Lucky Ice Pop nerf

Yan_Ue5 · February 4

Hello, I’d like to start a discussion about the card “Lucky Ice Pop.”

This Item card, released in the latest set Fantastical Parade (B2), represents a major change in how the game has worked so far.

Here is the card’s effect:

“Heal 20 damage from your Active Pokémon. If you healed any damage in this way, flip a coin. If heads, put this Lucky Ice Pop into your hand instead of the discard pile.”

You may play any number of Item cards during your turn.

→ Main issues

1°) The card is unfair from a competitive perspective

Because Lucky Ice Pop is an Item card, it can be played repeatedly as long as it returns to your hand, potentially multiple times in a single turn.

As a result, a Pokémon can be healed several times in a row and avoid being KO’d purely based on luck.

This creates frustrating situations where all the effort and planning of one player can be completely negated by a lucky coin flip.
It is especially frustrating in Ranked mode or tournament play, where a loss caused by bad luck can erase a lot of progress.

2) The card will likely appear in almost every deck

Another important point is how easy it is to include this card in any deck.

Lucky Ice Pop is:

an Item card,
extremely generic,
and has no real drawback or trade-off (unlike Supporter cards, for example).

Because every deck can run it without risk, it becomes very tempting to include one or two copies and simply hope it saves the game in critical situations.
As a result, more and more players are likely to use it, and the situation described in point 1 will become increasingly common.

This means games may end up being decided more by player luck than by skillful decision-making.

Suggested solutions

I’d like to propose a few possible changes to make the card fairer for everyone and reduce the frustration it can create:

“Lucky Ice Pop can’t be played more than once per turn.”
“Lucky Ice Pop returns to your hand at the end of the turn.”
(This would prevent repeated use in a single turn and stop the possibility of near-full heals based on luck.)

Thanks <3

Harlsbad · March 10

Vehemently agree. This card turns a skill and planning based game into gambling. It completely ruins the entire spirit of battling and belongs, at best, in some Unhinged equivalent of the game. Nerf this abomination immediately.

fineasmatei · March 11

If the card is a problem for you don't use it!

Dragonfly102024 · March 11

Ever notice how the entire game is like a gamble? 🤔

It isn't just this card.... every card that has a coin toss is a "gamble". Who goes first, is a "gamble". How you are dealt your hand is a "gamble". Which card you draw on your turn is also a "gamble".

Sure you can try to limit and plan it out, but it's still all up in the air. Basically, if you don't want a "gamble", don't play, just collect the cards.

DoubleCure · May 10

They won't nerf it... if you've been paying attention, you should know by now that's not how they roll.

They use power creep... so slowly but surely, it'll outpace Lucky Ice Pop eventually.

Beasley335 · June 24

absolutely needs to be banned. There’s no way its heads rate is as high as it’s been. Needs to be a one use or overall removed

DoubleCure · June 24

Again, it won't be banned nor nerfed... there were way more toxic cards not only in TCG Pocket but also in the original TCG... I mean way way much broken and were never even nerfed...

That's their overall policy... in like 30 years very few cards were revised/banned and the reasons were far more understandable and damaging than the poor Lucky Ice Pop.