Primarina's Harmonics and Ancient Trait Alpha Growth - do they work together?

[nautiscarader]

Just for fun, I decided to see if Primarina's Harmonics (LOT 67) would work with pokémon with Ancient Trait Alpha Growth (for example, Whiscash, (Primal Clash 20)). Both of these do the same: allow another energy card to be attached, when I attach one from my hand. 

 

What happened was that I was only able to attach one extra energy, as opposed to two, if I read these correctly.

 

Now, some of you might instantly jump and say: "But they both state that cards attached via abilities or effects don't count!" And I get that. But I don't mean that extra card magically attached via the effect. I mean the one I attached at the start. 

 

My thinking goes like this: I attach an energy card to Whiscach. Its Alpha growth says "hang on, I just had a card attach to me! I will allow you an extra one". Meanwhile, at the same time, Primarina's Ability says "Oh wait a minute, trainer just attached an energy card to a pokémon! Give him another go". And as a result, I should get two extra cards. 

 

Think about this as a number game: Whiscash stands up when he hears me saying a number divisible by 2. Primarina stands up, when she hears me saying a number divisible by 3. And then I say 6. They should both stand up at the same time on the first go.

 

Or am I thinking wrong here...? I know that two Harmonics won't stack. But these two look like they should.

 

Actually... by my reasoning, Harmonics should stack as well. One energy card - we're still talking about the same, first card I attach from hand - can activate more than one effect, can't it? If my opponent had Gengar from Crimson invasion and Frozen City, I would get 4 damage counters in total whenever I attach energy from hand, wouldn't I? If so, why can't two Harmonics activate at the same time?

 

Nothing on the card states it can't. Unlike, for example, Jungle Totem on Shining Legend Venusaur, which specifically states that only one of these abilities can be active. 

Edited November 17, 2018 by nautiscarader

[playhavock]

 Primarina's Harmonics says that it will allow one more energy to be attached via trainer/special/ability/attack - this can not trigger if you are also using the Growth - as that ALSO says that it can only get 2 if and only if it was not an ability/special/attack. Because the same are in essence doing the same thing - letting you get 2 energy rather then one, you can not do both. Its 2 max. No more then that. Doesn't stack, doesn't both trigger at the same time.

 

You could use Nurture and Heal to attach 1 more grass AFTER doing the Harmonic/Growth but not to trigger it.

 

As far as the other example with the damage counters - the ability is not negated under (X) conditions, so it can stack, 4 Gengar's out = lots of pain.

[nautiscarader]

Well, then it's clearly not balanced, if the negative effects can stack and positive cannot.

Also, in your first sentence you've used "one more energy" erroneously, because I think I finally get how the wording here works: each of these effects makes the maximum number of energy cards attachable to 2. It doesn't increment them by adding plus 1 (why was that censored?!). Instead, it says that it is now equal 2. So, in effect, these two DO activate at the same time, but the second will effectively do nothing, because it's overwriting variable that already has a value of 2 with 2.

yeah, it is stupid, it should do +1.

 

Oh, and don't you worry, I AM using Nurture and Heal in a Sceptile deck

Edited December 2, 2018 by nautiscarader