Here our my Card Tips.

Hmm…Muk, normally only used to combat the horribly evil Mewadactyl or Aeromew
decks, is about to get 20x better. With the release of the new Team Rocket
Set, current archetypes are going to change, new ones will be built, and old
ones will be devastated.
    Many, many Pokemon in the new Team Rocket set have Pokemon Powers… 13 of
them. Muk stops Pokemon Powers. While you may be thinking, "Wow, big deal,
he's stopping some Pokemon Powers," listen in and see what some of these can
do. At the end, I'll show the new decklist for the Pokemon Weaknesses, a deck
destroying Pokemon Powers.
    Remember when everybody was getting' Wiggly with it? Fun deck to play,
but always seemed a little weak to me. Now, a fully colorless Wiggly deck is
likely to emerge, and Team Rocket is why. Look at Dark Dragonite. Its Pokemon
Power, Summon Minions, lets you go and get two basic Pokemon. There's an
extra 20 damage for Wiggly. Then you might agree, but say, "But then you
still have to get Wiggly and Dark Dragonite!" That's when I bring in Dark
Dragonair. Its Pokemon Power, Evolutionary Light, lets you look through your
deck for an evolution card every turn. Pulling out Dark Dragonair won't be
very hard, just use one of many search cards. Once you get a Dark Dragonair
or two, things can get nasty. Your final comment will be, "What if they're in
your prizes?"
    Since this is a colorless deck, there's another little trick to be
played. Rattata lv. 12 from Team Rocket has another Pokemon Power, Trickery.
This lets you switch one of your prizes with the top card of your deck.
There's a trainer card called Here Comes Team Rocket! which makes everyone
play with their prizes face up. There, now you can get your Pokemon from the
prize pile.
So, the decklist here looks like:
DRAGONITE GETS WIGGLY WITH IT DECK
4x Jigglypuff (Jungle) Needed for Wiggly
4x Wigglytuff (Jungle, Base set 2) The main beatdown
2x Dratini (Base Set) For quick 10 damage pound
2x Dratini (Team Rocket) Wrap might paralyze
3x Dark Dragonair (Team Rocket) Look for Dark Dragonite
3x Dark Dragonite (Team Rocket) Get out basics on your bench for Wiggly
3x Scyther (Jungle, Base Set 2) It's good. It works in colorless.
Wiggly-Helper
2x Rattata (Team Rocket) Get stuff from your prizes
4x Bill (Base set) Draw cards, get Pokemon. Nice Idea, huh?
3x Here Comes Team Rocket! (Team Rocket) Use with Rattata, get cards.
2x Challenge! (Team Rocket) Play a Bill, or get basics. Either way…
2x Computer Search (Base Set) Look for cards, again.
4x Double Colorless (Base Set) It's a no-brainer
4x Full Heal Energy (Team Rocket) It's all colorless
4x Potion Energy (Team Rocket) Once again, it's all colorless
14x Grass Energy (Base Set) You've got Scyther, you need more energy

Now, this deck looks very lethal. In fact, I probably plan on playing it in
my next tournament…but that's not the point.
    The next deck archetype gaining some new abilities is Rain Dance. Rain
Dance relies on Blastoise's Pokemon Power, aptly named Rain Dance. Normally,
damage is dealt with Gyarados or Blastoise himself. Now, with Team Rocket,
there's some new damage dealers. Is the Hydropump ability not strong enough
for you? 5 energy for only 60 damage? How about 70 damage for only 4 energy?
Not a bad deal. Dark Blastoise can do this. Unfortunately, he's got two
problems. 1. He also evolves from Squirtle. 2. He's only got 70 hp. What to
do? Keep him, but use only one of him.
    The next card helping out Rain Dance is the new Team Rocket Magikarp.
Magikarp!? Yes, Magikarp. Its ability, Rapid Evolution, lets you get Gyarados
much more easily. It may cost three water energy, but it lets you instantly
get Gyarados. Or Dark Gyarados. Its Pokemon Power, Final Beam, helps you take
down the opponent's Pokemon with Dark Gyarados. It deals twenty damage per
water energy attached when it's knocked out, but only if you flip heads.
Still, it's decent and Dark Gyarados still has the original Ice Beam ability,
dealing thirty damage and possibly paralyzing.  Some variant Rain Dance decks
might run Dark Gyarados, but it probably won't see much main-deck usage.
So, here is the new Rain Dance, after Team Rocket.
RAIN DANCE DECK
4x Squirtle (Base set or Team Rocket) It's not too important, he's here for
Blastoise.
3x Blastoise (Base set) Rain Dance. Rain Dance deck…
1x Dark Blastoise (Team Rocket) Deals damage, deals damage well
3x Magikarp (Team Rocket) Rapidly evolve into Gyarados
3x Gyarados (Base Set) If you can draw Magikarp, you've got this.
3x Lapras (Fossil) Easy, quick, basic Pokemon. Water Gun is good in Rain
Dance.
3x Articuno (Fossil) Deals damage, but for an energy cost. Big deal, Dance
energy.
3x Computer Search (Base set) Get your Blastoise, quick.
4x Pokemon Breeder (Base Set) Evolve your Squirtle, quick.
2x Item Finder (Base Set) Find it funny, using Devolution Beam. Ha-ha.
4x Professor Oak (Base Set) Need water energy, need it fast.
4x Bill (Base set) Still need that energy
23x Water Energy (Base Set) Rain Dance.

    Becomes a bit more powerful than the current Rain Dance decks. It can be
absolutely lethal, but still beatable. Sometimes.
    Any other archetypes getting stronger? Not significantly. Damage Swap
might put a couple of copies of Imposter Professor Oak's Revenge, but it's
not as powerful as the original Imposter. It's up to you.
    However, new decks are going to show up, definitely. One of the new ones
will develop from the arguably best card in the set, Dark Vileplume. Its
Pokemon Power, Hay Fever, will stop everyone from playing Trainer Cards. This
could hurt Rain Dance decks, very badly. It could hurt very many decks. Start
getting ready to build a deck against Dark Vileplume.
ALLERGY DECK
4x Oddish (Team Rocket) It's got auto poison for one grass. Sweet.
3x Dark Gloom (Team Rocket) You need it for Dark Vileplume. That's about it.
2x Dark Vileplume (Team Rocket) The main man. Stops the trainers.
4x Grimer (Team Rocket) It deals some okay damage, on heads.
3x Dark Muk (Team Rocket) They can't switch with Dark Vileplume in play.
4x Scyther (Jungle) It's nice, it's grass. It works okay here.
4x Pinsir (Jungle) It's better than you think. Seriously.
2x Pokemon Trader (Base set) Use it, get Dark Vileplume, don't need it again.
2x Computer Search (Base set) You control if you play trainers…
4x Full Heal Energy (Team Rocket) Can't use trainers, next best thing
4x Potion Energy (Team Rocket) Same here
24x Grass Energy (Base set)

This deck is quite decent, and it could be used pretty well…it all depends on
what people play in your area.
    The next deck is a good one, too. It involves some older cards, and I've
had the idea for a while. However, now, it can be completely created.
ENERGY DENIAL DECK
4x Psyduck (Team Rocket) It's a little better than the Fossil one
3x Golduck (Fossil) Hyper Beam. Removes energy
4x Dratini (Team Rocket) It needs two colorless. You'll attach DC anyway
3x Dragonair (Base set) Hyper Beam. Removes energy
1x Eevee (Team Rocket) It provides variety.
2x Eevee (Jungle) Stall, then evolve
2x Dark Vaporeon (Team Rocket) Whirlpool. Removes energy.
3x Mewtwo (Movie Promo) Use to get energy back from SER.
4x Energy Removal (Base set) Hmm…it's an Energy Denial Deck.
3x Super Energy Removal (Base set) Gets rid of lots of energy
2x Mr. Fuji (Fossil) Get back your discarded energy
3x Bill (Base set) It's just that versatile
15x Water Energy
11x Psychic Energy

This deck works well against those stupid Charizard decks, especially now
that they've got Dark Charizard…and it works pretty well anyway. I love this
deck, it's my favorite. (Wiggly is second.)
    The last deck I see making a name for itself is Psychic Beatdown. Sounds
weird, but Psychic Beatdown. Not some wimpy stall deck, pure beatdown. Team
Rocket makes it possible.
PSYCHIC BEATDOWN (THE OXYMORON DECK)
4x Abra (Team Rocket) 10 more hp, another attack, and the original? Nice.
3x Dark Kadabra (Team Rocket) Draw cards, and get around Resistance
2x Dark Alakazam (Team Rocket) Good for hit-and-run, or same as Dark Kadabra
3x Drowzee (Team Rocket) It's just so much better than useless base set
2x Dark Hypno (Team Rocket) Absolutely kills the Wiggly deck. Beatdown extreme
3x Psyduck (Team Rocket) It's drawing you cards.
2x Dark Golduck (Team Rocket) Drawing even more cards. You can get it all.
2x Porygon (Team Rocket) It's finally gotten decent
2x The Boss's Way (Team Rocket) Get your dark, evil evolutions
3x Challenge! (Team Rocket) Careful, don't deck yourself
4x Rocket's Sneak Attack (Team Rocket) Disrupt your opponent, then laugh
3x Nightly Garbage Run (Team Rocket)
27x Psychic Energy (Base Set) You'll need it for Dark Golduck

This deck might actually surprise some people. Try playing it in a Damage
Swap-heavy area, and just start laughing as you take away the prize for the
tournament. It's also the only all Team Rocket deck I've listed. To make it
better, add in Jynx for Porygon and put in some of the Base Set trainers that
work well.
    Now, back to my original point. The Muk Deck, Pokemon Weaknesses, is
going to be dominant in many areas. Here is the decklisting.
POKEMON WEAKNESSES
4x Grimer (Team Rocket) It's needed for Muk, that's about it
3x Muk (Fossil) Stop Pokemon Powers dead in their tracks
3x Ekans (Team Rocket) Ekans is now semi-decent, thankfully
2x Dark Arbok (Team Rocket) Stare can stop a Pokemon Power for a turn
3x Eevee (Team Rocket) Works well enough
2x Dark Jolteon (Team Rocket) Rain Dance is gone, so is Blastoise…
3x Voltorb (Team Rocket) Base set version is as bad as Porygon
2x Electrode (Jungle) Ha, Rain Dance is completely dead now
3x The Boss's Way (Team Rocket) You need your Dark Muks and Dark Arboks
4x Bill (Base Set) Mass card drawing and cheap
4x Energy Removal (Base Set) Rain Dance no more, basically
15x Grass Energy (Base Set)
12x Electric Energy (Base set)

    The end of Rain Dance, and definitely the end of Aerodactyl/Mew decks.
This deck should play well against most others.

    The matchups, then, look like this.
DRAGONITE GETS WIGGLY WITH IT DECK-Good against: Damage Swap. Indifferent to:
Rain Dance, Energy Trans-Burn, Psychic Beatdown, Energy Denial. Weak Against:
Pokemon Weaknesses, Aerodactyl, Aeromew, Allergy.
RAIN DANCE DECK- Good against: Energy Trans-Burn, Energy Denial. Indifferent
to: Dragonite gets Wiggly with it, Psychic Beatdown, Aerodactyl. Weak
against: Pokemon Weaknesses, Aeromew, Allergy.
ALLERGY DECK- Good against: Rain Dance, Dragonite gets Wiggly with it,
Aerodactyl, Aeromew, Damage Swap, Energy Trans-Burn. Indifferent to: Psychic
Beatdown, Energy Denial. Weak Against: Pokemon Weaknesses.
ENERGY DENIAL DECK- Good Against: Energy Trans-Burn. Indifferent to: Psychic
Beatdown, Dragonite get Wiggly with it, Aerodactyl, Aeromew, Allergy, Pokemon
Weaknesses. Weak against: Rain Dance.
PSYCHIC BEATDOWN- Good against: Dragonite gets Wiggly with it, Pokemon
Weaknesses, Aeromew, Damage Swap. Indifferent to: Allergy Deck, Energy
Denial, Energy Trans-Burn, Aerodactyl, Rain Dance. Weak against: It's only
going to have problems with Mr. Mime, most of the time.
POKEMON WEAKNESSES- Good against: Dragonite gets Wiggly with it, Rain Dance,
Allergy, Energy Trans-Burn, Aerodactyl, Aeromew. Indifferent to: Energy
Denial. Weak against: Psychic Weaknesses.
    I hope these strategies help out everyone, especially in understanding
the new Team Rocket set. Email me at VirtualBPS@aol.com if you want to
comment.

-Really Bored Pokemon Guy

-Oh, by the way…this is really cool. Neo introduces Evil-type and Steel-type
cards to the Card game. Steel is weak against fire and RESISTANT TO GRASS!
Evil cards are RESISTANT TO PSYCHIC! Wow, that's cool.