Ok, this is weird. At the time I wrote my last article, I was disgusted, for lack of a better word, at the state the game has been in lately. Now, a few weeks later, I'm updating decks and playtesting more than I have in a long while. What happened that made me suddenly like the game so much more? Well, it's a rather simple change, but the change itself is complicated and in a way, takes the game to a new level. What is this change you ask? It's playing InSaNe.

For those of you less familiar with the terms "InSaNe" or "InSaNiTy", I'll sort of sum it up. InSaNiTy strives off of different "TecH" cards. To TecH is to add a card to a deck in order to help it in a particular situation in which it struggles. This TecH card can be in any number(1-4), but it doesn't interfere with the deck's main strategy. For instance, it's good to TecH a couple Switches in a Slowking deck, since Slowking decks can't easily find the energy to retreat a Slowking if it gets Gusted out. The Switches help the deck in a particular situation where it struggles, and it doesn't interfere with the deck's main strategy. That's the beauty of InSaNiTy. For more information, I suggest you read http://www.pokeruins.com/cgi-bin/ubbcgi/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=26&t=000002 "The InSaNiTy ProjecT". It is STRONGLY recommended for all serious TCG players, and is one of the most informative articles ever on the Pokemon TCG. And yes, this is the same InSaNiTy ProjecT as linked to on the main Pokemon page.

Ok, now that that's over, what exactly is it about playing InSaNe that made me enjoy the game so much more? To put it simply, it both WINS and is FUN to play. I could play a Slowking deck and win, but it would be extremely boring. I could play a Cloyster deck, for instance, and have fun, but I would most likely lose within ten turns or so. InSaNiTy has BOTH qualities. It's obvious that it can win, with its fast, cheap damage, good disruption, and TecH, but there's also something about it that makes it a lot of fun to play. There's just something about being able to pull out the right card for every situation that makes playing a game a more entertaining task. I can't really explain it. It's one of those things where you have to try it to understand. Once you play it a few times and begin to understand the way InSaNiTy works, you'll become addicted. You'll playtest over and over, and update your deck all the time. Through time, you'll be able to create your own InSaNe variants, and you'll become a much better player.

Hmmm...

Ok, I'll be honest. I really have nowhere to go after that. It's a short article, but an article nonetheless. I really just wanted to introduce those new to the game to the ways of InSaNiTy. It is quite possibly the future of the TCG. And again, I stress that you all go take a couple hours out of your life (Yes, a couple hours. -_-) to go read the InSaNiTy ProjecT. What isn't said about InSaNiTy here is said there, and I'm sure lurili can tell it a lot better than I can.

Until whenever I can think of a decent subject for another article, later. =/

~ Monkey