Nekizalb
New Member
Hello everyone,
I’m Aaron H. of Seniors. This is a 3-in-1 report. Below is my LA States Report, then my MS States Report, and then the MS Team Play Championship Report.
LA States
Going into this, I wasn’t really sure what I was going to play. I had experienced success in Cities, winning one with Tyranitar/Ampharos, winning two with Shuppet, and winning a third with Glisctomb.
Tyranitar/Ampharos was completely out of the question. While I might crush a Gengar or two during the course of the tournament, basically all of my other games would be autolosses. Gyarados would KO me faster than I could KO them, Luxchomp would outspeed me, Gallade would run right through me, and Donphan would do the same.
With the amount of Spiritomb running around, there was no way I was going to play Shuppet. I might win a couple of games if my opponents didn’t start with Spiritomb, but eventually I would run into a Spiritomb start and lose. I wasn’t expecting DialgaChomp to be around, since Gallade takes care of it quite nicely, but you never know if someone might play it.
All Gardevoir has to do is play a Mesprit against Glisctomb and Glisctomb has lost. Chances are that Gardevoir will get a Psychic Lock off before two Gliscors enter play. Luxchomp should be running multiple Power Sprays. Glisctomb was not a favorable play.
So, I had to find a new deck. Many people know about my success with Gardevoir/Gallade/Weavile, and with DCE back in the format I think quite a few people in my league were thinking that I was going to play it. However, I don’t like Gardevoir/Gallade/Spiritomb’s Mother Gengar matchup. In addition, I hate mirror matches. I was expecting a good amount of Gardevoir to be played, and I didn’t want to spend the day battling other Gardevoirs.
Gyarados was tested, and soon abandoned. I didn’t like its Gengar matchup, and I also expected it to be played. Again, I don’t want mirror matches.
I tested out Luxchomp, but I just don’t have the skill to play it like some other people do. So I moved on to testing other things.
Jumpluff was fun to play with, but I felt that eventually it would run into an unfavorable matchup and lose.
I found Charizard to be too inconsistent. I didn’t like its limited draw power, and I had to have a Fire Energy in my hand in order to do some things. I quickly put it away because I felt that it wouldn’t stand up to Gardevoir.
Flygon/Pokemon X/DCE worked in some cases, but I ditched it when I found what I was going to play.
One day, about two weeks before States, I was looking through my cards and came across Rampardos, from Platinum. 1 for 80, and it bypasses Resistance and other damage-reducing effects? I decided it was worth a shot to test it. I built a Sableye/Rampardos/Dialga G deck and brought it to league. It beat a Jumpluff/Shaymin deck. I liked it.
Then I thought of how Luxray GL might work in the deck. Drag up whatever, Head Smash it for a KO. It also helped the Gyarados matchup. I made a Rampardos/Luxray deck and sat down with a Gengar deck and played them against each other.
When I first made Gardevoir/Gallade/Weavile, I had this feeling that it was going to win. I had a similar feeling, but not as strong, about Rampardos/Luxray. The Rampardos/Luxray beat the Gengar deck by 3 prizes. I kept playtesting and won a good number of matches. I took it to league and won all but two games, and those two losses were by 1 prize.
So, I tweaked my list, and I found myself playing Rampardos/Luxray in States. Props to Brent S. and Matt L. for each letting me borrow a Luxray GL Lv. X!
On to the report.
Before the tournament starts, we all have a moment of silence for Dylan, who got in a serious accident and had to undergo surgery. We all hope you get better soon, Dylan!
The only other thing worth noting is how Mikey walked into the store with this pair of huge aviator sunglasses with super-reflective lenses. I was looking at two of my faces when I was talking to him.
We have 11 Seniors with 4 Rounds and a Top 2. We get moved outside in the cold because the store is filled with Masters and Juniors. I am shivering before the match starts, and I get a jacket to borrow from Rocket’s Hideout. Thank you Ms. April!
Round 1 vs. Payton W., Mother Gengar
So I have to face a good friend with the most evil deck in the format. I don’t exactly have a good hand, but I have enough to get a Rampardos out T3, and I can also get a Luxray GL Lv. X out if he has a Spiritomb.
Well, he has a Ghastly, and Pitch Darks. I can only draw and attach to my active Skull Fossil with Luxray GL on the bench. He Pitch Darks again. I evolve to Craniados and flip heads with the attack to do 40. He plays BTS, Haunter, Gengar, Baltoy, Claydol over the course of his turn. I watch as he really gets set up while I am stuck with an overall trashy hand. He Shadow Rooms my Benched Luxray GL for 30. I evolve into Rampardos and play a Poketurn to heal off the 30, because if he flips heads on Fainting Spell (the absolute most broken, cheap, awful, annoying Poke-Power in the game) he can double Flash Bite and Shadow Room Luxray GL for Game. I announce Head Smash. He rolls for Fainting Spell…tails! I breathe an inward sigh of relief. He Shadow Rooms my Luxray GL. I Head Smash. He Shadow Rooms again. I Poketurn Luxray GL. Head Smash Gengar. Fainting Spell…Tails! He sends up his third Gengar and Night Maintenances a Gengar line back into his deck. He attacks. By now, I have enough to start to get set up. I bench a Uxie, and manage to get a GUARDed Claydol out. I Head Smash Gengar. He attacks again. I Head Smash and…he flips tails for the 3rd time with Fainting Spell. My Rampardos is KOed due to self-damage.
The 3 tails really set Payton behind, so while he struggles a bit to attack, I Bright Look/Flash Impact for a Prize and Grand Swell with Relicanth for another. I’m up 1-5 in terms of prizes left. He attacks but doesn’t take a prize. I have a Rampardos active with a Luxray GL on my bench with the Lv. X, a Crobat G, and a Poketurn in my hand. I have a Relicanth on the Bench with an energy, prepared to Grand Swell anything for 60 because of an Unown G on Claydol and a BTS in play.
Payton and I are friends, the judge is also our friend, and we both know that I’ve pretty much won, so I show Payton my hand. “Which way do you want to lose- by Bright Look or Grand Swell?” I asked. “Retreat Rampardos, Bright Look my Benched Spiritomb, and Flash Impact it for game,” he says. I do. 1-0
I feel kind of bad that Payton flipped 3/3 tails on Fainting Spell, but there was nothing we could have done about it. I wish him luck and go into the store where it’s warm. Pairings are posted, and I go out to freeze again. It’s about 70 outside, but windy like there’s an airplane engine blowing on us.
Round 2 vs. David L., Octillery
He starts with Remoraid and passes. I start with Skull Fossil and do some stuff I can’t get the donk, so I just pass. He plays a Sableye and Impersonates Pokemon Collector for Remoraid, Remoraid, and then searches his deck a couple more times before getting the 4th Remoraid. I assume his Floatzel GL is prized. (It was.) I manage to get a Bright Look/Flash Impact KO on a Remoraid. Once a Remoraid or Octillery goes down, there is no way he can get it back. He uses Water Vein and flips 2 heads. 10 short of a KO. I Flash Bite/Head Smash for a KO. 2 down, 2 to go. The third one flips two heads, killing Rampardos. I follow up with a KO. The last Octopus comes and reveals 5 cards, but only two are energy. He rolls snake eyes. Again, I feel sorry for my opponent’s bad luck. I Head Smash the last Octillery and he is left to fight with Sableyes. Go figure the rest of the game. 2-0
Lunch break! Joshua, my rival, is 2-0 at this point and I’m a little worried about his Gengar deck. He’s running Relicanth and Dusknoir techs. Keeli A., who came from Texas, also happens to be running 4 TGW in her Plox deck, which Joshua beat in Round 2. Too bad I can’t smash 4 Pokemon of hers with a Gallade and come out with 0 damage, like I did at Regionals last year.
And, for Round 3, of course I have to face the guy who just loves to play Gengar. He’s been playing it since October, as a matter of fact.
Round 3 vs. *sigh* Joshua S., Mother Gengar
He Pitch Darks me for two turns, then stops…only to do a few Darkness Graces with Spiritomb. Spiritomb stays active for another five turns. While Joshua gets everything he needs, I am left to struggle since I hold 4 crucial/unplayable Trainers and can’t get them out of my hand to draw more with Cosmic Power. I end up getting quite a few things out when he finally Poltergeists, and I start to make a comeback. I Bright Look/Head Smash Claydol, and he retaliates with a Shadow Room. I Head Smash Gengar, which he retreats for another Gengar. I Head Smash that while my bench damage builds. Eventually, I realize I have to take out Nidoqueen, so I Bright Look that up and start to whittle it down. He Warp Points. I Bright Look/Head Smash for a KO. Now Gengar’s healing power is gone. I Head Smash a Gengar, killing it. He flips…Tails! The next Gengar comes up and kills Rampardos. Another Rampardos comes up. Head Smash…Tails! We trade hits for a long time before the field comes into a position where I can win the game.
I have an active Luxray GL with 60 damage. I have a Benched Luxray GL Lv. X with 30 damage. I have a Benched Rampardos with a Fighting energy and no damage. I have 1 Prize Card left, Joshua has 2. He has a Gengar active with no damage and a Benched Azelf. I’ve played 3 Poketurns, and one is left in my deck. Joshua announces Shadow Room. I hold my breath for a second, then watch as Joshua picks up a die, sets it to 6, and puts it on Luxray GL Lv. X.
I’m so glad I made the decision at 5:30 in the morning to see if I could borrow 2 Luxray GL Lv. Xs. I drop the 2nd Lv. X from my hand and Head Smash Azelf for game. 3-0
I guess Joshua was thinking I was running a 2-1 Luxray line, since I never had both Luxray GL Lv. Xs in play at the same time. He was probably thinking that he could KO Luxray GL Lv. X the next turn after a Head Smash and then flip for Fainting Spell and get heads to force the game into sudden death. I did have my Night Maintenance and Palmer’s Contribution in the discard pile at the time, and he did check it before Shadow Rooming.
So at 3-0 going into the final round, I know I’ve won some glass, with a shot at playing for the 1st place trophy.
There was one senior who had a Magikarp shirt that said “I swear to god when I evolve I’m going to kill you all!” I talked to him, and he said his name was Ryan. I asked him if he had the Larvitar avatar on Pokegym and he said that that was him. I suddenly became happy because I’d met someone I’d been PMing on Pokegym since BRs in real life. There was this sig I saw that said “Current Deck: LuxChomp 33-0” at the time BRs were finishing. I clicked on the username and found a compilation of reports from the Texas area in the Seniors division. I thought I had found one of my Regionals opponents, so I sent a friendly PM to him. It turns out that I had not played Ryan M. at Regionals, but we still became friends. I saw more posts by him and found from his sig that he was 50-1. Then he said that he was coming to LA States, and here we are.
I wasn’t surprised when I found out I was playing him next round.
Round 4 vs. Ryan M., Gardevoir/Gallade/Spiritomb/Nidoqueen
I have a Luxray GL start to his (yes! Not Spiritomb!) Ralts start. He goes first, attaches a Psychic Energy, and uses Future Sight to give me a Fighting Energy. I attach an Energy and Energy Gain, Fossil Excavator for a Skull Fossil, play a Uxie, and Bite for 30. He attaches a DCE, benches a Ralts, plays Moonlight Stadium, plays Bebe’s, and gets a Gallade. He Time Walks, rearranges his prizes, and the last card in his hand is…Rare Candy. Bye-bye, Luxray GL! I Psychic Restore for 50 after Rare Candying into a Rampardos. He draws, benches a Nidoran, and then plays…TGW. I win, and he Psychic Cuts for a KO. I Head Smash after getting a little set up. He goes through his small hand and gets a Gardevoir up. I’ve only played Fossil Excavator and Roseanne’s by now, so he can’t use Bebe’s for anything. He passes with only 1 Energy on Gardevoir. I KO something. He plays Bebe’s, gets Claydol, uses Cosmic Power, and gets a Nidoqueen. I’m really surprised and frustrated by his luck. We trade attacks, and he soon catches up. I KO his Gardevoir, and he passes. I take the opportunity to Bright Look a Claydol and let it stall. He has to waste his 3rd DCE to retreat it. His Gardevoir on his bench that he’s setting up has 1 Energy on it, so he attacks with a Belted Nidoqueen that has his 4th DCE on it. I Head Smash it, and he retreats it with Moonlight Stadium, levels up his Gardevoir, and uses Teleportation to bring up a Spiritomb to stall. He has one prize left, I have 2. His Nidoqueen has 60 Damage on it. I then see his Nidoqueen has an Expert Belt, his Gardevoir has an Expert Belt, and he has Moonlight Stadium in play. I Roseanne’s for Relicanth and a Fighting Energy and Grand Swell his Nidoqueen with a big smile on my face. He places a 6 die on it and then brings it down to 5. I tell him I’ve won, he replies that I only did 60, and I point to the Moonlight Stadium. He looks at it for a second, then his face falls as he remembers exactly what Relicanth does. 4-0
“I completely forgot that Stadiums were taken into account with Grand Swell,” he told me after we had shaken hands.
“Yeah, it happens. I’m really sorry about your second loss all season,” I tell him.
“It’s OK,” he says.
“I hope I play you in the finals,” I reply.
“You too,” he says.
We talk for a little while about Texas States and players. It turns out that I had beaten the 2009 Houston Senior Regional Champion in Swiss without knowing about it because I left after being knocked out of the Top 16.
I wait for standings to be posted. David, the Octillery player, won his last game (beating Gardevoir), and is 3-1. Ryan and Joshua are each 3-1. I am really hoping to play David, because Octillery is a much easier matchup for me than Gardevoir or Gengar, but since Joshua has sick luck (and a decent amount of opponent’s resistance) I have to play him in the finals.
In 2008, I heard someone from Texas won the Louisiana State Championship in Seniors.
Last year, in 2009, I played against someone from Mississippi for the title of Louisiana Senior State Champion.
This year, 2010, it is finally Louisiana Player vs. Louisiana Player for the title of State Champion. This is how it should be.
Finals vs. Joshua S., Mother Gengar
I get my deck checked and pile shuffle a few times, then riffle shuffle for a while. I pile shuffle again, and riffle for as long as I can. Joshua riffles for about five times and then decides he is finished. I am pretty sure I have an advantage, as my deck is well shuffled. But…
Game 1
I. Draw. Trash. After all that shuffling!
Luxray GL, Luxray GL Lv. X, no Fossil Excavator, 1 Fighting Energy, a Cynthia’s Feelings, Palmer’s Contribution, Crobat G, Poketurn.
I stall for a little while by Bright Looking up Claydol and forcing him to waste Energies or Warp Points to switch it out. I continue to draw trash for a few more turns. I finally play my Cynthia’s Feelings, only to redraw my Palmer’s Contribution WITH my Night Maintenance and a couple of other useless-at-the-moment cards. I eventually draw a Luxury Ball and play an Uxie. I start to finally get set up and take cheap Bench prizes. I manage to get down to two prizes left while he has one. He Shadow Rooms a Claydol that didn’t have an Unown G attached because it was on a Rampardos. I can’t prevent him from Shadow Rooming it next turn, and so I realize I’ve lost game one pretty much to bad draws. (0-1)
Game 2
I shuffle well and draw again into…another bad hand! I have both Luxray GL Lv. Xs in my hand, but I don’t have the Luxray GL. I start with a Skull Fossil and have a little trouble setting up a Rampardos. I don’t have much besides Rampardos out, so I Roseanne’s for an Uxie. I bench it and draw useless Supporters and Trainers to fuel his Poltergeist. I’m kind of wishing I had prized my Palmer’s Contribution, since it somehow always ended up in my hand. So while I am trying to not get hit by a big Poltergeist, he Shadow Rooms for cheap bench prizes. I fall behind. Once I have KOed his Claydol, I start working on KOing other stuff. He eventually runs into draw trouble but still keeps a prize lead. Eventually, he has one prize left, with a Gengar with Unown G and no Energy, a Nidoqueen with Unown G and no Energy, and 2 Crobat Gs. I Grand Swell a Crobat G. He has the Poketurn, and Shadow Rooms my Relicanth for 30. I am forced to retreat, Bright Look Nidoqueen, Poketurn, and Grand Swell Crobat G. If I can get another Grand Swell off, his Nidoqueen won’t be able to take down my Rampardos, and I can send Game 3 into Sudden Death or make it a very short game. However, he manages to draw an energy, plays the Crobat G down, and Mega Punches Relicanth for the game. (0-2)
Joshua has wanted to win a States so much, and since I have pretty much smashed him every game in Cities I guess fate has finally caught up with me and given him the win (and my 3rd Premier Tournament match loss- I am now X-3. Joshua has ironically given me all my losses.)
I do not regret my deck choice. Rampardos/Luxray was a very fun semi-Rogue deck to play, and it did great. I really think that the finals would have gone my way if I had gotten better hands, but there was nothing I could have done about it. I’m sure that there are other players out there who feel the same way I do- you make a really good deck, get to the Top Cut, and your deck fails on you even if it supposed to be superconsistent.
I get a Garchomp trophy, which is awesome since Garchomp is the coolest Pokemon ever (see my avatar), and in one pack I get Donphan Prime, Pokemon Communication, and a DCE. So my packs were pretty good.
James, Joshua’s brother, wins Masters, so Louisiana wins Masters and Seniors!
Props
Rampardos/Luxray
Garchomp trophy
Decent packs
Louisiana winning Masters and Seniors
Rocketman for hosting a well-organized tournament
Friendly judges
Brent S. for lending me a Luxray GL Lv. X
Matt L. for lending me a Luxray GL Lv. X
Joshua for winning
Signing a giant “Get Well Soon!” poster for Dylan
Meeting (and defeating) Ryan M.
Mikey’s sunglasses
Slops
Bad draws
Gengar
Cold, windy outdoors
Steven B. not making top cut in masters
MS States
Over the course of the week, I had been testing various decks. I had a 2nd look at LuxChomp, but decided to go with a deck that I liked better: Jumpluff/Luxray. I Bright Look anything and can hit it for up to 120 for one energy. Claydol is weak to Grass, so I have a relatively easy time killing draw power.
My Dad and I wake up at 5 in the morning to make the drive to Pearl, which is slightly east of Jackson, MS. We get there and I get the cards I need to borrow from Brent. He shows me a similar list, which I like better. I end up playing his list while he elects to go with Shuppet for metagame reasons.
The venue is the Mississippi Law Enforcement training facility or something. It is very nice- a wide open room with lots of space. There are also whiteboards with markers to draw on. I copied a Flygon Lv. X and Luxray GL onto one of the boards and painted it Rocket colors since Team Rocket is the best.
there is a prison-or rather “Correctional Facility” across the street and we joke that that’s where we’ll go if we get too many penalties. Anna is also walking around with two pairs of foam nunchucks that still hurt if you get whacked with them. I never got whacked, but others did…
Anyways, we have 21 Seniors. 5 Rounds and a Top 4.
Round 1 vs…Bye.
I got a Bye. I am actually disappointed that I have a Bye because I want to beat someone with my deck! Kaitlyn wins her match and I play against her Sableye/Honchkrow/Garchomp deck, narrowly beating her. It was a good match! 1-0
Round 2 vs. J.C. G., Flygon/Donphan
J.C. is relatively new to the Seniors division. I beat him by Bright Looking up whatever and smashing it. When he Sand Walled my BTS, I still got a Bright Look in. He never got the Flygon Lv. X out and I pretty much outsped him. His Donphans gave me trouble early game, but I was able to KO the Donphans faster than he was able to KO my Jumpluffs. I had access to draw power, which he didn’t have because of Luxray GL Lv. X. He tried his best to stop the Jumpluff onslaught late-game, but eventually his deck just couldn’t hold out. 2-0
They are taking pizza orders for lunch, so I order a large sausage pizza all for myself. I end up snacking on it the rest of the day.
Round 3 vs. Ben B., Garchomp SV (the Stage 2)/Nidoqueen
Wait…with DCE Garchomp attacks for 2 Energy and OHKOs any Jumpluff since I don’t run Shaymin? I quickly realize that this is an unfavorable matchup.
He starts with Azelf and Locks Up my Hoppip. I don’t have the Candy-Jumpluff or BTS-Skiploom-Jumpluff, so I do some stuff and pass. He goes through a Set Up and some trainers to get up a Garchomp and uses Guard Claw for the KO to Hoppip. I Bright Look a Baltoy and KO it with Luxray. He has to drop the Belt onto Garchomp to OHKO Luxray, which he does. I Mass Attack it. He KOs my Jumpluff. I Flash Bite a few times, and Psychic Restore from Uxie for a KO. He quickly gets up another Garchomp and attacks. We trade prizes, with me getting in cheap Pixie prizes from Bright Look and him Speed Impacting whatever. It was very frustrating to see him draw into 3 DCEs without any draw power whatsoever besides a Set Up in the first few turns of the game.
Eventually, it’s tie game at one prize each. I can’t Bright Look, so I have to Mass Attack a Garchomp. He has used Guard Claw twice in a row, one turn using it without playing a Supporter, so I know that he doesn’t have the energy. I have no way of bringing up anything besides the Garchomp (which is active) for a prize, so I Mass Attack. If I attacked with another Pokemon, it wouldn’t matter- he would still be able to OHKO it with Speed Impact. He draws, sighs, and drops a topdecked energy on Garchomp for game. I do hate luck…2-1
My pizza sooths me. Kaitlyn is 3-0, Payton is 3-0, Joshua is 2-1 (Hooray!), Mikey is doing well, and I believe Brent is also doing well.
Round 4 vs. Bradley D., Remoraid/???
I go into this round slightly frustrated from my last loss (4th loss this season). He goes first, flips over a Remoraid, and passes. I look at my Luxray GL start, and then look at my hand of Cyrus’s Conspiracy, Poketurn, Pokemon Communication, and a random Pokemon. Then I look at Remoraid’s weakness to Lightning +10. I Pokemon Communication for the Crobat G and Cyrus for the Energy and Energy Gain. Double Flash Bite, Bite for game. 3-1
Now I’m happy! But I have to be 4-1 to make it in Top Cut. And I get up-paired against the undefeated Payton.
Round 5 vs. Payton W., Mother Gengar
His Spiritomb start causes me problems, since I can’t get the Luxray GL Lv. X to Bright Look with only the trainers in my hand. Once he retreats his Spiritomb to Shadow Room, I take out Claydol. He Shadow Rooms. I Bright Look and KO something. I continue to do this, avoiding the dreaded Fainting Spell, until it’s 2-2 prizes. He had Shadow Roomed smartly to take some prizes. I look at his active Gengar, then at his benched Nidoqueen with 2 Energy. I have a full bench. He has a Crobat G on his bench. He has used all his Poketurns, and I only have one Bright Look left. If I KO Gengar and he flips heads, my next Pokemon will get Ruthless Tailed by Nidoqueen. If I Bright Look and KO Crobat G, he will Shadow Room my Crobat G for a Prize and then I will still have to face Fainting Spell. I have to go for the KO on Gengar. He flips heads.
But, he held his hand low to the table and the die slid more than it rolled. I was also pretty sure that the die did not complete three full revolutions. So, I challenged the roll. After the judges debate for a little while, they have Payton re-roll. He rolls Tails, and I Bright Look/Flash Impact for game. 4-1
I feel a little dishonest for challenging, but there were circumstances. First, if I had not challenged, I would be out of top cut. Second, Payton is already in top cut because he was undefeated going into the match, so he is now 4-1. Third, I have faced Gengar at every…single…darn…tournament since Spring Battle Roads of 2009, and I am really, really, really sick of Fainting Spell. Had my opponent and I both been 3-1, I might have not challenged, but Payton is still in top cut, so that was a key motivation in challenging the roll.
Joshua lost in Round 5, so at 3-2 he finished 6th. I’m glad I don’t have to face him and his Gengar in Top Cut.
Top Cut is, in seeded order,
1. Ashton M. with Gengar
2. Payton W. with Gengar
3. Justin W. with Cursegar
4. Me with Jumpluff/Luxray
So, I have to play Ashton. Last time we played, I was playing Glisctomb, so he had pretty sour feelings for me.
Keep in mind my trash hands in the finals of LA States. Mrs. Cathy is judging again, so I chat with her a little bit because I’m the only one at the table to start shuffling.
Top 4 vs. Ashton M., Mother Gengar/Dusknoir
Game 1
I get a decent start with Hoppip, Cyrus’s Conspiracy, Poketurn, Uxie, and a Pokemon Communication in my opening hand. He goes first and flips over a Baltoy. He draws, attaches, and passes. I’m thinking “is this really happening?” as I Pokemon Communication for Crobat G, play Cyrus’s Conspiracy, drop the Grass Energy on Hoppip, Triple Flash Bite, and DONK his Baltoy with Hoppip for Game 1. So much for trash hands! 1-0
Game 2
I start with Hoppip again. I’m first, and he opens with Ghastly. I’m afraid of a Shadow Room KO, so I retreat Hoppip, Guard it, and leave Crobat G active. He Pitch Darks. I can’t play any of the Trainers in my hand, so I just do what I can and pass. My Hoppip gets Grand Swelled. I can’t immediately get anything up next turn, so I have to pass again. He takes another KO. I go through some things and get a Jumpluff up and Mass Attack for some damage. He can’t grab a KO in response, so I get a chance to Bright Look/Mass Attack his Claydol. He decides to leave my Jumpluff alone and Shadow Rooms Luxray GL. I Poketurn and Leaf Guard. He flips heads for Fainting Spell. We continue the prize trade, but he’s always a turn ahead. Eventually, at 2-1 prizes, with him up, I fail to draw a Poketurn and so I have to take my KO while leaving a Luxray GL Lv. X with 60 damage on it on the bench. That becomes his last prize.
I had a 2nd Luxray GL Lv. X in my hand for a Bright Look/Flash Impact for game on a Crobat G next turn, but he was just one turn ahead and won that game. 1-1
Game 3
This was pretty much a reverse of Game 2, but this time I’m in the lead- by two or three turns. I get a faster start and KO his Baltoy faster. He struggles to get anything set up. When he does get a Gengar up, I just go for the Mass Attack KO and he flips tails. He can’t keep up with me and while he is taking Shadow Room prizes, I’m ahead and taking prizes faster than he is. He also doesn’t have draw support (except for Uxie) so this game was in my control from the start. 2-1 (5-1 overall)
Payton plays Justin W. After a sudden death game, I find myself facing Payton, the defending MS Senior State Champion. I’m glad I don’t have to face Justin’s Cursegar- Spiritomb and Mr. Mime are a pain for Jumpluff.
Finals vs. Payton W., Mother Gengar
Game 1
He gets a bad start. I get out a Jumpluff on turn 2 or turn 3 and smash my way through Nidorans, Spiritombs, Uxies, and that sort of stuff for a 6-0 game. He never saw a single Gengar hit the field. 1-0
Game 2
I get a quick Bright Look/Mass Attack KO on a Claydol, so he struggles a little with draw power. A couple Uxies hit the field, and one gets Mass Attacked later in the game. He Shadow Roomed for most of the game, taking prizes of Uxies and Crobat G. I went for the Mass Attack on a Gengar, and he flips heads. Even so, he has trouble getting another Gengar out. The early Claydol kill really hurt him, and I am always 2 or 3 turns ahead of him. Eventually, I Bright Look/Flash Impact a Crobat G for game when he has two prizes left. 2-0 (6-1 overall)
A Louisiana player wins Mississippi States. My dad fills out the paperwork for the travel award and leaves. I stick around and trade for a complete playset of RH Jumpluffs, a Luxray GL Lv. X, and other stuff. Kaitlyn gets 3rd in Masters, and Mikey plays James in the finals and loses. Therefore, Louisiana also wins Masters in Mississippi.
I get to spend the night at Kaitlyn’s to play in the Team Play Championship the next day. Kaitlyn’s mom makes literally five pounds of delicious spaghetti, and Ashton, Ben, Alex, Demarico, Chris, and Chas also spend the night. It was really fun. Ashton also bashes me with a pillow one time and threatens to jump on me at 2:00 in the morning- a threat that he failed to carry out.
Props
Winning
Good trades
An excellent tournament venue
Large pizza
Big sleepover
Spaghetti
Payton getting 2nd
Kaitlyn getting 3rd in Masters
Mikey getting 2nd
Brent for lending me cards
Nunchucks
Joshua going 3-2
Slops
Gengar
Garchomp SV
Chas having to play in the Top 8 with 20 energy in his LuxChomp deck
MS Team Play Championships
Kaitlyn and I had agreed to be partners for this before today. We hadn’t talked much strategy, and we pretty had our first serious strategy discussion Saturday night. While the other people in the house were playtesting, Kaitlyn and I just decided to go with our lists from the previous day. She would snipe, I would Bright Look and smash. It seemed pretty good.
My list was 1 card different. I gave Brent back his Luxrays, so now I was playing a 2-1 Luxray with 1 Azelf.
We get there, and we have to come up with a team name. Kaitlyn has no preference, so I just stick Garchomp and Jumpluff together to make Team CHOMPluff. I should have put Team 111 CHOMPluff to make us always at the top of the pairings list, but I forgot. (Having a name that begins with “Aa” has ensured that I’m at the top of every pairings list. It’s so convenient to just look at the first pairing and there my name is.)
We have 17 teams, so we will have 5 Rounds with a Top 4.
Round 1: Team The Gibbs Ghosts (Gengar and Gengar)
One player starts with Spiritomb, which doesn’t help. Kaitlyn flips over a Sableye and donks the other player’s Ghastly. She is forced to play her Uxie from her hand (double battle rules). The Spiritomb starter is next, and he passes. I start with a Luxray GL and can’t do much, so I pass. The Uxie hits Kaitlyn’s Sableye for 20. She does some stuff and Impersonates. Spiritomb Darkness Graces into a Claydol. I Bright Look/Mass Attack Claydol. The Uxie player plays a Cynthia’s Guidance and does 20 to Sableye. Kaitlyn KO’s the Spiritomb somehow. The player promotes Ghastly and plays Uxie. Kaitlyn drops a Spray. I Mass Attack the Ghastly. For the rest of the game, they don’t get anything out because Kaitlyn is Honchkrowing it or Spraying it, and Jumpluff is attacking for enough to KO an active. We won pretty handily. 1-0
Round 2: Team The Culdisak Kids (Garchomp SV/Nidoqueen and Jumpluff)
It’s Ben playing Garchomp and Alex playing Jumpluff. Kaitlyn flips over Sableye and asks if she should KO Spiritomb. I say yes, and she drops a Crobat G and a Special Dark and Spiritomb is dead. Alex is next, and can’t play Trainers. He passes. I do my stuff and pass. Ben decides to get a Spiritomb into play to Darkness Grace to set up. Kaitlyn attacks Alex’s Hoppip. Ben’s Spiritomb hurts Alex, so he just passes after a Roseanne’s. I Bright Look/Mass Attack Ben’s Claydol. Ben decides to promote Spiritomb and Darkness Graces Alex’s Hoppip so Alex can get set up. Kaitlyn attaches an energy to Honchkrow and snipes. Alex gets Pachirisu and Smash Shorts Kaitlyn’s Honckrow. I Mass Attack Pachirisu in response. Ben gets a Garchomp in play and uses Guard Claw. Kaitlyn snipes. Alex gets a Jumpluff and Mass Attacks. I Mass Attack his Jumpluff after a couple Flash Bites. Ben drops an Uxie, Kaitlyn Sprays. Ben still gets a KO with Garchomp. Kaitlyn and I snipe stuff or Bright Look/Mass Attack stuff until they have little to nothing left. 2-0
Round 3: Team Rocket (Brent S. with Shuppet and Mikey P. with Shuppet)
I was really fearful going into this match. Not only are Brent and Mikey exceptionally good players, but they are both running Shuppet, so my Jumpluff runs into Mime problems. Kaitlyn flips over a Sableye and goes first. Mikey has a Crobat G, but Brent has a Mime Jr. in play. Kaitlyn Overconfidents the Mime Jr. for 40. Mikey passes since he can’t play any trainers. I Flash Bite Mime Jr. for a prize. I have a semi-bad start, so I just lay down a Hoppip and pass with Luxray GL active. Brent goes through the whole long first turn of Trainers, and to no one’s surprise, my Hoppip gets Crobat G’d to death. He then attacks for a 2nd prize. Kaitlyn snipes with Honchkrow. Mikey gets a Pokemon Collector and searches for Mr. Mime, Mime Jr., and Unown Q. He gets the Mr. Mime in play, then announces Quick. Kaitlyn drops a Spray. Mikey continues his first long Trainer turn and takes another prize. I Roseanne’s for a Hoppip and Uxie, bench the Hoppip, play a Grass Energy, and Set Up for 4 with a Rare Candy in my hand. I draw: Rare Candy, Rare Candy, Palmer’s Contribution, Claydol with the other three cards in my hand being Grass Energy, Lightning Energy, and Rare Candy. Such garbage! I have to pass. Brent goes through his turn and takes a prize. Kaitlyn snipes and manages to take a prize. Mikey goes and attacks. I still fail to draw anything. We each take another turn before time is called on my turn. We are tied in prizes, and all I need is a Jumpluff to Mass Attack Mikey’s Crobat G for game. I burn as many cards in my hand as possible, play a topdecked Baltoy, and Rare Candy it to Claydol. I Cosmic Power to…not get what I need. Brent then takes a prize on his turn to win the game. 2-1
Lunch! Another large sausage pizza. 8 slices for me, but I share one with Mikey. Brent complains about the pizza being Little Caesar’s instead of Domino’s, but I still like it just as much.
Round 4: Team Neko (Kingdra and Absol G/Darkrai Toolbox)
My Jumpluff takes a Faint Attack from Absol G, and the Kingdra player decides to Belt a Seadra and Aqua Pump my Jumpluff for a KO. Kaitlyn promptly plays down 2 Crobat Gs and Dragon Rushes Seadra for two prizes. When it comes around to me, I Mass Attack the Absol G for KO. The Kingdra player has a couple of Uxies in play without anything else, and all the Absol player has is a Darkrai that she’s in the process of dropping 3 energies on to attack. Kaitlyn and I Target Attack and Mass Attack our way through a bunch of low-HP basics for game. 3-1
Round 5: Team Dark and Light (Garchomp/Blaziken and Kingdra)
We’re playing Chris and Demarico. Chris has the SP deck, Demarico has the Kingdra.
I don’t like this matchup, as Blaziken can be a pain to Jumpluff. The match starts out with my Claydol getting Sprayed, then Dragon Rushed. Kaitlyn Dragon Rushes the opposing Garchomp C for a KO. Demarico plays a TSD for Chris, who flips two heads to get the Garchomp C and the Lv. X back into his hand, However, Demarico only has 2 Horseas and a Baltoy in play. He puts an Energy on one Horsea and evolves into Claydol. He announces Cosmic Power with a 2-card hand. Kaitlyn drops a Spray. One of the two cards is a Roseanne’s, so he plays that and gets an Uxie and something else. He uses Set Up for 5 and Kaitlyn drops another Spray. Demarico sighs and passes. I Bright Look/Mass Attack Demarico’s Claydol. Chris Dragon Rushes my 2nd Claydol. Kaitlyn kills a Horsea. Demarico has nothing and passes. I KO Chris’s Blaziken, and Kaitlyn KOs Demarico’s remaining Horsea. They have basically nothing after that, and we sweep through their remaining Pokemon for game. 4-1
Team CHOMPluff is seeded #2 going into the Top 4. Team Rocket is seeded #1, being undefeated. We have to play a double Kingdra team. I find their name, even though it was a joke, to be slightly offensive, so I will not post it. However, both players were very, very, very, very loud and annoying over the course of the tournament, so I say it is very fitting to say we played against…
Top 4 vs. Team Coughing Idiots (Kingdra and Kingdra)
Game 1
Kaitlyn flips over a Sableye and a Special Dark. She Overconfidents one player’s lone Baltoy. By Double Battle Rules, he is forced to lay down the Regice in his hand (which has a Retreat Cost of 3.) I Rare Candy into a Jumpluff and Mass Attack the other player’s lone Horsea. He also has a Regice that he is forced to lay down. With both of them having actives with Heavy Retreat Costs, Kaitlyn and I have an easy time disposing of their benched Pokemon. 1-0
Game 2
This was basically a repeat of Game 1, but with different Pokemon. Kaitlyn and I each get super-fast setups and KO a bunch of basics for game.
Finally, we get a bit of quiet. But the Rockets 2-0 their opponent, so we have a rematch.
Finals vs. Team Rocket (Shuppet and Shuppet)
Game 1
They get a much faster start and Kaitlyn doesn’t have any Sprays early game. My Luxray GL with 2 energy also gets KOed, so that didn’t help. They take all six prizes as I draw dead and Kaitlyn didn’t draw into a lot of stuff. My SP Radar was prized early-game, and that really did not help.
Game 2
They actually have trouble getting out the Mr. Mimes, so Kaitlyn and I actually take a few prizes early game. They start to catch up, and they both eventually get out Mr. Mimes. However, this was a very long game and time is called on Brent’s turn. He can’t take a KO and so we go into sudden death.
Sudden Death
Sudden death for Team Play is different because each team has to take 2 prize cards to win. Kaitlyn flips over a Sableye and KOs Mikey’s Shuppet. So far so good. I have everything I need for a Luxray GL Lv. X in one more turn so I just Bite Brent's Uxie. Brent doesn’t draw into anything he needs and Kaitlyn KO’s Brent’s Uxie with Overconfident for the win. 2-0
So Team CHOMPluff wins the 2010 MS Team Play Championship. We each get 5 packs since MS is sponsoring the Arkansas State Championship, and I’m OK with that. I like Kaitlyn’s black sleeves, and she gives them to me. I also pull a RH Spiritomb (the packs were Arceus). This was a very fun event!
Props
Winning
Jumpluff/Luxray
Sableye/Honchkrow/Garchomp
Team CHOMPluff
Team Rocket
Pizza
Slops
Dead draws
Shuppet
Now, there is one more thing concerning me. I had two very large pizzas, and I did not exercise at all over the weekend. How long is it going to take me to burn off those pizzas? Oh, wait, I’m a teenage guy, so I’ll burn them off by doing something extraneously physical, like, I don’t know, sleeping?
My High School Robotics team won our competition, so we get to go to the National Championships in Atlanta on…April 15-17. If there is a Regional in Atlanta, I’ll go to that, otherwise I look forward to Houston Regionals!
I’m Aaron H. of Seniors. This is a 3-in-1 report. Below is my LA States Report, then my MS States Report, and then the MS Team Play Championship Report.
LA States
Going into this, I wasn’t really sure what I was going to play. I had experienced success in Cities, winning one with Tyranitar/Ampharos, winning two with Shuppet, and winning a third with Glisctomb.
Tyranitar/Ampharos was completely out of the question. While I might crush a Gengar or two during the course of the tournament, basically all of my other games would be autolosses. Gyarados would KO me faster than I could KO them, Luxchomp would outspeed me, Gallade would run right through me, and Donphan would do the same.
With the amount of Spiritomb running around, there was no way I was going to play Shuppet. I might win a couple of games if my opponents didn’t start with Spiritomb, but eventually I would run into a Spiritomb start and lose. I wasn’t expecting DialgaChomp to be around, since Gallade takes care of it quite nicely, but you never know if someone might play it.
All Gardevoir has to do is play a Mesprit against Glisctomb and Glisctomb has lost. Chances are that Gardevoir will get a Psychic Lock off before two Gliscors enter play. Luxchomp should be running multiple Power Sprays. Glisctomb was not a favorable play.
So, I had to find a new deck. Many people know about my success with Gardevoir/Gallade/Weavile, and with DCE back in the format I think quite a few people in my league were thinking that I was going to play it. However, I don’t like Gardevoir/Gallade/Spiritomb’s Mother Gengar matchup. In addition, I hate mirror matches. I was expecting a good amount of Gardevoir to be played, and I didn’t want to spend the day battling other Gardevoirs.
Gyarados was tested, and soon abandoned. I didn’t like its Gengar matchup, and I also expected it to be played. Again, I don’t want mirror matches.
I tested out Luxchomp, but I just don’t have the skill to play it like some other people do. So I moved on to testing other things.
Jumpluff was fun to play with, but I felt that eventually it would run into an unfavorable matchup and lose.
I found Charizard to be too inconsistent. I didn’t like its limited draw power, and I had to have a Fire Energy in my hand in order to do some things. I quickly put it away because I felt that it wouldn’t stand up to Gardevoir.
Flygon/Pokemon X/DCE worked in some cases, but I ditched it when I found what I was going to play.
One day, about two weeks before States, I was looking through my cards and came across Rampardos, from Platinum. 1 for 80, and it bypasses Resistance and other damage-reducing effects? I decided it was worth a shot to test it. I built a Sableye/Rampardos/Dialga G deck and brought it to league. It beat a Jumpluff/Shaymin deck. I liked it.
Then I thought of how Luxray GL might work in the deck. Drag up whatever, Head Smash it for a KO. It also helped the Gyarados matchup. I made a Rampardos/Luxray deck and sat down with a Gengar deck and played them against each other.
When I first made Gardevoir/Gallade/Weavile, I had this feeling that it was going to win. I had a similar feeling, but not as strong, about Rampardos/Luxray. The Rampardos/Luxray beat the Gengar deck by 3 prizes. I kept playtesting and won a good number of matches. I took it to league and won all but two games, and those two losses were by 1 prize.
So, I tweaked my list, and I found myself playing Rampardos/Luxray in States. Props to Brent S. and Matt L. for each letting me borrow a Luxray GL Lv. X!
On to the report.
Before the tournament starts, we all have a moment of silence for Dylan, who got in a serious accident and had to undergo surgery. We all hope you get better soon, Dylan!
The only other thing worth noting is how Mikey walked into the store with this pair of huge aviator sunglasses with super-reflective lenses. I was looking at two of my faces when I was talking to him.
We have 11 Seniors with 4 Rounds and a Top 2. We get moved outside in the cold because the store is filled with Masters and Juniors. I am shivering before the match starts, and I get a jacket to borrow from Rocket’s Hideout. Thank you Ms. April!
Round 1 vs. Payton W., Mother Gengar
So I have to face a good friend with the most evil deck in the format. I don’t exactly have a good hand, but I have enough to get a Rampardos out T3, and I can also get a Luxray GL Lv. X out if he has a Spiritomb.
Well, he has a Ghastly, and Pitch Darks. I can only draw and attach to my active Skull Fossil with Luxray GL on the bench. He Pitch Darks again. I evolve to Craniados and flip heads with the attack to do 40. He plays BTS, Haunter, Gengar, Baltoy, Claydol over the course of his turn. I watch as he really gets set up while I am stuck with an overall trashy hand. He Shadow Rooms my Benched Luxray GL for 30. I evolve into Rampardos and play a Poketurn to heal off the 30, because if he flips heads on Fainting Spell (the absolute most broken, cheap, awful, annoying Poke-Power in the game) he can double Flash Bite and Shadow Room Luxray GL for Game. I announce Head Smash. He rolls for Fainting Spell…tails! I breathe an inward sigh of relief. He Shadow Rooms my Luxray GL. I Head Smash. He Shadow Rooms again. I Poketurn Luxray GL. Head Smash Gengar. Fainting Spell…Tails! He sends up his third Gengar and Night Maintenances a Gengar line back into his deck. He attacks. By now, I have enough to start to get set up. I bench a Uxie, and manage to get a GUARDed Claydol out. I Head Smash Gengar. He attacks again. I Head Smash and…he flips tails for the 3rd time with Fainting Spell. My Rampardos is KOed due to self-damage.
The 3 tails really set Payton behind, so while he struggles a bit to attack, I Bright Look/Flash Impact for a Prize and Grand Swell with Relicanth for another. I’m up 1-5 in terms of prizes left. He attacks but doesn’t take a prize. I have a Rampardos active with a Luxray GL on my bench with the Lv. X, a Crobat G, and a Poketurn in my hand. I have a Relicanth on the Bench with an energy, prepared to Grand Swell anything for 60 because of an Unown G on Claydol and a BTS in play.
Payton and I are friends, the judge is also our friend, and we both know that I’ve pretty much won, so I show Payton my hand. “Which way do you want to lose- by Bright Look or Grand Swell?” I asked. “Retreat Rampardos, Bright Look my Benched Spiritomb, and Flash Impact it for game,” he says. I do. 1-0
I feel kind of bad that Payton flipped 3/3 tails on Fainting Spell, but there was nothing we could have done about it. I wish him luck and go into the store where it’s warm. Pairings are posted, and I go out to freeze again. It’s about 70 outside, but windy like there’s an airplane engine blowing on us.
Round 2 vs. David L., Octillery
He starts with Remoraid and passes. I start with Skull Fossil and do some stuff I can’t get the donk, so I just pass. He plays a Sableye and Impersonates Pokemon Collector for Remoraid, Remoraid, and then searches his deck a couple more times before getting the 4th Remoraid. I assume his Floatzel GL is prized. (It was.) I manage to get a Bright Look/Flash Impact KO on a Remoraid. Once a Remoraid or Octillery goes down, there is no way he can get it back. He uses Water Vein and flips 2 heads. 10 short of a KO. I Flash Bite/Head Smash for a KO. 2 down, 2 to go. The third one flips two heads, killing Rampardos. I follow up with a KO. The last Octopus comes and reveals 5 cards, but only two are energy. He rolls snake eyes. Again, I feel sorry for my opponent’s bad luck. I Head Smash the last Octillery and he is left to fight with Sableyes. Go figure the rest of the game. 2-0
Lunch break! Joshua, my rival, is 2-0 at this point and I’m a little worried about his Gengar deck. He’s running Relicanth and Dusknoir techs. Keeli A., who came from Texas, also happens to be running 4 TGW in her Plox deck, which Joshua beat in Round 2. Too bad I can’t smash 4 Pokemon of hers with a Gallade and come out with 0 damage, like I did at Regionals last year.
And, for Round 3, of course I have to face the guy who just loves to play Gengar. He’s been playing it since October, as a matter of fact.
Round 3 vs. *sigh* Joshua S., Mother Gengar
He Pitch Darks me for two turns, then stops…only to do a few Darkness Graces with Spiritomb. Spiritomb stays active for another five turns. While Joshua gets everything he needs, I am left to struggle since I hold 4 crucial/unplayable Trainers and can’t get them out of my hand to draw more with Cosmic Power. I end up getting quite a few things out when he finally Poltergeists, and I start to make a comeback. I Bright Look/Head Smash Claydol, and he retaliates with a Shadow Room. I Head Smash Gengar, which he retreats for another Gengar. I Head Smash that while my bench damage builds. Eventually, I realize I have to take out Nidoqueen, so I Bright Look that up and start to whittle it down. He Warp Points. I Bright Look/Head Smash for a KO. Now Gengar’s healing power is gone. I Head Smash a Gengar, killing it. He flips…Tails! The next Gengar comes up and kills Rampardos. Another Rampardos comes up. Head Smash…Tails! We trade hits for a long time before the field comes into a position where I can win the game.
I have an active Luxray GL with 60 damage. I have a Benched Luxray GL Lv. X with 30 damage. I have a Benched Rampardos with a Fighting energy and no damage. I have 1 Prize Card left, Joshua has 2. He has a Gengar active with no damage and a Benched Azelf. I’ve played 3 Poketurns, and one is left in my deck. Joshua announces Shadow Room. I hold my breath for a second, then watch as Joshua picks up a die, sets it to 6, and puts it on Luxray GL Lv. X.
I’m so glad I made the decision at 5:30 in the morning to see if I could borrow 2 Luxray GL Lv. Xs. I drop the 2nd Lv. X from my hand and Head Smash Azelf for game. 3-0
I guess Joshua was thinking I was running a 2-1 Luxray line, since I never had both Luxray GL Lv. Xs in play at the same time. He was probably thinking that he could KO Luxray GL Lv. X the next turn after a Head Smash and then flip for Fainting Spell and get heads to force the game into sudden death. I did have my Night Maintenance and Palmer’s Contribution in the discard pile at the time, and he did check it before Shadow Rooming.
So at 3-0 going into the final round, I know I’ve won some glass, with a shot at playing for the 1st place trophy.
There was one senior who had a Magikarp shirt that said “I swear to god when I evolve I’m going to kill you all!” I talked to him, and he said his name was Ryan. I asked him if he had the Larvitar avatar on Pokegym and he said that that was him. I suddenly became happy because I’d met someone I’d been PMing on Pokegym since BRs in real life. There was this sig I saw that said “Current Deck: LuxChomp 33-0” at the time BRs were finishing. I clicked on the username and found a compilation of reports from the Texas area in the Seniors division. I thought I had found one of my Regionals opponents, so I sent a friendly PM to him. It turns out that I had not played Ryan M. at Regionals, but we still became friends. I saw more posts by him and found from his sig that he was 50-1. Then he said that he was coming to LA States, and here we are.
I wasn’t surprised when I found out I was playing him next round.
Round 4 vs. Ryan M., Gardevoir/Gallade/Spiritomb/Nidoqueen
I have a Luxray GL start to his (yes! Not Spiritomb!) Ralts start. He goes first, attaches a Psychic Energy, and uses Future Sight to give me a Fighting Energy. I attach an Energy and Energy Gain, Fossil Excavator for a Skull Fossil, play a Uxie, and Bite for 30. He attaches a DCE, benches a Ralts, plays Moonlight Stadium, plays Bebe’s, and gets a Gallade. He Time Walks, rearranges his prizes, and the last card in his hand is…Rare Candy. Bye-bye, Luxray GL! I Psychic Restore for 50 after Rare Candying into a Rampardos. He draws, benches a Nidoran, and then plays…TGW. I win, and he Psychic Cuts for a KO. I Head Smash after getting a little set up. He goes through his small hand and gets a Gardevoir up. I’ve only played Fossil Excavator and Roseanne’s by now, so he can’t use Bebe’s for anything. He passes with only 1 Energy on Gardevoir. I KO something. He plays Bebe’s, gets Claydol, uses Cosmic Power, and gets a Nidoqueen. I’m really surprised and frustrated by his luck. We trade attacks, and he soon catches up. I KO his Gardevoir, and he passes. I take the opportunity to Bright Look a Claydol and let it stall. He has to waste his 3rd DCE to retreat it. His Gardevoir on his bench that he’s setting up has 1 Energy on it, so he attacks with a Belted Nidoqueen that has his 4th DCE on it. I Head Smash it, and he retreats it with Moonlight Stadium, levels up his Gardevoir, and uses Teleportation to bring up a Spiritomb to stall. He has one prize left, I have 2. His Nidoqueen has 60 Damage on it. I then see his Nidoqueen has an Expert Belt, his Gardevoir has an Expert Belt, and he has Moonlight Stadium in play. I Roseanne’s for Relicanth and a Fighting Energy and Grand Swell his Nidoqueen with a big smile on my face. He places a 6 die on it and then brings it down to 5. I tell him I’ve won, he replies that I only did 60, and I point to the Moonlight Stadium. He looks at it for a second, then his face falls as he remembers exactly what Relicanth does. 4-0
“I completely forgot that Stadiums were taken into account with Grand Swell,” he told me after we had shaken hands.
“Yeah, it happens. I’m really sorry about your second loss all season,” I tell him.
“It’s OK,” he says.
“I hope I play you in the finals,” I reply.
“You too,” he says.
We talk for a little while about Texas States and players. It turns out that I had beaten the 2009 Houston Senior Regional Champion in Swiss without knowing about it because I left after being knocked out of the Top 16.
I wait for standings to be posted. David, the Octillery player, won his last game (beating Gardevoir), and is 3-1. Ryan and Joshua are each 3-1. I am really hoping to play David, because Octillery is a much easier matchup for me than Gardevoir or Gengar, but since Joshua has sick luck (and a decent amount of opponent’s resistance) I have to play him in the finals.
In 2008, I heard someone from Texas won the Louisiana State Championship in Seniors.
Last year, in 2009, I played against someone from Mississippi for the title of Louisiana Senior State Champion.
This year, 2010, it is finally Louisiana Player vs. Louisiana Player for the title of State Champion. This is how it should be.
Finals vs. Joshua S., Mother Gengar
I get my deck checked and pile shuffle a few times, then riffle shuffle for a while. I pile shuffle again, and riffle for as long as I can. Joshua riffles for about five times and then decides he is finished. I am pretty sure I have an advantage, as my deck is well shuffled. But…
Game 1
I. Draw. Trash. After all that shuffling!
Luxray GL, Luxray GL Lv. X, no Fossil Excavator, 1 Fighting Energy, a Cynthia’s Feelings, Palmer’s Contribution, Crobat G, Poketurn.
I stall for a little while by Bright Looking up Claydol and forcing him to waste Energies or Warp Points to switch it out. I continue to draw trash for a few more turns. I finally play my Cynthia’s Feelings, only to redraw my Palmer’s Contribution WITH my Night Maintenance and a couple of other useless-at-the-moment cards. I eventually draw a Luxury Ball and play an Uxie. I start to finally get set up and take cheap Bench prizes. I manage to get down to two prizes left while he has one. He Shadow Rooms a Claydol that didn’t have an Unown G attached because it was on a Rampardos. I can’t prevent him from Shadow Rooming it next turn, and so I realize I’ve lost game one pretty much to bad draws. (0-1)
Game 2
I shuffle well and draw again into…another bad hand! I have both Luxray GL Lv. Xs in my hand, but I don’t have the Luxray GL. I start with a Skull Fossil and have a little trouble setting up a Rampardos. I don’t have much besides Rampardos out, so I Roseanne’s for an Uxie. I bench it and draw useless Supporters and Trainers to fuel his Poltergeist. I’m kind of wishing I had prized my Palmer’s Contribution, since it somehow always ended up in my hand. So while I am trying to not get hit by a big Poltergeist, he Shadow Rooms for cheap bench prizes. I fall behind. Once I have KOed his Claydol, I start working on KOing other stuff. He eventually runs into draw trouble but still keeps a prize lead. Eventually, he has one prize left, with a Gengar with Unown G and no Energy, a Nidoqueen with Unown G and no Energy, and 2 Crobat Gs. I Grand Swell a Crobat G. He has the Poketurn, and Shadow Rooms my Relicanth for 30. I am forced to retreat, Bright Look Nidoqueen, Poketurn, and Grand Swell Crobat G. If I can get another Grand Swell off, his Nidoqueen won’t be able to take down my Rampardos, and I can send Game 3 into Sudden Death or make it a very short game. However, he manages to draw an energy, plays the Crobat G down, and Mega Punches Relicanth for the game. (0-2)
Joshua has wanted to win a States so much, and since I have pretty much smashed him every game in Cities I guess fate has finally caught up with me and given him the win (and my 3rd Premier Tournament match loss- I am now X-3. Joshua has ironically given me all my losses.)
I do not regret my deck choice. Rampardos/Luxray was a very fun semi-Rogue deck to play, and it did great. I really think that the finals would have gone my way if I had gotten better hands, but there was nothing I could have done about it. I’m sure that there are other players out there who feel the same way I do- you make a really good deck, get to the Top Cut, and your deck fails on you even if it supposed to be superconsistent.
I get a Garchomp trophy, which is awesome since Garchomp is the coolest Pokemon ever (see my avatar), and in one pack I get Donphan Prime, Pokemon Communication, and a DCE. So my packs were pretty good.
James, Joshua’s brother, wins Masters, so Louisiana wins Masters and Seniors!
Props
Rampardos/Luxray
Garchomp trophy
Decent packs
Louisiana winning Masters and Seniors
Rocketman for hosting a well-organized tournament
Friendly judges
Brent S. for lending me a Luxray GL Lv. X
Matt L. for lending me a Luxray GL Lv. X
Joshua for winning
Signing a giant “Get Well Soon!” poster for Dylan
Meeting (and defeating) Ryan M.
Mikey’s sunglasses
Slops
Bad draws
Gengar
Cold, windy outdoors
Steven B. not making top cut in masters
MS States
Over the course of the week, I had been testing various decks. I had a 2nd look at LuxChomp, but decided to go with a deck that I liked better: Jumpluff/Luxray. I Bright Look anything and can hit it for up to 120 for one energy. Claydol is weak to Grass, so I have a relatively easy time killing draw power.
My Dad and I wake up at 5 in the morning to make the drive to Pearl, which is slightly east of Jackson, MS. We get there and I get the cards I need to borrow from Brent. He shows me a similar list, which I like better. I end up playing his list while he elects to go with Shuppet for metagame reasons.
The venue is the Mississippi Law Enforcement training facility or something. It is very nice- a wide open room with lots of space. There are also whiteboards with markers to draw on. I copied a Flygon Lv. X and Luxray GL onto one of the boards and painted it Rocket colors since Team Rocket is the best.
there is a prison-or rather “Correctional Facility” across the street and we joke that that’s where we’ll go if we get too many penalties. Anna is also walking around with two pairs of foam nunchucks that still hurt if you get whacked with them. I never got whacked, but others did…
Anyways, we have 21 Seniors. 5 Rounds and a Top 4.
Round 1 vs…Bye.
I got a Bye. I am actually disappointed that I have a Bye because I want to beat someone with my deck! Kaitlyn wins her match and I play against her Sableye/Honchkrow/Garchomp deck, narrowly beating her. It was a good match! 1-0
Round 2 vs. J.C. G., Flygon/Donphan
J.C. is relatively new to the Seniors division. I beat him by Bright Looking up whatever and smashing it. When he Sand Walled my BTS, I still got a Bright Look in. He never got the Flygon Lv. X out and I pretty much outsped him. His Donphans gave me trouble early game, but I was able to KO the Donphans faster than he was able to KO my Jumpluffs. I had access to draw power, which he didn’t have because of Luxray GL Lv. X. He tried his best to stop the Jumpluff onslaught late-game, but eventually his deck just couldn’t hold out. 2-0
They are taking pizza orders for lunch, so I order a large sausage pizza all for myself. I end up snacking on it the rest of the day.
Round 3 vs. Ben B., Garchomp SV (the Stage 2)/Nidoqueen
Wait…with DCE Garchomp attacks for 2 Energy and OHKOs any Jumpluff since I don’t run Shaymin? I quickly realize that this is an unfavorable matchup.
He starts with Azelf and Locks Up my Hoppip. I don’t have the Candy-Jumpluff or BTS-Skiploom-Jumpluff, so I do some stuff and pass. He goes through a Set Up and some trainers to get up a Garchomp and uses Guard Claw for the KO to Hoppip. I Bright Look a Baltoy and KO it with Luxray. He has to drop the Belt onto Garchomp to OHKO Luxray, which he does. I Mass Attack it. He KOs my Jumpluff. I Flash Bite a few times, and Psychic Restore from Uxie for a KO. He quickly gets up another Garchomp and attacks. We trade prizes, with me getting in cheap Pixie prizes from Bright Look and him Speed Impacting whatever. It was very frustrating to see him draw into 3 DCEs without any draw power whatsoever besides a Set Up in the first few turns of the game.
Eventually, it’s tie game at one prize each. I can’t Bright Look, so I have to Mass Attack a Garchomp. He has used Guard Claw twice in a row, one turn using it without playing a Supporter, so I know that he doesn’t have the energy. I have no way of bringing up anything besides the Garchomp (which is active) for a prize, so I Mass Attack. If I attacked with another Pokemon, it wouldn’t matter- he would still be able to OHKO it with Speed Impact. He draws, sighs, and drops a topdecked energy on Garchomp for game. I do hate luck…2-1
My pizza sooths me. Kaitlyn is 3-0, Payton is 3-0, Joshua is 2-1 (Hooray!), Mikey is doing well, and I believe Brent is also doing well.
Round 4 vs. Bradley D., Remoraid/???
I go into this round slightly frustrated from my last loss (4th loss this season). He goes first, flips over a Remoraid, and passes. I look at my Luxray GL start, and then look at my hand of Cyrus’s Conspiracy, Poketurn, Pokemon Communication, and a random Pokemon. Then I look at Remoraid’s weakness to Lightning +10. I Pokemon Communication for the Crobat G and Cyrus for the Energy and Energy Gain. Double Flash Bite, Bite for game. 3-1
Now I’m happy! But I have to be 4-1 to make it in Top Cut. And I get up-paired against the undefeated Payton.
Round 5 vs. Payton W., Mother Gengar
His Spiritomb start causes me problems, since I can’t get the Luxray GL Lv. X to Bright Look with only the trainers in my hand. Once he retreats his Spiritomb to Shadow Room, I take out Claydol. He Shadow Rooms. I Bright Look and KO something. I continue to do this, avoiding the dreaded Fainting Spell, until it’s 2-2 prizes. He had Shadow Roomed smartly to take some prizes. I look at his active Gengar, then at his benched Nidoqueen with 2 Energy. I have a full bench. He has a Crobat G on his bench. He has used all his Poketurns, and I only have one Bright Look left. If I KO Gengar and he flips heads, my next Pokemon will get Ruthless Tailed by Nidoqueen. If I Bright Look and KO Crobat G, he will Shadow Room my Crobat G for a Prize and then I will still have to face Fainting Spell. I have to go for the KO on Gengar. He flips heads.
But, he held his hand low to the table and the die slid more than it rolled. I was also pretty sure that the die did not complete three full revolutions. So, I challenged the roll. After the judges debate for a little while, they have Payton re-roll. He rolls Tails, and I Bright Look/Flash Impact for game. 4-1
I feel a little dishonest for challenging, but there were circumstances. First, if I had not challenged, I would be out of top cut. Second, Payton is already in top cut because he was undefeated going into the match, so he is now 4-1. Third, I have faced Gengar at every…single…darn…tournament since Spring Battle Roads of 2009, and I am really, really, really sick of Fainting Spell. Had my opponent and I both been 3-1, I might have not challenged, but Payton is still in top cut, so that was a key motivation in challenging the roll.
Joshua lost in Round 5, so at 3-2 he finished 6th. I’m glad I don’t have to face him and his Gengar in Top Cut.
Top Cut is, in seeded order,
1. Ashton M. with Gengar
2. Payton W. with Gengar
3. Justin W. with Cursegar
4. Me with Jumpluff/Luxray
So, I have to play Ashton. Last time we played, I was playing Glisctomb, so he had pretty sour feelings for me.
Keep in mind my trash hands in the finals of LA States. Mrs. Cathy is judging again, so I chat with her a little bit because I’m the only one at the table to start shuffling.
Top 4 vs. Ashton M., Mother Gengar/Dusknoir
Game 1
I get a decent start with Hoppip, Cyrus’s Conspiracy, Poketurn, Uxie, and a Pokemon Communication in my opening hand. He goes first and flips over a Baltoy. He draws, attaches, and passes. I’m thinking “is this really happening?” as I Pokemon Communication for Crobat G, play Cyrus’s Conspiracy, drop the Grass Energy on Hoppip, Triple Flash Bite, and DONK his Baltoy with Hoppip for Game 1. So much for trash hands! 1-0
Game 2
I start with Hoppip again. I’m first, and he opens with Ghastly. I’m afraid of a Shadow Room KO, so I retreat Hoppip, Guard it, and leave Crobat G active. He Pitch Darks. I can’t play any of the Trainers in my hand, so I just do what I can and pass. My Hoppip gets Grand Swelled. I can’t immediately get anything up next turn, so I have to pass again. He takes another KO. I go through some things and get a Jumpluff up and Mass Attack for some damage. He can’t grab a KO in response, so I get a chance to Bright Look/Mass Attack his Claydol. He decides to leave my Jumpluff alone and Shadow Rooms Luxray GL. I Poketurn and Leaf Guard. He flips heads for Fainting Spell. We continue the prize trade, but he’s always a turn ahead. Eventually, at 2-1 prizes, with him up, I fail to draw a Poketurn and so I have to take my KO while leaving a Luxray GL Lv. X with 60 damage on it on the bench. That becomes his last prize.
I had a 2nd Luxray GL Lv. X in my hand for a Bright Look/Flash Impact for game on a Crobat G next turn, but he was just one turn ahead and won that game. 1-1
Game 3
This was pretty much a reverse of Game 2, but this time I’m in the lead- by two or three turns. I get a faster start and KO his Baltoy faster. He struggles to get anything set up. When he does get a Gengar up, I just go for the Mass Attack KO and he flips tails. He can’t keep up with me and while he is taking Shadow Room prizes, I’m ahead and taking prizes faster than he is. He also doesn’t have draw support (except for Uxie) so this game was in my control from the start. 2-1 (5-1 overall)
Payton plays Justin W. After a sudden death game, I find myself facing Payton, the defending MS Senior State Champion. I’m glad I don’t have to face Justin’s Cursegar- Spiritomb and Mr. Mime are a pain for Jumpluff.
Finals vs. Payton W., Mother Gengar
Game 1
He gets a bad start. I get out a Jumpluff on turn 2 or turn 3 and smash my way through Nidorans, Spiritombs, Uxies, and that sort of stuff for a 6-0 game. He never saw a single Gengar hit the field. 1-0
Game 2
I get a quick Bright Look/Mass Attack KO on a Claydol, so he struggles a little with draw power. A couple Uxies hit the field, and one gets Mass Attacked later in the game. He Shadow Roomed for most of the game, taking prizes of Uxies and Crobat G. I went for the Mass Attack on a Gengar, and he flips heads. Even so, he has trouble getting another Gengar out. The early Claydol kill really hurt him, and I am always 2 or 3 turns ahead of him. Eventually, I Bright Look/Flash Impact a Crobat G for game when he has two prizes left. 2-0 (6-1 overall)
A Louisiana player wins Mississippi States. My dad fills out the paperwork for the travel award and leaves. I stick around and trade for a complete playset of RH Jumpluffs, a Luxray GL Lv. X, and other stuff. Kaitlyn gets 3rd in Masters, and Mikey plays James in the finals and loses. Therefore, Louisiana also wins Masters in Mississippi.
I get to spend the night at Kaitlyn’s to play in the Team Play Championship the next day. Kaitlyn’s mom makes literally five pounds of delicious spaghetti, and Ashton, Ben, Alex, Demarico, Chris, and Chas also spend the night. It was really fun. Ashton also bashes me with a pillow one time and threatens to jump on me at 2:00 in the morning- a threat that he failed to carry out.
Props
Winning
Good trades
An excellent tournament venue
Large pizza
Big sleepover
Spaghetti
Payton getting 2nd
Kaitlyn getting 3rd in Masters
Mikey getting 2nd
Brent for lending me cards
Nunchucks
Joshua going 3-2
Slops
Gengar
Garchomp SV
Chas having to play in the Top 8 with 20 energy in his LuxChomp deck
MS Team Play Championships
Kaitlyn and I had agreed to be partners for this before today. We hadn’t talked much strategy, and we pretty had our first serious strategy discussion Saturday night. While the other people in the house were playtesting, Kaitlyn and I just decided to go with our lists from the previous day. She would snipe, I would Bright Look and smash. It seemed pretty good.
My list was 1 card different. I gave Brent back his Luxrays, so now I was playing a 2-1 Luxray with 1 Azelf.
We get there, and we have to come up with a team name. Kaitlyn has no preference, so I just stick Garchomp and Jumpluff together to make Team CHOMPluff. I should have put Team 111 CHOMPluff to make us always at the top of the pairings list, but I forgot. (Having a name that begins with “Aa” has ensured that I’m at the top of every pairings list. It’s so convenient to just look at the first pairing and there my name is.)
We have 17 teams, so we will have 5 Rounds with a Top 4.
Round 1: Team The Gibbs Ghosts (Gengar and Gengar)
One player starts with Spiritomb, which doesn’t help. Kaitlyn flips over a Sableye and donks the other player’s Ghastly. She is forced to play her Uxie from her hand (double battle rules). The Spiritomb starter is next, and he passes. I start with a Luxray GL and can’t do much, so I pass. The Uxie hits Kaitlyn’s Sableye for 20. She does some stuff and Impersonates. Spiritomb Darkness Graces into a Claydol. I Bright Look/Mass Attack Claydol. The Uxie player plays a Cynthia’s Guidance and does 20 to Sableye. Kaitlyn KO’s the Spiritomb somehow. The player promotes Ghastly and plays Uxie. Kaitlyn drops a Spray. I Mass Attack the Ghastly. For the rest of the game, they don’t get anything out because Kaitlyn is Honchkrowing it or Spraying it, and Jumpluff is attacking for enough to KO an active. We won pretty handily. 1-0
Round 2: Team The Culdisak Kids (Garchomp SV/Nidoqueen and Jumpluff)
It’s Ben playing Garchomp and Alex playing Jumpluff. Kaitlyn flips over Sableye and asks if she should KO Spiritomb. I say yes, and she drops a Crobat G and a Special Dark and Spiritomb is dead. Alex is next, and can’t play Trainers. He passes. I do my stuff and pass. Ben decides to get a Spiritomb into play to Darkness Grace to set up. Kaitlyn attacks Alex’s Hoppip. Ben’s Spiritomb hurts Alex, so he just passes after a Roseanne’s. I Bright Look/Mass Attack Ben’s Claydol. Ben decides to promote Spiritomb and Darkness Graces Alex’s Hoppip so Alex can get set up. Kaitlyn attaches an energy to Honchkrow and snipes. Alex gets Pachirisu and Smash Shorts Kaitlyn’s Honckrow. I Mass Attack Pachirisu in response. Ben gets a Garchomp in play and uses Guard Claw. Kaitlyn snipes. Alex gets a Jumpluff and Mass Attacks. I Mass Attack his Jumpluff after a couple Flash Bites. Ben drops an Uxie, Kaitlyn Sprays. Ben still gets a KO with Garchomp. Kaitlyn and I snipe stuff or Bright Look/Mass Attack stuff until they have little to nothing left. 2-0
Round 3: Team Rocket (Brent S. with Shuppet and Mikey P. with Shuppet)
I was really fearful going into this match. Not only are Brent and Mikey exceptionally good players, but they are both running Shuppet, so my Jumpluff runs into Mime problems. Kaitlyn flips over a Sableye and goes first. Mikey has a Crobat G, but Brent has a Mime Jr. in play. Kaitlyn Overconfidents the Mime Jr. for 40. Mikey passes since he can’t play any trainers. I Flash Bite Mime Jr. for a prize. I have a semi-bad start, so I just lay down a Hoppip and pass with Luxray GL active. Brent goes through the whole long first turn of Trainers, and to no one’s surprise, my Hoppip gets Crobat G’d to death. He then attacks for a 2nd prize. Kaitlyn snipes with Honchkrow. Mikey gets a Pokemon Collector and searches for Mr. Mime, Mime Jr., and Unown Q. He gets the Mr. Mime in play, then announces Quick. Kaitlyn drops a Spray. Mikey continues his first long Trainer turn and takes another prize. I Roseanne’s for a Hoppip and Uxie, bench the Hoppip, play a Grass Energy, and Set Up for 4 with a Rare Candy in my hand. I draw: Rare Candy, Rare Candy, Palmer’s Contribution, Claydol with the other three cards in my hand being Grass Energy, Lightning Energy, and Rare Candy. Such garbage! I have to pass. Brent goes through his turn and takes a prize. Kaitlyn snipes and manages to take a prize. Mikey goes and attacks. I still fail to draw anything. We each take another turn before time is called on my turn. We are tied in prizes, and all I need is a Jumpluff to Mass Attack Mikey’s Crobat G for game. I burn as many cards in my hand as possible, play a topdecked Baltoy, and Rare Candy it to Claydol. I Cosmic Power to…not get what I need. Brent then takes a prize on his turn to win the game. 2-1
Lunch! Another large sausage pizza. 8 slices for me, but I share one with Mikey. Brent complains about the pizza being Little Caesar’s instead of Domino’s, but I still like it just as much.
Round 4: Team Neko (Kingdra and Absol G/Darkrai Toolbox)
My Jumpluff takes a Faint Attack from Absol G, and the Kingdra player decides to Belt a Seadra and Aqua Pump my Jumpluff for a KO. Kaitlyn promptly plays down 2 Crobat Gs and Dragon Rushes Seadra for two prizes. When it comes around to me, I Mass Attack the Absol G for KO. The Kingdra player has a couple of Uxies in play without anything else, and all the Absol player has is a Darkrai that she’s in the process of dropping 3 energies on to attack. Kaitlyn and I Target Attack and Mass Attack our way through a bunch of low-HP basics for game. 3-1
Round 5: Team Dark and Light (Garchomp/Blaziken and Kingdra)
We’re playing Chris and Demarico. Chris has the SP deck, Demarico has the Kingdra.
I don’t like this matchup, as Blaziken can be a pain to Jumpluff. The match starts out with my Claydol getting Sprayed, then Dragon Rushed. Kaitlyn Dragon Rushes the opposing Garchomp C for a KO. Demarico plays a TSD for Chris, who flips two heads to get the Garchomp C and the Lv. X back into his hand, However, Demarico only has 2 Horseas and a Baltoy in play. He puts an Energy on one Horsea and evolves into Claydol. He announces Cosmic Power with a 2-card hand. Kaitlyn drops a Spray. One of the two cards is a Roseanne’s, so he plays that and gets an Uxie and something else. He uses Set Up for 5 and Kaitlyn drops another Spray. Demarico sighs and passes. I Bright Look/Mass Attack Demarico’s Claydol. Chris Dragon Rushes my 2nd Claydol. Kaitlyn kills a Horsea. Demarico has nothing and passes. I KO Chris’s Blaziken, and Kaitlyn KOs Demarico’s remaining Horsea. They have basically nothing after that, and we sweep through their remaining Pokemon for game. 4-1
Team CHOMPluff is seeded #2 going into the Top 4. Team Rocket is seeded #1, being undefeated. We have to play a double Kingdra team. I find their name, even though it was a joke, to be slightly offensive, so I will not post it. However, both players were very, very, very, very loud and annoying over the course of the tournament, so I say it is very fitting to say we played against…
Top 4 vs. Team Coughing Idiots (Kingdra and Kingdra)
Game 1
Kaitlyn flips over a Sableye and a Special Dark. She Overconfidents one player’s lone Baltoy. By Double Battle Rules, he is forced to lay down the Regice in his hand (which has a Retreat Cost of 3.) I Rare Candy into a Jumpluff and Mass Attack the other player’s lone Horsea. He also has a Regice that he is forced to lay down. With both of them having actives with Heavy Retreat Costs, Kaitlyn and I have an easy time disposing of their benched Pokemon. 1-0
Game 2
This was basically a repeat of Game 1, but with different Pokemon. Kaitlyn and I each get super-fast setups and KO a bunch of basics for game.
Finally, we get a bit of quiet. But the Rockets 2-0 their opponent, so we have a rematch.
Finals vs. Team Rocket (Shuppet and Shuppet)
Game 1
They get a much faster start and Kaitlyn doesn’t have any Sprays early game. My Luxray GL with 2 energy also gets KOed, so that didn’t help. They take all six prizes as I draw dead and Kaitlyn didn’t draw into a lot of stuff. My SP Radar was prized early-game, and that really did not help.
Game 2
They actually have trouble getting out the Mr. Mimes, so Kaitlyn and I actually take a few prizes early game. They start to catch up, and they both eventually get out Mr. Mimes. However, this was a very long game and time is called on Brent’s turn. He can’t take a KO and so we go into sudden death.
Sudden Death
Sudden death for Team Play is different because each team has to take 2 prize cards to win. Kaitlyn flips over a Sableye and KOs Mikey’s Shuppet. So far so good. I have everything I need for a Luxray GL Lv. X in one more turn so I just Bite Brent's Uxie. Brent doesn’t draw into anything he needs and Kaitlyn KO’s Brent’s Uxie with Overconfident for the win. 2-0
So Team CHOMPluff wins the 2010 MS Team Play Championship. We each get 5 packs since MS is sponsoring the Arkansas State Championship, and I’m OK with that. I like Kaitlyn’s black sleeves, and she gives them to me. I also pull a RH Spiritomb (the packs were Arceus). This was a very fun event!
Props
Winning
Jumpluff/Luxray
Sableye/Honchkrow/Garchomp
Team CHOMPluff
Team Rocket
Pizza
Slops
Dead draws
Shuppet
Now, there is one more thing concerning me. I had two very large pizzas, and I did not exercise at all over the weekend. How long is it going to take me to burn off those pizzas? Oh, wait, I’m a teenage guy, so I’ll burn them off by doing something extraneously physical, like, I don’t know, sleeping?
My High School Robotics team won our competition, so we get to go to the National Championships in Atlanta on…April 15-17. If there is a Regional in Atlanta, I’ll go to that, otherwise I look forward to Houston Regionals!
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