Quote of the Day:

Baboon [12:07 PM]:  i haven't made you give QotD recently.
Baboon [12:07 PM]:  your turn.
otaku [12:08 PM]:  I have a delightful debate going with someone that might be fun
otaku [12:08 PM]:  I listed a combo
otaku [12:11 PM]:  He proceeds to tear it apart
otaku [12:12 PM]:  In the end, it turns out I forgot to come out and flatly state something, and he was working with the under standing that my little combo was the FOCUS of the deck, and not a fringe benefit of it
Baboon [12:12 PM]:  heh
otaku [12:12 PM]:  So as usual, I prove that for a fat man, I am amazingly limber and co-ordinated-I go through the day, and my foot never leaves my mouth
Baboon [12:13 PM]:  heh
otaku [12:15 PM]:  Got enough material now?
Baboon [12:15 PM]:  i guess
otaku [12:15 PM]:  pft
otaku [12:15 PM]:  two good ones and it results in an "I guess".  You aren't hard ta please, are ya?

And so I come to another cool number- 475. Like I do with my other "special" articles, I've chosen a special card in the game's history to review. Today's choice is from the very first set and has been used in countless decks right from the beginning.

"How to Use Professor Oak"
Article #475.

August 22, 2005  12:11 PM
Baboon@pokeschool.com

**Advantage of Professor Oak.
~There are seven words in the text of the card. The last three are the advantage. :-p Drawing 7 cards gives you a completely new hand and quite a number of possibilities. Most Trainers will either find you a single card or only a few. While Professor Oak doesn't really give you any specific card you need, by giving you this many, the odds are pretty good that you'll find what you need, or at very least, another Trainer that can get it for you, such as a Computer Search. Rather than having to find specific cards every time you need one, many times, it may just be easier to use Oak and get yourself a whole new hand to work with. Since the turnover is so large, it can get through your deck pretty quickly, namely when used in succession with more of itself and things like Bill, Master Ball, Misty's Wrath, etc. (You've got to love the old days before everything good became a Supporter.) Although the carnage such a deck-burning procedure produces is not desirable, you can many times find everything you need for a quick setup, and possibly a quick win, namely if your opponent has just one Pokemon. Even if you're not going for a first-turn win, Oak can be particularly useful for when you're trying to get set up in a hurry, such as when you want to drop a Dark Vileplume or Chaos Gym. This is one situation in which this card can be more useful than some of its more-friendly counterparts, such as Prof. Oak's Research. Since you can use the original Oak more than once a turn, you can find everything you need and get the edge on your opponent, who may not be planning to have to set up right away.

**Disadvantage of Professor Oak.
~The advantage was the last three words, and the disadvantage is the first three. To pay for getting seven new cards from your deck, you have to discard your hand. Not just send it to the deck, where you could eventually find the cards again, but to the discard pile, which makes it considerably harder to retrieve them, should you need to. Pretty much, all you can do about this is just to make sure you don't have anything useful in your hand, preferably nothing at all. Using Professor Oak when it's the last card in your hand is awesome, as it's essentially free. Only you can make the decision whether or not discarding your hand for seven new cards is worth it. If you're on a mission to find something, it may be. If you just randomly feel like it, reconsider. You have to know roughly what the odds are of getting the card(s) you need from your deck and then compare it to what you know you're going to lose. Overall, I tend to think it's worth it, as Unlimited is typically a faster format. Even if you discard good cards, you may be able to go on without them and still succeed.

COMBO CARDS:

~Blastoise (Base). This is one of the many decks that benefits from Professor Oak's speediness. By going through your deck at a rapid rate, you get the Water Energy fast and your Pokemon are energized much faster than if you were to find them with other Trainers.

~PlusPower. One of the cards involved in fast wins in Unlimited is PlusPower. As I mentioned, if your opponent only has one Pokemon, you may be interested in trying to take it down right away and get the easy win. By burning through your deck with Professor Oak, you may be able to get those PlusPowers to get that extra bit of damage for the KO.

RATING:
Unlimited. Although cards have come out that could replace Professor Oak in decks, such as Copycat, Prof. Oak's Research, and Steven's Advice, I still think the original is one of the best. Most of the time, even though you could lose a few cards, the amount you get back and the ability to continue using Trainers compensates and then some. I have found Professor Oak to be essential to many of the Unlimited decks I've made over the years, and I don't foresee that changing for quite a while. When used efficiently, Oak really is a great card. 9/10.

TRIVIA answer from Multi Energy.

Takumi Akabane made the cool illustration on the Multi Energy card.

TRIVIA for Professor Oak.

What other Trainers have "Oak" in their names?

Thanks for reading!
~Baboon
Baboon@pokeschool.com