art by Megumi MizutaniAmazing plays can happen in a blink of an eye. You may never see them coming until it is too late. Things would look fine one moment but your opponent can have another powerful Pokemon appear out of nowhere. These sudden plays that can change the tide of a battle in an instant. There can be some real ninja plays in this game and today we have a card that represent those moments with Ninja Boy from Steam Siege.

Ninja Boy is a Supporter card that was release in Steam Siege. This card allows you to choose one Basic Pokemon that you have in play and replace it with a Basic Pokemon from you deck. If there were any effects such as special conditions, damage, turns in play, items or effects on the first Pokemon then they will carry over to the new Pokemon. You then get to shuffle your deck.
The Pros
Ninja Boy is a return of an old card called Swoop! Teleporter that did the same thing. The only difference now is that this effect is now on a Supporter which means it can only be used once per turn. That isn’t bad as it can help you set up a new Pokemon quickly while also searching for them. You get to have the best of an Ultra Ball while planning ahead.
There are always Pokemon in a deck that you rather not have on the bench. Sometimes you put them on the bench and simply don’t want them there anymore. That is when you can use Ninja Boy to take care of that Pokemon.
One of those Pokemon may end up being Shaymin EX who loves to sit on the bench after giving you a nice card draw boost. It won’t be doing anything on the bench besides waiting for the game to end or to be Lysandre up by your opponent to be knocked out. We use to have AZ who can put Shaymin EX back into your hand to keep it there or reuse Shaymin EX’s Set Up ability. Now AZ has been rotated out but that doesn’t mean Shaymin EX is useless. Especially when Ninja Boy is around to simply allow you to attach Energy and/or Tools on to Shaymin EX to help set up a future Pokemon. That is because Ninja Boy will only replace Shaymin EX but let the new Pokemon keep all the energy and Tools that the old Pokemon had on them.
Ninja Boy lets you keep the energy and Tools that was on the old Pokemon that was replaced with the Pokemon that Ninja Boy pulled out but it also hand over the turns that have passed. This may be useful for decks that use Stage 1s or anything that evolves. That is because you can use Shaymin EX to get that card draw boost and wait next turn to use Ninja Boy to replace it with a Froakie or a Basic Pokemon that can evolve. You can go ahead and evolve that Pokemon that same turn to start setting up.
The Cons
Is it really a con that a Supporter that isn’t a Draw Supporter isn’t a good Supporter? After all, you do not always need to draw cards. Though if you are playing a deck that constantly needs to draw cards in the early game then you do not want to see Ninja Boy in the early game.
One of the bad things about Ninja Boy is how it is only limited to Basic Pokemon. During a game you may be tempted to replace an Evolved Pokemon with a new Pokemon but realize that you can’t. I guess that is Ninja Boy’s way to ensure that it doesn’t become overpowering. Those who wanted to use Ninja Boy to move a Vileplume out of the active will be out of luck and new to find another way to move that heavy Pokemon.
Another bad thing about Ninja Boy is that it also carries over status conditions, damage and negative effects. You may be planning to use Ninja Boy on an active Pokemon and then they end up getting Poisoned. If you do use Ninja Boy on that Pokemon then it will get sent back into the deck but the new Pokemon will keep the Poison condition and damage. That is something you do not want to have on your new Pokemon and will effect your Pokemon’s ability to stay in the battle.
Lastly, there is no full art Ninja Boy. That is pretty bad if you want to bling out your deck with just full art cards.
How to Use It
The most obvious way to use Ninja Boy is to get rid of Shaymin EX on your bench. You can simply use it to put Shaymin EX back into your deck and grab it back by using Hoopa EX or an Ultra Ball. It will give your Shaymin EX extra mileage. Especially if you are only playing one in your deck.
If you are trying to be be coy about using Ninja Boy to remove your Shaymin EX from the field then attach a Double Colorless Energy on it. Your opponent will be unsure if you are planning to use Sky Return or actually going to use Ninja Boy. It just adds more mystery to your next play and harder for you to read.
If you are playing Ninja Boy in your deck with Shaymin EX then this gives you another Max Elixir target. Sometimes you will find yourself in a situation where you have Max Elixir in your hand but only Shaymin EX on your bench. It means you need to hold on to Max Elixir until a suitable energy recipient appears or just waste it. Now that you have Ninja Boy, you can simply attach the energy to Shaymin EX with plans to pass it to a different Pokemon.
Ninja Boy has been seeing playing in Darkness decks to give them more of a ‘toolbox’ feel. You simply set up one Pokemon with energy and then have that Pokemon swap out depending on what you need. Simply flood your bench with Energy by using Max Elixir and Yveltal’s Oblivion Wing. Once you have enough energy on the bench then you can use Ninja Boy to replace your active Yveltal with a Darkrai EX to use Dark Pulse. You will most likely have a Fighting Fury Belt attached to Yveltal which means that Tool will be attached to Darkrai EX after you use Ninja Boy. That isn’t a bad idea if you are wanting surprise your opponent. You can even play a one-of Umbreon EX which can come in after you heavily damage a Mega Pokemon. Hit a Mega Pokemon hard with one Pokemon and then have Umbreon EX come in to dish out the final blow with Endgame to take extra prize cards. There are just so many nasty surprises that you can do in this deck with Ninja Boy.
Lastly, there is a little trick that you can do to give yourself a “retreating” effect. Let say your opponent puts a heavy Basic Pokemon into the active and hits it with some damage. They are planning to stall you out while slowly damaging your active Pokemon to take a knock out. You may not have any Float Stone, Switch or Escape Rope in your hand but you do have access to Ninja Boy via VS Seeker. You can use VS Seeker to grab your Ninja Boy to replace your active Pokemon with a low HP Basic Pokemon. That damage on the original active Pokemon will go on the new low HP Basic Pokemon and knock it out. You opponent will take a prize but you will now be able to move your heavy hitter attacking Pokemon who is ready to knock out your opponent’s Pokemon. It could put your opponent in a tough spot and you in a better position.
A ninja moves in the shadows and loves to hide. You never know when they will strike but when they do it is for something big! That idea is what makes Ninja Boy so fitting for it’s effect. It hides in the smoke and always ready to be used. Who knows what you will find once the smoke clears as you are ready to strike your opponent with fear thanks to Ninja Boy!
The post TCG Jump: Featured Card- Ninja Boy appeared first on Pokémon Crossroads.


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