irwinmalek
Member
Member # 86421
|
posted November 28, 2002 08:35 AM
(Before everyone asks, there is no deck list as this was just a typical Feraligatr deck, and I can't remember the complete thing..)
Enjoy!
Gen Con UK 2002 Saturday Report 11-14 Gym Challenge
I am writing this report quite a while after the event, so please bear in mind that it may not be fully accurate. I’ll write what I can remember about each match.
Gen Con
This year was my first ever Gen Con UK, so I wanted to see what it was like. Throughout the event, I entered quite a few tournaments:
Day 1: Classic Challenge. This was basically an Unlimited Swiss tourney, and was the main event of the day.
Day 2: The Team Multi Play Constructed event (first in Europe!). I entered this with my friend Yacine Sekkoum as London United. That night, MTM held an unsanctioned draft. We called that “midnight madness”. He basically made up the rules as we went along. It was crazy! The top 8 was decided by a game of musical chairs!
Day 3: *drum roll* The Gym Challenges. This was obviously the main day for Pokemon- at least for the under 15s anyway. After that, there was the Rochester Draft- very fun, and a lot of people played in it.
Day 4: The professor Challenge. The place closed early, as it was the last day.
Of course every day there were many side events, mostly 8 player knockout tournaments.
Anyway, now I’ll get to the main point of the report, Saturday, and the 11-14 Gym Challenge.
Well this was the big one, and I was looking forward to it. I had enjoyed Friday, winning the Team Play event, and I really wanted that Worlds trip. It was the day before 1st Sept, so it was still Rocket-on Modified. Of course, I played…Gatr. To be honest, I can’t really remember the complete decklist, but it was a typical Gatr deck using a SI Jigglypuff as Tech.
There was quite a bit of confusion that morning, as the big Magic event was going on, and the Magic players took up literally all the tables. We sorted that out, and managed to get going.
I submitted my deck list, before suddenly counting my deck and counting 61 cards! What!? Quite annoying. I informed the Head Judge, but they couldn’t show me my deck list, so I had to guess at which card to take out. After a long thought, I went with what I thought. I’ll tell you later if it was the right choice.
There was more mystery as well. Sammy Sekkoum, one of the best players in the UK, who’s won trips to Seattle and San Diego decided to go with the Magic Grand Prix (I think it was a Grand Prix)instead of the Gym Challenge. Everyone was like why!? He knew he wouldn’t win the Magic event, but I guess he wanted some high quality experience…
Round 1- vs Louis Lu
Oh no! What is going on! The pairings for Round 1 were posted. I was against someone from Holland (I think) while Louis was against Yacine. There were only three of us who played at the same place in that age group, and two were paired against each other. Then, great! They changed the pairings. We go and look, and this time it’s me against Louis! They’re determined for us to face each other!
Louis is a great player, and he’s been to Seattle, San Diego, and more events before that..
We start off, and I am quite nervous. He’s playing Gatr, and it’s obvious that he got a bad hand. The game lasts quite a while, but he never managed to get anything more than Crocanaws. I got through everything to win the game.
1-0-0.
Going well so far, and I am happy to beat Louis, who was in my opinion one of the greater threats.
Round 2- vs someone I know but can’t remember their name, playing Entei/Nintails
I know this guy quite well, as he plays at a place that I go to sometimes. He was playing Entei/Ninetails, so obviously weakness was in his way. I won the game without too much trouble.
2-0-0.
I am pleased so far, 6 points out of 6. Now there was a lunch break. I went and ate and came back for the next round, hoping to keep my undefeated streak up.
Round 3- vs ??? grass evolutions. (i.e. Erika’s Victreebell, Dark Muk as far as I can remember)
This was scary- playing against lots of grass Pokemon. I had seen lots of grass decks before the tournament, and was thinking of changing deck, but I knew Gatr could beat all that stuff… There were a few Dark Muk decks and Crobat decks, and these were my major threat, I thought..
In this match, he was beating me due to weakness as far as I can remember, but then I drew a SI Jigglypuff. This was such a close game, and very nerve racking. I used Jigglypuff to bring out an Erika’s Victreebell or Weepinbell, and he had maybe 15 to 10 cards in his deck. Then, what I think happened was that he sort of ran out of energy in his deck, and had absolutely no way of using trainers, due to the Dark Vileplume on his bench. He got one or two energy on it, and then I brought another one in. I basically won the game when he decked himself. The weird thing is that I had like this completely vulnerable bench, with my lone SI Jigglypuff controlling the field.
3-0-0.
This was a great match, and I felt sorry for the guy I beat. It was really nerve racking though…
Round 4- vs Chris Rossiter playing Crobat/Dark Muk
This was our first match of two in the tournament. He was playing Dark Muk/Crobat, and I was very weak to the deck. His consecutive baby flips denied me any chance that I did have in the game.
3-1-0
I knew that would be a hard match, and feared more grass decks.
Round 5- ??? playing ???
I was on 10 points, and worked out that we’d almost definitely both make it to the Top 8 if we ID’d.
The only way we wouldn’t, would be if a certain other match Id’d as well. But they didn’t, and we both got through…
He agreed to the ID eventually.
3-1-1.
I watched the other match anxiously, and when someone won I was happy, as I’d definitely made top 8.
We had a slight break, and they gave out prizes for everyone not in the top 8. Unfortunately, Louis and Yacine didn’t make it, but they kept wishing me luck anyway.
Before the top 8 started they did deck checks. This was where I was getting worried. Had I chosen the right card earlier on? Everyone else’s decks were brought back except for mine and my opponent’s. I knew something was wrong. Eventually, they brought over my deck and my opponent’s, and they told me what was wrong. Then, I could see all my friends’ faces watching as the Head Judge spoke quickly to me (I think) and then MTM came over. This was along the lines of what they said. I was very nervous indeed while they were telling me. “In your deck list there was a card not listed and a card which was listed which wasn’t there”. Great. I’d chosen the wrong card. “So the penalty for this is unfortunately a game loss…” What?! I suddenly felt even more nervous. I’d got this far and now I was out.
-
-
-
“Which is the equivalent of a prize swap penalty in Pokemon”. Phew. I really wasn’t to bothered about a prize swap penalty compared to a game loss! Afterwards they said they did it to make me realise how bad it could have been. I think that the fact that I’d told the Head Judge helped them realise that I hadn’t changed the deck or something.
Round 6- Quarter-Finals vs ??? with ??? & Round 7- Semi-Finals vs ??? with ???
So I got to the top 8, and now I’m 3 games away from Worlds!
I’m really sorry, but I can’t remember that much of round 6 and 7 at all. I know that one of the people I played was the person I ID’d with earlier on, but that’s pretty much it. I also know that one of the two people played Gatr, if not both of them. Sorry.. Anyway, I won both the matches, and that got me through to the final!
5-1-1.
I watched parts of the final while my friends wished me good luck. Both decks were grass, which got me worried.
Round 8- The Final vs Chris Rossiter with Dark Muk/Crobat
Much to my advantage, Chris really didn’t get that much in terms of drawing power. He managed a few Murkrows and Grimers, but conveniently for Crocanaw’s Sweep Away they both have 50HP. He was quite unlucky, but I thought I played well. He was going to lose next turn, so he gave it up, and as he said the words I thought: “Yes! I’m going to Worlds!”
I got up and walked around, being congratulated by everyone. Everyone shook hands, and I signed a Reverse-Holo Grimer for Chris, while he signed one of my Crocanaws.
I got a box of Neo Discovery, a box with a full reverse-holo set from Legendary Collection and a full set of First Edition Holos from Neo Revelations. Then of course is the trip. This was the first trip I ever won to Worlds or any STSs… I was really happy as you can probably imagine!
Anyway, I played in the Rochester Draft, and basically enjoyed the rest of Gen Con, and I look forward to Worlds!
Thanks to everyone who attended Gen Con UK 2002, who organised it, and everyone who has ever bought me cards or I have played against, I wouldn’t have won without that help!
By Irwin-Malek Chair
--------------------
Play archtypes. If you win and do not play and archtype, then what you play will become an archtype.
Check out www.cardfaqs.com
2002 GenCon UK Pokémon Gym Challenge 11-14 CHAMPION
2002 GenCon UK Pokémon Team Play one 1/2 of CHAMPIONS (London United)
WINNER of 11-14 London Super Battlezone 2003
~Article Writer for Scrye Magazine~
"You're too good"- many of IMC's opponents at the London Super Battlezone 2003...
From: Bucks, England | Registered: Jun 2002
| IP: Logged
|
Topic Closed
Printer-friendly view of this topic
![[pumpkin]](graemlins/pumpkin.gif)
![[Tap]](graemlins/tap.gif)
