malikhisyam
New Member
So yeah, I've already decided what to play for Worlds, PLOX. I've been playing it for a long time now and getting used to it. Jared helped me get Drew's PLOX list and I eventually used it but with a few changes.
I went to Orlando and arrived on Wednesday the 20th, stayed at the hotel to play and met Jason and Jared. Though at about 5pm I was too tired and slept in the room. Something weird happened too. I woke up at around 7, at the doorstep of my room, standing barefoot. I guess I sleepwalk when I'mtoo tired. That night finally I met Aaron, Andrew and Sam downstairs in the gaming room. =]
The night before Grinders Aaron's dad, Uncle Choong treated us all to a Japanese dinner. I finished my bowl of Fried Rice with chopsticks! =] And it took me only 45 minutes! XD
Meanwhile Aaron and Lip Yee had a competition on who can eat wasabe and last longer.
Permission to post pic granted. =D
FriedBlaziken after eating wasabe
I tested a lot mostly at night with PLOXes, Torterribles and a few Empos. They all turned out to be good as I faced most of them.
The list :
Pokemon 21
3 Ralts SW
1 Ralts DF
2 Kirlia SW
3 Gardevoir SW
2 Gallade SW
1 Gardevoir Lv.X SW
2 Baltoy GE
2 Claydol GE
1 Duskull DP
1 Dusknoir DP
1 Jirachi ex CG
1 Chatot MD
1 Holon's Castform HP
Trainers 23
4 Rare Candy
3 Roseanne's Research
3 Team Galactic's Wager
3 Celio's Network
2 Bebe's Search
2 Cessation Crystal
2 Warp Point
2 Windstorm
1 Lake Boundary
1 Night Maintenance
Energy 16
4 Double Rainbow
3 Scramble
4 Call
4 Psychic
1 Fighting
Props to Jared for finding me the list and Aaron for fixing it up.
So, yeah. On to Grinders!!
Seniors
PLOX
8 Rounds of Swiss
Round 1 Vs PLOX
I get good start and corner him by just a Gallade after he swept a few Pokemon. I have Gardy active and I misplayed FTL. I should've Telepassed for the Lv.X so he can't kill me. Oh well, GG.
Loss (0-1)
Round 2 Vs Beedrill Swarm/Crystal Beach
I start with Baltoy, no Call, no Supporter. He puts down T2 Crystal Beach and swarms Beedrill. GG
Loss (0-2)
By this stage I thought I was gonna cry. I went all the way here not to lose. Obviously I didn't come to fail. No matter, there's still a chance.
He have lunch and Sean's dad treats me to a cheese pizza. Thanks Uncle Adrian =]
Round 3 Vs GG
T3 PLOX and I didn't break the lock. GG
Win (1-2)
Round 4 Vs Honchkrow/Darkrai
I sweep Darkrai with Gallade and he has active lone Honchkrow Lv.X. Flip all prizes FTW
Win (2-2)
Round 5 Vs PLOX
He gets early Gallade and start sweeping. I manage to get a Gallade/Cess and whack the Gallade away while setting up a backup Gardy. We constantly KO each other's stuff and eventually prizes got down to 1-2 his favour. I find my self cornered. Fortunately earlier he put down a Phoebe's Stadium which helped me a LOT. If he he had Cesslocked me earlier I would Warp Point to any Psychic Pokemon, setup with powers and retreat right back. So back to the current situation, prizes 1-2. Time was called and I quickly Candy Dusknoir, Scramble, Hard Feelings to make it 1-1. He strikes the Dusky back and one more turn he could kill it. He informs the judge about our ongoing game and one comes over to watch. I had a no energy Gardy in bench and he has damaged Holon Castform in bench after starting with it. I telepass Wager, Cosmic Power and draw Lv.X and DRE. =] I retreat, Lv up, attach DRE and Bring Down FTW. The judge watching was stunned at that move I just did. He was impressed. =]
Win (3-2)
Round 6 Vs Some girl with GG/Ball Engine
T3 Lock and I swept.
Win (4-2)
Round 7 Vs IDK
I completely forgot who or what I played against here.
Win (5-2)
Round 8 Vs Daniel C with Torterrible
This was the peak of my LCQ hunt. The most epic match ever in the Grinder for me. Everyone crowded behind me to watch the match.
I get T3 lock and keep locking hard. I misplayed thinking I could evolve a Claydol T1. He doesn't let me take it back so I just kept it. After I manage to set up a Gallade I Teleportation Gardy X back and Cess, DRE to Gallade and start sweeping. He manages to come back though with a self charged Torterra. He puts down a Treecko on the bench. I quickly warp point to Gardy X and bring it down. After that I kept locking some more. He sneaks a Cosmic Power in but Jared sees it and informs a judge. Gameplay reversed and it's back to his turn with active Grotle. Time is called and prizes are 2-2. Before the judge leaves I ask him if it gets into Sudden Death. He says the next KO takes it. To I go on to kill the Grotle FTW. Suddenly the judge goes "Nope, continue playing. I gave you a time extension." I was scared here he didn't say that earlier. But oh well, if he couldn't kill me in his turn I win. GG
I hear everyone behind me applauding. I was overjoyed.
Win (6-2)
So, yeah. I came from behind to go 6-2. Unfortunately Daniel lost his last game and go 5-3. Never mind you did your best, man. GJ. Standings go up and I'm 22nd in a Top21 Grinder. I was stunned, sad, a bit angry too. Jared and Aaron told me to go talk to Dave. On the way there the MC announces that everyone with 6-2 records are in. Oh the joy comes back. I go around hugging everyone that had my back. Haha.
I register, get my Worlds welcome bag and head for dinner. Uncle Choong treats me to dinner at the Italian restaurant in the hotel. Yipee. =]
Sam didn't get enough sleep the night before, he got locked out of his room. He almost fell asleep in his meatballs. HAHA.
Main Event time. I wake up early and grab some Hot Chocolate and a Blueberry muffin for breakfast. Then I head out to the Ballroom.
Seniors
PLOX
7 Rounds of Swiss
Top32Cut
Round 1 Vs Mason C. [US] with Eeveelutions
T3 lock and Gallade/Cess sweep. GG
Win (1-0)
So I found out they put my name as [US] as I got my invite from the LCQ. Oh well, I'll play for the US then! Kidding, kidding. The Malaysians shall kill me for it.
Round 2 Vs Mees B. [NL] with PLOX
Everything was cheerful and friendly before the match, but when it started. he got serious.
He gets ahead on prizes after an early PLOX. I found it hard to get a Gardy out so I Roseanne's for a Jirachi ex Psychic to lock him back. He breaks the lock just to whack the Jirachi away. Just as expected. That move costed him the game. I manage to setup and sweep him back with Gardys and Gallades/Cess. GG
Win (2-0)
Round 3 Vs Michael B. [US] with PLOX
He gets good setup but he searches for a Gallade instead of Gardy thinking he could sweep me. I go down 6-3 in prizes after losing my starting Pokemon and a Jirachi ex. I just came back with Scrambles to Gallade/Cess and then kept locking with Gardy. GG
Win (3-0)
Round 4 Vs Daniel C. [US] with PLOX
No, this isn't the guy from Grinders.
Again my opponent has the upper hand on the start. I eventually manage to Shield Beam him with Jirachi ex and then got back with Gardys and Gallades. Prizes got down to 1-1 and I had charged up a Dusknoir. He keeps bringing out his highest HP pokemon so I can't get a quick win. I was too focused on trying to kill him with Dusky that I completely forgot about Bring Down. I retreat, Level up, attach DRE and Bring Down FTW. GG
Win (4-0)
Round 5 Vs Katsuya S. [JP] with EmpoZong
The game was quite silent because I had to point out every move and he couldn't speak English.
I got a T2 PLOX and swept him early. He manage to come back with Bronzong and Scrambles and then setup a few Empoleons. Prizes 2-2 but eventually he swept everything just back.
Loss (4-1)
Round 6 Vs Dylan B. [US] with Scizor/Electrode/Cess/Beach
Ahh pain.
He swarmed Scizors and puts down Cess and Beach early so I couldn't set up. I managed to kill 3 Scizors with Gallade though he TSD'd and Night M them just back to haunt me.
Loss (4-2)
Round 7 Vs Bjorn R. [DE] with Gardyllade/Lefeon
T3 Gardy and constant locks = GG.
Win (5-2)
It's confirmed now, I'm gonna topcut. Sean, Andrew and Sam will too. Good job everyone from Asia!
We all got some rest in that night and got ready for the topcut.
T32 Vs Jeanette K. [NL]
I still don't know what happened to my opponent here. At first there was no deck. Then her mother came over, showed negative body language and she went off crying. I called a judge to find out what was going on. One of them came up to me and said, "Be patient, ok? The game is over, you've won. Something terribly bad has happened to your opponent."
And then he told me to leave the T32 area.
Win (6-2)
T16 Vs Aziz A. [US] with EmpoZong
Game 1
We both get decent start with me getting a quick PLOX. He gets a quick Empoleon and starts spreading frenzy. As soon as he got the Empo out I Levelled up, TEleportation to Gallade, Cess the Gallade and whack the Empo. He manages to Scramble a Bronzong and strike back. Eventually prizes went down to 2-2. I cosmic, and use a supporter. And then I announce Telepass a Celio's. Aziz stops me and tells me I already did.
Aziz : No, you telepassed.
Me : Uhh, no I haven't. *Laughs a bit*
Aziz : No, I could've sworn you telepassed.
Me : So what did I telepass for then?
Aziz : I don't know, it was a Rosy's or a Rowan. I forgot.
Judge : You telepassed, keep on playing.
I had Duskull, Candy, DRE in my hand. I could've charged the Dusknoir one turn earlier and prevented 30 more damage to 2 of my basics so I could've killed the Empoleon and not lose my 2 basics on bench. One turn later and I've lost. Ugh...
Also, the judge kept telling me to speed up my gameplay when I was taking legal turns to use Cosmic Power, use a supporter and Telepass. I'm not saying Aziz stalled but we both played quite slowly but I kept getting the warnings. Oh the pressure.
0-1
Game 2
I open crap and drew useless crap for like 5 turns. I did get an early Claydol but he got a T3 Empoleon+Cess. GG
Loss (6-3)
I flipped over the prizes and was disgusted by the sight. Celio's, Roseanne's, 2 Kirlia, 2 Candy. Even the judge went :
Judge : Oh that is disgusting. Usually people say they lose on prizes for one card. But in your case, you can say you really lost on prizes! Thanks for being a good sport though. Good job!
Me : It was good experience for my first year.
Aziz : Yeah and you grinded in too, right?
Judge : Your first year AND you grinded? And now you're in the top16?! That is awesome. *Shakes my hand*
He was so stunned that he even called the other judges and scorekeepers and told about me. One of the staff that took me to the prize giving table even told the staff there. =D
So it ends here and I earn a lot of respect. Top16 through the grinder in my first year is huge. I end up World #11 so I'm satisfied. Andrew T16, Sam T32 and Sean T8. It was sad though, what happened to Sean. The ruling was just harsh for the Junior players.
Picture Section
The Grinder Standings
Washout T32'd Worlds
My buddies Dialga and Palkia
My best friend Lucario
Gym Images
My match against Aziz 1
My match against Aziz 2
Me opponent-less in T32
Props :
Aaron, for helping me with my list and PLOX matchups
Andrew, for Torterrible matchups and tips
Andrew again, for helping me chillax between rounds
Jared, for going 0-3 and then continuing to 4-3
Dom, for playtesting
Lip Yee, for yelling and playtesting
Jon (WPM), nice meeting ya
Sean, for making T8
Sam, for making T32
Marcus, for going 4-3 with Zapdos/Raikou
Adwin, for tips
Danny and SkittyOnWailord, for fixing my first ever deck <3
My family, for cheering me on from Malaysia
The Choongs, for those dinners and support
The Gohs, for those tips and pizza
LA Booster box
Custom orange DS
The Aussie and Malaysian crew for cheering me on
Dom's family, for letting me crash in their room and travel with them
Met great people like Paul, Orion and Curran
PUI, for an awesome event
Finally, the PLOX
Slops :
School next week
Nobody in school is aware of my disappearance =l
I went to Orlando and arrived on Wednesday the 20th, stayed at the hotel to play and met Jason and Jared. Though at about 5pm I was too tired and slept in the room. Something weird happened too. I woke up at around 7, at the doorstep of my room, standing barefoot. I guess I sleepwalk when I'mtoo tired. That night finally I met Aaron, Andrew and Sam downstairs in the gaming room. =]
The night before Grinders Aaron's dad, Uncle Choong treated us all to a Japanese dinner. I finished my bowl of Fried Rice with chopsticks! =] And it took me only 45 minutes! XD
Meanwhile Aaron and Lip Yee had a competition on who can eat wasabe and last longer.
Permission to post pic granted. =D
FriedBlaziken after eating wasabe
I tested a lot mostly at night with PLOXes, Torterribles and a few Empos. They all turned out to be good as I faced most of them.
The list :
Pokemon 21
3 Ralts SW
1 Ralts DF
2 Kirlia SW
3 Gardevoir SW
2 Gallade SW
1 Gardevoir Lv.X SW
2 Baltoy GE
2 Claydol GE
1 Duskull DP
1 Dusknoir DP
1 Jirachi ex CG
1 Chatot MD
1 Holon's Castform HP
Trainers 23
4 Rare Candy
3 Roseanne's Research
3 Team Galactic's Wager
3 Celio's Network
2 Bebe's Search
2 Cessation Crystal
2 Warp Point
2 Windstorm
1 Lake Boundary
1 Night Maintenance
Energy 16
4 Double Rainbow
3 Scramble
4 Call
4 Psychic
1 Fighting
Props to Jared for finding me the list and Aaron for fixing it up.
So, yeah. On to Grinders!!
Seniors
PLOX
8 Rounds of Swiss
Round 1 Vs PLOX
I get good start and corner him by just a Gallade after he swept a few Pokemon. I have Gardy active and I misplayed FTL. I should've Telepassed for the Lv.X so he can't kill me. Oh well, GG.
Loss (0-1)
Round 2 Vs Beedrill Swarm/Crystal Beach
I start with Baltoy, no Call, no Supporter. He puts down T2 Crystal Beach and swarms Beedrill. GG
Loss (0-2)
By this stage I thought I was gonna cry. I went all the way here not to lose. Obviously I didn't come to fail. No matter, there's still a chance.
He have lunch and Sean's dad treats me to a cheese pizza. Thanks Uncle Adrian =]
Round 3 Vs GG
T3 PLOX and I didn't break the lock. GG
Win (1-2)
Round 4 Vs Honchkrow/Darkrai
I sweep Darkrai with Gallade and he has active lone Honchkrow Lv.X. Flip all prizes FTW
Win (2-2)
Round 5 Vs PLOX
He gets early Gallade and start sweeping. I manage to get a Gallade/Cess and whack the Gallade away while setting up a backup Gardy. We constantly KO each other's stuff and eventually prizes got down to 1-2 his favour. I find my self cornered. Fortunately earlier he put down a Phoebe's Stadium which helped me a LOT. If he he had Cesslocked me earlier I would Warp Point to any Psychic Pokemon, setup with powers and retreat right back. So back to the current situation, prizes 1-2. Time was called and I quickly Candy Dusknoir, Scramble, Hard Feelings to make it 1-1. He strikes the Dusky back and one more turn he could kill it. He informs the judge about our ongoing game and one comes over to watch. I had a no energy Gardy in bench and he has damaged Holon Castform in bench after starting with it. I telepass Wager, Cosmic Power and draw Lv.X and DRE. =] I retreat, Lv up, attach DRE and Bring Down FTW. The judge watching was stunned at that move I just did. He was impressed. =]
Win (3-2)
Round 6 Vs Some girl with GG/Ball Engine
T3 Lock and I swept.
Win (4-2)
Round 7 Vs IDK
I completely forgot who or what I played against here.
Win (5-2)
Round 8 Vs Daniel C with Torterrible
This was the peak of my LCQ hunt. The most epic match ever in the Grinder for me. Everyone crowded behind me to watch the match.
I get T3 lock and keep locking hard. I misplayed thinking I could evolve a Claydol T1. He doesn't let me take it back so I just kept it. After I manage to set up a Gallade I Teleportation Gardy X back and Cess, DRE to Gallade and start sweeping. He manages to come back though with a self charged Torterra. He puts down a Treecko on the bench. I quickly warp point to Gardy X and bring it down. After that I kept locking some more. He sneaks a Cosmic Power in but Jared sees it and informs a judge. Gameplay reversed and it's back to his turn with active Grotle. Time is called and prizes are 2-2. Before the judge leaves I ask him if it gets into Sudden Death. He says the next KO takes it. To I go on to kill the Grotle FTW. Suddenly the judge goes "Nope, continue playing. I gave you a time extension." I was scared here he didn't say that earlier. But oh well, if he couldn't kill me in his turn I win. GG
I hear everyone behind me applauding. I was overjoyed.
Win (6-2)
So, yeah. I came from behind to go 6-2. Unfortunately Daniel lost his last game and go 5-3. Never mind you did your best, man. GJ. Standings go up and I'm 22nd in a Top21 Grinder. I was stunned, sad, a bit angry too. Jared and Aaron told me to go talk to Dave. On the way there the MC announces that everyone with 6-2 records are in. Oh the joy comes back. I go around hugging everyone that had my back. Haha.
I register, get my Worlds welcome bag and head for dinner. Uncle Choong treats me to dinner at the Italian restaurant in the hotel. Yipee. =]
Sam didn't get enough sleep the night before, he got locked out of his room. He almost fell asleep in his meatballs. HAHA.
Main Event time. I wake up early and grab some Hot Chocolate and a Blueberry muffin for breakfast. Then I head out to the Ballroom.
Seniors
PLOX
7 Rounds of Swiss
Top32Cut
Round 1 Vs Mason C. [US] with Eeveelutions
T3 lock and Gallade/Cess sweep. GG
Win (1-0)
So I found out they put my name as [US] as I got my invite from the LCQ. Oh well, I'll play for the US then! Kidding, kidding. The Malaysians shall kill me for it.
Round 2 Vs Mees B. [NL] with PLOX
Everything was cheerful and friendly before the match, but when it started. he got serious.
He gets ahead on prizes after an early PLOX. I found it hard to get a Gardy out so I Roseanne's for a Jirachi ex Psychic to lock him back. He breaks the lock just to whack the Jirachi away. Just as expected. That move costed him the game. I manage to setup and sweep him back with Gardys and Gallades/Cess. GG
Win (2-0)
Round 3 Vs Michael B. [US] with PLOX
He gets good setup but he searches for a Gallade instead of Gardy thinking he could sweep me. I go down 6-3 in prizes after losing my starting Pokemon and a Jirachi ex. I just came back with Scrambles to Gallade/Cess and then kept locking with Gardy. GG
Win (3-0)
Round 4 Vs Daniel C. [US] with PLOX
No, this isn't the guy from Grinders.
Again my opponent has the upper hand on the start. I eventually manage to Shield Beam him with Jirachi ex and then got back with Gardys and Gallades. Prizes got down to 1-1 and I had charged up a Dusknoir. He keeps bringing out his highest HP pokemon so I can't get a quick win. I was too focused on trying to kill him with Dusky that I completely forgot about Bring Down. I retreat, Level up, attach DRE and Bring Down FTW. GG
Win (4-0)
Round 5 Vs Katsuya S. [JP] with EmpoZong
The game was quite silent because I had to point out every move and he couldn't speak English.
I got a T2 PLOX and swept him early. He manage to come back with Bronzong and Scrambles and then setup a few Empoleons. Prizes 2-2 but eventually he swept everything just back.
Loss (4-1)
Round 6 Vs Dylan B. [US] with Scizor/Electrode/Cess/Beach
Ahh pain.
He swarmed Scizors and puts down Cess and Beach early so I couldn't set up. I managed to kill 3 Scizors with Gallade though he TSD'd and Night M them just back to haunt me.
Loss (4-2)
Round 7 Vs Bjorn R. [DE] with Gardyllade/Lefeon
T3 Gardy and constant locks = GG.
Win (5-2)
It's confirmed now, I'm gonna topcut. Sean, Andrew and Sam will too. Good job everyone from Asia!
We all got some rest in that night and got ready for the topcut.
T32 Vs Jeanette K. [NL]
I still don't know what happened to my opponent here. At first there was no deck. Then her mother came over, showed negative body language and she went off crying. I called a judge to find out what was going on. One of them came up to me and said, "Be patient, ok? The game is over, you've won. Something terribly bad has happened to your opponent."
And then he told me to leave the T32 area.
Win (6-2)
T16 Vs Aziz A. [US] with EmpoZong
Game 1
We both get decent start with me getting a quick PLOX. He gets a quick Empoleon and starts spreading frenzy. As soon as he got the Empo out I Levelled up, TEleportation to Gallade, Cess the Gallade and whack the Empo. He manages to Scramble a Bronzong and strike back. Eventually prizes went down to 2-2. I cosmic, and use a supporter. And then I announce Telepass a Celio's. Aziz stops me and tells me I already did.
Aziz : No, you telepassed.
Me : Uhh, no I haven't. *Laughs a bit*
Aziz : No, I could've sworn you telepassed.
Me : So what did I telepass for then?
Aziz : I don't know, it was a Rosy's or a Rowan. I forgot.
Judge : You telepassed, keep on playing.
I had Duskull, Candy, DRE in my hand. I could've charged the Dusknoir one turn earlier and prevented 30 more damage to 2 of my basics so I could've killed the Empoleon and not lose my 2 basics on bench. One turn later and I've lost. Ugh...
Also, the judge kept telling me to speed up my gameplay when I was taking legal turns to use Cosmic Power, use a supporter and Telepass. I'm not saying Aziz stalled but we both played quite slowly but I kept getting the warnings. Oh the pressure.
0-1
Game 2
I open crap and drew useless crap for like 5 turns. I did get an early Claydol but he got a T3 Empoleon+Cess. GG
Loss (6-3)
I flipped over the prizes and was disgusted by the sight. Celio's, Roseanne's, 2 Kirlia, 2 Candy. Even the judge went :
Judge : Oh that is disgusting. Usually people say they lose on prizes for one card. But in your case, you can say you really lost on prizes! Thanks for being a good sport though. Good job!
Me : It was good experience for my first year.
Aziz : Yeah and you grinded in too, right?
Judge : Your first year AND you grinded? And now you're in the top16?! That is awesome. *Shakes my hand*
He was so stunned that he even called the other judges and scorekeepers and told about me. One of the staff that took me to the prize giving table even told the staff there. =D
So it ends here and I earn a lot of respect. Top16 through the grinder in my first year is huge. I end up World #11 so I'm satisfied. Andrew T16, Sam T32 and Sean T8. It was sad though, what happened to Sean. The ruling was just harsh for the Junior players.
Picture Section
The Grinder Standings
Washout T32'd Worlds
My buddies Dialga and Palkia
My best friend Lucario
Gym Images
My match against Aziz 1
My match against Aziz 2
Me opponent-less in T32
Props :
Aaron, for helping me with my list and PLOX matchups
Andrew, for Torterrible matchups and tips
Andrew again, for helping me chillax between rounds
Jared, for going 0-3 and then continuing to 4-3
Dom, for playtesting
Lip Yee, for yelling and playtesting
Jon (WPM), nice meeting ya
Sean, for making T8
Sam, for making T32
Marcus, for going 4-3 with Zapdos/Raikou
Adwin, for tips
Danny and SkittyOnWailord, for fixing my first ever deck <3
My family, for cheering me on from Malaysia
The Choongs, for those dinners and support
The Gohs, for those tips and pizza
LA Booster box
Custom orange DS
The Aussie and Malaysian crew for cheering me on
Dom's family, for letting me crash in their room and travel with them
Met great people like Paul, Orion and Curran
PUI, for an awesome event
Finally, the PLOX
Slops :
School next week
Nobody in school is aware of my disappearance =l
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