Anticipation of what you may ask? Well, my fair reader, let me enlighten you.

For those of you that are unaware, Nintendo has remade the second generation Pokémon games. Originally titled Gold/Silver (and rapidly after, Crystal), these two new titles will be called HeartGold and SoulSilver. While I’m not entirely fond of the title choice, I am absolutely stoked for these titles to be released in America.

What day will that be?

MARCH 14th, 2010!

Now, these games have already seen release in Japan. Reception has been initially positive in Japan; the games sold over two million units in their first six weeks of sales. A Japanese gaming magazine known as Famitsu gave the games a combined score of 37/40 based on four individual ten-point reviews (9, 9, 10, and 9). Each reviewer praised the games for retaining the quality that drew them to the original Gold/Silver. This is high praise, considering Gold/Silver were perhaps the most innovative and well-received of the series. We can only hope America feels the same way.

These two games will retell the story of Johto. The player will start in New Bark Town, as he did in the original Gold/Silver games. However, while the story remains very similar, there are a lot of things that will be changing between the games. I have outlined many of those changes below:

First of all, the characters themselves will be changing. While the original “Gold” remains the male playable character, he has received an updated design. The female character will be known as Lyra.

All of the game’s music has been rearranged to better utilize the DS’s more sophisticated sound systems. (After all, the DS is a far cry away from the Game Boy Color we all grew up with and loved very dearly.) There will be a key obtainable item, however, that will allow the player to switch between the new, updated arrangements of the music and the original chiptune soundtrack. Ambient sound effects will also be much more prominent in these remastered games: players will be treated to the sounds of running water and rustling grasses among others. This should add an entirely new layer of texture and realism to the games.

Many of the Johto region Gyms have been redesigned. This provides new puzzles and challenges for those individuals who played the original Gold/Silver games. While the Leaders themselves remain unchanged, their teams have also been updated in some cases as well as their surroundings.

Perhaps the biggest change in gameplay is a new peripheral called the Pokewalker. This external pedometer-styled device comes packaged with every game. The Pokewalker is shaped like a Pokeball and can communicate with the DS game cartridge through infrared signals (the same technology used in some other current DS titles, such as Personal Trainer: Walking). A single Pokémon can be carried in the Pokewalker at a time. Walking with the Pokewalker will not only increase the Pokémon’s experience and improve its overall attitude toward its trainer, but also provides the player with Watts, a currency for the Pokewalker that can be used to purchase items and catch wild Pokémon.

Similar to what Pikachu did in Pokémon Yellow, all 493 Pokémon have the ability to walk behind the character sprite in-game. While size isn’t necessarily accurate in comparison with the player’s sprite, the player does have the ability to interact with the Pokémon following them by pressing A. When entering battle, the Pokémon following the player will appear from the side of the screen as opposed to from a Pokeball. (Which makes sense, as the Pokémon was obviously not in a Pokeball prior to the start of battle.) Choosing what Pokémon a player wants to follow them is as easy as putting said Pokemon in the lead party slot.

A new sidequest called the Pokethlon makes its appearance in these games. It appears to be HeartGold/SoulSilver’s equivalent of the Contest system in previous games. The Pokethlon pits Pokémon in 10 minigame styled competitions against each other.

Swarm Pokémon are also making a reappearance. Like in the original Gold/Silver games, you can listen to Professor Oak’s radio station daily and he will you when there is a swarm of Pokémon at a particular location. These Pokémon will appear in vast quantities in a particular location for a very short time after Professor Oak’s announcement.

Due to the absence of a VS Seeker, the Pokegear has updated its former “Cell Phone” feature. The new Cell Phone has a limitless call list. Going back to rebattle trainers now depends on the day and time, though. Thus should cause players to plan wisely as well as letting the player interact with these NPCs as though they were more like real individuals by “scheduling” times to battle.

Many Pokémon have received updated, improved, and more well-rounded movesets through breeding. Togepi, for instance, now has the ability to learn Extrasensory through breeding. Breeding has also taken a step up in that specific Individual Values (which is basically a measure of how Pokémon grow in their stats as they evolve) can be passed down through Breeding with the use of certain items.

Commemorative photos can be taken at certain points in the game and viewed later from the Pokegear. While these photos have no real effect on the overall game, they do add a sense of immersion. They’re also sort of a kitschy addition that, while not necessary, I’m still sort of excited for.

Like in Pokémon Platinum, HeartGold/SoulSilver will allow players to rebattle Gym Leaders. The Gym Leaders will have widely superior teams than in their first battles. The Gym Leaders will be found in the Fighting Dojo in Saffron City after you have scheduled a rematch with them. (Thankfully, they stay there until you’ve beaten them so you don’t have to reschedule if you lose the first rematch.)

I hope this has given you a good sense of what the new Pokémon HeartGold/SoulSilver will have to offer in the upcoming month. This is not all the information currently available on these spine-tingling new games, but what I’ve covered here I feel to be the most exciting and vital. Now please, try not to drool over the empty “preview boxes” at your local Gamestop.

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10. Beautifly (EX Ruby & Sapphire)

Aside from the cool art common to all holo cards, this card is a pretty decent addition to your deck. To start things off, Beautifly has a Poké-Body called Withering Dust that lets you not apply Resistance as long as Beautifly is in play. Since Resistance reduces the amount of damage you do to an opponent, to be able to simply ignore it is great. Beautifly’s two attacks, Stun Spore and Parallel Gain, aren’t bad either. Stun Spore, just like in the video games, can cause paralysis while Parallel Gain lets you remove 1 damage counter from each of your Pokémon.

9. Plusle (EX Dragon)

As a Pokémon Ranger fan, I obviously have a soft spot for Plusle. But that aside, this card is very good. Plusle’s Poké-Body, Chain of Events, takes full advantage of the new double-battle format introduced to the TCG by the Ruby & Sapphire set by allowing you to use Cheer On, Plusle’s main attack, after your partner attacks (but only once). Cheer On lets you remove one damage counter from each of your Pokémon, which would be a big help to your partner. Plusle’s other attack, Extra Circuit, lets you choose one of the opponent’s Pokémon and do 20 damage to it, or 40 if it’s a Pokémon-ex. Not bad.

8. Team Aqua Technical Machine 01 (EX Team Magma vs. Team Aqua)

This card is a fairly useful Trainer, though you have to discard it right after using it. It lets you choose one Special Condition to give to the Defending Pokémon. Though you need a Team Aqua Pokémon to attach this card to in order to use it – which means the card can only really be played with other cards from its set – the ability to control statuses is definitely a plus.

7. Ninetales ex (EX Hidden Legends)

Ninetales is usually a good choice, but this Ninetales is a really good choice. Its first attack, Intense Glare, allows you to switch 1 of your opponent’s Benched Pokémon with one of his or her Active Pokémon (though your opponent gets to choose which one). On top of that, the incoming Pokémon is now Burned and Confused. Nice! Ninetales’s other attack, Fire Blast, requires one fire energy to be discarded, but has a base damage of 100, which is almost unheard of in the TCG. Ninetales’s low one-energy retreat cost is also useful, in case things don’t go your way.

6. Phoebe’s Stadium (EX Power Keepers)

It doesn’t hurt to have a few Stadium Cards in your deck, as they can generally come in useful with their myriad abilities. Phoebe’s Stadium, based around Phoebe of the Hoenn Elite Four, is no different. It allows you to pay two less energies to retreat Psychic-type Pokémon. Unfortunately, there aren’t a lot of Psychic-types in Power Keepers to take advantage of this card, but the type makes sense since Phoebe is a Ghost-type trainer in the games, and Ghost-types are usually Psychic-type in the TCG. Plus, any card that makes it easier for you to retreat is worth having.

5. Lunatone (EX Legend Maker)

Lunatone is a highly underused Pokémon. But this Lunatone is a card that could be useful if used right. Its attack Moon Guidance lets you search your deck for a Trainer card and add it to your hand – something that’s always useful. Its second attack, Psyshock, has a chance of paralysis but causes 10 damage regardless, which isn’t too bad for a one-energy attack. Lunatone also has a Poké-Body, Sol Shade, which prevents any fire-types from using Poké-Powers, but you have to also have Solrock in play for it to work.

4. Milotic δ (EX Dragon Frontiers)

EX Delta Species introduced Delta (or δ) Pokémon to the TCG, and this Milotic is one of them. The strangest thing about this Milotic is that it is fire-type (whereas Milotic is water-type in the games). It has an interesting Poké-Power, Sharing, which lets you use the effect of a Supporter card in your opponent’s hand as the effect of the Poké-Power. The difficulty in this is that you wouldn’t know beforehand if your opponent has any Supporter cards in his or her hand, so using the power might end up useless. Unfortunately, these two things are all that makes Milotic δ interesting; its one attack, Flare, takes three energies and only does 60 damage.

3. Gardevoir-ex (EX Sandstorm)

Gardevoir is an interesting Pokémon that doesn’t seem to be seeing much use in the TCG yet, as far as I know. This particular Gardevoir has a couple attacks that make it worth using. Its first attack, Feedback, lets you put damage counters on your opponent’s Active Pokémon equal to the number of cards in your opponent’s hand. This is a nice revenge move if your opponent has a full hand or has just used some card like a Professor card or Gambler which lets him or her draw a bunch of cards. Gardevoir’s second attack, Psystorm, requires four energies but does 10 damage times the total amount of energy attached to all Pokémon in play. If either you or your opponent is playing an energy-heavy game, this attack could hit for a lot.

2. Latios ☆ (EX Deoxys)

You can only have one ☆ (Shiny Rare Holo) Pokémon in a deck, so if you need one, check out this Latios. Its first attack, Miraculous Light, does 10 damage and lets you remove one damage counter and all Special Conditions from Latios. This could be really useful in a pinch, especially since this Latios only has 80 HP. Its second attack, Shining Star, normally does 50 damage, but can do 150 damage if the Defending Pokémon is a Stage 2 Pokémon – though you have to discard all of Latios’s energy cards to do it, so it’s probably best as a hit-and-run tactic.

1.Mew ex (EX Holon Phantoms)

Who doesn’t like a good Mew in their deck? Mew is hard to come by in the TCG – generally only being released as promos and the like – so the chance for one in a normal deck is awesome. This Mew’s not bad on its own either. Its Poké-Power, Psychic Vision, lets you look at your opponent’s hand if Mew ex is on your Bench. This is a good set-up move for the Pokémon actually fighting, since it would attack after Mew uses its Poké-Power. Mew also has an attack called Devo Crush, which lets you force your opponent to remove the highest Evolution card on his or her Active Pokémon and put it back in his or her deck – and does 50 damage besides. Not too shabby. Mew’s regular attack, the 30-damage Super Psy Bolt, isn’t bad either.

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Thanks for reading my list this month! Next month, I’m going to take a look at the new HeartGold and SoulSilver TCG expansions in honor of the North American release of HeartGold and SoulSilver for the DS. ‘Til then, keep collecting!

Therefore, we will name the three stereotypes. We will name the first stereotype, competitive battler, Gary. We will name Mr. Social interaction Brock, and Mr. Catch ‘em all Ash. This article will talk extensively about those three characters, give some examples, and maybe see what makes them tick.

Up first is Gary. Possibly the most common on the forum. These guys play only to battle people on Wi-Fi. Their greatest joy is seeing their perfect IV Scizor sweep a team. They scoff at Ash and Brock, and cannot understand the concept of casual game play. Not that this means these users are mean or anything: they just think the game is made for competition. In fact, these users can be some of the nicest guys on the forum. They can be found hatching million eggs, or resetting for that perfect IV against a legendary Pokémon, or if they are not doing that, they can be seen EV training that one Pokémon they like.

A few examples of these guys on our forum are Starship Pain, Deztroya, and Picklesword. Smogon perhaps is the best example of a Gary-nest out of countless other sites out there.

Then we have Brock, who is somewhere in the middle. These guys battle to find interactions between Pokémon. They like to see that NU team win against an OU team. Their greatest joy is seeing that one team win after countless losses. Even if they lose 300 out of 340 times, the 40 times their team won makes all the loses worth it. These guys are engineers, always looking to progress the game. They don’t battle to win. Rather, they battle to have fun. These guys can be seen making up new movesets, catching new Pokémon, and talking about their new team with their friends.

A few examples of Brocks on our forum are (but not limited to) MeowthMix, Mister Mauer, and MCPuppeteer. Serebii is the best place to find Brocks, out of countless other sites out there.

Ash is the guy who bought the game to beat the storyline, to beat the contests, then to catch them all! They play because Pokémon is fun, not because they want to battle competitively. They like to use their favorite Pokémon, no matter how “stupid” it is to use them competitively. Seeing their Kecleon beat Cynthia’s Milotic fills them with joy only rivaled by that same Kecleon beating a contest or two.

A few examples of Ashes on our forum are HighMadameShmoo, Mira, and Reigning Dragoness. The Pallet Tribune, to some degrees, contains a large number of Ashes, but to this day there has not been a Pokémon community solely dedicated to noncompetitive playing.

And the categorization ends here. All three player profiles are unique in their own merit, and none can be ranked higher than others. What about you, TPT? Are you Ash? Gray? Brock? Maybe you are all three at the same time! No matter what you are, don’t forget to have fun playing the game, and moreover, know that there’s always room for more diversity!

10. Theme Decks
Theme decks have been coming out since there has been a Pokémon TCG. The first was the 2 Player Starter Set in 1998. Theme decks usually contain cards from one or two energy types, along with the other essentials for playing the game (coin, play mat, etc), and run about $10 or so. The themes differ depending on the deck, but they usually have something to do with the energy type or types of the cards in the deck. They also usually include one holo card, like Machamp in the 2 Player Starter Set and Vaporeon in the Water Blast theme deck. You can find these decks online or at stores that sell Pokémon cards, like card stores or even Target, Wal-Mart, and ToysRUs.

9. Pokémon Cards Holiday Bag
Pokeorder.com features this holiday set, which retails for $49.99. It contains 5 different booster packs, 1 holo pack, 1 Pokémon grab bag, 1 deck box, and 50 card sleeves. All of this comes in a nice holiday-themed bag. I’m not exactly sure why this retails for the amount it does, but you do get quite a lot of stuff for the money, especially considering that just the “grab bag” by itself (containing 75 cards) runs for $29.99.

8. Pokémon Advent Calendar
This item was released in October 2008. It contains a set of 24 cards from several Diamond and Pearl expansions, each with special foil stamps of snowflakes on them. It also contains one regular Diamond and Pearl booster pack and a base of some sort for the cards. The promo cards include Abomasnow, Stunky, Plant Cloak Burmy, Chingling, Glaceon, Munchlax, and the Sinnoh starters. I’m not sure if you can find it in stores, but it retailed at theintoy.com for “from £14.67” (about $24 at current exchange rates); however, it is now out of stock.

7. Regigigas Colossal Box
This was released in February 2009, probably as a promotion for the Regigigas giveaway at ToysRUs the following month. It contains the usual promo card of the featured Pokémon common to the special boxes in both a playable and a jumbo size. This box also includes 2 Diamond and Pearl booster packs and 3 Platinum booster packs. This appears to be the first special box set to feature Platinum expansion cards. It retails for £18.15 (about $30) on Amazon UK.

6. Classic Trio Sets
This trio of Pokémon TCG tins was released in conjunction with the release of Diamond and Pearl. The tins feature the three Sinnoh starters – Turtwig, Piplup, and Chimchar–respectively. They have a slightly different shape and design than other collector’s tins, being larger and less rectangular. The sets include holographic reprint cards of their featured starters, two booster packs of late-released cards from the EX series, and one Diamond and Pearl booster pack. They retail for $10 or so.

5. Giratina and the Sky Warrior Collector Tins
These TCG tins were released in Spring 2009, in conjunction with the U.S. debut of Giratina and the Sky Warrior, the 11th Pokémon movie. There are three of these tins, featuring Dialga, Origin Forme Giratina and Sky Forme Shaymin respectively. They each contain a Lv. X promo card of their featured Pokémon and two booster packs apiece from the Diamond and Pearl and Platinum sets. They were originally supposed to also include a Trading Figure Game figure, but this idea was dropped when the TFG was discontinued. A set of all three tins retails for $36.86 on Amazon, so the tins probably retail for about $10 individually.

4. Darkrai Premium Box
This large box set features, among other things, the Darkrai card that made #8 on my promo card list. The box includes the card in its playable size as well as a jumbo size, as is customary for the premium boxes. The jumbo Darkrai card was the first jumbo card to be released since the jumbo Shadow Lugia card. Aside from the Darkrai cards, the box includes one EX Crystal Guardians booster pack, one EX Dragon Frontiers booster pack, and one Diamond and Pearl series theme deck. This box retails for $29.99. You can find it online or at Target.

3. Arceus Poster Pack
Released on November 4, 2009, this special box set is the first box set released for the newest TCG expansion, Platinum: Arceus. It features an Arceus promo card (from the DP Black Star promos) that is level 100 and has the attack Judgment. It also contains 2 booster packs apiece from the Platinum: Arceus expansion and the POP Series 9 expansion, which contains cards originally released at special Pokémon Organized Play events. You can find it in stores such as Target and ToysRUs for $11.99.

2. TCG Puzzles
Looking for a nice free gift to send someone over the web this year? Then give them a fun re-playable gift by sending them a free TCG-related puzzle this holiday. You can find these available for download at go-pokemon.com in the “Fun Stuff” section. The currently featured ones are from the Platinum expansion, but they have ones archived going back to the EX Dragon Frontiers expansion.

1. Platinum Arceus Collector’s Tin
Due to release December 16th – just in time for Christmas – this tin is the first collector’s tin from the new Platinum: Arceus TCG expansion. It contains 4 booster packs from this new expansion along with a special foil Arceus Lv. X card (there are 3 different ones in the expansion set) in a tin with a nice display window for you to display your favorite card. The tin itself features Arceus on the front in all its glory. Since there are no restrictions on how many Arceus cards you can have in your deck, this tin can be the start of a super-powerful all-Arceus deck that will provide quite the challenge for your opponents. I do not know what stores will sell it for; prices are varied on those online retailers who have it.

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In conclusion, these 10 gifts will surely bring a smile to any Pokémon fan’s face for the holiday season. Except for #9, none of them are very expensive either – an important consideration in these tough economic times. So go out there and bring some cheer to the holiday with these great gifts. Have a happy holiday season – no matter what holiday you celebrate – and keep collecting!

This is what happens when you forget to put the fire out before you go to sleep on Christmas eve.

Now, I’m not naïve-knowing what I do about the music industry, there are very likely financial, legal, and possibly even technical hurdles to releasing some of these songs, so I’m not trying to blame or vilify The Pokémon Company International (or anyone else in particular). Instead, I’m making a list (a wish list, perhaps) of the ten songs I’d like to see up for consideration the next time a US Pokémon album is being made. To be fair, this was a really hard list to make, and I had to pull from the list of songs I was familiar with and could review easily, so some songs you might have expected (like that one from “Do I Hear a Ralts?” everyone keeps talking about) might be missing from this list:

10. Diamond and Pearl
Performed by: Chris “Breeze” Barczynski
From: 10th season theme

Yes, believe it or not, I actually like this song, and I really do hope it’s on the next English Pokémon CD, though I will admit it is excessively looped in “O’er the Rampardos We Watched!”. Even so, I still love its in-your-face style and beat.

9. We Will Be Heroes (Movie Version)
Performed by: John Loeffler
From: The Rise of Darkrai

In a rare lead vocal performance, John shows up for the opening theme of the tenth movie, and he doesn’t disappoint. A supporter of the dub since the earliest days, John gives a great, heartfelt performance that compliments the introduction of Alamos Town to the viewer.

8. Master Pokémon
Performed by: K01
From: Shown in theatres before Pokémon 4Ever, Top Toons Tune on Kids’ WB

A blend of lo-fi, voice samples, and clever imagery, this mini-music video suggested you “let your Mankey wear your hat”, among other oddball ideas. Also, who could forget that lovely British woman rapping out those lyrics?

7. Side By Side – Pichu and Pichu
Performed by: Peter Thom
From: Pokémon Channel, Pokémon Chronicles

In addition to Peter’s distinctive gritty voice, the instrumentation in this song makes it an instant classic. Not many Pokémon songs feature a honky-tonk piano and a banjo, but this one pulls off both well. The Pichu sound effects are great too.

6. Battle Cry – (Stand Up!) (Movie Version)
Performed by: Erin Bowman
From: Arceus and the Jewel of Life

Opening credits superimposed over battles has become a staple in the Pokémon movies, and while some people may not like them, they are an effective way of drawing the audience into the film, and how well that works always depends on how good the song that goes with it is. This one does a fantastic job, expanding on the season 12 theme beautifully, and it has a great bridge to boot. It also brings a smile to my face every time.

5. I’ll Always Remember You
Performed by: Kirsten Price
From: The Rise of Darkrai

Admittedly, this song doesn’t have a whole lot to do with the movie (technically, Darkrai actually misremembers more than anything else, mistaking Alice for her grandmother), but I still had to include it just because it’s so beautiful. Kirsten does a great job, and the song really holds from beginning to end, with some great instrumentation along the way.

4. Pikachu’s Coming
Performed by: J.P. Hartmann
From: Pikachu’s Pika-Boo (Short from Pokémon 4Ever)

One of the best guitar songs in the franchise (right up there with the original theme, in my opinion), this song is all about having fun. Speaking of guitar, don’t forget to listen to the instrumental version in the end credits, which has even more guitar work from John McCurry.

3. Celebi-R-A-T-E
Performed by: Russel Velazquez
From: Pokémon 4Ever

This is probably the glitchiest Pokémon song ever written. A large number of synth instruments and vocal effects are combined to create a rich audio landscape, embellished with a wide range of sound effects. To top it all off, the song actually employs the technique of backmasking-when the end of the song is reversed, a voice can be heard repeatedly saying, “Yo! Detour!” (come on, this is Pokémon-what were you expecting?).

2. Make a Wish
Performed by: Cindy Mizelle/Asuca Hayashi
From Jirachi: Wish Maker

In a rare move, this track combines English and Japanese vocals in a single song. The result is a beautiful blend, and a fitting end to the sixth movie. It’s also one of the best uses of strings in a Pokémon song. Arguably the best part is towards the end, where Cindy and Asuca play off each other incredibly well, particularly considering that the two parts were likely recorded thousands of miles away from each other and likely months apart as well.

1. Born to be a Winner (Movie Version)
Performed by: David Rolfe
From Pokémon 4Ever

When I first heard the fourth season opening TV theme, it was a real treat for someone who had been following the show since 1998-the partial remake of the original theme seemed like a perfect blend of old and new-until I heard this movie version. The TV version was good, even great in its own right, but this totally blew it away. The vocals were incredible, the instrumentation was excellent, and everything clicked. Of all of David’s works in the series, this one is my favorite.

Having written this, I look forward to hearing your responses as to which songs I’ve missed and which songs you can’t believe I picked. If there’s one thing I know (and love) about the Pokémon community, it’s that it has a wide range of opinions on a variety of topics, including music.

10. Marill (ANA Promotion)
Most TCG fans are familiar with the Pikachu promo card for All Nippon Airways (ANA), but Pikachu wasn’t the only Pokémon to promote the major Japanese airline. Marill, the aquatic mouse known for accompanying Pokémon watcher Tracey, also got its own ANA promo card. Similar to the Azumarill card that made #8 on my last list, the appeal of this card is two attacks that work well with each other. Marill’s first attack, Rebound, triples the damage of its second attack, Jump On. Jump On in turn has a chance of paralysis if the coin flips in your favor, and 10 damage either way (30 if you use Rebound first). Plus, the card art (featuring an airborne Marill over a sunset-lit sea) is really pretty.

9. Kangaskhan (Parent/Child Tournament Promo)
What Pokémon is better as a prize for a Parent/Child Tournament than the kangaroo Pokémon Kangaskhan? This card was released for the Parent/Child Mega Battle tournament in May 1998 to those parent-child teams that had won a certain number of times. The attacks on this card are Dizzy Punch, whose damage can range from 10 to 30 based on coin flips, and Mega Punch. Both are pretty decent, and require only colorless energy. The card has never been released in English.

8. Darkrai (Movie 10 Promo)
This card came out in Japan as a promo for the 10th Pokémon movie, Dialga vs Palkia vs Darkrai (known as The Rise of Darkrai in the U.S.). Like the Darkrai released for the video games at the same time, this Darkrai has Palkia and Dialga’s signature attacks Spacial Rend and Roar of Time. Roar of Time is the more powerful attack with 80 damage as well as letting you search for Pokémon from your discard pile, but it requires three Metal Energies, and Metal Energies are hard to come by. Spacial Rend only causes 10 damage, but it only requires one Water Energy (a much more plentiful energy type) and allows you to search your deck for a Stadium Card. Also, Darkrai has a special Hold Item – the Enigma Berry – that allows you to remove 4 damage counters from it when it’s attacked by a Fighting-type Pokémon. Since Darkrai is weak to Fighting, this is an advantage. The card also has a retreat cost of 1, which is pretty low for a high-level, high-HP Pokémon like Darkrai. All in all, it’s a pretty good card, if you have Metal and Darkness energies handy.

7. _____’s Pikachu (Wizards of the Coast Promo 24)
This card is also sometimes called “Happy Birthday Pikachu” or “Birthday Pikachu” and features a picture of Pikachu with a birthday cake and a present. It’s also the only card that lacks flavor text, instead having a blank for you to write your birthday. The card’s one attack, Birthday Surprise, normally does 30 damage. It can do 80 damage if you flip a heads, but only if it’s your birthday. If it’s your birthday and you flip tails, you only do 30 damage. This card was released in Japan in 1999 with the Pokémon 2nd Anniversary Calendar and in the U.S. through a Wizards of the Coast mail campaign in 2000. A variant of the card with slightly different art was released later in volume six of the Natta Wake comic in Japan, but this version was not released in the U.S.

6. Misty’s Treatment (CD Promo)
This interesting Trainer Card was released with the CD single Rapurasu ni Notte (Riding on Lapras), which featured the song of that name, sung by Mayumi Iizuka, Misty’s Japanese voice actress. The card was never released in English. With this card, you can remove 3 damage counters from 1 Lapras card in play. It is the only card like it to focus on one species of Pokémon.

5. Magikarp (University Promo)
This is the only promo card ever released of Magikarp. It might not deserve the honor, but it’s still interesting. First of all, the art looks like Magikarp using Ice Beam, which is a move it can’t actually learn in the games (since it can’t learn any TM’s). That is intriguing enough. The card’s two moves are Trickle and Dragon Rage. Both require two coins to be flipped, but Trickle actually does damage regardless of outcome – 10 times the number of heads. Dragon Rage, on the other hand, does 50 if two heads are flipped, but nothing if even one coin is tails. Dragon Rage is another game move Magikarp can’t learn (although Gyarados can learn it), and is probably the reason for the card’s flavor text, which claims that “recent research has revealed the presence of dragon DNA in Magikarp’s body.” Anyway, the card is called a “University Promo” because it was originally awarded in June 1998 to those who completed the Pokémon Hyper Test at Tamamushi University (a virtual university run by Nintendo, according to a video made by the South China Morning Post). It was later released as part of the Japanese “Pokémon Web” expansion, which was sold exclusively through Pokémon Center Online and was the first Pokémon TCG expansion to be available only on the Internet. It was never released in English.

4. Riolu (Comic-Con 2009 Promo)
This card was released in Japan in the Galactic’s Conquest Entry Pack in the Dialga Half Deck, and it made its American debut as a giveaway at the Pokémon TCG booth at Comic-Con 2009. The English version has the same attacks, flavor text, and art as the Japanese original, except that a small Comic-Con logo appears in the lower right-hand corner of the artwork (as is also the case with the promo Shellos given out last year). One odd thing about the card (both the Japanese original and the one given out at Comic-Con) is that the first attack, Light Punch, is preceded by a grayish spot, similar to an ink smudge, instead of an Energy symbol. I don’t know if this is meant to signal a new type of Energy card or if it is an error. At any rate, the other attack, Steady Punch, does have normal energy symbols in front of it, and it does 20 damage, plus 10 more if you flip a heads. That’s a decent substitute for the mysteriously-labeled 10-damage Light Punch.

3. Lapras (Southern Islands)
As  mentioned before, the Southern Islands set was released at theaters showing Pikachu’s Vacation, the Pikachu short for the first film. It consisted of 18 cards, arranged in sets of 3 to represent the Sky, Sea, Riverside, Jungle, Field of Flowers, and Beach areas of the Southern islands. Each set came with a postcard that featured all the art from the three included cards put together. Lapras is part of the Tropical Island Sea set, with Tentacruel and Marill. (The Tropical Island group also includes the Jungle set and the Beach set). It has two attacks, Gentle Song and Ice Beam, which let it be a 70 HP status machine. Gentle Song, while it heals you and your opponent by 20, causes your opponent to fall asleep. Ice Beam does 20 damage and has a chance of paralysis if you flip heads.  Not a bad combo. The card art, which features Lapras playing in the water with Dratini in the background, is cute too. Apparently Wizards of the Coast released Southern Islands here after fans pestered them (good fans!), though it may be out of print.

2. Jigglypuff (Wizard Promo 7)
Long-time fans will remember this card, which was part of a promotion tied to the Pokémon: The First Movie soundtrack. You had to send in a proof of purchase from the soundtrack to get the card. It was apparently released in Japan as well, with the book Easily Understand How to Play Pokémon Cards in October 1996, and was also released in CoroCoro a month later. Not only is the art memorable (Jigglypuff with musical notes behind it), but the attacks are decent as well. First Aid lets you remove 1 damage counter from Jigglypuff, and Double-edge does 40 damage but causes 20 damage to you. Normally, attacks that have counter-damage are a bad thing, but with First Aid, you can take the hit and then heal. Nifty, huh?

1. Ancient Mew (2nd Movie Promo)
Here we are at last at #1, and what other card to choose but the coolest-looking promo card in existence? Released in both Japan and the U.S. as a promo card for the 2nd movie, it shows a very Egyptian-looking Mew, medieval Futhark Runic and Gothenburg Runic writing, and a very sparkly background. Due to it being in runic letters, it’s more a card to collect than to play with (since no one can actually read it). It’s also all that Lawrence III, the villain of the 2nd movie, is left with at the end, and was the start of his collection. There is only one attack, Psyche, which does 40 damage and requires two Psychic energy. This card is an example of a promo card where an error ups the rarity; early runs had a line across the artwork and a misspelling of the word “Nintendo.”  These were corrected in later print runs, but now the version with errors is rarer and more desired than the correct version is. The card itself, when in existence, was worth quite a lot; I saw one on sale at a card store for $70 (for just the one card!). It’s not worth as much anymore, though (it’s listed for $1-$2 in my most recent copy of Beckett’s), which is a pity.

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In conclusion, promo cards are worth collecting, even if you can’t play with them (because of Modified rules or some other reason). Some are still worth something – Tropical Wind, a card given out at the 2004 World Championships, is worth $200-$300. If you don’t have any promos, there’s always the trusty non-promo 1st Edition Base Set holo Charizard which, though it has gone down in value, is still worth $75-$125. Heck, I got my Comic-Con 2009 Riolu just for coming to a booth, and I won my first TCG game there to boot, albeit a simplified 30-card 3-prize game against a kid named Alex with a booth employee telling us what moves to make the whole time. At least all my cards were water-types!

Anyway, that’s all for this time. I’m going to be making this a monthly thing now, and I’m open to topic suggestions, so feel free to suggest something. Till next time, keep collecting!

Ever wonder what some crazy Pokémon spin-off games would be like? BigRedLax is back to provide some possibilities! Click the thumbnail for the full version.

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The folks over at Sprite Stitch have posted yet another Pokémon creation. This time around, dragonfoxmem, a SS forum member crafted a series of Eevee evolution cross stitches. Check out Sprite Stitch blog for more awesome creations.