Barrier Swap (TCG): Difference between revisions

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''This was never a real deck.  It should never have been written, but I can't bring myself to delete it.  So here it sits.''
'The '''Barrier Swap Deck''' is a {{e|Psychic}}{{e|Colorless}}{{e|Grass}} type deck found in the {{TCG|Gym Heroes Strategy Guide}}. The deck is classified as one of the advanced decks, containing more rare cards and strategy than other easy-to-build decks.
{{ArchetypeInfobox
|title=Barrier Swap
|image=ErikaDratiniGymHeroes42.jpg
|image2=AlakazamBaseSet1.jpg
|caption={{TCG ID|Gym Heroes|Erika's Dratini|42}} and {{TCG ID|Base Set|Alakazam|1}}
|cards={{TCG ID|Gym Heroes|Erika's Dratini|42}}, {{TCG ID|Base Set|Alakazam|1}}, and {{TCG ID|Base Set|Chansey|3}}
|types={{e|Psychic}} {{e|Colorless}}
|era=2000-2001
}}
'''Barrier Swap''' is a [[Pokémon Trading Card Game]] deck archetype that is centered around the cards {{TCG ID|Gym Heroes|Erika's Dratini|42}} and {{TCG ID|Base Set|Alakazam|1}}. It focuses on getting {{TCG ID|Base Set|Chansey|3}} and {{TCG ID|Base Set|Alakazam|1}} on the bench, while making {{TCG ID|Gym Heroes|Erika's Dratini|42}} the Active Pokémon.


==History==
==Description==
The Barrier Swap deck was first publicized in the {{TCG|Gym Heroes Strategy Guide}} for the TCG in August of 2001. It rose in popularity when the idea of a combination between {{TCG ID|Gym Heroes|Erika's Dratini|42}} and {{TCG ID|Base Set|Alakazam|1}} was realized and it became part of that format's metagame.
<ab>The "Barrier Swap" deck has a truly fantastic combo in Alakazam and Erika's Dratini. Get Alakazam onto your Bench, and make Erika's Dratini your Active Pokémon. Now you can use Dratini's Pokémon Power: Strange Barrier to make sure Dratini only takes 10 damage a turn and then move that damage onto another Pokémon using Alakazam's Pokémon Power: Damage Swap.


==Strategy==
If you move the damage onto Chansey, you can then use Scoop Up when Chansey gets close to being Knocked Out. Then you can put Chansey back on your Bench, and it's ready to take some more damage. Use the Full Heal Trainer card or Full heal Energy on Dratini if your opponent uses any special attacks on it. Pokémon Trader and Pokémon Breeder, along with card drawing cards like Bill and Professor Oak, should get you all the Pokémon you need as quickly as possible.</ab>
An ideal starting Active Pokémon is {{TCG ID|Gym Heroes|Erika's Dratini|42}}, with an {{TCG ID|Base Set|Abra|43}} and a {{TCG ID|Base Set|Chansey|3}} on the bench. The player would then want to evolve their {{TCG ID|Base Set|Abra|43}} into {{TCG ID|Base Set|Alakazam|1}} as soon as possible, possibly using {{TCG ID|Base Set|Pokémon Breeder|76}}. Then, a player would probably want to ''Damage Swap'' any damage Erika's Dratini takes onto Chansey, letting Erika's Dratini's ''Tail Strike'' move do 10 or 30 damage per turn, depending on the result of the coin flip. After Chansey takes considerable damage, it should be returned to the player's hand using {{TCG ID|Base Set|Scoop Up|78}}, and then placed back onto the bench to take more damage.


==Cards==
==Card list==
{{decklist/header}}
{{decklist/entry|4|{{TCG ID|Base Set|Abra|43}}|Psychic||Common}}
{{decklist/entry|3|{{TCG ID|Base Set|Kadabra|32}}|Psychic||Uncommon}}
{{decklist/entry|3|{{TCG ID|Base Set|Alakazam|1}}|Psychic||Rare Holo}}
{{decklist/entry|2|{{TCG ID|Base Set|Chansey|3}}|Colorless||Rare Holo}}
{{decklist/entry|4|{{TCG ID|Gym Heroes|Erika's Dratini|42}}|Colorless||Uncommon}}
{{decklist/entry|2|{{TCG ID|Gym Heroes|Erika's Oddish|47}}|Grass||Common}}
{{decklist/entry|3|{{TCG ID|Base Set|Bill|91}}|Trainer||Common}}
{{decklist/entry|1|{{TCG ID|Gym Heroes|Erika's Maids|109}}|Trainer||Uncommon}}
{{decklist/entry|1|{{TCG ID|Base Set|Full Heal|82}}|Trainer||Uncommon}}
{{decklist/entry|2|{{TCG ID|Base Set|Gust of Wind|93}}|Trainer||Common}}
{{decklist/entry|1|{{TCG ID|Team Rocket|Nightly Garbage Run|77}}|Trainer||Uncommon}}
{{decklist/entry|2|{{TCG ID|Base Set|Pokémon Breeder|76}}|Trainer||Rare}}
{{decklist/entry|3|{{TCG ID|Base Set|Pokémon Trader|77}}|Trainer||Rare}}
{{decklist/entry|1|{{TCG ID|Base Set|Professor Oak|88}}|Trainer||Uncommon}}
{{decklist/entry|4|{{TCG ID|Base Set|Scoop Up|78}}|Trainer||Rare}}
{{decklist/entry|4|{{TCG ID|Base Set|Double Colorless Energy|96}}|Energy|Colorless|Uncommon}}
{{decklist/entry|4|{{TCG ID|Team Rocket|Full Heal Energy|81}}|Energy|Full Heal|Uncommon}}
{{decklist/entry|16|{{TCG ID|Base Set|Psychic Energy|101}}|Energy|Psychic|Common}}
{{decklist/footer}}


===Key Cards===
{{-}}
*'''{{TCG ID|Base Set|Alakazam|1}}''''s {{TCG|Pokémon Power}}, ''Damage Swap'', allows a player to move a damage counter on one of their Pokémon to another.
{{Project TCG notice}}
*'''{{TCG ID|Gym Heroes|Erika's Dratini|42}}''''s Pokémon Power, ''Strange Barrier'', ensures that it only takes 10 damage for each time it is attacked.
*'''{{TCG ID|Base Set|Chansey|3}}''' is typically never used as an Active Pokémon, but rather sits on the player's bench, having all of {{TCG ID|Gym Heroes|Erika's Dratini|42}}'s damage counters ''Damage Swap''ped to it.
*'''{{TCG ID|Base Set|Pokémon Trader|77}}''' is crucial to rooting needed Pokémon out of the player's deck.
*'''{{TCG ID|Base Set|Scoop Up|78}}''' is used when {{TCG ID|Base Set|Chansey|3}} is close to being knocked out to essentially remove all damage from it.


===Other Pokémon===
[[Category:Decks]]
*'''{{TCG ID|Gym Heroes|Erika's Oddish|47}}''' can start the game to [[Poisoned (TCG)|poison]] the opponent's Pokémon, so they will slowly take damage while the Barrier Swap player sets up.
*'''{{TCG ID|Base Set|Abra|43}}''' is only used to evolve into {{TCG ID|Base Set|Alakazam|1}}.
*'''{{TCG ID|Base Set|Kadabra|32}}''' is only used to evolve into {{TCG ID|Base Set|Alakazam|1}}.
 
===Other Trainers===
*'''{{TCG ID|Base Set|Bill|91}}''' draws extra cards.
*'''{{TCG ID|Gym Heroes|Erika's Maids|109}}''' adds Erika's Dratini and Erika's Oddish from the deck to the hand.
*'''{{TCG ID|Base Set|Full Heal|82}}''' is to help ensure that ''Strange Barrier'' does not stop working because {{TCG ID|Gym Heroes|Erika's Dratini|42}} is affected by a special condition.
*'''{{TCG ID|Base Set|Gust of Wind|93}}''' is a power card to control the opponent's field and make sure they do not have an Active Pokémon that can negate ''Strange Barrier''.
*'''{{TCG ID|Team Rocket|Nightly Garbage Run|77}}''' is in case all a player's Chansey, Erika's Dratini, or Alakazam are knocked out, or if the deck will not work without a specific card that is in the discard pile.
*'''{{TCG ID|Base Set|Pokémon Breeder|76}}''' speeds up the deck by allowing a player to skip the {{TCG ID|Base Set|Kadabra|32}} evolution stage and go straight from Abra to Alakazam.
*'''{{TCG ID|Base Set|Professor Oak|88}}''' is used to refresh a player's hand when they need something other than what they have.
 
===Energy Cards===
*'''{{TCG ID|Base Set|Double Colorless Energy|96}}''' is used to quickly attach energy to {{TCG ID|Gym Heroes|Erika's Dratini|42}} to allow it to use its '''Tail Strike''' attack.
*'''{{TCG ID|Base Set|Psychic Energy|101}}''' is in the deck in case something goes wrong and {{TCG ID|Gym Heroes|Erika's Dratini|42}} is knocked out without other backup. A situation in which this could happen is if a card was played that negated Pokémon Powers.
*'''{{TCG ID|Team Rocket|Full Heal Energy|81}}''' is to help ensure that ''Strange Barrier'' does not stop working because Erika's Dratini is affected by a special condition.
 
==Typical Deckist==
{{DeckArchetype}}
{| {{graytable}}
|- style="background: #eaeaea;"
!Quantity
!Card Name
!Type
!Rarity
|-
| 4x || {{TCG ID|Base Set|Abra|43}} || {{e|Psychic}} || {{rar|Common}}
|-
| 3x || {{TCG ID|Base Set|Kadabra|32}} || {{e|Psychic}} || {{rar|Uncommon}}
|-
| 4x || {{TCG ID|Base Set|Alakazam|1}} || {{e|Psychic}} || [[Image:Rarity Rare.png|Rare Holographic]]H
|-
| 3x || {{TCG ID|Base Set|Chansey|3}} || {{e|Colorless}} || [[Image:Rarity Rare.png|Rare Holographic]]H
|-
| 4x || {{TCG ID|Gym Heroes|Erika's Dratini|42}} || {{e|Colorless}} || {{rar|Uncommon}}
|-
| 2x || {{TCG ID|Gym Heroes|Erika's Oddish|47}} || {{e|Grass}} || {{rar|Common}}
|-
| 3x || {{TCG ID|Base Set|Bill|91}} || T || {{rar|Common}}
|-
| 1x || {{TCG ID|Gym Heroes|Erika's Maids|109}} || T || {{rar|Uncommon}}
|-
| 2x || {{TCG ID|Base Set|Full Heal|82}} || T || {{rar|Uncommon}}
|-
| 2x || {{TCG ID|Base Set|Gust of Wind|93}} || T || {{rar|Common}}
|-
| 1x || {{TCG ID|Team Rocket|Nightly Garbage Run|77}} || T || {{rar|Uncommon}}
|-
| 2x || {{TCG ID|Base Set|Pokémon Breeder|76}} || T || {{rar|Rare}}
|-
| 3x || {{TCG ID|Base Set|Pokémon Trader|77}} || T || {{rar|Rare}}
|-
| 2x || {{TCG ID|Base Set|Professor Oak|88}} || T || {{rar|Uncommon}}
|-
| 4x || {{TCG ID|Base Set|Scoop Up|78}} || T || {{rar|Rare}}
|-
| 4x || {{TCG ID|Base Set|Double Colorless Energy|96}} || E || {{rar|Uncommon}}
|-
| 4x || {{TCG ID|Team Rocket|Full Heal Energy|81}} || E || {{rar|Uncommon}}
|-
| 13x || {{TCG ID|Base Set|Psychic Energy|101}} || E || --
|}
 
==Restriction==
Barrier Swap was banned from tournament play some time ago, due to the key cards, such as {{TCG ID|Base Set|Alakazam|1}} and {{TCG ID|Gym Heroes|Erika's Dratini|42}}, being too old for [[Pokémon Organized Play]] use. The sets they were in were removed in a {{TCG|Rotation}}, so the cards were no longer allowed. While {{TCG ID|Base Set|Alakazam|1}} and {{TCG ID|Base Set|Chansey|3}} were later reprinted in the {{TCG|Legendary Collection}} set, the deck could not function without {{TCG ID|Gym Heroes|Erika's Dratini|42}}, and was never revived.

Revision as of 19:33, 2 July 2014

'The Barrier Swap Deck is a PsychicColorlessGrass type deck found in the Gym Heroes Strategy Guide. The deck is classified as one of the advanced decks, containing more rare cards and strategy than other easy-to-build decks.

Description

The "Barrier Swap" deck has a truly fantastic combo in Alakazam and Erika's Dratini. Get Alakazam onto your Bench, and make Erika's Dratini your Active Pokémon. Now you can use Dratini's Pokémon Power: Strange Barrier to make sure Dratini only takes 10 damage a turn and then move that damage onto another Pokémon using Alakazam's Pokémon Power: Damage Swap.

If you move the damage onto Chansey, you can then use Scoop Up when Chansey gets close to being Knocked Out. Then you can put Chansey back on your Bench, and it's ready to take some more damage. Use the Full Heal Trainer card or Full heal Energy on Dratini if your opponent uses any special attacks on it. Pokémon Trader and Pokémon Breeder, along with card drawing cards like Bill and Professor Oak, should get you all the Pokémon you need as quickly as possible.

Card list

Quantity Card Type Rarity
Abra Psychic Common
Kadabra Psychic Uncommon
Alakazam Psychic Rare Holo
Chansey Colorless Rare Holo
Erika's Dratini Colorless Uncommon
Erika's Oddish Grass Common
Bill T Common
Erika's Maids T Uncommon
Full Heal T Uncommon
Gust of Wind T Common
Nightly Garbage Run T Uncommon
Pokémon Breeder T Rare
Pokémon Trader T Rare
Professor Oak T Uncommon
Scoop Up T Rare
Double Colorless Energy Colorless E Uncommon
Full Heal Energy E Uncommon
16× Psychic Energy Psychic E Common




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