Hi, I’d like to ask a question in order to check if my understanding of Rainbow Energies is correct or if it’s not.
The Team Rocket version of this card states “Doesn’t count as a basic Energy card when not in play”, so my question is: does the above phrasing imply that, when in play, Rainbow Energy does count as a basic Energy card?
To be clear, I know RE provides basic energy (of every type) when attached to a Pokemon, but my question is if it has to be considered as a basic energy card, too.
There are a couple of situations that come to my mind where this detail could be significant:
- interaction with Energy Flow (G1 122): if RE is attached to a pokemon and has to be considered a basic energy card while in play, then it should be possible to return RE to its owner’s hand by using Energy Flow. Does it work this way or not? And why?
- interaction with Ho-oh (N3 18): if RE is attached to Ho-oh and has to be considered a basic energy card while in play, then it should be considered when adding up the damage to Ho-oh’s attack… or not?
Maybe I’m totally wrong about this matter… I just hope my words won’t sound as useless ramblings, because I’m sincerely trying to understand these things more deeply.
Thanks in advance to anyone so kind to give an answer.
That’s poor wording on WotC’s part—though, in their defense, the wording on the original Japanese card was misleading as well. We should cite the silver bible (Pokémon Card Official Book 2000) here instead for the card’s clarified explanation, which reads:
場にあるかぎり、「草・炎・水・雷・超・闘・悪・鋼」の中の、どの「エネルギーカード」として使ってもよい。このカードを手札から出してポケモンにつけるとき、そのポケモンに「弱点・抵抗力」に関係なく、10ダメージ。
Translated to English:
As long as it is in play, you may use it as an Energy Card of any type (Grass, Fire, Water, Lightning, Psychic, Fighting, Darkness, and Metal). When you take this card out of your hand and attach it to a Pokémon, it deals 10 damage to that Pokémon, regardless of its Weakness and Resistance.
The game designers’ commentary on the card reads as follows:
「レインボーエネルギー」はポケモンについているとき、すべての「色（タイプ）」としてあつかうことができる、とても便利なエネルギーです。でも、手札やトラッシュ、また山札にあるときは、「色（タイプ）」を持っていません。たとえば、特殊能力［あまごい］で水エネルギーとして自分の場の水ポケモンにつけることもできませんし、トレーナーカードの「カスミのなみだ」をつかって山札から持ってくることもできません。「レインボーエネルギー」はとても便利なエネルギーですが、手札からポケモンにつけるときに、そのポケモンにダメージカウンターを1個のせなければなりません。このダメージは、ワザによるダメージではないので「ディフェンダー」で防ぐことはできません。また、ダメージをのせるのは手札からポケモンにつけるときだけなので、特殊能力［エナジートランス］などで別のポケモンにつけかえた場合、つけたポケモンに10ダメージをのせる必要はありません。このように使い方がちょっとむずかしいカードですが、うまく使う方法もいろいろあるので、工夫してぜひ使ってみてください
Translated to English:
Rainbow Energy is a very useful energy that can be used as any color (type) when it is attached to a Pokémon. However, when it is in your hand, in your discard pile, or in your deck, it does not have a color (type). For example, you cannot attach it to a Water Pokémon in your field as Water Energy by using the Pokémon Power [Rain Dance], nor can you bring it from your deck by using the Trainer Card "Misty’s Tears”. Rainbow Energy is very useful, but when you attach it to a Pokémon from your hand, you must put a damage counter on the Pokémon. This damage cannot be prevented by “Defender” because it is not damage from an attack. Also, damage is only added to a Pokémon when it is attached to a Pokémon from the hand, so if a Pokémon is attached to another Pokémon using a Pokémon Power such as [Energy Trans], it does not need to add 10 damage to the Pokémon to which it is attached. As you can see, this card is a little difficult to use, but there are many ways to use it well, so please try to use it with some ingenuity.
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I second this. Rainbow provides every type of energy when in play, so its providing what each basic energy provides, just 1 at a time. It’s still a special energy card at all times.
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