Pooka
Master Trainer
Coming off my win at Nationals, I was feeling pretty confident about my ability to play the game. That being said, I was fairly positive that I wouldn't do well at Worlds; I already had my lucky run for the year. I guess I had to still play, though. 
At any rate, I knew I would end up using Luxray/Infernape once again because I thought it could go at least 50/50 against everything, and what more can you ask for in a format like this?
In my testing for Worlds, I found SP "mirror matches" (facing any other SP deck) to be my toughest matchups because I could never figure out quite how to win. Every game made my head spin, and I never got the feeling like I was in control. As strange as it sounds, I actually prefer facing Stage 2 decks because I had so much practice against them. I had done a lot of testing against Sebastian (GrandmaJoner) and his Flygon variants, and since I managed to pull fairly good records against him in testing, I figured I had a chance to beat anything really. IMO as long as I had playable hands, I would manage to win most of my games.
When I got to San Diego on Wednesday, I met up with Crim and the rest of the gang. Martin, Crim, Bianchi, Omar, Matt, and I drove to Chipotle for some lunch, and then we got down to business. Almost everyone I knew had to play in the Grinder, so testing started immediately. I played most of my games against Martin, and after the day ended, I was fairly certain that I was going to stick with my deck, but clearly my list needed to be changed. While Rayquaza and Stark Mountain were fun and helpful, they just didn't do enough to stay in the deck. I knew they had to go, and deciding what to replace them with became the task at hand.
When everyone was off in the Grinder, Martin and I had continued to test. He was running LuxApe as well now, albeit a very different list than I had. He had a very low Energy count, four Power Spray, and a Roserade GL for a random alternate attacker. This made for a very difficult matchup, and he won the first two games with relative ease. However, I went on to win the next three, which got him a little frustrated. We decided to take a break and play later, but we never got to play again because... well, I'll keep it at that.
Later that night, Joner finally arrived in SD, and I met up with him right away. After grabbing something to eat, we got straight to testing. He was running the deck he had been using against me on Apprentice, Flygon/Palkia/Mewtwo/Nidoqueen with Memory Berry. I knew it was a very strong deck, but I cannot stand using Stage 2 decks because of how easily they can get those draw/pass starts where you don't even get to compete in the game. We played a few games where I believe I went 2-1 against him, but after he added a Bubble Coat to the deck, I felt like a big underdog in the matchup. Still, I felt confident in LuxApe's ability to pull out wins, and it was too late to switch now. After checking out the Grinder, we parted ways and went to bed for the night... well, at least I tried to, but something in my room made that a little difficult. I would end up getting about three hours of sleep that night because of that certain disturbance.
When I woke up the next morning, I decided on my final list.
Pokemon 20
2 Luxray GL
1 Luxray GL LV.X
2 Infernape 4
1 Infernape 4 LV.X
1 Vulpix (Reheat)
1 Ninetales (MT)
1 Bronzong G
1 Roserade GL
1 Lucario GL
1 Baltoy
1 Claydol
1 Crobat G
2 Unown G
1 Uxie
1 Uxie LV.X
1 Azelf
1 Chatot
Trainers 28
4 Roseanne's Research
4 Cyrus's Conspiracy
4 TG's Invention Poke Turn
4 TG's Invention Energy Gain
3 TG's Invention SP Radar
2 TG's Invention Power Spray
2 Bebe's Search
1 Sunyshore City Gym
1 Aaron's Collection
1 Night Maintenance
1 Premier Ball
1 Luxury Ball
Energy 12
6 Fire
3 Call
2 Lightning
1 SP
I wasn't completely satisfied with the list, but I thought it was passable. The only real cuttable card was Roserade IMO, and I felt that it would end up helping in the long run. I believe this is four cards off the list I used at Nationals. I could go through and rationalize all of my decisions, but I'll leave it at this for now. Ask if you're curious!
After the annual hour-long opening ceremony where you have to awkwardly sit across your opponent for an extended period of time, the tournament finally began. Here we go!
Round 1 - Flygon/Nidoqueen (Radu C.)
Great, I'm already facing someone I know! I faced Radu at the Wisconsin Regional where he beat me in Swiss, so I was ready for some revenge. I got a pretty ideal starting hand this game - Luxray start, Call and Cyrus in hand (mbn). I start off extremely quickly, and he has a very poor start. I end up taking a KO on two Baltoys in the first three turns, and he struggles mightily to setup. I KO a Chatot, then a Flygon with Crobat/Poke Turn/Infernape LV.X for a total of 120. At this point I'm ahead by four prizes and cruising to victory. Next turn I Poke Turn my Luxray, Bright Look his Trapinch, play down Sunyshore Gym, and Flash Impact for the KO. He has Nidoqueen and Flygon LV.X in play, along with a Uxie on the bench, which I'm getting ready to KO next turn for the game. He also notices this, so he decides to take his turn by using Psychic Restore and putting Uxie on the bottom. As he sends out Flygon LV.X, my third Poke Turn is discarded. Uh oh, this could be difficult.
I remember that he used Poke Healers at some point to remove crucial damage and really get me worried. However, I figured I could just Luxray out the Nidoqueen and KO it with Ninetales eventually. Well, that's when the discards came from Wind Erosion... Poke Turn (#4), then Ninetales. Gulp. Thankfully I had Night Maintenance, Bebe, SP Radar, and Fire in hand already. I just had to wait for him to KO my Luxray LV.X, then I had the game won. Next turn he did take the KO, and I promoted my other Luxray. Night Maintenance got back Luxray LV.X and Ninetales, Bebe --> Ninetales, SP Radar --> Luxray LV.X, Bright Look on Nidoqueen, retreat to Ninetales, play a Fire on it, Color Shift to Psychic, then Fire Blast for 120. Great game.
1-0
Round 2 - Luxray/Infernape (Sandro A.)
When I look at my opening hand, I figure this can be a great game, or it can end very quickly with my Vulpix start. Thankfully I go second against his Unown G, and I notice that he's using some sort of Luxray/Infernape immediately (he attached Lightning to Unown G, benched Infernape). With an Energy Gain in hand and a topdecked Cyrus (mbn), I realize my play immediately. I grab SP Radar for Roserade GL, attach to Vulpix, retreat, Gain on Roserade, and Poison Bind for 10/Poison/no retreat on Unown G, who is stuck there to die. Basically this buys me a turn to catch up on the wasted Energy drop from retreating Vulpix and nets a free prize in the process. After the Unown G gets KO'd, a Luxray LV.X responds with a Bright Look/KO on my Vulpix, which I gladly welcome to rid myself of the bench spot. I follow up with a Bright Look on his Baltoy (hoping to bait a Power Spray quite honestly), which I had mixed feelings about, but I took the KO on it reluctantly. I believe it ended up being a correct decision due to his low hand size.
The details are a little hazy here, but I felt in control for most of the game. I remember he put 30 on both of his Uxies with Flash Impact, so I targeted them with Split Bomb immediately, forcing him to Psychic Restore one to the bottom. I still snagged a prize off one and got to hit another Pokemon with Split Bomb, and then I Power Sprayed a crucial Uxie to limit his hand size and options. Eventually Infernape LV.X and Luxray LV.X were able to take all six prizes in no time with his limited resources. He played down Rayquaza in a last ditch effort, but it failed, and that was that.
2-0
Round 3 - Palkia/Luxray Lock (Jimmy O.)
I really despise this matchup because of all the variables in it. Fortunately I had a Chatot opening, which is always a great thing to see against a Power lock deck. Even more fortunate was the fact that I opened with my Sunyshore Gym, meaning Toxicroak G would never be a worry for my Luxray assault. We end up trading prizes pretty early, and I remember having to use Azelf to grab Luxray LV.X out of my prizes (thankfully he didn't have a Spray yet - I would've been in huge trouble if he had). I make sure to target Azelf MT ASAP because it's such a pain to deal with. At one point he's forced to Splashing Turn for 20 and switch to a Mesprit, and I see a cute opening for Roserade. I Poison Bind for 10/Poison/no retreat, and he's stuck there without a Warp Point or something. I play down a Crobat to set up for a nice play, and he allows it; now the damage will work out perfectly. Poison Bind + Poison damage puts him at 60 at the end of my turn, then Poison finishes him off at the end of his turn, forcing him to promote something after Mesprit dies, meaning I get a free shot at something else.
From there, I have an advantage, especially after using a Power Spray on his Uxie when he has a low hand. However, after looking at the field at the end of the game, I get very scared because I realize I can lose with the correct comination of cards due to my poor placement of Flash Impact damage. As he Bright Looks my Infernape, my fears become a reality... until he plays a Water Energy instead of a Lightning. All he can do is Bite, which allows me to level up and use Intimidating Roar. Nothing on his bench can survive a hit from Luxray, and I escape with another win. Great game, Jimmy!
3-0
Round 4 - Flygon/Machamp/Nidoqueen (Jay H.)
Four rounds into the tournament I've played three people I know! I wasn't quite sure what Jay was playing, but I quickly found out it was Flygon/Machamp. If I had a playable hand, I certainly wouldn't mind this matchup very much... but I didn't see a Supporter until about seven turns in. His start wasn't stellar, but he got a Flygon LV.X by about turn 4 or 5, and the discards were starting...
I managed to take a few cheap prizes and KO'd his Claydol, putting a halt on his draw power. After a Split Bomb, Flygon LV.X was in range for an Infernape LV.X KO, but I didn't realize how many Energy had been discarded with Wind Erosion. Unfortunately, there were five in my discard, which allowed him to use Vibrava's Energy Typhoon (via Memory Berry) for 100. After that, I was pretty much out of options. I felt like this matchup was very manageable, but I had no resources to work with this game. Jay played it very well, though. Good game.
3-1
At this point, it sinks into my head that I've hit the dreaded 3-1 mark. I think nearly every time I've started Nationals or Worlds 3-1, I've ended up missing the cut somehow. I see the pairings for next round, and the name looks a little familiar.
Round 5 - Kingdra (Chuck)
My record against Alex in tournaments has to be somewhere around 3-20, so I wasn't too thrilled with the pairing. I don't know what it is, but I never seem to win. Even though I've tested this matchup and know it's favorable, I get a feeling that I won't win. I start out with Unown G and Baltoy, and he's going first with Horsea/Baltoy. I start with Call, Roseanne, and Claydol, so I should be set for the game. I Roseanne for Lightning/Crobat and Call for Lucario/Luxray. With Energy Gain in hand, I'll just have to hit a way to get Luxray LV.X next turn to KO his Kingdra, and I have about 11 ways to do that. As expected, he gets the T2 Kingdra/Claydol, and here we go. After a Dragon Pump KO, I promote Luxray, attach Lightning/Gain, evolve to Claydol, Flash Bite for 10, and Cosmic Power for five. If I hit the LV.X here, I should be in great shape to win...
I whiff. Now I'm put in a very strange position. I have to retreat to save my Luxray, but this gives him a crucial turn to drop an Energy on Claydol in order to hit big with Spinning Attack on my Luxrays. At this point, I'm afraid I can fall very far behind, and the game will be out of reach. I retreat to Crobat, pass, and he uses Dragon Pump for 60/20 to Claydol. I go through my options, hit a way to get Luxray LV.X off my Cosmic Power, and go with the only play I figure can bring me back into this game. I Bright Look his Claydol, SP Radar for Roserade GL, Poke Turn the Luxray, and Poison Bind his Claydol. A lot of things are happening right here. I don't have to play an Energy on Roserade thanks to Energy Gain, Cosmic Power is shut off, his Energy drop is neutralized (which is huge considering he runs very little Energy), and I can remove his Claydol from play completely if he doesn't hit a SSU the next turn. He appears to be stuck for the turn, so he attaches and hits Roserade for 40. Now I believe I have the setup I need to be able to take six prizes in six turns, while denying him prizes in the process thanks to Poke Turn... but I could be wrong.
I start by using Poison Bind for the KO, but he has a Cynthia ready and has the means to get another Claydol very soon. He simply promotes Kingdra and gets the double KO on Roserade/Crobat, taking his third prize. Thanks to attacking with Roserade, I've been able to build up Energy on two Luxrays. I can use Trash Bolt with the first one, Poke Turn it next turn, attach, and Trash Bolt again... and that's exactly what happens. I KO one Kingdra, then another, but he gets my Claydol from Dragon Pump eventually. So right now he has two prizes, and I have three. He has a Multi on Claydol and Kingdra active, only one PlusPower in the discard. I can KO the Kingdra this turn no problem, but then Claydol + PlusPower gets the KO with Spinning Attack, and I have no way of OHKOing it back, which puts me in a vulnerable spot. I notice he discarded two BTS earlier, though, and one is in play - maybe he won't draw into his fourth if I play down my Sunyshore Gym. Well, let's go for it.
I Roseanne for Crobat/Bronzong, move Energy from active Luxray to benched, Poke Turn, attach, play down Sunyshore (gets rid of Weakness to Claydol), and Trash Bolt for the KO. He's frantically searching through his deck for a way out, and he can draw through basically his entire deck, so I'm sweating it out waiting for the fourth BTS. However, all he can do is attach and use Spinning Attack for 40! Then he told me he only plays three BTS. *whew* I drop Crobat and Trash Bolt for 70, he KO's me with a Kingdra, then I Aaron's for the LV.X and Bright Look his Crobat to end the game. GG, Alex.
4-1
Round 6 - Dusknoir/Gengar/Mewtwo LV.X (Lars A.)
Sebastian had just lost to this guy the round before, so I knew what to expect. I figured I would have a positive matchup as long as I setup somewhat decently. While I did start with Luxray and Cyrus, my other five cards happened to be absolutely useless. I was forced to use all four Cyrus in the opening turns to get anything going, which isn't exactly ideal. On the other side, my opponent had a nearly perfect start - T2 Claydol, Dusclops, Dusclops, and Mewtwo. I decide to go for his Claydol early in hopes of stopping his draw engine, but he quickly responds with a Warp Point, then Mewtwo LV.X and Shadow Command Dusknoir... yikes. I believe he gets Mewtwo charged up pretty quickly, KO's Luxray, and then I think I have a good shot at KO'ing it with Ninetales next turn, but he proves me wrong with a Moonlight Stadium, retreats to Dusknoir, attaches Rainbow (puts himself at 50), and uses Damage Even on Vulpix for the KO. I knew he played Moonlight and Warps, but having both of them that early? Oh well. Basically I can't keep up after that... can't win 'em all. GG.
4-2
Well, this is it! If I lose, I should have a decent shot at making it, but a win puts me in the cut. I haven't made Top 32 since 2004, so I'm definitely ready.
Round 7 - Machamp/Lumineon/Dusknoir (Andrew V.)
Canadian champ vs. USA champ... why aren't we the feature match? I remember he ran Flygon at his Nationals, so that's what I'm expecting here. He opens with a Machop and I with Uxie, which is actually a very awkward opening. Uxie LV.X has to be my main attacker against Machamp, but I only play one Uxie, so I have to have Night Maintenance handy if I want to get it back. So basically I can't afford to have Uxie die right away... Yeah, this is what ran through my head before anything actually happened.
So he starts with Machop, Duskull, and Baltoy. Great, Flygon/Machamp/Dusknoir! This could be extremely difficult. Well, he starts off by doing 20 with Machop, and I know Uxie must be saved from the evil Hurricane Punch if I want to win this game. I draw a Luxray, so I have to use my Bebe to grab another Pokemon (if I grab Unown G and Guard Luxray, Hurricane Punch simply KO's it with two heads). I decide to grab Chatot and send it out after Psychic Restore for a few reasons. A) He has a small hand (so Mimic is a poor choice), and I'll end up losing if I have to use it later, so it's pretty worthless; B) If he doesn't get a Machamp, I can simply retreat for free; C) I know I'll need to Power Spray soon to keep up, so I need to keep my Luxray in play to get three SP Pokemon. All right, that's a lot of stuff to think about in the first turn... yikes.
As expected, he plays Luxury Ball and RC/Machamp for the T2 Machamp and Take Out KO's Chatot. Then I promote Luxray, get my hand down low, and Luxury Ball for Uxie to draw 7. I attach to Uxie, bench Infernape, Cyrus for Bebe/SP Radar, grab Crobat for the 10 I need for Zen Blade to KO (gives me a free retreat option next turn as well), and pass. Then, he basically plays out his entire hand - Machop, Uxie, Finneon, BTS, Poke Radar for Machoke + Machamp, Lumineon, and Bebe for Claydol. I figure it's a straight Machamp deck now that I see the Lumineon, which is a little more manageable IMO. Fortunately, his hand went to 0 cards when he played Claydol, so he couldn't Cosmic Power that turn. Take Out KO's Luxray, then I send out Crobat, debate what I want to do... then retreat to Uxie, Bebe for the LV.X, Trade Off, and see that I have no way of getting an Unown G for next turn, which is exactly what I was afraid of. He has a second Machamp sitting on the bench - if he has a Fighting Energy, my Uxie LV.X is done, and I have no hope of winning this game. I am forced to take the risk, though, and KO him with Zen Blade after benching a Luxray (have to Power Spray that Claydol!).
He sends out Lumineon and uses Fin Luster - wish I had a Basic in my hand! He attempts to Cosmic Power, gets Sprayed, then sends out Uxie, attaches Call, and does 40 with Psychic Restore... whew, no Fighting Energy. At this point I'm really wishing my Luxray LV.X isn't prized. Gusting out Claydol would put me in a great position, but I don't have access to Azelf, so I retreat to Infernape and Split Bomb Machamp/Claydol. He tries to Cosmic again, which is met by my second (and last) Power Spray. Once again, he has no Fighting, he does 20 again with Uxie. I attach to Uxie LV.X and Split Bomb Machamp/Claydol again. He finally gets to Cosmic Power, plays Machop/Candy/Machamp, plays Uxie LV.X, Trade Off... no Fighting still! Then, he plays Cynthia for four out of desperation... gets a Fighting, Take Out for the KO. Next turn I manage to get Claydol into play thanks to his BTS, and via Cosmic/Trade Off I get Lucario GL and Poke Turn to get 10 from Flash Bite and 120 from Zen Blade (that's a KO). At this point he has taken three prizes to my two, but I don't think he can take a prize here without a Warp Point. I should be able to start my comeback now.
Well, he uses Cosmic/Trade Off, RC/Dusknoir, and Warp Point... great. Obviously Uxie LV.X will be going back into the deck, but I have to figure out who to sacrifice here. If he's allowed to Take Out for a prize, there is absolutely no way I can KO him next turn, and he will simply level up and take another prize the following turn, meaning I lose. So, I have to send out Claydol to either buy a turn or force him to level up. He chooses to level up and Take Out for the KO. I have to Roseanne for Unown G/Uxie, attach to Uxie, and KO his Machamp LV.X that already has 40 on it (20 + 40 + 60 = 120)... except Lucario is in play, making Machamp's Weakness x2 (so 20 x 2 + 60 = 100, 10 short of a KO)! I shake my fist at Lucario in anger, knowing that I probably lost the game right there. I didn't have a way to KO him, though, so I didn't have any other options. He decides to Warp Point and take another prize through Take Out (I send out Lucario to die in spite), and he gets another Machamp into play, ugh. Now he's down to one prize vs. my four, and it's looking pretty hopeless. I do have a silly plan in mind that may be my only way out, though. Having Luxray LV.X sure would have opened up some plays, but I can't use Azelf anymore because of his Dusknoir sitting on the bench.
In order for my plan to work, I have to promote my Uxie LV.X. I hit the Poke Turn I needed off my Trade Off, so I Turn my Crobat to KO Machamp LV.X. He sends out Lumineon because it has free retreat, and I do the only thing I can do - Roseanne for Roserade and Unown G. I Guard the Crobat, retreat to Roserade, attach, and Poison Bind for 10/Poison/no retreat. If he doesn't have a third Warp Point, eventually I should be able to lock things to the point where I can win (granted I can pull Luxray LV.X out of my prizes). My plan is also foiled by Unown G, but hey, this is my only hope, ok? After he reads Roserade, he benches a Chatot in order to draw more cards off Cosmic Power - trying to find a Warp Point, probably. Fortunately, he can't play Unown G now (I assumed he didn't play any at this point), so Lumineon is stuck. He attaches to Uxie LV.X and uses Quick Swim on Crobat for 20. Great, now he wins with a Warp Point + Zen Blade on Crobat... So, I have to Cyrus for Poke Turn, pick up Crobat, put it back down (10 to Lumineon), Guard it, and Poison Bind. He does the same thing next turn, 20 to Crobat. I Poke Turn again (last one), and KO his Lumineon with Flash Bite. He sends out Chatot, and for a second I think I really have a chance here! Chatot is a 60 HP Pokemon, which is perfect because he dies of Poison at the end of his turn after two Poison Binds. After Chatot dies, I'll be at one prize, and I can Azelf for Luxray LV.X in order to Bright Look for the last prize! I hit Chatot for 10/Poison/no retreat.
Well, then he plays down Unown G and Guards Chatot... d'oh. He attaches to Machamp and passes after taking a very long turn. Now my only hope is if he really doesn't have a third Warp Point, but clearly he does if he was setting up that play with Lumineon earlier... ugh. I have to Azelf for my Luxray LV.X, retreat, and Bright Look Dusknoir. If he doesn't have a Warp Point, I win by using Split Bomb twice on Chatot/Claydol in the next two turns (Dusknoir has a three retreat cost). Once again, he's taking a pretty long turn, and... time. Game over. Regardless, he had the Warp Point and Premier Ball in hand to essentially win the game, but it's a devastating feeling being that close to a win for top cut only to end up losing. Oh well, GG.
4-3
I had a chance to make it in on resistance, but my hopes weren't too high. I end up 35th, so my season ends here. I felt like I had a great shot to go deep in the cut (my record in top cut matches was 20-2 this year), but I can't complain. I had a great run this season, and I'm grateful for every year that I get to play in Worlds (and the Nationals win wasn't bad either I guess). One of these years I'll get there! On that note, congratulations to Steve, Sami, and Jay. You guys deserve it!
However, the great thing about Worlds is that the fun continues even after the tournament ends. After Steve's win we had a softball game, and Team 420 emerged victorious over Team Straightedge in extra innings, 11-10. We have proven our dominance yet again! Later that night we had one last big 1401 party - one last time for everyone to get together and hang out. The Worlds experience is not something that can be emulated or duplicated; it is unique, and it is always the best week of the year for me.
Sunday the gang and I headed over to the park to play basketball for a little while. Apparently Pokemon players + sports don't really go together well, and what ensued was a pretty embarrassing game, but we had fun. Later that night, I drove out with Crim, Matt, and Jimmy Singapore to find a theme deck for my bet with Crim. Before Worlds, I bet him that I could beat a Gengar deck 4/10 times with a Tyranitar theme deck. So, we drove out to find a Walgreens, because that was the only place I could think of to find a theme deck at midnight. Eventually we found one, and they had one theme deck left - Tyranitar! What are the odds? After we buy it and get back to the hotel, we sit down to play. Basically he gets T1 or T2 Claydol for seven straight games, including T2 Nidoqueen four of those games... I wish I could run that well! Unfortunately, my Tyranitar didn't hit the field in any of the seven games, and I was never able to put up a fight against the massive Nidoqueen. Stunky and Bagon never had a chance. I still feel like I was beaten by Nidoqueen, not Gengar! So bitter
Monday came too soon, and it marked the end of my great trip. We packed up our stuff, headed over to the airport, and said our goodbyes to Crim. PWD was setting in, but the trip has to end at some point I suppose. It'll be a long 10 months until Nationals...
At any rate, I knew I would end up using Luxray/Infernape once again because I thought it could go at least 50/50 against everything, and what more can you ask for in a format like this?In my testing for Worlds, I found SP "mirror matches" (facing any other SP deck) to be my toughest matchups because I could never figure out quite how to win. Every game made my head spin, and I never got the feeling like I was in control. As strange as it sounds, I actually prefer facing Stage 2 decks because I had so much practice against them. I had done a lot of testing against Sebastian (GrandmaJoner) and his Flygon variants, and since I managed to pull fairly good records against him in testing, I figured I had a chance to beat anything really. IMO as long as I had playable hands, I would manage to win most of my games.
When I got to San Diego on Wednesday, I met up with Crim and the rest of the gang. Martin, Crim, Bianchi, Omar, Matt, and I drove to Chipotle for some lunch, and then we got down to business. Almost everyone I knew had to play in the Grinder, so testing started immediately. I played most of my games against Martin, and after the day ended, I was fairly certain that I was going to stick with my deck, but clearly my list needed to be changed. While Rayquaza and Stark Mountain were fun and helpful, they just didn't do enough to stay in the deck. I knew they had to go, and deciding what to replace them with became the task at hand.
When everyone was off in the Grinder, Martin and I had continued to test. He was running LuxApe as well now, albeit a very different list than I had. He had a very low Energy count, four Power Spray, and a Roserade GL for a random alternate attacker. This made for a very difficult matchup, and he won the first two games with relative ease. However, I went on to win the next three, which got him a little frustrated. We decided to take a break and play later, but we never got to play again because... well, I'll keep it at that.
Later that night, Joner finally arrived in SD, and I met up with him right away. After grabbing something to eat, we got straight to testing. He was running the deck he had been using against me on Apprentice, Flygon/Palkia/Mewtwo/Nidoqueen with Memory Berry. I knew it was a very strong deck, but I cannot stand using Stage 2 decks because of how easily they can get those draw/pass starts where you don't even get to compete in the game. We played a few games where I believe I went 2-1 against him, but after he added a Bubble Coat to the deck, I felt like a big underdog in the matchup. Still, I felt confident in LuxApe's ability to pull out wins, and it was too late to switch now. After checking out the Grinder, we parted ways and went to bed for the night... well, at least I tried to, but something in my room made that a little difficult. I would end up getting about three hours of sleep that night because of that certain disturbance.
When I woke up the next morning, I decided on my final list.
Pokemon 20
2 Luxray GL
1 Luxray GL LV.X
2 Infernape 4
1 Infernape 4 LV.X
1 Vulpix (Reheat)
1 Ninetales (MT)
1 Bronzong G
1 Roserade GL
1 Lucario GL
1 Baltoy
1 Claydol
1 Crobat G
2 Unown G
1 Uxie
1 Uxie LV.X
1 Azelf
1 Chatot
Trainers 28
4 Roseanne's Research
4 Cyrus's Conspiracy
4 TG's Invention Poke Turn
4 TG's Invention Energy Gain
3 TG's Invention SP Radar
2 TG's Invention Power Spray
2 Bebe's Search
1 Sunyshore City Gym
1 Aaron's Collection
1 Night Maintenance
1 Premier Ball
1 Luxury Ball
Energy 12
6 Fire
3 Call
2 Lightning
1 SP
I wasn't completely satisfied with the list, but I thought it was passable. The only real cuttable card was Roserade IMO, and I felt that it would end up helping in the long run. I believe this is four cards off the list I used at Nationals. I could go through and rationalize all of my decisions, but I'll leave it at this for now. Ask if you're curious!
After the annual hour-long opening ceremony where you have to awkwardly sit across your opponent for an extended period of time, the tournament finally began. Here we go!
Round 1 - Flygon/Nidoqueen (Radu C.)
Great, I'm already facing someone I know! I faced Radu at the Wisconsin Regional where he beat me in Swiss, so I was ready for some revenge. I got a pretty ideal starting hand this game - Luxray start, Call and Cyrus in hand (mbn). I start off extremely quickly, and he has a very poor start. I end up taking a KO on two Baltoys in the first three turns, and he struggles mightily to setup. I KO a Chatot, then a Flygon with Crobat/Poke Turn/Infernape LV.X for a total of 120. At this point I'm ahead by four prizes and cruising to victory. Next turn I Poke Turn my Luxray, Bright Look his Trapinch, play down Sunyshore Gym, and Flash Impact for the KO. He has Nidoqueen and Flygon LV.X in play, along with a Uxie on the bench, which I'm getting ready to KO next turn for the game. He also notices this, so he decides to take his turn by using Psychic Restore and putting Uxie on the bottom. As he sends out Flygon LV.X, my third Poke Turn is discarded. Uh oh, this could be difficult.
I remember that he used Poke Healers at some point to remove crucial damage and really get me worried. However, I figured I could just Luxray out the Nidoqueen and KO it with Ninetales eventually. Well, that's when the discards came from Wind Erosion... Poke Turn (#4), then Ninetales. Gulp. Thankfully I had Night Maintenance, Bebe, SP Radar, and Fire in hand already. I just had to wait for him to KO my Luxray LV.X, then I had the game won. Next turn he did take the KO, and I promoted my other Luxray. Night Maintenance got back Luxray LV.X and Ninetales, Bebe --> Ninetales, SP Radar --> Luxray LV.X, Bright Look on Nidoqueen, retreat to Ninetales, play a Fire on it, Color Shift to Psychic, then Fire Blast for 120. Great game.
1-0
Round 2 - Luxray/Infernape (Sandro A.)
When I look at my opening hand, I figure this can be a great game, or it can end very quickly with my Vulpix start. Thankfully I go second against his Unown G, and I notice that he's using some sort of Luxray/Infernape immediately (he attached Lightning to Unown G, benched Infernape). With an Energy Gain in hand and a topdecked Cyrus (mbn), I realize my play immediately. I grab SP Radar for Roserade GL, attach to Vulpix, retreat, Gain on Roserade, and Poison Bind for 10/Poison/no retreat on Unown G, who is stuck there to die. Basically this buys me a turn to catch up on the wasted Energy drop from retreating Vulpix and nets a free prize in the process. After the Unown G gets KO'd, a Luxray LV.X responds with a Bright Look/KO on my Vulpix, which I gladly welcome to rid myself of the bench spot. I follow up with a Bright Look on his Baltoy (hoping to bait a Power Spray quite honestly), which I had mixed feelings about, but I took the KO on it reluctantly. I believe it ended up being a correct decision due to his low hand size.
The details are a little hazy here, but I felt in control for most of the game. I remember he put 30 on both of his Uxies with Flash Impact, so I targeted them with Split Bomb immediately, forcing him to Psychic Restore one to the bottom. I still snagged a prize off one and got to hit another Pokemon with Split Bomb, and then I Power Sprayed a crucial Uxie to limit his hand size and options. Eventually Infernape LV.X and Luxray LV.X were able to take all six prizes in no time with his limited resources. He played down Rayquaza in a last ditch effort, but it failed, and that was that.
2-0
Round 3 - Palkia/Luxray Lock (Jimmy O.)
I really despise this matchup because of all the variables in it. Fortunately I had a Chatot opening, which is always a great thing to see against a Power lock deck. Even more fortunate was the fact that I opened with my Sunyshore Gym, meaning Toxicroak G would never be a worry for my Luxray assault. We end up trading prizes pretty early, and I remember having to use Azelf to grab Luxray LV.X out of my prizes (thankfully he didn't have a Spray yet - I would've been in huge trouble if he had). I make sure to target Azelf MT ASAP because it's such a pain to deal with. At one point he's forced to Splashing Turn for 20 and switch to a Mesprit, and I see a cute opening for Roserade. I Poison Bind for 10/Poison/no retreat, and he's stuck there without a Warp Point or something. I play down a Crobat to set up for a nice play, and he allows it; now the damage will work out perfectly. Poison Bind + Poison damage puts him at 60 at the end of my turn, then Poison finishes him off at the end of his turn, forcing him to promote something after Mesprit dies, meaning I get a free shot at something else.
From there, I have an advantage, especially after using a Power Spray on his Uxie when he has a low hand. However, after looking at the field at the end of the game, I get very scared because I realize I can lose with the correct comination of cards due to my poor placement of Flash Impact damage. As he Bright Looks my Infernape, my fears become a reality... until he plays a Water Energy instead of a Lightning. All he can do is Bite, which allows me to level up and use Intimidating Roar. Nothing on his bench can survive a hit from Luxray, and I escape with another win. Great game, Jimmy!
3-0
Round 4 - Flygon/Machamp/Nidoqueen (Jay H.)
Four rounds into the tournament I've played three people I know! I wasn't quite sure what Jay was playing, but I quickly found out it was Flygon/Machamp. If I had a playable hand, I certainly wouldn't mind this matchup very much... but I didn't see a Supporter until about seven turns in. His start wasn't stellar, but he got a Flygon LV.X by about turn 4 or 5, and the discards were starting...
I managed to take a few cheap prizes and KO'd his Claydol, putting a halt on his draw power. After a Split Bomb, Flygon LV.X was in range for an Infernape LV.X KO, but I didn't realize how many Energy had been discarded with Wind Erosion. Unfortunately, there were five in my discard, which allowed him to use Vibrava's Energy Typhoon (via Memory Berry) for 100. After that, I was pretty much out of options. I felt like this matchup was very manageable, but I had no resources to work with this game. Jay played it very well, though. Good game.
3-1
At this point, it sinks into my head that I've hit the dreaded 3-1 mark. I think nearly every time I've started Nationals or Worlds 3-1, I've ended up missing the cut somehow. I see the pairings for next round, and the name looks a little familiar.
Round 5 - Kingdra (Chuck)
My record against Alex in tournaments has to be somewhere around 3-20, so I wasn't too thrilled with the pairing. I don't know what it is, but I never seem to win. Even though I've tested this matchup and know it's favorable, I get a feeling that I won't win. I start out with Unown G and Baltoy, and he's going first with Horsea/Baltoy. I start with Call, Roseanne, and Claydol, so I should be set for the game. I Roseanne for Lightning/Crobat and Call for Lucario/Luxray. With Energy Gain in hand, I'll just have to hit a way to get Luxray LV.X next turn to KO his Kingdra, and I have about 11 ways to do that. As expected, he gets the T2 Kingdra/Claydol, and here we go. After a Dragon Pump KO, I promote Luxray, attach Lightning/Gain, evolve to Claydol, Flash Bite for 10, and Cosmic Power for five. If I hit the LV.X here, I should be in great shape to win...
I whiff.
Now I'm put in a very strange position. I have to retreat to save my Luxray, but this gives him a crucial turn to drop an Energy on Claydol in order to hit big with Spinning Attack on my Luxrays. At this point, I'm afraid I can fall very far behind, and the game will be out of reach. I retreat to Crobat, pass, and he uses Dragon Pump for 60/20 to Claydol. I go through my options, hit a way to get Luxray LV.X off my Cosmic Power, and go with the only play I figure can bring me back into this game. I Bright Look his Claydol, SP Radar for Roserade GL, Poke Turn the Luxray, and Poison Bind his Claydol. A lot of things are happening right here. I don't have to play an Energy on Roserade thanks to Energy Gain, Cosmic Power is shut off, his Energy drop is neutralized (which is huge considering he runs very little Energy), and I can remove his Claydol from play completely if he doesn't hit a SSU the next turn. He appears to be stuck for the turn, so he attaches and hits Roserade for 40. Now I believe I have the setup I need to be able to take six prizes in six turns, while denying him prizes in the process thanks to Poke Turn... but I could be wrong.I start by using Poison Bind for the KO, but he has a Cynthia ready and has the means to get another Claydol very soon. He simply promotes Kingdra and gets the double KO on Roserade/Crobat, taking his third prize. Thanks to attacking with Roserade, I've been able to build up Energy on two Luxrays. I can use Trash Bolt with the first one, Poke Turn it next turn, attach, and Trash Bolt again... and that's exactly what happens. I KO one Kingdra, then another, but he gets my Claydol from Dragon Pump eventually. So right now he has two prizes, and I have three. He has a Multi on Claydol and Kingdra active, only one PlusPower in the discard. I can KO the Kingdra this turn no problem, but then Claydol + PlusPower gets the KO with Spinning Attack, and I have no way of OHKOing it back, which puts me in a vulnerable spot. I notice he discarded two BTS earlier, though, and one is in play - maybe he won't draw into his fourth if I play down my Sunyshore Gym. Well, let's go for it.
I Roseanne for Crobat/Bronzong, move Energy from active Luxray to benched, Poke Turn, attach, play down Sunyshore (gets rid of Weakness to Claydol), and Trash Bolt for the KO. He's frantically searching through his deck for a way out, and he can draw through basically his entire deck, so I'm sweating it out waiting for the fourth BTS. However, all he can do is attach and use Spinning Attack for 40! Then he told me he only plays three BTS. *whew* I drop Crobat and Trash Bolt for 70, he KO's me with a Kingdra, then I Aaron's for the LV.X and Bright Look his Crobat to end the game. GG, Alex.
4-1
Round 6 - Dusknoir/Gengar/Mewtwo LV.X (Lars A.)
Sebastian had just lost to this guy the round before, so I knew what to expect. I figured I would have a positive matchup as long as I setup somewhat decently. While I did start with Luxray and Cyrus, my other five cards happened to be absolutely useless. I was forced to use all four Cyrus in the opening turns to get anything going, which isn't exactly ideal. On the other side, my opponent had a nearly perfect start - T2 Claydol, Dusclops, Dusclops, and Mewtwo. I decide to go for his Claydol early in hopes of stopping his draw engine, but he quickly responds with a Warp Point, then Mewtwo LV.X and Shadow Command Dusknoir... yikes. I believe he gets Mewtwo charged up pretty quickly, KO's Luxray, and then I think I have a good shot at KO'ing it with Ninetales next turn, but he proves me wrong with a Moonlight Stadium, retreats to Dusknoir, attaches Rainbow (puts himself at 50), and uses Damage Even on Vulpix for the KO. I knew he played Moonlight and Warps, but having both of them that early? Oh well.
Basically I can't keep up after that... can't win 'em all. GG.4-2
Well, this is it! If I lose, I should have a decent shot at making it, but a win puts me in the cut. I haven't made Top 32 since 2004, so I'm definitely ready.
Round 7 - Machamp/Lumineon/Dusknoir (Andrew V.)
Canadian champ vs. USA champ... why aren't we the feature match?
I remember he ran Flygon at his Nationals, so that's what I'm expecting here. He opens with a Machop and I with Uxie, which is actually a very awkward opening. Uxie LV.X has to be my main attacker against Machamp, but I only play one Uxie, so I have to have Night Maintenance handy if I want to get it back. So basically I can't afford to have Uxie die right away... Yeah, this is what ran through my head before anything actually happened.So he starts with Machop, Duskull, and Baltoy. Great, Flygon/Machamp/Dusknoir! This could be extremely difficult. Well, he starts off by doing 20 with Machop, and I know Uxie must be saved from the evil Hurricane Punch if I want to win this game. I draw a Luxray, so I have to use my Bebe to grab another Pokemon (if I grab Unown G and Guard Luxray, Hurricane Punch simply KO's it with two heads). I decide to grab Chatot and send it out after Psychic Restore for a few reasons. A) He has a small hand (so Mimic is a poor choice), and I'll end up losing if I have to use it later, so it's pretty worthless; B) If he doesn't get a Machamp, I can simply retreat for free; C) I know I'll need to Power Spray soon to keep up, so I need to keep my Luxray in play to get three SP Pokemon. All right, that's a lot of stuff to think about in the first turn... yikes.
As expected, he plays Luxury Ball and RC/Machamp for the T2 Machamp and Take Out KO's Chatot. Then I promote Luxray, get my hand down low, and Luxury Ball for Uxie to draw 7. I attach to Uxie, bench Infernape, Cyrus for Bebe/SP Radar, grab Crobat for the 10 I need for Zen Blade to KO (gives me a free retreat option next turn as well), and pass. Then, he basically plays out his entire hand - Machop, Uxie, Finneon, BTS, Poke Radar for Machoke + Machamp, Lumineon, and Bebe for Claydol. I figure it's a straight Machamp deck now that I see the Lumineon, which is a little more manageable IMO. Fortunately, his hand went to 0 cards when he played Claydol, so he couldn't Cosmic Power that turn. Take Out KO's Luxray, then I send out Crobat, debate what I want to do... then retreat to Uxie, Bebe for the LV.X, Trade Off, and see that I have no way of getting an Unown G for next turn, which is exactly what I was afraid of. He has a second Machamp sitting on the bench - if he has a Fighting Energy, my Uxie LV.X is done, and I have no hope of winning this game. I am forced to take the risk, though, and KO him with Zen Blade after benching a Luxray (have to Power Spray that Claydol!).
He sends out Lumineon and uses Fin Luster - wish I had a Basic in my hand! He attempts to Cosmic Power, gets Sprayed, then sends out Uxie, attaches Call, and does 40 with Psychic Restore... whew, no Fighting Energy. At this point I'm really wishing my Luxray LV.X isn't prized. Gusting out Claydol would put me in a great position, but I don't have access to Azelf, so I retreat to Infernape and Split Bomb Machamp/Claydol. He tries to Cosmic again, which is met by my second (and last) Power Spray. Once again, he has no Fighting, he does 20 again with Uxie. I attach to Uxie LV.X and Split Bomb Machamp/Claydol again. He finally gets to Cosmic Power, plays Machop/Candy/Machamp, plays Uxie LV.X, Trade Off... no Fighting still! Then, he plays Cynthia for four out of desperation... gets a Fighting, Take Out for the KO.
Next turn I manage to get Claydol into play thanks to his BTS, and via Cosmic/Trade Off I get Lucario GL and Poke Turn to get 10 from Flash Bite and 120 from Zen Blade (that's a KO). At this point he has taken three prizes to my two, but I don't think he can take a prize here without a Warp Point. I should be able to start my comeback now.Well, he uses Cosmic/Trade Off, RC/Dusknoir, and Warp Point... great. Obviously Uxie LV.X will be going back into the deck, but I have to figure out who to sacrifice here. If he's allowed to Take Out for a prize, there is absolutely no way I can KO him next turn, and he will simply level up and take another prize the following turn, meaning I lose. So, I have to send out Claydol to either buy a turn or force him to level up. He chooses to level up and Take Out for the KO. I have to Roseanne for Unown G/Uxie, attach to Uxie, and KO his Machamp LV.X that already has 40 on it (20 + 40 + 60 = 120)... except Lucario is in play, making Machamp's Weakness x2 (so 20 x 2 + 60 = 100, 10 short of a KO)! I shake my fist at Lucario in anger, knowing that I probably lost the game right there. I didn't have a way to KO him, though, so I didn't have any other options. He decides to Warp Point and take another prize through Take Out (I send out Lucario to die in spite), and he gets another Machamp into play, ugh. Now he's down to one prize vs. my four, and it's looking pretty hopeless. I do have a silly plan in mind that may be my only way out, though. Having Luxray LV.X sure would have opened up some plays, but I can't use Azelf anymore because of his Dusknoir sitting on the bench.
In order for my plan to work, I have to promote my Uxie LV.X. I hit the Poke Turn I needed off my Trade Off, so I Turn my Crobat to KO Machamp LV.X. He sends out Lumineon because it has free retreat, and I do the only thing I can do - Roseanne for Roserade and Unown G. I Guard the Crobat, retreat to Roserade, attach, and Poison Bind for 10/Poison/no retreat. If he doesn't have a third Warp Point, eventually I should be able to lock things to the point where I can win (granted I can pull Luxray LV.X out of my prizes). My plan is also foiled by Unown G, but hey, this is my only hope, ok? After he reads Roserade, he benches a Chatot in order to draw more cards off Cosmic Power - trying to find a Warp Point, probably. Fortunately, he can't play Unown G now (I assumed he didn't play any at this point), so Lumineon is stuck. He attaches to Uxie LV.X and uses Quick Swim on Crobat for 20. Great, now he wins with a Warp Point + Zen Blade on Crobat... So, I have to Cyrus for Poke Turn, pick up Crobat, put it back down (10 to Lumineon), Guard it, and Poison Bind. He does the same thing next turn, 20 to Crobat. I Poke Turn again (last one), and KO his Lumineon with Flash Bite. He sends out Chatot, and for a second I think I really have a chance here! Chatot is a 60 HP Pokemon, which is perfect because he dies of Poison at the end of his turn after two Poison Binds. After Chatot dies, I'll be at one prize, and I can Azelf for Luxray LV.X in order to Bright Look for the last prize! I hit Chatot for 10/Poison/no retreat.
Well, then he plays down Unown G and Guards Chatot... d'oh. He attaches to Machamp and passes after taking a very long turn. Now my only hope is if he really doesn't have a third Warp Point, but clearly he does if he was setting up that play with Lumineon earlier... ugh. I have to Azelf for my Luxray LV.X, retreat, and Bright Look Dusknoir. If he doesn't have a Warp Point, I win by using Split Bomb twice on Chatot/Claydol in the next two turns (Dusknoir has a three retreat cost). Once again, he's taking a pretty long turn, and... time. Game over. Regardless, he had the Warp Point and Premier Ball in hand to essentially win the game, but it's a devastating feeling being that close to a win for top cut only to end up losing. Oh well, GG.
4-3
I had a chance to make it in on resistance, but my hopes weren't too high. I end up 35th, so my season ends here. I felt like I had a great shot to go deep in the cut (my record in top cut matches was 20-2 this year), but I can't complain. I had a great run this season, and I'm grateful for every year that I get to play in Worlds (and the Nationals win wasn't bad either I guess
). One of these years I'll get there! On that note, congratulations to Steve, Sami, and Jay. You guys deserve it!However, the great thing about Worlds is that the fun continues even after the tournament ends. After Steve's win we had a softball game, and Team 420 emerged victorious over Team Straightedge in extra innings, 11-10. We have proven our dominance yet again! Later that night we had one last big 1401 party - one last time for everyone to get together and hang out. The Worlds experience is not something that can be emulated or duplicated; it is unique, and it is always the best week of the year for me.
Sunday the gang and I headed over to the park to play basketball for a little while. Apparently Pokemon players + sports don't really go together well, and what ensued was a pretty embarrassing game, but we had fun. Later that night, I drove out with Crim, Matt, and Jimmy Singapore to find a theme deck for my bet with Crim. Before Worlds, I bet him that I could beat a Gengar deck 4/10 times with a Tyranitar theme deck. So, we drove out to find a Walgreens, because that was the only place I could think of to find a theme deck at midnight. Eventually we found one, and they had one theme deck left - Tyranitar! What are the odds? After we buy it and get back to the hotel, we sit down to play. Basically he gets T1 or T2 Claydol for seven straight games, including T2 Nidoqueen four of those games... I wish I could run that well! Unfortunately, my Tyranitar didn't hit the field in any of the seven games, and I was never able to put up a fight against the massive Nidoqueen. Stunky and Bagon never had a chance. I still feel like I was beaten by Nidoqueen, not Gengar! So bitter
Monday came too soon, and it marked the end of my great trip. We packed up our stuff, headed over to the airport, and said our goodbyes to Crim. PWD was setting in, but the trip has to end at some point I suppose. It'll be a long 10 months until Nationals...
