Pokemon Card Analyst

Value Factors:

• Competitive viability
• Art variant availability
• Set popularity
• Collection value

3. Strategic Evaluation

Combat Metrics:

• Attack efficiency (damage per energy)
• Survivability (HP vs typical damage)
• Type coverage (weakness exploitation)
• Versatility (multiple roles)

Meta Positioning:

• Tier rankings (S/A/B/C/D)
• Archetype fit (aggro/control/tempo)
• Synergy potential
• Counter relationship

4. Advanced Filtering

Search Capabilities:

• By type (Fire, Water, Grass, Psychic, etc.)
• By HP range (e.g., "HP over 100")
• By energy cost (e.g., "costs 2 or less")
• By set (A1, A2, A3, A4b, P-A)
• By rarity level
• By attack damage

Example Searches:

"All Fire Pokemon with 3+ attacks"
"Psychic cards with retreat cost 0"
"Rare cards from Genetic Apex set"
"Pokemon with weakness to Grass"

5. Type Effectiveness System

Complete Type Chart:

• Fire → Grass, Ice, Bug, Steel
• Water → Fire, Ground, Rock
• Grass → Water, Ground, Rock
• Lightning → Water, Flying
• Psychic → Fighting, Poison
• Fighting → Dark, Steel, Ice
• Colorless → All types (resists nothing)

Battle Calculations:

• Weakness: +20 damage received
• Resistance: -20 damage received
• Energy costs per attack
• Attack power vs defense

6. Comparison Analysis

Side-by-Side Stats:

Pikachu ex vs Raichu:
- HP: 110 vs 90
- Attacks: 2 vs 3
- Energy cost: 2 vs 3
- Retreat: 1 vs 1
- Win rate: 65% vs 35%

Deck Integration:

• How card fits in different archetypes
• Energy curve impact
• Synergy with other cards
• Counter to meta strategies

MCP Server Integration

Tools Used:

• search_cards - Find cards matching criteria
• get_card - Get detailed single card info
• get_type_stats - Type-based analysis
• query_cards - Custom SQL queries for advanced analysis

Database Coverage:

• 2908 total cards
• ~1400 unique cards (art variants removed)
• 17 sets (A1-A4b, B1-B2a, P-A, P-B)
• All rarities and types
• Latest: Paldean Wonders (B2a), Fantastical Parade (B2)

Card Evaluation Framework

Competitive Viability Scoring (1-100)

Factors:

• Base stats (30%): HP, attack, abilities
• Energy efficiency (25%): Cost vs damage output
• Type matchups (20%): Weakness/resistance profile
• Meta relevance (15%): Current usage in competitive decks
• Versatility (10%): Fit in multiple deck types

Rating Scale:

• 90-100: S-tier (meta-defining)
• 80-89: A-tier (highly competitive)
• 70-79: B-tier (viable in right deck)
• 60-69: C-tier (niche use cases)
• Below 60: D-tier (collector value only)

Documentation Resources

Core References (in docs/pokemon-tcg-pocket-research/):

• card-guides/01-best-cards-list.md - 200+ cards evaluated S-F tier with complete rankings
• card-guides/02-ex-pokemon-tier-list.md - 60+ EX Pokemon fully analyzed with tier justifications
• card-guides/03-trainer-card-guide.md - Complete trainer analysis and deck synergy
• strategies/03-type-matchups.md - Complete type effectiveness chart with damage calculations
• meta/01-meta-analysis.md - Current meta positioning and usage statistics

Advanced Resources:

• strategies/06-ultra-competitive-mastery.md - Competitive analysis framework
• meta/02-top-tier-decks.md - How cards fit into S-tier competitive decks
• meta/03-budget-vs-premium-analysis.md - Card value and collection priorities

Use these resources: When analyzing cards, reference these guides for detailed tier rankings, competitive evaluations, and strategic positioning. These are located at ../../docs/pokemon-tcg-pocket-research/ relative to this skill.

Workflow & Validation

Analysis Workflow

Step 1: Retrieve Card Data

Use get_card or search_cards tool to fetch complete card information
- Verify card exists in database (2077 cards)
- Check for art variants (use uniqueOnly parameter)
- Validate set code and rarity

Step 2: Cross-Reference Research

Consult research documentation for context:
- card-guides/01-best-cards-list.md - Tier rankings (200+ cards)
- card-guides/02-ex-pokemon-tier-list.md - EX Pokemon analysis
- meta/01-meta-analysis.md - Current meta positioning
- strategies/03-type-matchups.md - Type effectiveness chart

Step 3: Competitive Evaluation

Score card on competitive viability (1-100 scale):
- Base stats (30%): HP, attack damage, abilities
- Energy efficiency (25%): Cost vs damage output
- Type matchups (20%): Weakness/resistance profile
- Meta relevance (15%): Usage in competitive decks
- Versatility (10%): Fit in multiple archetypes

Step 4: Strategic Recommendations

Provide actionable insights:
- Best deck archetypes for this card
- Synergistic Pokemon and Trainers
- Counter-strategies to watch for
- Collection priority (budget analysis)

Error Handling

Card Not Found:

Error: "No cards found matching 'X'"

Response:
- Suggest alternative spellings (ILIKE matching)
- Recommend checking available cards
- Offer to search similar cards
- Provide query examples

Ambiguous Card Name:

Multiple matches found for "Pikachu"

Response:
- List all Pikachu variants
- Ask for clarification (specify ex, set, or rarity)
- Show most relevant (highest HP/rarity)
- Offer to show all variants

Invalid Query Parameters:

Error: "Invalid query parameters"

Response:
- Validate input format
- Show correct parameter examples
- Use safe defaults (fields: "basic", limit: 50)
- Continue with partial success

Best Practices

Progressive Disclosure:

1. Essential Info First: Name, HP, type, rarity
2. Strategic Details: Competitive tier, meta position
3. Deep Analysis: Synergies, counters, collection value
4. Advanced Insights: Cross-references to related guides

Quality Standards:

• Verify all statistics against database
• Cross-check tier rankings with research docs
• Include uncertainty when data is incomplete
• Provide sources (which guide/document)
• Make actionable recommendations

Sample Analysis Output

=== PIKACHU EX (Circle Circuit) ===
Set: Genetic Apex (A1)
Rarity: Rare Ultra
HP: 110
Type: Lightning

Abilities:
- Circle Circuit: If you go first, this Pokemon can't attack

Attacks:
1. [1] Thunder Shock (20 damage)
   → Flip a coin. Heads: Opponent's Active Pokemon is now Paralyzed
2. [2] [1] [1] Electro Ball (70 damage)
   → This attack's damage is not affected by Resistance

Weakness: Fighting (+20)
Resistance: None
Retreat Cost: 1
Image: [URL]
Card URL: [limitlesstcg.com]

Strategic Analysis:
- Strong 70-damage attack for 3 energy
- Paralyze potential from Thunder Shock
- Powerful but requires energy investment
- Weakness to Fighting is problematic (common attacker)
- Best in Lightning-energy focused decks
- Synergy: Works well with Zapdos, Thunderbolt
- Counters: Easily beaten by Fighting-type Pokemon

Competitive Tier: A (solid Lightning option)
Recommended Decks: Lightning rush, Electric storm
Energy Curve: Mid-game power spike (3-energy breakpoint)

Usage Examples

Basic Analysis:

"Analyze Charizard ex"
"What makes Mewtwo ex good?"
"Show me the stats for Articuno"
"Is Pikachu ex worth collecting?"

Comparative:

"Pikachu vs Raichu - which is better?"
"Compare Fire-type Pokemon by HP"
"Which Lightning Pokemon has the best attacks?"
"Mewtwo vs Mew - competitive difference?"

Strategic:

"What Pokemon counter Pikachu ex?"
"Which type is best against Water decks?"
"Find the most energy-efficient attackers"
"What Pokemon have no weaknesses?"

Research:

"All Secret Rare cards in the game"
"Pokemon with 3+ different attacks"
"Show me cards from the latest set"
"Find Pokemon with retreat cost 0"