From: Brian Brokaw <brokaw@thepojo.com>
To: James Chuang x3102 <jchuang@hearme.com>
Subject: Re: Your Metronome answers
Date: Thursday, October 14, 1999 8:59 PM

> At 08:02 PM 10/13/99 -0700, Brian Brokaw wrote:
> >>    Here are some examples:
> >>    Charmander's Ember attack move:  If Charmander does NOT discard
> >>     a Fire Energy card, Charmander cannot use this attack.  Discarding a Fire
> >>    Energy card is part of Ember's COST.  So Metronome does NOT copy
> >>    this discard.
> >>  
> >>    Moltres' Wildfire attack move:  Discarding Fire Energy cards are NOT
> >>     required to use this attack.  You are allowed to use Wildfire without
> >> discarding Fire Energy cards (it simply will have no effect).  So,
> >> Metronome DOES copy Wildfire's discard portion.
> >> 
> >> Why wouldn't Charmander's Ember move do the same as Wildfire?  You need 1
> >> colorless and 1 fire energy to to the Ember attack.  That is the "Cost",
> >> and Clefairy and Clefable can ignore that.  However, the Discard is NOT a
> >> cost, but an effect of the attack, just like Wildfire.  So if you cannot
> >> Discard a Fire energy, then Ember does NOTHING, just like Wildfire!
> >> 
> >> So in effect, you need at least 1 Fire Energy on Clefairy to be able to
> >> Metronome an effective Ember, since without the discard, you do nothing! 
> >> 
> >> Please pull your strings inside WotC and see if you can get this clarfied a
> >> bit.  As it stands, I can't see your answer as being consistent.
> >
> >Hi James.
> >
> >I think you are confusing COST with ENERGY REQUIREMENT.
> >Ember's ENERGY REQUIREMENT is 1R (1 colorless and 1 Fire).
> >But this ENERGY REQUIREMENT is only part of Ember's COST.
> >A "COST" is ALL things that must be satisfied IN ORDER TO use
> >the attack.  So Ember's COST is 1R and Discard R.
> >
> >Robert Gutschera described it to me this way back when we were all
> >fighting about Metronome (in the early days).
> >
> >Hope this helps,
> >Brian Brokaw
> >
>
> Brian:
> 
> The problem is that Wildfire is the same way!  To do anything, you need to
> discard X amount of energy cards.  Therefore, The discard is now "Cost",
> just like "Embers".  Therefore, the situation is exactly the same, and
> based on the exact same logic, I should be able to Metronome Wildfire
> without any discard, and take my opponent's deck away.
> 
> I don't have the card texts in front of me to really compare the 2, but I
> don't feel that the text will explain it conclusively anyway...
> 
> jchuang
> 

No:

Remember this phrase (which I highlighted in my original reply):
IN ORDER TO  <---- this indicates a COST
Robert Gutschera told me that this specific wording was used
to delineate what is a cost and what is not a cost.

So, Ember states:
"..in order to use this attack."  So, discarding is a COST.
If you don't discard, you did NOT use Ember... you can't.

So, Wildfire states:
"You may discard any number..."  NO "in order to" text!
Discarding is NOT a cost.

So, it is perfectly legal for a player to USE Wildfire, but NOT
discard any Fire energy cards.  Yes, of course it does NOTHING,
but the rules allow it... and because discarding in Wildfire is NOT
a cost, this discard cannot be ignored with Metronome.

I'm sorry I'm not making this clear...
It is perfectly clear to me.
Metronome is certainly the most difficult rule in Pokemon however.
(but Metronome is NOTHING compared to what I know about 
Magic!!! Now THAT is a game with obscure rules!)

Brian