Do you remember when nobody knew what you were talking about when
you asked them to play pokemon?  Now, not only does everyone know the
rules, but they also know the best way to play.  I have listened to
countless discussions of why someone's particular version of haymaker
was unbeatable, or which card constituted "super secret tech" in turbo
rain dance.  The kid across the street may lecture you at length about
the value of Gyrados, while your best friend at school tells you to go
with Seel.  Who should you believe?  Who is qualified to give good
advice?
    The short answer is to only listen to people who have won many many
tournaments.  But, there's something wrong with that.  You want to be
the best Pokemon Trainer, not just a carbon copy of a pretty good
Pokemon Trainer.   Also, if you only listen to a select few people,
you'll hear the same ideas over and over again.  Yes, stall decks are
good decks, but they're not the only decks.
    If it is bad to listen to too few people, it is equally bad to
listen to too many.  Different people play differently.  It may be in
one person's agenda to play with all the pokemon whose names begin with
the letter A.  This is most likely not going to be a tournament caliber
deck.  There are people who think trainers suck.  You probably shouldn't
heed that as gospel truth either.
    So, how do you know if advice is good or bad?  First, you should run
it through a common sense check.  Does this idea make sense?  If the
deck's main strategy is to put fire energy on Blastoise, it's probably
not for you.  If the advice passes that, next you should think about it
in terms of your own playing style.  If you like playing with many
trainers, and someone advises a new way to play with an old trainer, pay
attention.  It might fit well in your deck or in your style.  If you
dislike using pokemon powers, and someone tells you that Aerodactyl is
crucial in your deck, maybe you shouldn't listen.  If a piece of advice
seems to make sense, and fits your playing style, your next step is rate
the pros and cons of implementing this course of action verses keeping
things the same.  Think long and hard about this one, because often
times it is very tempting to try something new, even if it may not be as
effective as doing things the way you have always done them.
    In closing, I'd like to offer you a piece of advice for you to
evaluate on your own.

    Don't listen to top players just because they're top players, and
don't play top decks just because they're top decks.

rishkie
bishopdarkseid@aol.com