Episode 196 – Special Conditions (Pokémon TCG) In This Meta Shouldn’t Be This Open… But It Is, Adam, Justin, and Lane dive into how strangely wide-open the Pokémon TCG feels right now—on both the tabletop and Pokémon TCG Live. Lane talks about grinding the ladder while waiting for Phantasmal Flames legality, hunting for underpriced singles, and falling in love with one-prize decks again. Adam shares stories from vending at New England Cardhouse, getting showered in DeliBirds, and chasing graded Mega-era cardboard on a budget, while Justin recaps Collect-A-Con Fort Worth, the surprise dominance of One Piece, and finally snagging a long-time grail Skyridge Arcanine for the binder. From there, the crew breaks down results from the Smart Series charity event and why the top decks prove this meta “shouldn’t” be this open, but absolutely is. They highlight the wild Festival Grounds / Seaking list that surged into third, multiple takes on Goldengo EX (including off-the-wall techs like Picnic Basket), and the brainy Alakazam / Dunsparce Psychic Draw engine that can one-shot while drawing a fresh hand. Lane then spotlights his new favorite rogue: a Conkeldurr “Gutsy Swing” one-prizer that swings for huge damage while effectively ignoring its own energy costs. To close things out, the hosts swap Phantasmal Flames pre-release stories, talk about new event software headaches, and celebrate some seriously spicy Charizard and Toxtricity pulls. They also chat about starter decks, trainer toolkits, and why dollar binders might secretly be the best way into the format right now. If you like card shows, rogue lists, and metas where almost anything feels playable, this episode is your jam. 00:02:15 – Waiting on Phantasmal Flames meta & Live ladder grind00:04:30 – DeliBird cosplay, Mega DeliBird hunt & $2 bird pickups00:08:00 – Vending at New England Cardhouse & ranking local shows00:12:00 – Collect-A-Con Fort Worth: Skyridge Arcanine grail acquired00:18:00 – One Piece everywhere & discovering the Life TCG bird game00:24:00 – Smart Series charity event results & Festival Grounds Seaking00:31:00 – Goldengo EX deck talk: techs, Picnic Basket, and matchups00:36:00 – Alakazam / Dunsparce Psychic Draw engine spotlight00:40:00 – Hydration break & Patreon thank-yous00:41:00 – Conkeldurr “Gutsy Swing” one-prize deck breakdown00:50:00 – Mega Absol toolbox, Monkey Dory spreads & open meta talk00:54:00 – Phantasmal Flames pre-release stories & big Charizard pulls01:00:00 – Starter decks, toolkits, dollar binders & Poké Ball reverses01:04:00 – Charizard UPC, Chinese Arcanine tease & outro 🔗 Connect with us 🌐 Website: pokemonprofessor.com 🎧 Podcast Network: Pokémon Professor Network 🎧 Podcast Host: Pickaxe 💬 Discord: Exclusive access via Patreon 👕 Merch: Available on our site 📞 Call/Text/Voicemail: 732-835-8639 ✉️ Email: specialconditions@pokemonprofessor.com https://linktr.ee/PokemonProfessorNetwork Music provided by GameChops and licensed through Creative Commons ▾ FOLLOW GAMECHOPS ▾ http://instagram.com/GameChops http://twitter.com/GameChops http://soundcloud.com/GameChops http://facebook.com/GameChops http://youtube.com/GameChops http://www.gamechops.com Intro Music Trapped In A Pokéball Dj CUTMAN and Belthesar GameChops - Ultraball http://gamechops.com/ultraball/ http://soundcloud.com/DjCUTMAN http://soundcloud.com/belthesar Break Music He Walk - Furret / Accumula Town Remix Dj Cutman http://soundcloud.com/djcutman http://twitter.com/videogamedj http://youtube.com/djcutman Outro Music Kanto Trainer Battle Mykah GameChops - Ultraball http://gamechops.com/ultraball/ https://soundcloud.com/mykah Hosts Adam Tuttle Justin Keller Executive Producer Tish Smith Pokémon And All Respective Names are Trademark and © of Nintendo 1996-2024Pokémon Professor and Special Conditions are not affiliated with Niantic Inc., The Pokémon Company, Game Freak or Nintendo #pokemon #pokemontcg #podcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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