196. This Meta Shouldn’t Be This Open… But It Is
Description
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 grind
00:04:30 – DeliBird cosplay, Mega DeliBird hunt & $2 bird pickups
00:08:00 – Vending at New England Cardhouse & ranking local shows
00:12:00 – Collect-A-Con Fort Worth: Skyridge Arcanine grail acquired
00:18:00 – One Piece everywhere & discovering the Life TCG bird game
00:24:00 – Smart Series charity event results & Festival Grounds Seaking
00:31:00 – Goldengo EX deck talk: techs, Picnic Basket, and matchups
00:36:00 – Alakazam / Dunsparce Psychic Draw engine spotlight
00:40:00 – Hydration break & Patreon thank-yous
00:41:00 – Conkeldurr “Gutsy Swing” one-prize deck breakdown
00:50:00 – Mega Absol toolbox, Monkey Dory spreads & open meta talk
00:54:00 – Phantasmal Flames pre-release stories & big Charizard pulls
01:00:00 – Starter decks, toolkits, dollar binders & Poké Ball reverses
01:04:00 – 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
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Music provided by GameChops and licensed through Creative Commons
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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
Outro Music
Kanto Trainer Battle
Mykah
GameChops - Ultraball
http://gamechops.com/ultraball/
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
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