeMon Breeder
4x Computer Search
2x Lass
4x Super Energy Removal
4x Energy Removal
2x Gust of Wind


16 Water Energy


Useless Cards: Revive, Pokeflute, Clefairy Doll, and Clefairy (at that
point)


Jungle:
  This set added some cards to make the more useless cards more powerful
such as Clefairy got an evolution and the set added Wigglytuff and Scyther
which changed the game single handedly. Now a Venucenter deck became more
powerful! New haymakers were built and they had Scyther and Wigglytuff.


Fossil:
  This set was the worst of them all except for Base 2 it's only useful
cards were Aerodactyl, Articuno, and Moltres. Articuno was added to
raindance and Moltres began a new type of deck called a Moltres Stall. That
looked like this:


Moltres Stall


4x Moltres
4x Chansey


4x Scoop Up
4x Pokemon Center
4x Energy Retrieval


36x Fire Energy
4x Double Colorless Energy


Base 2:
  This set didn't bring anything new it just brought the old back. Worst of
All sets!


Team Rocket:


  Brought along a few okay cards like Dark Vileplume, Dark Charizard, and
Nightly Garbage Run. But tagging along for a ride which no one expected was
Dark Raichu. When he was teamed up with a Promo #1 Pikachu it was a sweet
way to play. Strong and a good bench hitter.


Gym Heroes:


  Gave us Rocket's Scyther, Rocket's Hitmonchan, and the Trapper Deck. The
Scyther and Hitmonchan introduced a new Haymaker called the Rocket's Hay.
The trapper looked like this:


4x Rocket's Scyther
4x Rocket's Hitmonchan
4x Jigglypuff
4x Wigglytuff


4x Rocket's Trap
4x Rocket's Sneak Attack
4x Lass
4x Professor Oak


4x DCE
12x Fighting Energy
12x Grass Energy


Gym Challenge:


  Gave us Rocket's Zapdos!!!!!!!!!!! Solid, Strong, and FAST! When it first
came out it was not popular at all but now it runs rampant on the
environment! Turn 3 70 damage! Everyone who has one plays it. This series
also gave Blaine's Arcanine which with 2 Blaines can do 120 turn 2. This set
ruled!


Neo Genesis:


  Introduced Sneasel, Cleffa, Feraligatr, and Meganium. Typhlosion became
popular later in the game as did Murkrow. Slowking ran rampant when teamed
up with a Steelix which with 4 Metal Energy was very strong. Here is the
classic SlowSteel deck:


4x Onix (Base)
4x Steelix
4x Slowking
4x Slowpoke
4x Sneasel


4x Elm
4x Oak
4x Comp Search
4x Gold Berry
4x Pluspower


4x Metal Energy
4x Darkness Energy
4x Double Colorless Energy
8x Psychic Energy


Neo Discovery:


  This set was bad except for 4 cards: Tyranitar, Houndoom, Igglybuff, and
Kabutops. They were strong when Tyranitar was teamed up with Unknown D or
Transparent walls it killed your opponent's bench and all the very popular
baby pokemon. Houndoom was strong by doing 6 a turn on turn 3 or 40 per turn
on turn 2. Igglybuff stopped Dark Vileplume and Slowking dead in their
tracks and is now in almost every deck!



So in conclusion I would like to say that the current environment is not
that bad but will hopefully get better soon. Many think that Wizards is
trying to sink this boat and change everyone to Magic. Well guess what
Wizards, all my friends and I are probably some of your top customers and we
aren't joining Magic. I will be on the SS Pokemon until the day it sinks and
probably after that. I am not going to join some other card game and pour
more money out the window. After this, it's all over for card games and me.
I bet that half the Pokemon World agrees with me. Thanks for reading my long
article and please post this (^_^). Please tell me how you feel by emailing
me your ideas.


~RaichuMaster
J.Winter2@Verizon.Net