Sabrina's Kadabra/Alakazam [BASE-GYM]

Like many of my aging fossilized constituents finding ways to enjoy our GYM cards; we've created a Gym Leader Gauntlet format. Anyone that has attempted to play Base-GYM in a competitive setting can tell you that it's absolutely miserable. Often leading to non-interactive game play states.

In this format (GLG), each player selects a Gym Leader from either Gym Heroes or Gym Challenge and must use their respective Pokemon. Additional cards from Base-Rocket are allowed, including WotC Promo Cards #1-24;

Like many of my aging fossilized constituents finding ways to enjoy our GYM cards; we've created a Gym Leader Gauntlet format. Anyone that has attempted to play Base-GYM in a competitive setting can tell you that it's absolutely miserable. Often leading to non-interactive game play states.

In this format (GLG), each player selects a Gym Leader from either Gym Heroes or Gym Challenge and must use their respective Pokemon. Additional cards from Base-Rocket are allowed, including WotC Promo Cards #1-24; but there are some limitations.

- Players may not mix other Gym Leader/Rocket/Dark Pokemon, other than their chosen Gym Leader.

- At least 2/3 (Rounded Up) of your Pokemon line-up must be of the chosen Gym Leader.

- Players are allowed to use supporting Pokemon from Base-Rocket, however, it may not exceed 1/3 of the total Pokemon.

- _____'s Pikachu can be abusable (you can write any name in it), but that's entirely up to your playgroup to allow it.

- Each deck must consist of and only (1) copy of their Gym Leader and (1) copy of their respective Gym.

ADDITIONAL NOTES FOR GLG:

The biggest issue we've faced during our tournaments is when someone uses the Wigglytuff/Clefable line from Jungle to splash in as support. Even without full support, these splashes still created unfair game states. In addition, some players did attempt to use a variation of Trap decks (Rocket's Trap), but we've banned that card going forward.

We have discussed to ban all Pokemon from Base-Rocket (including Promos); which would allow the meta to focus solely on Gym Leader's Pokemon.

SABRINA DECK NOTES:

The LV.12 Sabrina's Abra was chosen due to it's free retreat cost. While Erika's Jigglypuff can easily score an easy KO, you're still losing that fight anyway with the other Abras; not to mention Plus Power.

You can focus either on Kadabra's Life Drain or go for a Toolboxwith Alakazam's Pokemon Power. With your opponent's Pokemon highly damaged, you can pick them off with Poison from Venonat or pop them with Mr. Mime. The chosen support Pokemon enhances the deck further. Jugle Mr. Mime can stall or go for easy KOs. Movie Promo Mewtwo is great as a starter and it's Energy Absorption greatly helps Alakazam in the mid to late game. Mew is just an auto 1-of in any deck that can support it, especially in a format that focuses on evolutions.

Cards that didn't make the cut:

- Rocket's Mewtwo: Even if we allowed it, Rocket's Mewtwo is at best a bench warmer. It's a terrible starting card, unlike the Movie Promo. In the late game, it doesn't fare well either, requiring a lot of resources in an Energy Removal environment. Any time someone speaks "highly" of this card (content creators), it turns out they play against decks without Energy Removal/Super Energy Removal. Go figure. My personal experience with the card comes down to sheer blind luck through coin flipping, in a deck already heavily reliant on coin flipping.

- Nintendo Power Mewtwo: 60HP hurts with 2 retreat. Building 3 energy is a big ask, but when it works, it works. Energy Removal just hurts it. A good "fun-of" but not a "1-of".

- Fossil Gastly: It's not a bad card, the deck just lacks space, even as a 1-of.