CA State Championship
Costa Mesa's Women Club
Costa Mesa, CA
April 17, 2004
107 Players (57 in my age division of 15+)
My parents and I drove early this time. We left our house from LA 8:30am. It was rainy, but no problems with traffic. We got there by 10am with plenty of time. So I decided to run inside to trade for different versions of Torchic and Skitty. I practice with my BAR deck until it's time for the tournament. I don't care if people know that I play BAR because people are not going to suddenly switch to their Muk ex / Umbreon SK. I don't see many BAR decks been played in my age divison.
I ran a newer verison of BAR (okay, RAMBO if you want to call it that way) with Team Aqua's Manectric because I saw a lot of Gardy and rogue decks. Here is my deck:
Pokemon (24):
3x Torchic (Singe)
1x Torchic (Promo - Ember)
1x Combusken (R/S Flare)
3x Blaziken (R/S Firestarter)
2x Blaziken ex
4x Dunsparce (SS)
2x Skitty (R/S Lullaby)
2x Delcatty (Energy Draw)
2x Team Aqua's Electrike (Self Attach)
2x Team Aqua's Manectric (Power Shift)
2x Rayquaza ex
Trainers (18):
4x Oracle
4x TV Reporter
4x Prof. Oak's Research
4x Rare Candy
1x Switch
1x Warp Point
Energies (18):
13x Fire
4x Lightning
1x Multi
I think everyone knows the strategy to BAR, especially if you read this report. So I'll explain the card choices. The Skitty with Mirror-Errand Running and Lullaby is better because you can thin your deck with Lightning Energies you need and stall. Team Aqua's Electrike can also give you a slight Energy advantage if you have to start with it. The other choices are very self-explantory. Blaziken ex simply dominates the opposition.
The tournament was supposed to start at 11:00am, but there were software crashes with the new version 1.11 and pairings got messed up too. We finally started at 12:30pm.
Round 1: vs. Lianne - Team Magma's Aggron and Team Magma's Claydol
I started with Dunsparce, TA's Electrike, 2 TV Reporters, 2 Fire, and a TA's Manectric. I got a quick start by having a Turn 3 Delcatty, Blaziken and Rayquaza ex along TA's Manectric. However, I made a mistake with my Active Torchic. I decided to Firestarter to TA's Manectric, then I Power Shift to Active Torchic. Then I Power Shift again to Rayquaza ex. Of course, she stopped me and called a judge over. I end up attach the Lightning Energy to Rayquaza ex and use Spiral Growth and manage to get 3 heads. Her TM's Aggron did 30 damage due to Resistance with Crush. I KOed her TM's Aggron next turn and she didn't have much left except two TM's Aron and a TM's Baltoy.
Win 1-0-0 3pts.
After Round 1, the tournament organizers served pizzas and soda (included within the entry fee). That's really nice of them. I had plenty of water and a little bit of rest before I got back into action.
Round 2: vs. Chad Harris (Scizor) - BAR mirror
He is the runner-up (2nd) from Cupertino CC in Bay Area. I get to play against a mirror relatively early. He uses the Magneton and Juggler combo. He relies on the Switches and Warp Points to get the job done. I had no evolutions early on, so I put pressure on him with my Rayquaza ex, including using a Fire and a Multi to KO one of his Dunsparce (80 damage). He got out Blaziken ex first, because he had the card advantage. His Blaziken ex isn't completely charged up yet. He Burned my Rayquaza ex with Blaze Kick. I retreated Rayquaza ex, and I finally saw Daylight with Oracle. I stacked Blaziken and Blaziken ex. I immediately used Energy Draw, and with my huge hand of Rare Candies and Torchics, I quickly depleted my hand to 4 cards to get my BAR engine running. Even though his Blaziken ex put a lot of pressure on me by KOing my Rayquaza ex, he suffered considerable damage from my Rayquaza ex. I evened out the prizes at 4 soon after that by KOing his Blaziken ex. My Blaziken ex made it really hard for him to come back, because as soon as he Rare Candy to pull another Blaziken ex, I did 100 damage to it right away. He had no choice but to send it out to Blaze Kick. He did the 50 damage this time. Not much time left, and as soon as it was my turn I made sure I KOed his Blaziken ex. I was up 2-4 prizes at that point, and time was called. He gets to finish his turn, but not much he can do to come back at that point. Great game!
Win 2-0-0 6pts.
The tournament organizer handed out random EX:Team Agua and Magma booster pack in between rounds. So someone got a free booster, and then we also receive a Charmeleon promo with the State Championships stamp on it. Moving on to round 3...
Round 3: vs. Nick Eskey - Gardy
He is the San Diego CC Champ. I started with Torchic with Singe. He started with a Ralts. He went first and Oracle. I set up quickly with a Prof. Oak's Research after laying down the Basics and Oracle, stacking Delcatty and another needed card as usual. Meanwhile, I Burned his Kirlia with Singe, and then send up a Rayquaza ex the next turn to Dragon Burst for 40 damage. (I was ready to fully explode next turn.) He managed to KO Rayquaza ex, but then comes my Blaziken ex, and it proves too much to handle.
Win 3-0-0 9pts.
Round 4: vs. Mark Hinojosa - Venusaur (Harvest Bounty) with Latias ex and Entei ex
We drew nothing for many turns in the beginning, however I had a huge card advantage with Delcatty, TV Reporter, and Prof. Oak's Research. As soon as I set up my BAR engine in turn 6 or turn 7, game over.
Win 4-0-0 12pts.
My parents bought me a coffee and a juice. The restroom broke down with water outage (not good). Another random booster pack was given, and then round 5.
Round 5: vs. Matt Dunford (Rep13) - Typhlosion ex, Lunatone, and Furret (AQ)
His original deck was exceptional. But he told me it loses to Gardy and Ampharos ex. I had the early advantage with a Blaziken ex. I wiped out 2 Dunsparces, then Typhlosion ex was waiting to fight for my money with Fire Ring. We were trading punches - I KOed his Typhlosion ex first, but he KOed my Blaziken ex with Lunatone. I send up Blaziken to do Fire Stream. But that's was the mistake of the match. I built up another Blaziken ex later on in the game, and when it came down to the wires (at 1 prize each for both of us), I couldn't transfer those precious Fire Energies to Blaziken ex to win. I had no Bench damage whatsoever throughout this game. He told me it was the hardest match he played so far. Oh well, a wake up call after rolling through the first 4 rounds.
Loss 4-1-0 12pts.
Round 6: vs. Carlos (Gardy)
This was easy - I started with a Torchic against his lone Ralts. I went first and Singe - it Burned his Ralts. He Oracled turn 2, but the Burn killed him by Turn 3 after I Flare with my Combusken.
Win 5-1-0 15pts.
They had one more booster pack to give out, and it was me!! I am the luckiest guy in the world. Okay, just one booster pack, but a nice one with a TM's Rhydon (holo) and another reverse holo rare (I forgot which one it was), and a 4th Magma Energy for my collection. On to Round 7...
Round 7: vs. Alan Baldwin
He is from the 11-14 age group with a 5-1 record. We are smart. We know we can't take a chance and if we drew, we both make it to Top 8 in the respective age groups.
Draw (Intentional) 5-1-1 16pts.
So the three people from San Diego - another guy with RAMBO, Nick, and Matt all drew into Top 8. Other recognizable face was Jerry Dominguez (a City Champion with the VIP Package badge). The Top 8 contenders were 3 BAR, 3 Gardy, a Typhlosion ex/Lunatone/Furret deck, and one more I'm not sure of, because he was sitting at the other end and Jerry beated him very quickly.
My parents were so nice - they bought me a plate of Chinese Shrimp noodle so I can remain energetic.
Top 8: vs. Matt Dunford (Rep13)
He told me he had to go to the high school prom. However, I'm taking necessary time to make every move. I get a fast start with Blaziken ex while he's still charging Typhlosion ex. I smacked it for 100, forcing him to bring his Typhlosion ex to do Fire Ring. He couldn't recover from that KO. It was too fast.
Win 6-1-1
Top 4: vs. Jerry Dominguez (Gardy)
Let me tell you a little story about this guy. I knew him back in the days of Neo Genesis, or around that time frame from Game Keeper in Northridge (in the San Fernando Valley). The last time I faced him was at the San Diego WOTC's Professor Challenge of May last year (2003). I knew I am in for a long fight.
We flip a coin and he won the toss. He chose to go first. I had a TA's Electrike, Skitty, 2x Oracle, Prof. Oak's Research, a Rare Candy, and some other card. (No Energy cards) I chose to start w/Skitty because I was hoping for an Energy to establish card advantage. Even if I don't get the Energy card, I can always stack Delcatty and TA's Manectric. Jerry had a Ralts as the Active and the Skitty on the Bench. He used Prof. Elm's Training Method for Delcatty and passes. I didn't get the Energy card, so I stacked TV Reporter and Delcatty (hoping to draw some Energies along the Delcatty I stacked).
Jerry topdecked a Dunsparce, so he attach a Psychic Energy to Dunsparce, retreats his Ralts and did Strke and Run. Two more Ralts and a Skitty was sitting on the Bench. I had Energies so I used Energy Draw and pulled up a Torchic w/Singe to place on the Bench. I used Torchic to give his Dunsparce a Burn. He simply retreats back and forth within this turn and the next. I got my first Blaziken set up the next turn. I played passively by using Firestarter to TA's Electrike, reasoning that he had a huge hand and concealing his Rare Candies and Gardevoir family in his hand. He was doing nothing but Sudden Flashes for a number of turns. I was very patient to work my Blaziken ex out and ready. I only saw Gardy ex, so I chose to hit Jerry's Gardy ex for 100 damage. Then he came roaring with a Gardevoir and a Boost Energy to Gardy ex for an easy KO on my Blaziken ex. Then things got worse - he plays Pokemon Reversal on my TA's Electrike and it worked - Feedback when my hand had 5 cards. Another KO. I was down 6-3 prizes at that point. I had 2 Blazikens and a Delcatty so as soon as I pulled a Rayquaza ex, I started charging it up with Firestarters. I brought out Dunsparce and made sure my hand went down to 4 cards next turn. I tried to Paralyze but didn't work. He pulled a Gardevoir and Psy Shadow on his Active Gardy ex, attach another Psychic Energy, and yet another easy KO. 2 prizes left for him.
I started noticing all that damage acculumating throughout the match. I drew TA's Manectric and I used Warp Point to bring something else up - in that case Delcatty. I did 50 damage, and 10 damage to opponent's Bench. That made it 50 damage on Active Delcatty, 140 Damage on Gardy ex, 30 Damage on Dunsparce. I changed my strategy from that point on and use Blaziken as my Active Attacker, and TA's Manectric to keep Blaziken powered up. I could tell Jerry was concerned as soon as I did that - because when one of his friend came over, Jerry told his friend to be quiet and go away. I understand it's part of the match procedure too.
Unfortuantely, he uses another Oracle for Boost Energy and a Gardy ex/Rare Candy with his Delcatty, retreated for his 2nd Gardy ex with 30 damage and one-hit KO my Blaziken. I'm not happy about that. 1 prize left. I observed that he has a 2nd Delcatty with no damage, and a Psychic Energy. He only used 2 Boost Energies up to this point. I have a Rayquaza ex with 3 Energies sitting there waiting to OHKO his Gardy ex. However, I also have the other Blaziken, TA's Manectric, along with Delcatty. I was deciding who to send up. I had a Switch, an Oracle, and Energies. If I choose to send Rayquaza ex, my Oracle needs to be a Lightning Energy and something else. I know that I don't have Town Volunteers in my deck. So that's the only reasonable choice I can make, hoping he doesn't have enough to OHKO my Rayquaza ex. I charged up a Fire Energy for my Blaziken on Bench, depleted the Fire Energies (of course Oracled for the Lightning) and took the first 2 prizes of the game. Jerry gave me no chance by sending up his 2nd Delcatty with a Psychic Energy previously attached, attach a Boost for the turn, Desert Shaman, and Psy Shadow for the KO on my Rayquaza ex and the game.
Loss 6-2-1
It was a long, nightmarish match. I made so several costly mistakes throughout this match that blew my winning chances. Again the Skitty / TA's Electrike decision was huge, because he paralyzed me once with Sudden Flash - that should never have happened the first place. I am 3 cards, and perhaps 3 turns behind my opponent. Also, I should have put pressure on him with my early Blaziken instead of letting him build up peacefully. I may have won the match, or at lease made a run for his money.
Oh well, I was very tired - a "journey" that started 12:30pm finally ended for me at 8:05pm! So I told the staff it was certainly a long journey to make it to top 4. I was proud of my performance, nevertheless. As much as people complain about Blaziken ex decks, there's no doubt that they are much harder to run efficiently. Don't just think about the numerous times you set up that perfect "engine" and dominate your opponent. Instead, think about the times when you actually have to struggle to keep the components of this "engine" together. I certainly did in order to make it to Top 4.
Post deck changes:
+1 Town Volunteers
-1 Prof. Oak's Research
I understand that I try to listen to other deck mechanics that helped me with my deck, and all the fixes were correct except the decision to pull out Town Volunteers for Prof. Oak's Research. IMHO, I didn't use Prof. Oak's Research that much, and later in the game, I didn't use it more than once or twice. The single Multi Energy served me well, so is the 18 Energies count instead of 16. Thank you.
PROPS:
-To my parents for taking care of me before, throughout, and after this tournament.
-To tournament organizers who put on a great, and fun experience for us all.
-To people who decided to trade me the Torchics with Singe and Skitty with Lullaby - the Torchics made a big difference in beating Gardy decks early on.
-To everyone who helped fix my RAMBO/BAR deck.
SLOPS:
-To me for not having a GBA to play Battles in between rounds
-To me for not playing Pokemon Pinball to win prizes (I needed to concentrate, and more importantly, not to be late for the next upcoming round)
-To me for not playtesting my RAMBO/BAR deck enough (too many unforced errors)
-To people who complain about Blaziken ex decks - you don't need Blastoise ex to beat it, you just need good strategy and game plan from the get go. During the Top 4, it was two identical matches of Gardy vs. BAR, and both BAR decks lost. (Okay, RAMBO!)
Thanks for reading my CA States Report. It was long to write in all the details. Please post any commets or suggestions. I will edit any details as necessary.
THE END
Costa Mesa's Women Club
Costa Mesa, CA
April 17, 2004
107 Players (57 in my age division of 15+)
My parents and I drove early this time. We left our house from LA 8:30am. It was rainy, but no problems with traffic. We got there by 10am with plenty of time. So I decided to run inside to trade for different versions of Torchic and Skitty. I practice with my BAR deck until it's time for the tournament. I don't care if people know that I play BAR because people are not going to suddenly switch to their Muk ex / Umbreon SK. I don't see many BAR decks been played in my age divison.
I ran a newer verison of BAR (okay, RAMBO if you want to call it that way) with Team Aqua's Manectric because I saw a lot of Gardy and rogue decks. Here is my deck:
Pokemon (24):
3x Torchic (Singe)
1x Torchic (Promo - Ember)
1x Combusken (R/S Flare)
3x Blaziken (R/S Firestarter)
2x Blaziken ex
4x Dunsparce (SS)
2x Skitty (R/S Lullaby)
2x Delcatty (Energy Draw)
2x Team Aqua's Electrike (Self Attach)
2x Team Aqua's Manectric (Power Shift)
2x Rayquaza ex
Trainers (18):
4x Oracle
4x TV Reporter
4x Prof. Oak's Research
4x Rare Candy
1x Switch
1x Warp Point
Energies (18):
13x Fire
4x Lightning
1x Multi
I think everyone knows the strategy to BAR, especially if you read this report. So I'll explain the card choices. The Skitty with Mirror-Errand Running and Lullaby is better because you can thin your deck with Lightning Energies you need and stall. Team Aqua's Electrike can also give you a slight Energy advantage if you have to start with it. The other choices are very self-explantory. Blaziken ex simply dominates the opposition.
The tournament was supposed to start at 11:00am, but there were software crashes with the new version 1.11 and pairings got messed up too. We finally started at 12:30pm.
Round 1: vs. Lianne - Team Magma's Aggron and Team Magma's Claydol
I started with Dunsparce, TA's Electrike, 2 TV Reporters, 2 Fire, and a TA's Manectric. I got a quick start by having a Turn 3 Delcatty, Blaziken and Rayquaza ex along TA's Manectric. However, I made a mistake with my Active Torchic. I decided to Firestarter to TA's Manectric, then I Power Shift to Active Torchic. Then I Power Shift again to Rayquaza ex. Of course, she stopped me and called a judge over. I end up attach the Lightning Energy to Rayquaza ex and use Spiral Growth and manage to get 3 heads. Her TM's Aggron did 30 damage due to Resistance with Crush. I KOed her TM's Aggron next turn and she didn't have much left except two TM's Aron and a TM's Baltoy.
Win 1-0-0 3pts.
After Round 1, the tournament organizers served pizzas and soda (included within the entry fee). That's really nice of them. I had plenty of water and a little bit of rest before I got back into action.
Round 2: vs. Chad Harris (Scizor) - BAR mirror
He is the runner-up (2nd) from Cupertino CC in Bay Area. I get to play against a mirror relatively early. He uses the Magneton and Juggler combo. He relies on the Switches and Warp Points to get the job done. I had no evolutions early on, so I put pressure on him with my Rayquaza ex, including using a Fire and a Multi to KO one of his Dunsparce (80 damage). He got out Blaziken ex first, because he had the card advantage. His Blaziken ex isn't completely charged up yet. He Burned my Rayquaza ex with Blaze Kick. I retreated Rayquaza ex, and I finally saw Daylight with Oracle. I stacked Blaziken and Blaziken ex. I immediately used Energy Draw, and with my huge hand of Rare Candies and Torchics, I quickly depleted my hand to 4 cards to get my BAR engine running. Even though his Blaziken ex put a lot of pressure on me by KOing my Rayquaza ex, he suffered considerable damage from my Rayquaza ex. I evened out the prizes at 4 soon after that by KOing his Blaziken ex. My Blaziken ex made it really hard for him to come back, because as soon as he Rare Candy to pull another Blaziken ex, I did 100 damage to it right away. He had no choice but to send it out to Blaze Kick. He did the 50 damage this time. Not much time left, and as soon as it was my turn I made sure I KOed his Blaziken ex. I was up 2-4 prizes at that point, and time was called. He gets to finish his turn, but not much he can do to come back at that point. Great game!
Win 2-0-0 6pts.
The tournament organizer handed out random EX:Team Agua and Magma booster pack in between rounds. So someone got a free booster, and then we also receive a Charmeleon promo with the State Championships stamp on it. Moving on to round 3...
Round 3: vs. Nick Eskey - Gardy
He is the San Diego CC Champ. I started with Torchic with Singe. He started with a Ralts. He went first and Oracle. I set up quickly with a Prof. Oak's Research after laying down the Basics and Oracle, stacking Delcatty and another needed card as usual. Meanwhile, I Burned his Kirlia with Singe, and then send up a Rayquaza ex the next turn to Dragon Burst for 40 damage. (I was ready to fully explode next turn.) He managed to KO Rayquaza ex, but then comes my Blaziken ex, and it proves too much to handle.
Win 3-0-0 9pts.
Round 4: vs. Mark Hinojosa - Venusaur (Harvest Bounty) with Latias ex and Entei ex
We drew nothing for many turns in the beginning, however I had a huge card advantage with Delcatty, TV Reporter, and Prof. Oak's Research. As soon as I set up my BAR engine in turn 6 or turn 7, game over.
Win 4-0-0 12pts.
My parents bought me a coffee and a juice. The restroom broke down with water outage (not good). Another random booster pack was given, and then round 5.
Round 5: vs. Matt Dunford (Rep13) - Typhlosion ex, Lunatone, and Furret (AQ)
His original deck was exceptional. But he told me it loses to Gardy and Ampharos ex. I had the early advantage with a Blaziken ex. I wiped out 2 Dunsparces, then Typhlosion ex was waiting to fight for my money with Fire Ring. We were trading punches - I KOed his Typhlosion ex first, but he KOed my Blaziken ex with Lunatone. I send up Blaziken to do Fire Stream. But that's was the mistake of the match. I built up another Blaziken ex later on in the game, and when it came down to the wires (at 1 prize each for both of us), I couldn't transfer those precious Fire Energies to Blaziken ex to win. I had no Bench damage whatsoever throughout this game. He told me it was the hardest match he played so far. Oh well, a wake up call after rolling through the first 4 rounds.
Loss 4-1-0 12pts.
Round 6: vs. Carlos (Gardy)
This was easy - I started with a Torchic against his lone Ralts. I went first and Singe - it Burned his Ralts. He Oracled turn 2, but the Burn killed him by Turn 3 after I Flare with my Combusken.
Win 5-1-0 15pts.
They had one more booster pack to give out, and it was me!! I am the luckiest guy in the world. Okay, just one booster pack, but a nice one with a TM's Rhydon (holo) and another reverse holo rare (I forgot which one it was), and a 4th Magma Energy for my collection. On to Round 7...
Round 7: vs. Alan Baldwin
He is from the 11-14 age group with a 5-1 record. We are smart. We know we can't take a chance and if we drew, we both make it to Top 8 in the respective age groups.
Draw (Intentional) 5-1-1 16pts.
So the three people from San Diego - another guy with RAMBO, Nick, and Matt all drew into Top 8. Other recognizable face was Jerry Dominguez (a City Champion with the VIP Package badge). The Top 8 contenders were 3 BAR, 3 Gardy, a Typhlosion ex/Lunatone/Furret deck, and one more I'm not sure of, because he was sitting at the other end and Jerry beated him very quickly.
My parents were so nice - they bought me a plate of Chinese Shrimp noodle so I can remain energetic.
Top 8: vs. Matt Dunford (Rep13)
He told me he had to go to the high school prom. However, I'm taking necessary time to make every move. I get a fast start with Blaziken ex while he's still charging Typhlosion ex. I smacked it for 100, forcing him to bring his Typhlosion ex to do Fire Ring. He couldn't recover from that KO. It was too fast.
Win 6-1-1
Top 4: vs. Jerry Dominguez (Gardy)
Let me tell you a little story about this guy. I knew him back in the days of Neo Genesis, or around that time frame from Game Keeper in Northridge (in the San Fernando Valley). The last time I faced him was at the San Diego WOTC's Professor Challenge of May last year (2003). I knew I am in for a long fight.
We flip a coin and he won the toss. He chose to go first. I had a TA's Electrike, Skitty, 2x Oracle, Prof. Oak's Research, a Rare Candy, and some other card. (No Energy cards) I chose to start w/Skitty because I was hoping for an Energy to establish card advantage. Even if I don't get the Energy card, I can always stack Delcatty and TA's Manectric. Jerry had a Ralts as the Active and the Skitty on the Bench. He used Prof. Elm's Training Method for Delcatty and passes. I didn't get the Energy card, so I stacked TV Reporter and Delcatty (hoping to draw some Energies along the Delcatty I stacked).
Jerry topdecked a Dunsparce, so he attach a Psychic Energy to Dunsparce, retreats his Ralts and did Strke and Run. Two more Ralts and a Skitty was sitting on the Bench. I had Energies so I used Energy Draw and pulled up a Torchic w/Singe to place on the Bench. I used Torchic to give his Dunsparce a Burn. He simply retreats back and forth within this turn and the next. I got my first Blaziken set up the next turn. I played passively by using Firestarter to TA's Electrike, reasoning that he had a huge hand and concealing his Rare Candies and Gardevoir family in his hand. He was doing nothing but Sudden Flashes for a number of turns. I was very patient to work my Blaziken ex out and ready. I only saw Gardy ex, so I chose to hit Jerry's Gardy ex for 100 damage. Then he came roaring with a Gardevoir and a Boost Energy to Gardy ex for an easy KO on my Blaziken ex. Then things got worse - he plays Pokemon Reversal on my TA's Electrike and it worked - Feedback when my hand had 5 cards. Another KO. I was down 6-3 prizes at that point. I had 2 Blazikens and a Delcatty so as soon as I pulled a Rayquaza ex, I started charging it up with Firestarters. I brought out Dunsparce and made sure my hand went down to 4 cards next turn. I tried to Paralyze but didn't work. He pulled a Gardevoir and Psy Shadow on his Active Gardy ex, attach another Psychic Energy, and yet another easy KO. 2 prizes left for him.
I started noticing all that damage acculumating throughout the match. I drew TA's Manectric and I used Warp Point to bring something else up - in that case Delcatty. I did 50 damage, and 10 damage to opponent's Bench. That made it 50 damage on Active Delcatty, 140 Damage on Gardy ex, 30 Damage on Dunsparce. I changed my strategy from that point on and use Blaziken as my Active Attacker, and TA's Manectric to keep Blaziken powered up. I could tell Jerry was concerned as soon as I did that - because when one of his friend came over, Jerry told his friend to be quiet and go away. I understand it's part of the match procedure too.
Unfortuantely, he uses another Oracle for Boost Energy and a Gardy ex/Rare Candy with his Delcatty, retreated for his 2nd Gardy ex with 30 damage and one-hit KO my Blaziken. I'm not happy about that. 1 prize left. I observed that he has a 2nd Delcatty with no damage, and a Psychic Energy. He only used 2 Boost Energies up to this point. I have a Rayquaza ex with 3 Energies sitting there waiting to OHKO his Gardy ex. However, I also have the other Blaziken, TA's Manectric, along with Delcatty. I was deciding who to send up. I had a Switch, an Oracle, and Energies. If I choose to send Rayquaza ex, my Oracle needs to be a Lightning Energy and something else. I know that I don't have Town Volunteers in my deck. So that's the only reasonable choice I can make, hoping he doesn't have enough to OHKO my Rayquaza ex. I charged up a Fire Energy for my Blaziken on Bench, depleted the Fire Energies (of course Oracled for the Lightning) and took the first 2 prizes of the game. Jerry gave me no chance by sending up his 2nd Delcatty with a Psychic Energy previously attached, attach a Boost for the turn, Desert Shaman, and Psy Shadow for the KO on my Rayquaza ex and the game.
Loss 6-2-1
It was a long, nightmarish match. I made so several costly mistakes throughout this match that blew my winning chances. Again the Skitty / TA's Electrike decision was huge, because he paralyzed me once with Sudden Flash - that should never have happened the first place. I am 3 cards, and perhaps 3 turns behind my opponent. Also, I should have put pressure on him with my early Blaziken instead of letting him build up peacefully. I may have won the match, or at lease made a run for his money.
Oh well, I was very tired - a "journey" that started 12:30pm finally ended for me at 8:05pm! So I told the staff it was certainly a long journey to make it to top 4. I was proud of my performance, nevertheless. As much as people complain about Blaziken ex decks, there's no doubt that they are much harder to run efficiently. Don't just think about the numerous times you set up that perfect "engine" and dominate your opponent. Instead, think about the times when you actually have to struggle to keep the components of this "engine" together. I certainly did in order to make it to Top 4.
Post deck changes:
+1 Town Volunteers
-1 Prof. Oak's Research
I understand that I try to listen to other deck mechanics that helped me with my deck, and all the fixes were correct except the decision to pull out Town Volunteers for Prof. Oak's Research. IMHO, I didn't use Prof. Oak's Research that much, and later in the game, I didn't use it more than once or twice. The single Multi Energy served me well, so is the 18 Energies count instead of 16. Thank you.
PROPS:
-To my parents for taking care of me before, throughout, and after this tournament.
-To tournament organizers who put on a great, and fun experience for us all.
-To people who decided to trade me the Torchics with Singe and Skitty with Lullaby - the Torchics made a big difference in beating Gardy decks early on.
-To everyone who helped fix my RAMBO/BAR deck.
SLOPS:
-To me for not having a GBA to play Battles in between rounds
-To me for not playing Pokemon Pinball to win prizes (I needed to concentrate, and more importantly, not to be late for the next upcoming round)
-To me for not playtesting my RAMBO/BAR deck enough (too many unforced errors)
-To people who complain about Blaziken ex decks - you don't need Blastoise ex to beat it, you just need good strategy and game plan from the get go. During the Top 4, it was two identical matches of Gardy vs. BAR, and both BAR decks lost. (Okay, RAMBO!)
Thanks for reading my CA States Report. It was long to write in all the details. Please post any commets or suggestions. I will edit any details as necessary.
THE END
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