Pokemon TCG Pocket players are ignoring a potentially amazing card, due to how its main use is tied to certain tournament formats.
In Pokemon Pocket, players are only allowed to create decks of 20 cards. This affects the usefulness of discard effects, which is why the game has so few milling effects. It’s also why drawing effects from cards like Poke Ball are so good, as the deck is so small that it’s easy to grab what you’re looking for.
One card that hasn’t seen much play is Red Card, which is an Item that forces the opponent to discard their current hand and draw a new hand of three. Users of the PCTGP Reddit have defended the card, due to how it can be useful in competitive events.
Red Card is useful when deck lists are known
In real-life Pokemon events, players have to provide a list of the Pokemon or cards they’re using. This is to ensure that everyone is playing by the rules, as certain Pokemon or cards can be banned or restricted depending on the ruleset.
Pokemon Pocket events that require public deck lists mean that it’s possible to guess what the player has in their hand, based on a 20 card deck and their opening hand play.
Red Card can be used to slow down decks like Celebi ex, which heavily rely on getting Serperior on the field, as well as Pidgeot ex decks, as they need to fully evolve the bird to use its effects.
Being able to shave down an opponent’s hand size is also extremely useful in instances where they have accumulated lots of cards. It can rob them of a Giovanni or Sabrina that they’re saving for a specific play.
The only issue with Red Card is that it can also potentially help the enemy. This is why it isn’t often used in random battles, as it’s impossible to tell whether the three-card draw has hurt the opponent or is about to let them pull off a huge combo.
Red Card has a lot of potential, especially when Supporter cards like Leaf or Sabrina can mess with your field. It’s just a case of knowing when to use it, especially in competitive battles.
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