Cyrus
Iron Chef - Master Emeritus
So I stay up all of the previous night, which is BAD for a growing teenager...oops! I'll be posting pics soon, so enjoy =)
I arrived at the venue around 10AM, and immediately met up with all of my friends, including the Y2K league, the Oklahomans, Houston area, San antonio Area, as well as my own league, right here at the venue of JJK! Since a couple of my friends were going to be playing in the Gym Challenge who just got back from retirement, I built them two very lethal decklists: one of Blaziken, and one of Dragonite. However, I myself used Rocklock today. Although I won't be revealing the list, I WILL tell you all that it was a good one. Matt Moss will most certainly claim it to be his own, and to a LARGE extent, it was (he even helped me with it a little the day before the tournament). However, I came up with Jirachi DX in rocklock decks before him or Fulop, so nyanyanyah. I guess I should say THANKS MOSS FACTOR
This will be very subpar for my tournament reports, but that's fine. Thanks to Tyler M and Venom, I am able to get the Steven's Advice that I need, and later buy the cards off of them! Heehee, now I don't have to proxy Steven's any more! Later, Kevin Jackson (hwkeye2) and I trade/borrow some stuff for the tournament, and I also get the gex I need...the bex i need...and the regirock i need. Thanks man!
Speaking of such, before the end of Saturday, there were only three Texas/Oklahoma area people invited to worlds in the 15+: Me, Ryan Soles, and Kevin Jackson. I missed out on this awesome plan, but basically the joke of the day was that Ryan built Kevin a "mystery deck," and Kevin did vice-versa. So Sole man used Salamence, and Kevin used Dark Steelix. The field was, overall, a LOT more diverse than it was in Oklahoma, where EVERYTHING was a dragonite! I saw enough different decks there to make me satisfied.
Although the 15+ crowd was slightly smaller than in Oklahoma, the overall tournament attendance was significantly larger because we have always had a big enough 10- and 11-14 crowd (oh my, I'm wondering how big it'll be at the Houston area GC!). Perhaps I left out a lot, but that's okay, because the tournament was...NOW!!!
Round 1: VS JJ Dunne/Shiloh Phoenix (Speed Dragonite)
I start out with a dark pupitar and a rare candy sitting in my hand, and although it's pretty good, if I didn't get a tails, then this could have been significantly different. However I did rare candy to dark pupitar, attach an energy, and flip heads for a turn one sand damage on my poor opponent. Luckbaggish, if I do say so myself, and I am the first one done within a few turns (1-0)
Me and JJ both agreed that that was a poor way to start out the tournament, so we played for fun a couple of times, where I once again luckbagged a turn 1 pidgeot to OHKO his dratini, and then a pretty close third game, where I barely won. It turned out that one of my friends who came to play chickened out due to work (he's on the verge of a management promotion), but the other stayed for a while, and he won his first game! However, he won it vs my other, better friend, Gilbert, so that sucked :frown:
Round 2: VS Brian Dejournett/ZANGOOSE (Stage 1's)
Might I say that this was one of the most unique decks I have ever faced. He played Dark Hypno to take advantage of bench, Mightyena to pull cards from his deck for free/discard their large hands due to holding back from dark hypno, and to top it all off, Medicham ex to counter his bad matchups! I have a so-so setup, but that's fine, because I quickly get out of it, while he kinda...bobs there. I'm able to gain a rock-LOCK on the board, but unfortunately, he drops a battle frontier when I have no available counter gym. I literally just sit there for turn after turn after turn, but somehow he doesn't gain complete board control (although I am able to attack during this time frame). I hit paydirt when I topdeck a Desert Ruins to counter his battle frontier, and then I copycat for a HUGE hand (his mightyena had 0 energy, so I wasn't worried), and gain board control again. I have two countergyms in my hand, so his attempt to battle frontier, and I win with 0 left, and him 5 (2-0)
For today's tournament, I brought along a timer, since it's always good for a player to know how much time he/she has left. It is an electronic device, but it is also a resource. But anyways, I looked at my timer, and there were only 5 minutes left! Wowee, long game! Jordan was amazingly 2-0 with my dragonite list, since this was his first tourney in 3 years. Ryan and Kevin were bombing with their fun decks, having records of 0-2 and 1-1 >_<. Russ Dalton, father of the best 10- in Texas right now, was 1-1! Too bad that his loss was to another one of my friends =(
Geez, I THOUGHT that the lunchbreak was after round 2, but noooo, we have to play round 3 before we get our food =P
Round 3: VS Matt Shepherd/ShinAkuma (Blaziken)
This guy's a bud of mine, so it was nice to see him at the top tables. Putting it bluntly, I rock-locked him. However he got off some good KO's. But with my pulling 3 prizes in one turn, he can't recover from that (3-0)
Finally, a lunch break! Before that, though, I found out more about my friends. Kevin Jackson has recovered, and is going 2-1. Jordan has to drop to get somewhere, which really sucks, 'cause he WAS 2-0! However, Mr. Ryan Soles, for the first time in his life, is a 0-3 drop =(. Boooooo! But whatever, I go to the food court and get the best Subway Ham and Cheese Sandwich of my LIFE, and just rest for a whole half hour. Needless to say, it was nice, ESPECIALLY since I had no sleep at all that day =)
We start right back up, and here we go!
Round 4: VS Devin Jackson/Twin Brother of Hwkeye2 (Rock-Lock)
Wooooowweeee, mirror! I have a good hand so I'm like (great, T2 pidge!), and from the looks of it, all he has is a lone larvitar. However, he draws a card, and he plays a TURN one dark ampharos onto the bench. Yuck for me. I prepare to set myself up more for the coming turns with *gulp* T1 amphy at my back, but T2 he plays dark pupi and rocks my flaaffy, dark pupitar, and candied pidgeot. T3 he gets out a ttar, and it's just a joke from there. (3-1)
Round 5: VS Clay Carney/~Blazi-King~ (Blaziken)
He had a surprising list for today, using delcatty, and although in my opinion it is better vs most other decks, it had a weaker rock-lock matchup than regular blaziken. Putting it simply, I rock-lock him too. Sorry Clay, but fortunately, I was paired up to him (he was 4-0), and now we were both with only one loss each (4-1).
Round 6: VS Jordan Dupuis/Whicker (Tyranitar w/ 4 jirachi DX and swoops)
Haha, I knew it! I got paired up AGAIN, to the #1 seed thus far. I had a distinct advantage because I had more pokemon, but that didn't stop this from being an interesting match. I start with I think lone jirachi, but that's fine because I had a hand that compliments pidgeot very much, so I swooped the jirachi for a dunsparce, and used strike and run. He also starts with jirachi (or was it larvitar?) and goes nuts. But my setup is superior, and I successfully rock-locked him. The game slowly-but surely-turns decisively in my favor, and I win this one (5-1)
So I am now first seed in the 15+, but not undefeated. My resistence is definitely the highest, because four of the people that I played made top eight, and the other two went 4-2 and 3-3 (JJ missed the cut on resistence...again, and Matt bombed after his loss to me...sorry guys =(). A pleasant surprise was Rokman, Weldon, making the cut on a 5-1 record, with Setzer Gabbiani's Dark Slowking list. Good job!
So here were the top 8 in the 15+:
John Kettler (5-1 w/Rock-Lock) VS Gilbert Valdes (4-2 w/ Dragonite). John wins
Rich Armstrong (5-1 w/ Blaziken) VS Devin Jackson (4-2 w/ Rock-lock). Devin wins
Clay Carney (5-1 w/ Blaziken) VS Michael Weldon (5-1 w/ Dark Slowking). Clay wins
Jordan Dupuis (5-1 w/ Tyranitar) VS Brian Dejournett (4-2 w/ Medicham ex/Dark Hypno). Jordan wins
T8: VS Gilbert Valdes (Speed Dragonite)
Game 1-This was a truly outstanding match. I get off kind of slow with a lone Larvitar. There is a situation where I have to choose whether to attach to my larvitar to set it up for a ttar, or to the benched dunsparce. However, I know that Dragonite decklist well enough by now to know that he could knock me out with dark ring, so I just attached to the benched sparce, and suffered the one loss, because he DID have the R energy to do it. I setup at last, bring up jirachi. Although Spinning tail is better in this matchup, I am not able to effectively use it, since my only scramble is prized. So I just settle for the classic rock-lock combo, until my ttar is ohko'd by scyther. I play around it for a while, sending up a Spinning tail with no scramble and attack. We shoot back and forth a while, and now I've gotten back up with him. My rock-locking is too much, and after setting him up to be ko'ed, I barely pull this win, 0 left to 2 left (6-1)
Game 2-Also a good game. Once again, he takes an early lead, but this time my scramble isn't prized, so I take a huge gain by scrambling a sand damage ttar and ohko his rocket's sneasel ex. With three of his dark gone, he loses a big advantage, but keeps fighting. Eventually, my resources are extended, as well as his, when time is called. I win the series because I have one completed game in my favor. Really good games, Gilbert (7-1)
Final Four---
1st John Kettler (Rock-Lock) VS 6th Devin Jackson (Rock-Lock). Devin Wins
2nd Jordan Dupuis (Tyranitar) VS 4th Clay Carney (Blaziken). Clay Wins
T4: VS Devin Jackson (rock-lock)
Games 1 and 2: BAD HAND, AND NOOOO WAY TO GET OUT OF IT. I played fine, even under the pressure, but unlike my exciting game with him 3 months earlier at the Oklahoma State Championships, there's no way I can pull a Kettler out of this one =(. I lose handily both times, and the games are jokes...literally. I mean it, I just cracked jokes with him the whole time. Good games, Devin ^_^ (7-3)
So I didn't win, but that's fine, since I already earned my invite. I later on watched Devin to go on and win the invite/trip against Clay Carney in the finals. Jesus, hard luck for Clay and Jordan both, but they're good, and I see them both getting invites still, as well as Gilbert...if he goes to Houston and San Antonio :biggrin:
Props:
Me, for doing well and getting first seed
Devin, Jose, and Matthew, for winning their age groups
Clay, for winning the Clay Carney award
Nate, for playing up an age group!
Russell and Jordan, for going 3-3 and 2-0 drop in their tourneys (russ's 2nd ever, and jordan's first in 2-3 years)
Birch and the judging staff, for PWNING :thumb:
Slops:
Ryan and Kevin, for doing so poorly with their fun plan =(
Steven, for not playing
Jordan and Clay's not earning of invites...yet
See you guys later, and enjoy your coming gym challenges!
I arrived at the venue around 10AM, and immediately met up with all of my friends, including the Y2K league, the Oklahomans, Houston area, San antonio Area, as well as my own league, right here at the venue of JJK! Since a couple of my friends were going to be playing in the Gym Challenge who just got back from retirement, I built them two very lethal decklists: one of Blaziken, and one of Dragonite. However, I myself used Rocklock today. Although I won't be revealing the list, I WILL tell you all that it was a good one. Matt Moss will most certainly claim it to be his own, and to a LARGE extent, it was (he even helped me with it a little the day before the tournament). However, I came up with Jirachi DX in rocklock decks before him or Fulop, so nyanyanyah. I guess I should say THANKS MOSS FACTOR
This will be very subpar for my tournament reports, but that's fine. Thanks to Tyler M and Venom, I am able to get the Steven's Advice that I need, and later buy the cards off of them! Heehee, now I don't have to proxy Steven's any more! Later, Kevin Jackson (hwkeye2) and I trade/borrow some stuff for the tournament, and I also get the gex I need...the bex i need...and the regirock i need. Thanks man!
Speaking of such, before the end of Saturday, there were only three Texas/Oklahoma area people invited to worlds in the 15+: Me, Ryan Soles, and Kevin Jackson. I missed out on this awesome plan, but basically the joke of the day was that Ryan built Kevin a "mystery deck," and Kevin did vice-versa. So Sole man used Salamence, and Kevin used Dark Steelix. The field was, overall, a LOT more diverse than it was in Oklahoma, where EVERYTHING was a dragonite! I saw enough different decks there to make me satisfied.
Although the 15+ crowd was slightly smaller than in Oklahoma, the overall tournament attendance was significantly larger because we have always had a big enough 10- and 11-14 crowd (oh my, I'm wondering how big it'll be at the Houston area GC!). Perhaps I left out a lot, but that's okay, because the tournament was...NOW!!!
Round 1: VS JJ Dunne/Shiloh Phoenix (Speed Dragonite)
I start out with a dark pupitar and a rare candy sitting in my hand, and although it's pretty good, if I didn't get a tails, then this could have been significantly different. However I did rare candy to dark pupitar, attach an energy, and flip heads for a turn one sand damage on my poor opponent. Luckbaggish, if I do say so myself, and I am the first one done within a few turns (1-0)
Me and JJ both agreed that that was a poor way to start out the tournament, so we played for fun a couple of times, where I once again luckbagged a turn 1 pidgeot to OHKO his dratini, and then a pretty close third game, where I barely won. It turned out that one of my friends who came to play chickened out due to work (he's on the verge of a management promotion), but the other stayed for a while, and he won his first game! However, he won it vs my other, better friend, Gilbert, so that sucked :frown:
Round 2: VS Brian Dejournett/ZANGOOSE (Stage 1's)
Might I say that this was one of the most unique decks I have ever faced. He played Dark Hypno to take advantage of bench, Mightyena to pull cards from his deck for free/discard their large hands due to holding back from dark hypno, and to top it all off, Medicham ex to counter his bad matchups! I have a so-so setup, but that's fine, because I quickly get out of it, while he kinda...bobs there. I'm able to gain a rock-LOCK on the board, but unfortunately, he drops a battle frontier when I have no available counter gym. I literally just sit there for turn after turn after turn, but somehow he doesn't gain complete board control (although I am able to attack during this time frame). I hit paydirt when I topdeck a Desert Ruins to counter his battle frontier, and then I copycat for a HUGE hand (his mightyena had 0 energy, so I wasn't worried), and gain board control again. I have two countergyms in my hand, so his attempt to battle frontier, and I win with 0 left, and him 5 (2-0)
For today's tournament, I brought along a timer, since it's always good for a player to know how much time he/she has left. It is an electronic device, but it is also a resource. But anyways, I looked at my timer, and there were only 5 minutes left! Wowee, long game! Jordan was amazingly 2-0 with my dragonite list, since this was his first tourney in 3 years. Ryan and Kevin were bombing with their fun decks, having records of 0-2 and 1-1 >_<. Russ Dalton, father of the best 10- in Texas right now, was 1-1! Too bad that his loss was to another one of my friends =(
Geez, I THOUGHT that the lunchbreak was after round 2, but noooo, we have to play round 3 before we get our food =P
Round 3: VS Matt Shepherd/ShinAkuma (Blaziken)
This guy's a bud of mine, so it was nice to see him at the top tables. Putting it bluntly, I rock-locked him. However he got off some good KO's. But with my pulling 3 prizes in one turn, he can't recover from that (3-0)
Finally, a lunch break! Before that, though, I found out more about my friends. Kevin Jackson has recovered, and is going 2-1. Jordan has to drop to get somewhere, which really sucks, 'cause he WAS 2-0! However, Mr. Ryan Soles, for the first time in his life, is a 0-3 drop =(. Boooooo! But whatever, I go to the food court and get the best Subway Ham and Cheese Sandwich of my LIFE, and just rest for a whole half hour. Needless to say, it was nice, ESPECIALLY since I had no sleep at all that day =)
We start right back up, and here we go!
Round 4: VS Devin Jackson/Twin Brother of Hwkeye2 (Rock-Lock)
Wooooowweeee, mirror! I have a good hand so I'm like (great, T2 pidge!), and from the looks of it, all he has is a lone larvitar. However, he draws a card, and he plays a TURN one dark ampharos onto the bench. Yuck for me. I prepare to set myself up more for the coming turns with *gulp* T1 amphy at my back, but T2 he plays dark pupi and rocks my flaaffy, dark pupitar, and candied pidgeot. T3 he gets out a ttar, and it's just a joke from there. (3-1)
Round 5: VS Clay Carney/~Blazi-King~ (Blaziken)
He had a surprising list for today, using delcatty, and although in my opinion it is better vs most other decks, it had a weaker rock-lock matchup than regular blaziken. Putting it simply, I rock-lock him too. Sorry Clay, but fortunately, I was paired up to him (he was 4-0), and now we were both with only one loss each (4-1).
Round 6: VS Jordan Dupuis/Whicker (Tyranitar w/ 4 jirachi DX and swoops)
Haha, I knew it! I got paired up AGAIN, to the #1 seed thus far. I had a distinct advantage because I had more pokemon, but that didn't stop this from being an interesting match. I start with I think lone jirachi, but that's fine because I had a hand that compliments pidgeot very much, so I swooped the jirachi for a dunsparce, and used strike and run. He also starts with jirachi (or was it larvitar?) and goes nuts. But my setup is superior, and I successfully rock-locked him. The game slowly-but surely-turns decisively in my favor, and I win this one (5-1)
So I am now first seed in the 15+, but not undefeated. My resistence is definitely the highest, because four of the people that I played made top eight, and the other two went 4-2 and 3-3 (JJ missed the cut on resistence...again, and Matt bombed after his loss to me...sorry guys =(). A pleasant surprise was Rokman, Weldon, making the cut on a 5-1 record, with Setzer Gabbiani's Dark Slowking list. Good job!
So here were the top 8 in the 15+:
John Kettler (5-1 w/Rock-Lock) VS Gilbert Valdes (4-2 w/ Dragonite). John wins
Rich Armstrong (5-1 w/ Blaziken) VS Devin Jackson (4-2 w/ Rock-lock). Devin wins
Clay Carney (5-1 w/ Blaziken) VS Michael Weldon (5-1 w/ Dark Slowking). Clay wins
Jordan Dupuis (5-1 w/ Tyranitar) VS Brian Dejournett (4-2 w/ Medicham ex/Dark Hypno). Jordan wins
T8: VS Gilbert Valdes (Speed Dragonite)
Game 1-This was a truly outstanding match. I get off kind of slow with a lone Larvitar. There is a situation where I have to choose whether to attach to my larvitar to set it up for a ttar, or to the benched dunsparce. However, I know that Dragonite decklist well enough by now to know that he could knock me out with dark ring, so I just attached to the benched sparce, and suffered the one loss, because he DID have the R energy to do it. I setup at last, bring up jirachi. Although Spinning tail is better in this matchup, I am not able to effectively use it, since my only scramble is prized. So I just settle for the classic rock-lock combo, until my ttar is ohko'd by scyther. I play around it for a while, sending up a Spinning tail with no scramble and attack. We shoot back and forth a while, and now I've gotten back up with him. My rock-locking is too much, and after setting him up to be ko'ed, I barely pull this win, 0 left to 2 left (6-1)
Game 2-Also a good game. Once again, he takes an early lead, but this time my scramble isn't prized, so I take a huge gain by scrambling a sand damage ttar and ohko his rocket's sneasel ex. With three of his dark gone, he loses a big advantage, but keeps fighting. Eventually, my resources are extended, as well as his, when time is called. I win the series because I have one completed game in my favor. Really good games, Gilbert (7-1)
Final Four---
1st John Kettler (Rock-Lock) VS 6th Devin Jackson (Rock-Lock). Devin Wins
2nd Jordan Dupuis (Tyranitar) VS 4th Clay Carney (Blaziken). Clay Wins
T4: VS Devin Jackson (rock-lock)
Games 1 and 2: BAD HAND, AND NOOOO WAY TO GET OUT OF IT. I played fine, even under the pressure, but unlike my exciting game with him 3 months earlier at the Oklahoma State Championships, there's no way I can pull a Kettler out of this one =(. I lose handily both times, and the games are jokes...literally. I mean it, I just cracked jokes with him the whole time. Good games, Devin ^_^ (7-3)
So I didn't win, but that's fine, since I already earned my invite. I later on watched Devin to go on and win the invite/trip against Clay Carney in the finals. Jesus, hard luck for Clay and Jordan both, but they're good, and I see them both getting invites still, as well as Gilbert...if he goes to Houston and San Antonio :biggrin:
Props:
Me, for doing well and getting first seed
Devin, Jose, and Matthew, for winning their age groups
Clay, for winning the Clay Carney award
Nate, for playing up an age group!
Russell and Jordan, for going 3-3 and 2-0 drop in their tourneys (russ's 2nd ever, and jordan's first in 2-3 years)
Birch and the judging staff, for PWNING :thumb:
Slops:
Ryan and Kevin, for doing so poorly with their fun plan =(
Steven, for not playing
Jordan and Clay's not earning of invites...yet
See you guys later, and enjoy your coming gym challenges!
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