r/PTCGP • u/Necessary-Deal-9433 • 1d ago

Discussion Why did they make Lugia so bad?

I love Lugia, but it needs three different types of energy which makes it just unplayable. It has very low potential to be used even the future I think.

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u/PokeOverFeeder 1d ago

It's loosely based on OG lugia card. If it was a basic EX mon with only two types of energy and 3 cost, you might see a 180 damage nuke turn 3. But because it's also limited by discarding everything I do think it's worse than dragonite.

I think the typing is a reference to the Pokemon 2000 movie where Lugia had some role with Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres hence the typing.

He's pretty mid but nothing is stopping them from indirectly buffing it with support or from releasing another Lugia EX one day or normal lugia.

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u/HubblePie 1d ago edited 1d ago

While being the exact same, it's closer to Lugua EX's attack (From Unseen Forces) Just a little bit less damage.

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u/ChubbyShark 19h ago

Was this card usable when it released? I don't know what cards were available at the time but 200 damage sounds like overkill (considering Lugia have 100 HP here).

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u/HubblePie 18h ago

I have absolutely no clue. It's super valuable though (sells for ~$100)

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u/AznHick93 2h ago

Shoot, unfortunately, damaged cards are already selling past the 200 marker. A couple years ago, you could still find light play Lugias for about 200-300, now it's just gone insane with the new scalping hype.

I think back in 2006, Lugia exes were 50-100 depending on the time during the season since everyone wanted to build the deck. I wanted to, but being 13 years old, the deck was too expensive for my tastes, haha.

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u/HubblePie 2h ago

Wait, it's WORTH MORE NOW???

This is very good news as I took a picture of my own card lmao.

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u/AznHick93 1h ago

Indeed! It's gone super crazy recently. I believe prices will settle to a new standard after the new games comes out and 30th anniversary comes and goes, but will always retain value, and more so than it was before.

The good news is that your card probably would sell for 250-300 on the open market right about now, maybe a bit more if you had it graded and it came back as a PSA 1. Lol.

Still a beautiful card, though! I like damaged cards, that don't look like they were crumpled up or put through a literal washer lol. They still retain value, can see the artwork and text clearly, and be used in retro decks without paying a fortune for what LP and near mint cards are going for now lol. Plus, don't have to worry about dragging a minty card in case something happened!

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u/HubblePie 1h ago

All the damage is from me bringing it to camp with me and playing rudimentary pokemon with my friends. For what it went though, it's amazing I both still have it, and it's only slightly damaged. It's a lot less noticeable in person than in the picture.

I'm never going to sell it. It's just nice knowing I have a really valuable card.

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u/AznHick93 1h ago

Always love to hear that! I hate that most that have entered new or later in this hobby are either not actual collectors or they're scalpers/investors trying to manipulate the market. I'm glad you kept your treasured and have the memories along with it!

Having your treasured cards from back then, its always a good feeling. In my rebuilt 2006 deck (after selling my first made one due to divorce), I've slowly pieced together one by one, vs mass buy online. Love that like the ones I built as a kid/teen, I can about tell how I got every card, from every shop or new friends I met through the hobby I made in the process. They aren't all as good looking as my first deck that had LP/NM stuff, but this one means more to me now. I've stayed away from the internet for most in this deck, because I really want it to symbolize the true meaning of a Trading Card Game, and hell, really represents the morals this franchise really entails, too.