Today in the news:
ï Prop15: Hackman's opinion
ï Get your Sabrina's Abras! They're out!

Slow week? Kinda... I have more info for tomorrow now that my essay's out of the way, but for now, here are a few tidbits.

Hackman's opinion on... PROP15!

You know it, you hate it. Or... do you?

Last Friday night, me (Hackman), Nick15, MegaX, Ech, Pure, and Dunestar all hung out in an AIM chat, testing our... Prop15-legal decks. And let me say this: The hardest part is converting the deck.

All in all, my deck got (as far as I could tell) 2nd out of the six of us, only unmatched by Ech. The main problem with Prop15 is that people are resistant to change. But now that I look at it after experiencing it, remember that the trainer limit applys equally to your opponent too.

With Prop15, emphasis is replaced back onto Pokémon and Energy, rather than Trainers. But that still means that you will need to fill your trainer slots wisely, to supplement what your pokémon can do. Wigglys hurt from this somewhat, Hays too, and the upcoming Trapper won't have a very big foothold with this format.

Snorlax Attacks! (Prop15 edition)

4 Snorlax
2 Drowzee TR
3 Gastly
1 Haunter
2 Chansey
2 Lickitung
2 Mewtwo MP

3 Scoop Up
3 Computer Search
3 Professor Oak
2 Item Finder
2 Gust of Wind
2 Nightly Garbage Run

4 Double Colorless Energy
3 Full Heal Energy
the rest Psychic Energy (too lazy to count. =P)

I had to decide what to sacrifice, as in trainers. Originally, I was playing 4 scoops and searches, 2 oaks, 2 energy flows, and most importantly, 3 SER. I put more emphasis into card drawing, while reducing my search capacity, and used Item Finder to recycle trainers I needed. I also decided to scrap SER, for who would sacrifice 2 trainer slots just for No Removal Gyms?

Well, that's my opinion. What's yours?

Sabrina's Abra... available NOW!

I just got it in my October 2000 issue of Nintendo Power. You'll get it soon, if you're a suscriber. Also in this issue, Majora's Mask is featured, but also... a GOLD AND SILVER STRATEGY GUIDE!

I'm getting Silver... I hear the pics are more 'action-packed' and I want a level 40 Lugia...

Today in the news:
ï Gym: Challenge Preconstructed Deck List!!! 

Oh well... been sort of a slow week in Poké-News... I'll try to get some new news for Sundays info. (I'd do it now but I have a head ache.)

Gym: Challenge Preconstructed Deck List!!!

(Thanks to The PokéGym forums for this tidbit.)

Uhm... this is self-explanitory.

Today in the news:
ï Another Promo... Sabrina's Abra is Promo 19!
ï Release date for Neo 3!
ï Gym: Challenge Pack Found!

Release date for Neo 3!

(Thanks to Raichu3861@aol.com, and The Echidna for forwarding it.)

According to Raichu3861@aol.com, the latest issue of TopDeck mentions Neo 3! And... the release for it is set for November 6, or close to it at least.

Another Promo... Sabrina's Abra is Promo 19!

We've got a really cool scan of promo 19, Sabrina's Abra! Credit for the scan goes to Blake!

Gym Challenge Pack!

(Thanks to The PokéGym forums for this tidbit.)

Seen at the STS, what was mistaken as regular packs of Gym Heroes was actually packs of Gym Challenge!! Take a look at Sabrina's Pack:

This picture came from the PokéGym's photo gallery of the STS.

Nick15 told me that there were also Blaine, Giovanni, and Koga packs. He also said that his friend took pictures of them, and he's waiting for them to be developed or something.

...

And that's a wrap for today's big news.

Today in the news:
ï WotC Rep Says All On Prop15

WotC Rep Says All On Prop15

(Thanks to The PokéGym forums for this tidbit.)

Back on last Thursday, Master Trainers Mike and Pat gave a really good speach on Prop15 and how it is very necessary in the DCI sanctioned Pokémon tournaments. Here's what they said:

We have also been receiving lots of email and calls about the various tournament formats that are being tested and considered. The 15 trainer limit is probably the one that you have heard the most about. There seems to be lots of confusion about this and the other formats being tested so I wanted to give a brief explanation.

As we have said before, the Pokemon TCG was never intended to be a truly competitive game. It was made to be socially competitive (meaning friendly fun). The tournaments that are held in Japan are few and infrequent with an emphasis on fun for all. Here in North America we play our games a bit differently. Its all about winning in our tournament scene and so we tend to play harder, quicker, and much more cutthroat than the game was designed to be played. With that in mind, it has become obvious that out of the 500+ cards that have been released so far, roughly 20-30 of them are ever used in the must-win tournament scene. This is a sign of a broken game. There have been many discussions about the dominating Archetypes in Pokemon, mainly being Wiggly decks, Haymaker variants, the new Trapper deck, with some other deck types being occasionally played (Raindance, Stall, Sponge, etc.). In the West Coast STS (the first main competitive event we have held) almost 90% of the decks play were almost identical. This is clearly a sign of an out of balance tournament environment. 

Since we do [not] own the card game, bannings and restrictions are not really an allowable option. Nor is changing the rules of the game (like only allowing 2 trainers played per turn). That leaves us with constructed tournament formats to try out. We have been playtesting various formats here in the offices and also reading all of the results that you have sent in to us. Whatever format we come up with (if any) might NOT be a final answer in an ever changing and growing competitive environment. Keep in mind that we are looking at the overall longevity of the game and the competitive scene which is remarkedly different than the Japanese market, which the game was originally designed for. Sort of fitting a square peg in a round hole.

The reasoning behind these proposals is to promote diversity in the competitive environment. To help players try other sorts of decks and have even a slight chance of competing with these decks. Trainer profusion, BBP's, the relative slow speed of evolution decks, the rapid spreading of any new deck tech through the internet and popular fan sites are all issues we are aware of and are discussing with Creatures for our different market than that of Japan. We are also talking with them about becoming more involved in the creation and playtesting of Pokemon and possibly even helping to design additional cards (like Dark Raichu) that may help to bring balance to a "fun" game that we in North America play so hard with.

Please feel free to keep sending in your opinions and thoughts on the future of Pokemon, we do read them, and listen on the phone. Understand though, that no matter how strongly you may feel about a particular aspect, there will be lots of others who feel the exact opposite :) Such is the spark that a democracy gives us :)

And the people cried: "Amen!" After the speach, there was some quick question asking about Prop15.
 
 

Q. On a poll at Pojos the question is Do you want Prop15/Prop2T to pass? Many many people (I haven't checked recently, though) do not want it to pass. What do you think of this?

MT Mike: "Look at the announcements for our thoughts on this. Most every email that has been against any changes has not given any other suggestions. Everyone is allowed their own opinion but the game is broken my friends. At least in the competitive environment. If you have other ideas, feel free to send them in."

MT Pat: "It does concern us, but it seems to me that many people react that way just because they fear change and do not want to use their experience to guide them through making and experimenting with new deck types."
 
 

Q. What is the main intention of Prop15? To weaken Hay and Wiggly and Trap, or to even the playing field, or all of those?

MT Pat: "To encourage diversity in the tournament scene...to prevent the game from getting stale."

Well, although the official announcement about what format the East STS will be in is still a month away, we can all guess that the East STS will MOST LIKELY be in the Prop15 format.

...

Do you have any comments on all this? Then go to the PA! Forums and discuss it with us!

Today in the news:
ï Scans of the 9 Pikachu Promo Set

Scans of the 9 Pikachu Promo Set

(Thanks to The PokéGym forums for this tidbit.)

Dig it! I've got scans of the 9 Pikachu promo thing right here:

The Card Set Cover
The Actual Pikachu Cards

Today in the news:
ï Pokémon Comic Strip to Debut September 10!
ï Golden Books has an Instant-Win contest
ï Gym: Challenge Advert
ï Pokémon Puzzle League N64 Box
ï JAPANESE MOVIE TEASER!! (Pokémon 2001)
ï BIRTHDAY PIKACHU TO BE RELEASED IN ENGLISH! (NO LIE!)

Today's news is all in the form of... press releases. So I'm just editing them in brackets. And Nick's right. Why the heck did they NOT give Jigglypuff Promos at the West STS Quals? All we got were... prerelease dark gyaradoses...

Pokémon Comic Strip to Debut September 10!
[wait a minute... that was yesterday!]

SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 7 /PRNewswire/ -- Viz Communications announced the launch of the new Pokemon comic strip. The daily strip, which includes a Sunday color version, is being created by Ashura Benimaru, executive director at Creatures, one of the original creators of Pokemon, and Gerard Jones, a comic book writer known for his work on such titles as Dragon Ball Z, Spider-Man and Batman. Pokemon is available in newspapers nationwide. Preceding the debut of new Pokemon games, the launch of the Pokemon Live stage show, and new episodes of the #1 kids' TV series, the comic strip follows the familiar adventures of Ash, Misty, Pikachu and their friends at home and on the road, questing to become Pokemon trainers. The strip, however, features more comical overtones than the animated series or games, with a wry sense of humor that appeals to adults and kids alike.

GOLDEN BOOKS FAMILY ENTERTAINMENT KICKS OFF MAJOR PROMOTION
FEATURING THE WORLD'S MOST POPULAR CHILDREN'S PROPERTY POKEMON
[whew... why can't they have shorter titles?]

Golden Books will offer an instant-win campaign, which will be tied into the release of new Pokemon 3-D Trivia Challenge mini books (the series consists of 12 books). Peel off the instant win game piece from inside each Pokemon 3-D Trivia Challenge book for your chance to win one of 111 Pokemon prizes (including 10 Nintendo video game systems, 50 Pokemon Gold and 50 Silver game cartridges)...the grand prize is an all-expense paid trip for a family of four to Japan! The books carry a SRP of $3.99 and the promotion runs from October 2000 through December 31, 2001. Pokemon is one of the hottest children's franchises to hit the market in the past five years,said Rich Maryyanek, Senior Vice President, Marketing, Golden Books Family Entertainment. We anticipate that the popularity of this property, coupled with a promotional opportunity of this magnitude will create a retail frenzy for the Pokemon 3-D Trivia Challenge mini-books.

Gym: Challenge Advert

Well, straight from some magazine and The PuffCenter, we get our first glimpse of ooh.... the Gym: Challenge advertisement!

The Gym: Challenge advert.

Pokémon Puzzle League N64 Box

Well, while the Pojo is suffering a bad linkage with this bit of news or something, The PuffCenter here has given us a scan of what the Pokémon Puzzle League box will look like:

JAPANESE MOVIE TEASER!! (Pokémon 2001)

I think that this one just sells itself. What a PA! Exclusive! AND IT'S NOT A FAKE!

Click here to view the Movie promo!!

BIRTHDAY PIKACHU TO BE RELEASED IN ENGLISH! (NO LIE!)

Great Googally-Moogally! Never in the history of PA! has there ever been this much AMAZING news!

Anyway, it has been confirmed that WotC WILL BE RELEASING A HOLOGRAPHIC VERSION OF THE EVER-SO-FAMOUS BIRTHDAY PIKACHU! WOW! Now before I get to when, let me explain a few things first.

Currently, WotC is releasing in Sydney, Australia a "Pikachu World Collection Set", which is a sealed set of 9 Pikachu cards found all over the world (not including Japanese). Here's the list:

http://www.wizards.com/pokemon/worldpikachu.asp

Now in that list is "Birthday Pikachu" in English. WOW!

And not only will BP be released in that set, WotC will be (apparently) releasing it as a website exclusive on November 2000, and then as a Pokémon League "Year 2" promo on January 2001. A-mazing! Even cooler, the promo number for the card will be #24.

ALONG side with Birthday Pikachu, WotC will be releasing other Pikachu promos. The info is on the link above, but here's a graph for the lazy.

Today in the news:
ï STS Format Announcement
ï Promo Jigglypuff Stuff!
ï "Year 2" Pokémon League Date Set!

STS Format Announcement

(Master Trainer Mike from WotC and The PokéGymForums one again give us this info.)

Word has it that WotC's Master Trainer Mike will announce the East STS Format on October 9th... weither or not the East STS will follow the same format as the West STS or use the Prop15 format.

Now if you didn't know already, Prop15 is a tournament format (NOT a new rule) which limits the number of trainers in a deck to 15. This is useful because it lowers the power of Haymaker and Wigglytuff decks (thw two most dominant decks) to the point to open more and fair competition in the TCG tournaments.

So far there has been great controversy over what it'll do to the tournament scene, but so far it's been greeted with open arms. It has been playtested by hundreds of people, aside from WotC themselves, and it has shown than it might have a great chance of allowing more fair play in the game.

During the West STS, about 85% of the decks played there were either Haymaker of Wigglytuff. And this was because Hays and Wigglys win all the time. So if you built an original deck, there would be little to no chance that you would in.

Now having only two decks win all the time isn't very much fun, nor does it provide much fairness to the game. And it is WotC's and the DCI's best interest to make the Pokémon TCG fun and fair and best as they can.

I'm not asserting that Prop15 will work 100%, but it's much better than the current tournament format in providing a fair and fun environment.

Now in my honest opinion, I believe that the East STS should not be in the Prop15 format, just to show how onesided the current format is, and how we NEED to have Prop15 running things in Pokémon TCG tournaments.

Promo Jigglypuff Stuff!

Also said by MT Mike, the amazingly rare Promo Jigglypuff WILL be handed out at the East STS Qualifiers! WOW! [grumble] How come no promo cards were given out at MY qualifier. :(

"Year 2" Pokémon League Date Set!

Oooh! The second year of the Pokémon League will begin January 6th 2001, as said bt MT Mike in yesterday's WotC chat.

Today in the news:
ï Thunderstorm Deck List

Thunderstorm Deck List

(Wanderer from The PokéGym Forums, gives us info on what's in the mysterious Thunderstorm Box.)

Now before I get to the decklist, here's some accessories details.

ï The coin is a metal Pikachu coin. Yes, Em-Eee-Tea-Ay-El, Metal. Wheee!
ï Version 2 of the PlayIt! CD is said to have a greater game play function. You can now battle your computer with like 7 different decks!

Pokémon:
1 Electabuzz (Rare Card!!)
1 Lt. Surge's Voltorb
2 Magnemite
4 Pikachu (Jungle)
1 Raichu (Fossil, non-holo) (Rare Card!!)
1 Zapdos (Fossil, holo) (Rare Card!!)
1 Golduck
1 Misty's Poliwag
2 Psyduck (Fossil)
1 Psyduck (Team Rocket)
1 Doduo
1 Farfetch'd
1 Fearow
2 Spearow

Trainers:
2 Bill
1 Defender
2 Energy Retrieval
2 Energy Search
1 Misty's Wrath
1 Pokeball
1 Potion
1 Professor Oak
1 Super Potion

Energy:
16 Electric Energy
8 Water Energy
2 Double Colorless Energy
1 Full Heal Energy
1 Potion Energy

Today in the news:
ï Hey! New News on the Vending Machine Set!!

Hey! New News on the Vending Machine Set!!

(The PokéGym, a PA! friendly site says this.)

Check it out! In the next issue of TopDeck (issue #11), there is some amazing "Vending Machine" edition rumors.

If you didn't know already, the original Japanese Vending Machine set had a number of cards drawn by people who won a art contest. That's why a number of cards were seen to be "crapily" drawn.

Anyway, word has it that WotC is planning to release the set in the US, and Nintendo/WotC is also planning to have a similar art constest held in the US!!

Quote from TopDeck #11:
"You may have heard of Pokémon TCG cards in Japan called "vending machine" cards. These were cards that Japanese players collected by getting them out of machines--kind of like soda or candy machines. These cards were very popular, and some of the fan favorites had a different twist: the art on three of the cards was drawn by Japanese children who won various contests! Currently, the vending machine cards are on hold for a U.S. release, but American players and collectors may still have a chance to be part of a Pokémon trading card game phenomenon. Wizards of the Coast plans to run a drawing contest to get Poké fan artwork on some of the cards for this set's eventual release. So you might want to start brushing up your best Pikachu sketches now! Look to TopDeck for more information on the vending machine cards as it becomes available."

Toodles!

Today in the news:
ï Return of the Giant Mutant Pokémon!

Hehe, thanks Nick for taking over for the while! Yes, I've been busy... BTW, I've archived last month's news.

Return of the Giant Mutant Pokémon!

(AngurisNeo brings this in.)

Remember the Charmanders? Turns out there are more... Charizard, Blastoise, Eevee, Bulbasaur, Squirtle, Mewtwo, Togepi, Snorlax, and of course, Charmander.
 

Today in the news:
ï Oooh! KidsWB! runs episodes backwards! [rant]
ï Pokémon G/S 2000 Tour Schedule
ï Gym: Challenge Card List??

Oooh! KidsWB! runs episodes backwards! [rant]

[sarcastic] Oh no! KidsWB is running episodes backwards than in proper order! I'm scared! [gasp]

But seriously, ask me if I care!

All these other websites (like that Mr. Mime guy at Bulbagarden.com) are going nuts because KidsWB! is running episodes in a backwards order than in it's proper order. Who cares?! The fact of the matter is, THEY'RE OUT, and THEY'RE NEW. Who cares if they're not in the same order. Little kids don't, so why should you?

There's no doubt in my mind that KidsWB! did this for a reason. ALL business decisions are more or less done for one reason or another. Now I can't explain to WHY they did it, but I do know that KidsWB! has their reasons, and it's just not that they're smoking crack or something.

Besides, I don't think anyone has the right to accuse any company of doing bad business. Why? Because they know more about how to run a business PROPERLY than you (or me for that matter). In fact, KidsWB! (in Nintendo and Wizards of the Coast) ALL have people WHO GRADUATED OUT OF COLLEGE MAJORING IN BUSINESS. And what form of business education do any of us have? NONE! Heck, about 95% of all the people reading this aren't even at a college age (or even at a high school age).

So in light of this fact, I think everyone should just SHUT UP about KidsWB! switching episodes and just go back to enjoying Pokémon stuff.

Pokémon G/S 2000 Tour Schedule:

Well if you didn't know already, Nintendo is going to hold another one of their keen tours. This time it'll be showcasing all the new Gold and Silver Pokémon in Pokémon Gold and Silver (yes, that makes sense).

If you want to see when the next stop will be near your local prefecture, consult this handy guide.

http://www.pokemon.com/events/falltour2000.html

Yeah yeah, blah blah blah, other sites have this. I don't really care if they do though.

Gym: Challenge Card List??:

(Thanks to the PA! Friendly site, the PokéGym for the info [even if it's a tad bit old])

What's this? A Gym: Challenge card list?? This early???

Tis true. Sort of. PA! has gotten their hands on the card list for the next set of Pokémon TCG cards. Right now it's in the rumor stage.... however it seems VERY realistic. We can only hope.

Click here to view the card list.

Today in the news:
ï Pokémon Crystal News
ï Thunderstorm TCG Gift Box??

Pokémon Crystal News:

Well considering that Hack is probably very busy with school and birthdays and whatnot, I thought I'd update today's news. All I have to show you is Pokémon Crystal info from PA!'s Affiliate, Pokémon Forever (THANKS!). But considering that very little of the big sites have it, I'd thought I'd share it with you and beat everyone to the punch! Well... not everyone, I mean PF had it before me.. :P

Wheee! Let's see what we've got:

First off, you've got your title here. Wheee! It's all blue and crystally. :P

Next we've got what seems like TWO playable characters. We all know the boy (he's not Ash but Hiroki, I think). But the girl is all new, but doesn't have a known name yet. Let's just call her Kristine. :D

Here we have a simple cartoon idea of what the deal is with the cell phone. It's quite simple.... The yellow Game Boy is inserting the Pokémon Crystal game cartridge into it's game thing slot, and also attaching what seems to be a blue MODEM into it's plug dohicky. Then we've got the cell phone (or I'm guessing any phone) plugging into the blue modem. Now why do thing? Well, this is so that you can battle your friends without even being there! You phone them up, say "I'm too lazy to walk over to your house, so let's play over the phone!" and then you start battling! Wow!

Now as for the game itself, nothing new storyline wise has been added. As far as I know, it's the same a Pokémon Gold & Silver.  However, aside from "Kristine", a new feature is being added into Crystal. And it's.... battle animations! Yes! Pokémon will move and flare up when you battle them. A-mazing!

So what are the details about the physical plastic game?  The game will cost ¥3800, which is about oh... $35.61 in the all powerful US Dollar. Pokémon Crystal is set to be released on December 14th, 2000. Why that's a Thursday! The cartridge will be only for Game Boy Color, will have Pocket Printer, Link Cable, infrared Link, and 64GB compatibility. It will also include a attachable back-up feature.... whatever that is. Hmmm... The box will also include the modem thing to that you can hook up your phone to in order to play over the phone. Wow! I can't wait for it to come out in English! Kind of makes Pokémon Gold and Silver seem insignificant. :P

Thunderstorm TCG Gift Box??

(Thanks to Mr French Fry at the PA! Forums for this hot tip.)

A new TCG product is avalible for pre-order at Wizards of the Coast's Online Store. It's a new "Starter"-style Gift Box called Thunderstorm.

What it is is merely a plain ol' gift box for people who want to start playing the TCG. What's inside is:

• Three 11-card booster packs (1 Fossil, 1 Rocket, and 1 Gym: Heroes pack)
• One all new, 60-card theme deck with a holo rare (The Thunderstorm Preconstructed deck, possibly has a BS2 or Fossil Zapdos)
• Learn to Play! CD-ROM Version 2 (HOPEFULLY MacOS compatible. That was their first mistake in the first CD version.)
• A collectible metal Pokémon game coin (maybe Zapdos)
• A unique playmat
• A cloth card deck bag
• A rulebook
• A card list
• 12 paper damage counters
• A deck tuning tip sheet

OK, I'm done newsing for the day. Sna.