Tyrogue (HeartGold & SoulSilver HS 33) – Card of the Day

pokebeach.comA fairly popular baby, Tyrogue is a small-but-fierce competitor in the babies released in HGSS era.

Tyrogue, like all babies, has 30 HP and no weakness, no resistance, and no Retreat Cost. These aren’t bad when we add in the “Sweet Sleeping Face” Poké-body (which makes Tyrogue immune to attacks while sleeping) and all baby moves causing them to fall asleep after attacking.

“Mischievous Punch” hits for 30, unaffected by weakness or resistance. Of course, it also puts Tyrogue to sleep.

30 is a good number to hit for, 1HKOing all baby Pokémon that aren’t asleep. This is why most people recommend at least one Tyrogue in a deck: it’s easily searchable, and with a free attack that KOs the most popular starters, it often ends games before they start.

I think Tyrogue could be a somewhat hilarious late-game threat to many decks if paired with Black Belt or PlusPower- Against Zekrom, Tyrogue can 1HKO with Black Belt and prevent another Bolt Strike with PlusPower.

The reason you don’t want too many Tyrogues is because later they become dead-draw- There’s no point in laying down Tyrogue past turn 2 against anything he won’t hit for weakness. He also shouldn’t be your only starter, as if the opponent doesn’t start with a Baby (or something weak to Fighting, whatever that may be), then Tyrogue’s pretty useless.

Pros: Easy donks, hits fairly common decks for weakness
Cons: Nothing but easy donks, easily KO’d if you’re unlucky

Reader Interactions

27 replies

  1. Anonymous

    If Tyrogue hit for weakness, it could actually do some pretty interesting things. Nevertheless, I still think it’s pretty useful.

  2. Anonymous

    While the weakness and resistance thing needs to be edited, it doesn’t really deserve a negative score due to it.  That said, tyrogue is a great card, and in decks that run mostly free retreating basics, is amazingly good.  

  3. Sam W

    I forgot to add that Black Belted Tyrogue OHKO’s Magnezone, as well.

  4. Frank Hamilton

    Tyrogue is a really great card, it’s creeped it’s way into all of my HGSS-on decks.

    It’s worth noting though, that the attack says that Weakness and Resistance don’t affect the damage, so it won’t hit anything for weakness like you mention in the Pro section.

  5. matt l

    Tyrogue’s attack doesn’t hit any weakness, it says so in the attack effect. 

  6. tim h

    Tyrogue should be a 1-of in every single deck, in my opinion. As long as every other deck runs cleffa, all decks should run tyrogue (or magby… but mainly tyrogue)

    He’s also good to pokemon collector out to be junk armed.

    Also, 30 damage is pretty good for free; especially with a chance of immunity the next turn. 30 damage turns many 2hkos into 1hkos.

    And, as people said, it doesn’t apply weakness and resistance; but black belt and pluspower are both useful. I donked a 70hp basic with two pluspowers and two junkarms on the first turn once…

  7. Tamao Cameron

    I think the point about weakness should really be amended, it’s such an important factor of the metagame that the article shouldn’t mislead anybody about this point.

    But yeah, easy one of in most of my decks atm, clutch card.

  8. Jak Stewart-Armstead

    Don’t worry too much about the Weakness thing.

    Everyone messes up COTD sometime.

    I once reviewed the wrong Garchomp.

  9. watson

    i find tyrogue to be very good in blastzel, using it for getting pokemon like reshiram/zekrom into 1hko range

    i currently run 3 tyrogue and 1 cleffa

    • Anonymous  → watson

      you wouldn’t attack them if they werent ko-able. if a zekrom or reshiram were on bench then you would kill support or take cheap prizes. then once they get in ko range you hydro launcher them for the knockout.

  10. Karol Nowak

    I found the analysis to be overall decent.  However, there are a few things that seem a bit odd or are missing from this analysis.

    1) How would Tyrogue OHKO a Zekrom with a Black Belt?  You have to remember that Mischevious Punch doesn’t apply any weakness whatsoever.  Basically, you would be hitting for 70 damage with Tyrogue+Black Belt and that’s it.  The only thing I can understand Tyrogue OHKOing in Zekrom with a Black Belt are Pachirisus and Shaymins. Otherwise, that makes more sense.

    2) I can tell you right now, Tyrogue has WAY more usages than you think.  It’s not just KOing babies that is useful on, but it can actually be used as a “softener” in many decks, notably Magneboar.  For example, against Donphan varients, as you may know, you need 4 energy to Lost Burn a Donphan for the KO, and that can certainly be too much.  However, Tyrogue changes that.  You can promote Tyrogue to do a simple little 10 damage on the Donphan (due to Donphan’s body), and then you can potentially stall with sleep, preventing him from KOing the Tyrogue.  As a result, what happens then is that thanks to the 10 damage on Donphan, you can now Lost Burn 3 energies to KO a Donphan.

    Tyrogue can even be useful in the mirror as well.  Like Donphan, Tyrogue can make Lost Burning easier in this match up.  Simply, promote Tyrogue to deliver a simple 30 damage to it, and maybe even drop a Plus Power while you are at it if you want to, and by doing that, you put the opposing Magnezone at 100 HP.  Again, you can still with sleep for a turn or so, and then you can promote your Magnezone to Lost Burn 2 energies to KO an opposing Magnezone, rather than 3.  

  11. ricky turrietta

    wow retard doesnt even know about the card hes reviewing

  12. Travis Yeary

    Weakness doesn’t matter. I give this article +1 because I’ve had 3 cleffas knocked out by this guy in one game. Everyone messes up, I know I’ve done it too. Overall this card can see a wide spectrum of play with all the baby pokemon everywhere. Tyrogue can even return Ko another Tyrogue.

    I’m sorry everyone is giving you so much crap about such an honest mistake, I won’t hold it against you. Thanks for spotlighting this card dude :)

  13. Ross Gilbert

    Usually i very much enjoy your COTD articles dude, but i have to agree that missing an important point and making untrue statements really does de-value this as an article.

    You also mentioned that Tyrogue is immune to “attacks” while asleep when in fact he is immune to “Damage”. This makes a difference as cards like Crobat can KO it with “Severe Poison” or Gengar can with “Cursed Droplets” (As that’s placing damage counters).

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