The PoJo wants to know what are the top 10 
playable cards in Pokemon, not which cards are the most expensive or most wanted. The BEST
cards in the game for tournament play.  



So we will start at #10



10. Pokemon Center
	
	When it comes to healing your Pokemon, nothing comes close to Pokemon Center. This
card will heal ALL of your damaged Pokemon.  The penalty however is that all those damaged 
Pokemon that get healed have to lose any energy cards that may be on them. You could build
an entire deck around this strategy. Damage Swap decks are based on this. Alakazam moves the
counters from all damaged Pokemon to a high HP Pokemon, typically Kangaskhan or Chansey. You
then play a Pokemon Center and wipe all the damage away, rinse and repeat as necessary.


9.  Chansey

	When your deck is really slow and needs time to build up enough power to overwhelm
your opponent, who do you call?  Chansey, thats who. A basic Pokemon with 120 hp's and an
ability to not take damage is an incredible stalling machine. In addition, he has a high
damage attack that can take out most other Pokemon in one shot. To top all of this off he is
a colorless Pokemon meaning he can be played in any deck. Chansey is truly a fantastic
Pokemon.  


8.  Gust of Wind

	Nothing is a better strategy than disruption. When you create a deck, you have a 
particular strategy in mind. So does your opponent and anything that can disrupt or alter 
his plans is an incredible advantage to you. Most Pokemon trainers like to start with a 
solid Pokemon as their active Pokemon and then build up another one on the bench. Many times
that Pokemon being built up on that bench is some really ugly beastie that could spell doom 
for your Pokemon. What better idea is there than to pull that beastie to the front and
knock him out before he has a chance to evolve? Gust of Wind does just that.


7.  Pokemon Breeder

	Speed kills. In almost all games ever invented, the faster you develop, the more
likely you are to win. Pokemon Breeder is all about speed. The breeder allows you to bypass
a stage 1 evolution and slap a stage 2 evolution right on a basic Pokemon. Many stage 2 
evolution Pokemon have special Pokemon Powers that can be a huge boost to your strategy.
(Blastoise's Rain Dance comes to mind) Should your deck revolve around getting a stage 2 
Pokemon on the board quickly and utilize it's power, this is the card for you.


6.  Kangaskhan

	One word. Card Drawing Power. Well, thats actually three words. In every card game 
I can think of, the one who draws the most cards, will have more options or routes to
victory, and probably will win.  Kangaskhan IS card drawing power.  His Fetch can allow you 
a minimum of 2 cards over your opponent, and sometimes a whole lot more.  I can't stress how 
HUGE an advantage this is. Not to mention he is a basic Pokemon, colorless and has 90 HP's.
His attack which has NO DRAWBACK and can deal up to 80 damage isn't bad either. In many
circles he is considered the second Chansey.

 
5.  Energy Removal/Super Energy Removal

	As I stated earlier disruption is a great strategy and these cards can be used to 
disrupt ANY deck.  I am sure many Pokemon trainers out there have seen these cards MANY 
times in tournaments.  This is currently the number one (and quite honestly the only) 
disruption strategy in the game. It's fast and efficient and if you play a speed deck that 
goes for the kill early then this is what you use to keep your opponent stalled while you 
knock out his underpowered Pokemon to victory.  Nuff said.


4.  Item Finder

	Ever use a card and then wish you could use it again? Look no further, Item Finder 
does it for you. I personally use one of these in ALL my decks.  It's like having 5 Bills,
or an extra Professor Oak, Super Energy Removal, Computer Search, Pokemon Breeder, etc. It's
a very versatile card and will always be useful to you.  


3.  Computer Search
	
	If I only had a Professor Oak, I could win this game.  Ever catch yourself saying
that?  Computer Search lets you search your library for ANY card you want and puts it into
your hand. Talk about true power. This card is BANNED in Japan for a reason.


2.  Professor Oak

	Discard your empty hand and draw 7 cards. WOW!  As I said before drawing cards wins 
games. Professor Oak is a PURE card drawing engine. More cards means more options which means 
smoother road to victory for you. This card alone turns games around. All decks in Pokemon 
should play with at LEAST two. It would be the number one card but since running out of 
cards can lose the game for you, it slides to number 2.


and...


1.  Bill!

	Bill is a simple card drawing machine.  It thins your deck, gets you to your good 
cards faster and is ALWAYS good to see when you draw it.  Again drawing cards wins games and
EVERY deck should play with 4 Bills. Period. End of article.



	I am sure many of you will have your own opinions on what cards are the best, but 
it's my article, write your own if you don't like it. (hehe)  For the most part, these are
the cards I see at tournaments that are winning games. If you notice almost all the cards 
relate to two very important aspects of the game; Disruption and Card Drawing. Consider 
those two concepts the next time you build a deck...you won't be disappointed.  




Keith Williams
Contributing Writer to The PokeGym AND The Pojo
Believer in 'Quad Bill Strategy'