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Problem with Torrential Pump and Sparkling Crystal

Wellspring Mask Ogerpon

Torrential Pump

When Sparkling Crystal is attached you can get the bonus of dealing 120 damage to a benched pokemon at the cost of only 2 energy instead of 3.

The attack itself cost 3 energy so that is obviously good with 2 energy plus Sparkling Crystal.

But the Torrential Pump text clearly states that it is 3 energy you can shuffle into your deck to do the ekstra damage to a benched pokemon. Not 2. So why is this possible??

Comments

  • TrainerBen84
    TrainerBen84 Member Posts: 25
    10 Comments Name Dropper First Anniversary

    There will be a specific rule somewhere that states you do as much as possible unless stated otherwise. If it stated exactly three or if you can't do three you can't do this.

    I think that doing as much as possible applies to trainer cards, like you can use prime catcher even if you have no pokemon on bench or sada even if you have less then 3 cards in deck.

    I always wondered if you could play ultra ball even if you have no cards in deck as technically you have done the first part of the item card, but maybe there is a ruling around what counts as meeting the criteria of requirements somewhere

  • Tleung888
    Tleung888 Member Posts: 1
    First Comment
    edited April 24 #3

    Check the ruling below. I believe this is legal. This is a staple to Tera Box decks that use Sparkling Crystals for both Wellspring and Pikachu.

    https://compendium.pokegym.net/category/5-trainers/sparkling-crystal/

  • gameboy312
    gameboy312 Member Posts: 1
    First Comment Photogenic First Anniversary

    its it's a translation thing I believe. The Japanese text allows for this interaction, and the rulings follow the Japanese version because otherwise you couldn't have big multilanguage tournaments.

  • MarkieMark
    MarkieMark Member Posts: 1
    Name Dropper First Comment

    As A former judge back in the day if you can't meet the requirements of the card then you can't do it, so your Ultra Ball theory wouldn't work.

  • SmoothieShake
    SmoothieShake Member Posts: 15
    10 Comments Second Anniversary Name Dropper

    The wording is what allows that interaction to work (by the ruling). The wording is “shuffle 3 energy” rather than “shuffle 3 energy cards”. The Sparkling Crystal enables the effect to cost 1 energy less, and you have to shuffle in two energy. Essentially the ruling is that “attack cost” includes the cost of the effect of an attack, unless you’re able to pay that cost with an energy card instead. So even Pikachu ex’s attack can be used for 2 energy. But if Ogerpon or Pikachu have 3 energy cards attached, those energy cards will be removed instead.

    A similar principle even applies to cards like Mew ex. If it copies an attack that says “discard 3 fire energy” (but not explicitly stated as a condition to use the attack) then if Mew ex has no attached fire energy it does not have to discard any energy.