Cyrus
Iron Chef - Master Emeritus
Directions on how to differentiate Voter Input over other comments:
-Read carefully through each deck.
-Title your post as "Voter Input."
-Tell me which deck right off the bat deserved the win.
-In a few sentences, tell me why that deck deserved the win, and the other deck didn't.. Remember, this is a 1 v. 1 format, meaning that you aren't choosing the best of four, but the best of two...twice.
-Use some grade at the bottom of your post to rationalize your decision - preferably the system I've been using this whole contest.
~~~Blazing Monkey VS Time For Pain~~~
I will not post comments for this match yet; however, I will go ahead and lay it out here for you all to start discussing.
~~~ChaosJim VS Brady1~~~
[
I will not post comments for this match yet; however, I will go ahead and lay it out here for you all to start discussing.
-Read carefully through each deck.
-Title your post as "Voter Input."
-Tell me which deck right off the bat deserved the win.
-In a few sentences, tell me why that deck deserved the win, and the other deck didn't.. Remember, this is a 1 v. 1 format, meaning that you aren't choosing the best of four, but the best of two...twice.
-Use some grade at the bottom of your post to rationalize your decision - preferably the system I've been using this whole contest.
~~~Blazing Monkey VS Time For Pain~~~
Blazing Monkey
Name: Blazing_Monkey
Pod: 4
Pokemon (25)
4-3-4 Infernape (MD, MD, 1MD, 3SF)
2-1-2 Typlosion (MT)
2-2 Claydol (GE)
2-2 Yanmega (LA)
1 Chatot (MD)
Trainers (21)
4 Rare Candy
4 Be Be's Search
3 Warp Point
3 POV
3 Roseanne's Research
2 Night Maintenance
2 Cynthia's Feelings
Energies (14)
14 Fire Energy
Strategy: I am not using Infernape lv.X because I don't realy need it,
I already have Typlosion giving me at least 1 more Energy per turn, so
I can do like...80 every turn, and spread! For the spreading part, that
is why I have Yanmega, switching while spreading is fun!
Time For Pain
Pokemon: 17
4 Chimchar DP
2 Monferno MD
3 Infernape SF
1 Infernape LV X
2 Baltoy
2 Claydol
1 Uxie LA
2 Omastar
Trainers: 27
2 Helix Fossil
4 Bebe's Search
4 Poke Radar
4 Felicity's Drawing
4 Rare Candy
4 Roseanne's Research
2 Night Maintenence
3 Warp Point
Energy: 16
16 Fire
spread with infernape and use omastar and infernape lv x for late game prizes
I will not post comments for this match yet; however, I will go ahead and lay it out here for you all to start discussing.
~~~ChaosJim VS Brady1~~~
ChaosJim
4 Chimchar DP
1 Monferno DP
3 Infernape SF
1 Infernape LvL X (Tin)
3 Unown R
1 Unown Q
3 Uxie LA
1 Uxie LvL X
1 Moltres MD
1 Baltoy
1 Claydol
20
4 Rare Candy
4 Roseanne's Research
4 Pokeradar
4 Pokedex 910is
4 Super Scoop Up
2 Night Maintenance
2 Warp Point
2 Stark Mountain
2 Bebe's Search
28
12 Fire Energy
12
The new fighting Infernape from Stormfront is solid. It upsets me that he has no flavor text, so I just want to remind everyone that Infernape uses a special type of Martial Arts that uses all its limbs. Its fire never goes out. Odds are that due to the strength of Kingdra he could easily get overlooked, but he's not even weak to water, he's weak to Psychic. Weakness is basically irrelevant against UMA anyway, so aside from stray Uxies, you should be in the clear on weakness. If not? Leveling up changes your weakness. It also changes your type. This should allow you to get around resistance and maximize an opponent's weakness. Once you've leveled up however, if you're using your Flare Up, their resistance won't matter. Torterra LvL X happens to be weak, and due to the restrictions of this contest we can ignore the possibilities of a Regigigas LvL X with a Snowpoint Temple in play.
First, this Chimchar choice gives us a free attack as well as 50 HP. I can't ask for anything more out of my Chimchar. Something is very wrong if I ever need to attack with him as my active, so I'll opt to do so for free, if need be powering up someone else. I've selected one of the Monferno who can use Flame Dance in order to revive energy. I never want to be attacking with him, so if I'm forced to, I'm more concerned with building myself up than burning my opponent.
Infernape. The center ring of this circus of a deck. The top banana if you will. Netting a heads on a turn 1 Blaze Dance is simply incredible. There are 25 cards involved in the engine that can make this happen, not counting Rare Candy, which you simply need. With nearly half the deck helping you toward this end, it shouldn't be much trouble to burn through your cards and make it happen. Alas, half the time it won't pay off. Either let someone else take the hit, with Uxie being the best choice here, since he can level up after being active, or maybe Unown R since you can choose to discard him from play. Most important really, is that you have options. Landing a turn one Blaze Dance should lead to math that looks something like the following:
T1: 5 energy in play, discard 2. 80 + Spread 20
T2: Start with 3 energy in play, drop your energy for the turn, discard 2. 80 + spread 20.
T3: Flip coins for Moltres, SSU, or even another Infernape to get your odds up. You can't expect to win every coin flip obviously, but you're flipping too many coins to lose them all (disclaimer: most likely).
Let's address the content of the deck before we delve into the engine. Moltres isn't critical, but is a nice bonus. More than one is never going to be desirable. Scorching Wing is not a good attack, especially since we're only running Fire energy. As always, let your conscience be your guide, but consider me to be your Jiminey Cricket. Half the time, a Moltres will retrieve 3 energy, accelerating your Ape for 3 turns thanks to Stark Mountain. Half the time he won't. Half the time, SSU will give you a second shot. Treating 2 SSU and one Moltres as nearly a guarantee (since there are none with coin flips), you're likely to hit at least one Moltres a game and still have an SSU or 2 left over for Uxie or even Infernape. Hitting SSU flips on Ape is incredible. Over 100 HP and a comes into play effect that can really turn the tide make this a match made in heaven. Free retreat means you can make an effort to time it well. A level X means further potential.
On the level X: your power can get you what you need, but more likely, after using Flare Up you'll be able to strive for using it a second time. Before using Flare Up for the first time, try and keep a mental count of how many energies you have. This will help to make it a bigger surprise in case your opponent thinks you've maxed out on the fighting ape. Benching an Unown, attaching a fire, and discarding it with their power is a great way to get that one last energy in the discard pile for the sake of Flare Up. This subtlety will often help you win a mirror match. Unown Q helps get your bad starts to the bench so they can do what they're supposed to (or get pulled back to your hand by SSU).
"Warp Point Wins Games" - Frankie Diaz. When spreading, there are many times when Warping out their active will seal a prize, often the final one. Mid game however, you might get to draw multiple prizes in a turn by benching someone who is almost KO'ed. I like to call this, avoiding over-damage. Its also good to have some ways around status effects besides evolving or leveling up.
Stark Mountain is awesome for moving energy off of someone before SSU'ing them. It is awesome for moving energy off of Moltres. For accelerating the speed at which you retreat a Claydol that was forced active. Even cool for moving energy off of benched Pokemon who are likely to get sniped or Dark Palmed.
I saved space by only going 1-1 on Claydol because of the digging potential in the level Xs, both Infernape and Uxie, not to mention the incredible engine of SSU and Uxie. Also, the trainer engine in this deck loves pulling out Pokemon, so Baltoy and Claydol can't hide in your deck for too long. Also, without fighting energies, you can't even use Spinning Attack to incur some non-trivial damage while trying to sequence KOs.
12 Fire is the right number. While you might not recur energies as well as Kingdra, the benefits to you doing so are nearly double. Simply ridiculous. The fact that you'll often be able to search your deck for them with Ape or Roseanne's, and the other half the time you're probably hitting it off of Moltres is nuts. Again Super Scoop Up steps up to deliver you some increased probability. Your damage output is incredible, and your opponent will probably have to deal upward of 700 damage to win the game. Get the upper hand. Bananas are in your future.
[
B]Brady1[/B]
Intro:
This deck’s main ingredient is Infernape from Strom Front. This card has a few appealing qualities, but the biggest one is his power. A flip to power up an Infernape or any other Pokémon is incredible and hard to pass up. With this power comes several options, one of which is my back-up selection, magmortar. Anyways, Infernape has two attacks that are moderately good. His first one does a decent 60 for 2 but he takes 30 more damage, which is quite a steep price to pay. However, because of the cost, it is worth it to draw a prize (especially on a failed power attempt). His second attack is what interests me the most, as it does a solid 80 for 4 (the exact number of energies he grabs) and a discard of 2 of those energy, but it also hits the bench for 20 apiece. This type of spread can spell doom for an opponent, and the rest of the list takes full advantage of it.
List:
Pokémon (21):
3 chimchar DP 76/130
2 Monferno MD 41/100
3 Infernape SF
1 Infernape lv X
2 Magmar SW 54/123
2 Magmortar SW 31/132
1 Magmortar lvl X
2 Moltres
1 Spiritomb
2 Baltoy
2 Claydol
Energy (15):
15 fire
Trainers (24):
3 Rare Candy
4 Bebe’s Search
4 Roseanne’s Research
3 Stark Mountain
3 Super Scoop up
3 Energy Pickup
2 Cynthia’s Feeling
2 Night Maintenance
Pokémon selection:
Chimchar: All of the available Chimchars are relatively plain, so this pick is just for the hp alone, and the fact that he has a semi-decent second attack.
Monferno: I think Monferno has been a relatively constant good stage 1 Pokémon. What I mean is that you could probably build a 4-4 Monferno line and take it to league and have some success with him. As such, it was hard to make a choice as to what fire monkey to use. I ended up taking the more aggressive Monferno, as it’s low hp tend to make it a quick swing then die type of guy. Both it’s attacks start off with a base of 30, with the first one auto-burning for 1 (pretty solid for a stage 1) and it’s second can do a possible 60 for 2 (again, solid). Overall, he’s played for evolution but can act as a decent donk attacker too.
Infernape: The ingredient of this iron chief. See introduction. 3 of them because it gives me favorable odds to draw into him but as the same time, allows me to play the level X.
Infernape lvl X: One thing I had to debate about was whether to use 4 SF Infernape or run the level X. In the end, the level X adds a few things to the deck. First off, his power adds some consistency to the deck. It also can help find or abuse an energy pickup or a Moltres. His attack is another factor as to why I choose him. The normal Infernape’s attacks are underpowered, so having that big attack ready for pretty much any time is a nice feeling to have. One final reason for the level X is because of the type change. The type change can hit for weakness, as well as avoid being hit with psychic weakness, unlike ape’s previous form.
Magmar: I picked this Magmar simply because of his quick 20 for 1 attack. His huge 70 hp gives him some standing time, enough to live until a magmortar pops up.
Magmortar: The support to Infernape. I picked magmortar because Steelix can’t be used in this iron chief. However, magmortar has several attributes that I find appealing. 1) He can abuse Infernape’s power in its entirety. His first attack does 20X the number of fire energy attached to him. With an Infernape heads and an energy drop, magmortar is suddenly swinging for 100 damage. 2) Stark mountain+his body=healing 20 and then moving the energy. I like this little combo because it can heal a sniped/damaged magmortar without delaying the energy set-up on the field. 3) Magmortar has a spreading attack, though weaker then Infernape’s. 4)
Magmortar lvl X: The 4th reason I choose magmortar is because his level X is beastly in all sense of the word. 130 hp is more than any part of the Infernape line, but the X2 weakness to water gives it some worries. His power is an automatic threat to the opponent’s active Pokémon, but his attack is the main reason I run him. Being able to hit anything on the opponent’s side for 100 damage, especially after the possible spreading that occurred previously from Infernapes and Magmortars can equate to an OHKO at the price of 2 energy. Overall, a powerful Pokémon that adds options to Infernape.
Moltres: An obvious problem is that the energy seems to not stay on the field that often. Moltres helps solve this problem with his power. It is very similar to Infernape’s, except it takes 3 energy from the discard and attaches it to Moltres. This offers recovery to the deck and also gives Moltres the ability to come out of nowhere and draw a prize, as his attack is a huge 100 for 3. Multiple Moltres drops can win the match alone, especially if Infernape can activate his power and has spread at least twice before the Moltres swarm.
Spiritomb: This little craft guy can result in drawing multiple prizes in one turn, all from a little power! After an Infernape spread, an activation of his power+another Infernape attack equals 50 damage to everything the opponent has, which can KO quite a few basic Pokémon. He is also a plus power at anytime and can be used multiple times with a super scoop up flip.
Baltoy: Evolution into Claydol….
Claydol: Consistency in a bottle. Lol.
Energy:
Fire: Usually, you want to be able to attack. Lol. No call energy in this list because the deck focuses heavily on fire energy alone and there is limited room already.
Trainers:
Rare Candy: Get a fast, possible donk, Infernape.
Bebe’s Search: Get your Pokémon.
Roseanne’s Research: Get your Pokémon/energy.
Stark Mountain: Unlike most other stadiums that are used solely as counter-stadiums, this one plays a very important role in this deck. It allows energy transfer from magmortar (in order to heal) to Infernape, from Moltres (if a successful power) to magmortar, or from Infernape (for the level X’s attack or close combat) to whoever, with everything else. The energy acceleration of this deck and the energy manipulation of this deck go hand and hand like Oreos and milk.
Super Scoop Up: This deck has both a lot of one-time effects and annoyances, in the forms of Infernape, Moltres, and Spiritomb, and Magmotar’s healing, respectively. SSU allows the deck to take abuse of ALL of these factors, with a little luck. Combined with stark mountain, SSU can heal a Pokémon that’s been badly damaged and then abuse it’s power again, just with a flip.
Energy Pickup: Well, life isn’t perfect. You missed a few SSU flips and now your Pokémon is going down, along with all those energies. Fear not, because energy pickup can take a bad situation and turn it around in an instant! If you want more energy in play, call 1-800-IWANTNRG NOW!!!!!!!
Cynthia’s Feelings: When your Pokémon dies, what are you going to do now? Sit around and draw/pass for the rest of the game? NO! Drawing 8 cards can give you immense recovery, especially since a few Infernape flips can remove the majority of energy in the deck, giving you nothing but wanted cards.
Night Maintenance: Feeding off of the dead Pokémon theme, NM gives you a fresh supply of Pokémon, in particular Infernape lvl X and a magmortar line. It can also get you a few energies back in the deck, should you ever run out (but this is where Infernape lvl X shines, so it should not be a huge factor to worry about).
Conclusion:
Infernape has an interesting power and an attack that can be abusive to the opponent’s entire side of the field. Support Pokémon like Magmortar and Moltres just add to the fire, both literally and otherwise. This deck has a lot of flips to it, but these flips can result in a GG for the opponent.
I will not post comments for this match yet; however, I will go ahead and lay it out here for you all to start discussing.
.
