Dragon's Exalted is Crown Status

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The trainer has used a revive! TCG Articles are back!

Hey Everybody! I know I’ve been MIA for a while and to be honest it’s because there is a lull in the TCG right now. We’re waiting for the Pokemon World Tournament to happen and since I’m not at Worlds, this year, I don’t really have much input to provide. BUT new horizons have started to arise and it is prerelease time for Dragons Exalted, the next set. Big picture excitement, we’re getting a new type which hasn’t happened since Neo Genesis. The new type is the forever favored Dragon type.

If you attend a prerelease you’ll pick up the prerelease promo card, which is Altaria, a super strong support pokemon for dragon types. Other dragons in the set include 2 different Garchomp, Rayquaza EX, Giratina EX and two different Hydreigon. Dragon pokemon have been dominating Japan’s tournaments so if you open these I think they’re worth hanging onto at least until the first battle roads.

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PKMN of the Week: Golduck

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PKMN of the Week is feeling a little under the weather right now (probably because of all the little gals and bros at Pokémon League) so we're going to keep it short.  I'll have to call on a Pokémon with Cloud Nine ability to negate all weather effects.

Earlier today a chill bro asked me for some advice on communicating with the ladies.  Of course, this is like asking a peanut farmer for advice on raising cane but I did the best I could.  From my perspective, chicks are like chill bros except they have like, emotions and stuff.  This puts me in mind of super Pokémon Golduck.

 

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Travis' RU Spectacular, Round 1

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Here's your round 1 matchups for my RU tournament. Make sure your teams are ready on Showdown so that we can get to round two soon. If any of you have rule questions about your matches, I can make an excecutive decision if you tweet the situation to me @TheTravisW . If I find that the winner broke some rule or another (Using a non-RU Pokémon, for example,) we'll do a rematch.

You'll notice that there are a few PKMNcastmembers among the roster. Two of them, specifically, Kidd (@KiddStarck) and Will (@WashInTheSink.) Because there's an awkward number of people in this tourney (14, which means that next round there will be an odd number of matches,) if you lose to either Kidd or Will, both participants in the match will carry on, and you will face whoever played the other PKMNcastmember. That way there will be 8 players (four matches) for round 2. If both PKMNcastmembers are defeated Round 1 (seriously, Kidd. I thought I taught you better than that.) then both winners advance I'll just have to give someone a round two bye based on a roll of the dice. 

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AOTW: Anger Point

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Abiliteers, I’m back after my unscheduled hiatus with another helping of passive pokémon powers! Before we get into it, friends, I feel I owe you something of an explanation for my absence. Apart from my usual full plate of work on The Redeemers, my day job, and so on, my social life has recently taken an upswing, which unfortunately has distracted me from my editorial duties, and I apologize for it. This particular upswing also came on the heels of an underwhelming response to my 100th Ability Rapid-Fire on Victory Star, Wonder Guard, and Swarm, and I’ll admit that I was a little put out by it. It’s not necessarily a good reason to skip a few weeks, but there it is. I guess every just has their breaking point, and that’s also what we’ll be discussing for today’s selection. Ladies, gentlemen, let’s get back to it. This is Ability of the Week: Anger Point!
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PKMN of the Week: Hitmontop

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Looks like we're walking in on a battle that has just gotten underway.  On the field:  Hitmontop versus Cresselia.


Looks like Cresselia has her EVs in Speed and is getting the opportunity to go first.  She goes in for the quick knock out with Psychic.

It does not affect Hitmontop.

Hitmontop retaliates with Dark Pulse and Cresselia faints.  It's super effective!

The opponent next sends out Tornadus.  He's sure to get a KO on Hitmontop!

Tornadus keeps it safe with some Aerial Ace.  He lands a smack on our friend Hitmontop.

Wegga-wegga-wegga-wegga-wit

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Battle Video: Epic RU Match

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Hey, folks. It's Travis. What I have for you today is a downright epic RU match I had on Pokemon Showdown. I don't personally know the opponent, but he said it would be alright if I recorded the replay. I just had to after how close of a match this was.

Also, since I recorded the replay instead of the battle as it was happening, my commentary had to be super quick. So give me a break if I say something incorrectly. (Also, make sure to message me on Twitter (@TheTravisW) if you're interested in my RU tournament!)

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PKMN of the Week: Volcarona

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Can you think back to the days when you first emerged from the Day Care Center?  The old man and woman who run the place, they were certainly surprised to find an egg when your trainer had left two Pokémon to be raised there.  Then again, we all suspect the old couple may be a bit senile - they are always surprised when they find an egg, even after they have found hundreds of eggs.  Oh well, they mean no harm.

Your trainer added you to his or her party.  There you were, an egg amongst Pokéballs, wiggling up and down and bopping with every step your trainer took.  How long before you hatched?  How many steps would be necessary?

Were you cold and alone in those days or were you gently warmed; warmed by the presence of another Pokémon in your party?  Did that warmth encourage your growth?  Did it gently coax you from your shell home?

My fellow Pokémon, I mean trainers, I will tell you - every egg that I hatch gets hatched in half the time.  Why?  Because of the loving warmth of my Volcarona, David Hugs.

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Rare Announcement: Travis' RU Spectacular!

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There's been a specific tier of competitive play that has taken my free time by storm. That tier is the Rarely Used (RU) tier. Inside RU are a bunch of the Pokémon that I enjoy but aren't quite "good" enough to be played in normal competitive outlets. 

Because of this, I decided that I wanted to host an RU tournament. And you're all invited! Here's how you get in on it:

1. Send me (@thetravisw) a message on twitter saying that you are interested. I'll reply to confirm your spot. Registration ends July 27th. Don't have a twitter account? Get into the 21st century and make one.

2. Make an RU (single battle) team on Pokemon Showdown (www.pokemonshowdown.com.) I know some of you aren't big fans of battle simulators, but there are a few reasons why I'm doing it this way. First, it's easier to record your matches so that I can post the final matches on the site. Second, I want this tournament to happen soon, and I don't want to have people not participate because they don't have time to make a team on the cartridge. To figure out what Pokemon are allowed in RU, see http://www.smogon.com/bw/tiers/ru as well as http://www.smogon.com/bw/banlist/. It's not my fault if you hate Smogon.

3. Check pkmncast.com on the 28th, as I'll have made a bracket for you all to check to see who your opponent is. You'll receive more instructions as to what to do when you win/lose and rules for battling.

4. Have fun!

Time for all of you to start bucking up on your RU strategy! Tangrowth FTW!