EX I initially thought of including Mewtwo EX in the Great Card, but Not Great Design category, but changed my mind in the end because it effectively did what it was meant to do: introduce players to the concept of Pokmon- EX
Haste enabling and protective equipment are important
They still are the modern face of Group Hug, so its safe to say their design was successful in that respect
Once youre comfortable with modifying your deck, the best and most cost effective way to build up a collection is with an Elite Trainer Box, which gives you all of the premium accessories you need including damage dice, plastic condition markers, a small number of energy cards of each type and themed card sleeves along with a set guide book, 9 booster packs and even a promo card
The rare card in each pack can have one of several sorts of the same card, too