Subj.: Deck for your Shop -- Needleking

Date: 11/16/99 5:58:22 PM Central Standard Time

From: mchughn@evergreen.edu (Noel McHugh)

To: ThePokemonLady@aol.com

It suffers slightly from lack-of-basics disorder, but it works well once it gets going. By using CPU search/Trader/Breeder, I can have Nidoking out often by the 4th turn, when Toxic and Thrash can slay nearly anything on the board. Once he dies, however, the deck kinda falters and stumbles about, losing a few Nidoran Males and Koffings as I try to get a Nidorino or Venomoth in play to buy me some time. It's those stumbling periods that I'm trying to avoid. My friends think I play with too many Breeders and Koffings, because the one is only useful with Nidoking, and the other takes 2 energy to attack, but I've found that less Breeders means the Nidoking comes out much later, and Koffings are just about the only really great Grass basic I can get without shelling $30 for four Pinsirs. I tried Farfetch'd in Koffings place, and it worked, but I like Koffing better somehow. Perhaps Ditto? <shrug> Venomoth is the ultimate weapon Grass has against Fighting, which is why

he's in here. He's not bad against Psychic, either. Nidoking, of course, is the only perfect Mime-slayer, and is just generally a beat stick. I also like Nidoran Male, because of the number of games I have won on the first turn by slaying my opponent's only Abra/Magikarp/whatever with a lucky coin flip.

4 Nidoran (M)

3 Nidorino

3 Nidoking *remove 1*

4 Venonat

3 Venomoth

4 Koffing *remove 1*

2 Scyther *add 2*

O.K. Remember the 4-3-2 and 3-2-1 rules when designing your decks. Right now, you have 4-3-3 on the Nido line and 4-3 on the Venomoth Line. Even these lines out by removing 1 Nidoking. How often do you actually get all 3 out and fully powered anyway?

Yes, it does suffer from a lack of basics. I understand your using Computer Search and Traders and Breeders, as I am a big Nidoking fan as well, but Nidoking has one major disadvantage that makes him suck---Nidoran (m). Nidoran male blows, no matter how you look at it. Yes, he has a nice attack, if you have a two-headed coin or a weighted die. Unfortunately, if you lack either of those things, Nidoran (m) is simply too unreliable. Using Nidoran (m) in hopes of getting the coin flip is a lot like going to the local pond and licking random frogs hoping to find the right one.

Now, on to Koffing. I like Koffing, he's a mean little bugger. I especially like the fact that you can confuse AND poison at the same time.

Also, remove 1 Koffing to make room for a Pokémon I think you should add--Scyther. If you're going to run an all green deck, then Scyther should definitely be in there!

1 Prof. Oak *add 1*

4 Pokémon Trader *remove 1*

4 Pokémon Breeder * remove 1*

4 Bill

3 CPU Search

2 Switch *add 2*

As for your trainers--- Add at least 1 more Professor Oak, if not 2. Oaks will give you the chance to get through your stuff fast... if that's what you want. You should remove a trader and a breeder as well. I don't think there should be a time where you should need to use more than 3 of each. You also will want to add 2 Switches.

23 Grass Energy * remove 3*

2 DCE *add 2*

You've got an overabundance of energies here. I suggest removing 1 energy entirely, and changing the 2 others to DCE. DCE helps you powerup fast. This actually leaves you with 24 available energies.

 

Nice work here. I'm glad to see people making decks to battle against the "Fabulous 3" and I like to see people play grass decks. I think that grass is a much underrated type in the Pokémon TCG.

Let me know if this helps.

TPL