Freddy: Cleared it, try again
Lev: Because if your playing any sort of close game vs fire ( a dedicated fire deck, or even any deck with more than one fire attacker ) you come up, KO with Empoleon, and than get it killed ( by Luxray, 2nd fire dude ) and than your game is still in trouble. Quagsire OHKOs them, than hides on the bench to deal with the next fire type guy. It isn't a one shot use answer like Empoleon, its a game long answer.
Math: Sometimes a guy just has to remind everyone whose medals they are
ANYWAYS, I attended another CC this weekend on Saturday, at Strongsville, Ohio. We had 23 or so Masters show up. I decided to go with a slightly modified variation of Dialga Garchomp.
Round 1 vs Faith W with Grass
She was fairly new to competitive play, so I wasn't worried here. I got a pretty bad start though, opening with Azelf. I had reduced my Claydol line to 1-1 this week, which I am not entirely sure I liked. I ended up prizing a Baltoy, both Garchomp C, and Skuntank G. Luckily I get a Dialga G Lvl X up nice and early and eat through her Snorlax, and various Grass stage 2s that she manages to get up before freeing a Garchomp, and than Baltoy.
1-0
Round 2 vs Mike A with Dialga Garchomp
Mike was #1 in the State, and quite high nationally after a CC win in Akron landed him at 1691. He was using the same deck I was, and we both started with average starts. He ended up prizing his Dialga G Lvl X where as I didn't, so I was able to push him around a bit with Remove Lost threatening his Metals. He didn't know how crucial Garchomp C Lvl X's presence in the game was to the mirror match, instead trying to play it more like you would have the Dialga mirror last format, which won't get the job done with all the new outs available now. I forced him to PokeTurn a bunch of guys on his bench to play other things, and left him without a Garchomp space, which gave me a huge edge. I eventually forced the KO on his Dialga G Lvl X with 3 Metals ( He eventually got his Azelf through ) as he had burned a lot of PokeTurns early. Once that fell, and I had Garchomp with energy ready to take out his Garchomp C he would bench the following turn, I took the game in just under 40 minutes. It was tougher than I described at first because he was able to naturally draw into 3 special metals while I struggled to see any at all, but once I stabilized I was able to take over. His start clunked a bit, but the nature of the deck/matchup really doesn't allow for a lot of punishment for it.
2-0
Round 3 vs Jacob R with Flygon Dusknoir
Well, let me errata that matchup. I was playing against Dusknoir. Jacob managed to prize all 3 Trapinch. And not run Azelf. Yes, all 3. My start was "suspect" as well, but I simply poisoned and Deafened his Dusknoir ( the snipey one! ) while he had Nidoqueen in play, which prevented him from really making any ground, or freeing prizes, which I built up my game. I than started to pick off other guys on his bench with Garchomp C, opting to ignore the active Dusknoir for as long as I could. He scooped out of Trapinch based frustrations once I got up 3 prizes.
3-0
Round 4 vs Connor N with GG with Palkia
GG is traditionally a very favorable matchup for me, but the Palkia makes it a lot more interesting. I get a solid start, and he...opens Spiritomb. When I play vs an Evolution deck, they open one of their 2 Spiritomb 90% of the time. Its very aggrivating. Anyways, I end up getting Dialga going, and I hold a Power Spray for when he brings up Palkia, and I stick it there. I poison it, and Deafen as I build my field, and end up Sniping one of the guys off his bench. He uses Expert Belt on Gardy to push through extra damage, but I Remove Lost it, and than Snipe it on the Bench with Garchomp for 2 prizes and its pretty much over.
4-0
Round 5 vs AJ S with Gengar
AJ is a very good player, and former Worlds participant, and I was a bit worried because I know his Gengar deck had a lot of threats I really, really didn't want to deal with. He gets up a very fast Gengar Lvl X and keeps flinging back my Dialga G Lvl X. He snipes my Claydol for 60 ( I shouldn't have benched it, for I was not in need of the draw, and knew when I did that he'd be able to punish me for it. I should have held it for late game when my draw power was drying up. ) I get Unown G for it, but he attaches the 3rd energy and hits it for 30. He plays WAGER on me, as my hand was quite good even if I lose the Claydol, and I of course lose the Wager and am stuck with nothing but a bunch of bad Pokemon, and now, no Claydol. I'm forced to take the flip vs Gengar, as my set up was pretty poor outside of a tanked Dialga. I also need the extra card badly as my resources were slim to none. I had Skuntank ( unprotected ) and Garchomp C on the bench. He flipped tails on Gengar's power, leaving me in the game and tying the prizes. He keeps trying to hit my bench, and I end up Deafening plus Poisoning him, preventing any Crobat tricks by locking out his PokeTurns. I end up PokeTurning my vulnerable Skuntank and benching a 2nd Garchomp. I finally have to break the Deafen lock, and he uses Warp Point. I bring up Garchomp, who I assume will get Lvl'd up and retreat. He plays Expert Belt on Curse Gengar, and OHKOs it. I end up scrambling to tie the prizes by sniping with Garchomp C Lvl X. I end up getting up by a prize, and he misplays. He could have used Gengar Lvl X ( he got it back ) to devolve my Garchomp and than do 80, but I assume he instinctively didn't want to put Garchomp C Lvl X back in the deck to allow me to heal, and my next turn, time is called and I'm able to snipe again for a prize and the win on time.
5-0
So I finished at 5-0, and there were 4 4-1s. Standings ended up being...
Me 1st
Connor N 2nd
AJ S 3rd
Andrew M 4th
Andrew M 5th
4th place Andrew M was running...Charizard/Typhlosion. Alright Quagsire, lets do this! I had added a Lucario this weekend, so I knew that would help quite a bit too. I actually felt pretty good about the matchup, as I could keep Dialga G Lvl X benched, cutting off Charizard's body while using other attackers which would severely cap his damage output. Plus, Quagsire could certainly do the damage and stay safe. This was exactly the type of matchup I wanted him for.
Top 4 vs Andrew M with Charizard Typhlosion
He opens with Cyndaquil, and not much else. He struggles to get going, putting up no resistance to my rather good start. I get up a few prizes and by the time he threatens Claydol to actually get going, I use my one Power Spray on it, and Garchomp it the following turn. He never really gets set up at all, and Garchomp pretty much goes the distance in a very underwhelming game.
Game 2 is actually pretty much more of the same. I get a fairly good start and his draw power just shuts off entirely and he is forced to attack with Charmanders while I just eat through his set up. I wish I would have gotten the chance to play a real game against the deck as I felt it would have been a fun, challenging test for my deck.
6-0
Top 2 vs Connor N with GG with Palkia
He had NARROWLY beaten AJ who had misplayed to lose their one and only game. I was really not looking forward to facing AJ's build again so this was a big relief as I feel confident against GG with this deck. Game one, I get a good start and get Deafen up early, and start poisoning. I get some decent Remove Lost luck, and about 20 minutes in as my set up is good and his is falling behind, he knows the correctly scoop for more time for game 2. Game 2 was a bit bad for me, as my start was subpar. I built up 2 Metal on a Dialga as I used Call on my active Skuntank ( opened with it ) and Called for Baltoy and Chatot. He Expert Belts Gardevoir and KOs Skuntank ( bad for me ) and than I bring up Chatot to Mimic as my hand was really bad. My Dialga is in good shape, but he ends up Leveling Up and Bringing Down my Baltoy. My hand hit the Claydol and pretty much everything else I wanted, so I was still in decent shape but really missed the Claydol. I Unown G my Chatot so it can't get Brought Down, and send Dialga up to do mu dirty work and damage his Gardevoir with Expert Belt. I end up KOing it, and tie up the prizes at 3 a piece with about 15 minutes to go. The exchange continues, as I can't get to a Garchomp Lvl X, and am forced to use PokeTurn + Bronzong to loop between Dialgas and still attack. We both get down to 2 prizes, and I make a huge mistake. I calculate damage and realize he cannot KO my Dialga G Lvl X if I put the 3rd metal on it ( He kept using Sonic Blade to leave it at 50 ) and figure I can wait an extra turn before Bronzong + PokeTurning. Unfortunately, I forgot about Gardevoir Lvl X, and walk into Bring Down. Time was under 5 minutes, so I scoop to guarantee I have choice of who goes first game 3.
Game 3
I open with a sick hand. I'm stuck with Lucario active, but I have a PokeTurn, an Energy Gain, 2 Metal, a Roseanne and an SP Radar. I make him go first. He opens Nidoran, and hits Lucario for 20. I Roseanne for Crobat and Dialga. I bench Dialga, E Gain, Metal, and PokeTurn the active. I Deafen for 10, he goes, passes, and I KO it next turn with my threatened 90 damage. He shows me his terrible hand of all evolutions.
7-0
