TrueGamerX
New Member
Finally, the year of 2004 has ended and the new year of 2005 has just begun. From a full years worth of playing Pokemon, 2004 was a great year to remember in Pokemon history. I have watched on the sidelines here at Pokegym the entire year; tuning into what was going on at the tournaments, what decks were dominating, and people that had a good time playing Pokemon. But, if you don't mind, I would like to reflect on this year through how I saw it. Feel free to post whatever you remember about this year and what memories that you had. So without further adieu, let us begin...
2003 -- The Prelude to 2004
The stage was set for 2004 when in late 2003 Pokemon USA Inc. (PUI) took over the Pokemon license. Wizards continued the tradition of Pokemon battling until the end. A good amount of people quit playing Pokemon by the end of the Super Battle Zones and soon drifted into YuGiOh. But soon, in the second half of the year, PUI began with Prereleases and new sets were released.
The first two sets of PUI were EX: Ruby and Sapphire and EX: Sandstorm. These two sets planted the small seed that would change Pokemon TCG playing for a very long time. Most notably, there were a lot of cards that were included in these sets. One of the most revolutionary cards was, of course, Firestarter Blaziken. At this early stage, Blaziken wasn't used that much, but still was recognized by many players as a card that could power a very great strategy. I do recall many people playing Blaziken with Aquapolis Exeggutor, which wasn't bad. But not only Blaziken was played; a little psychic Pokemon by the name of Gardevoir was introduced. This card had a power that made the new format even more playable. It went toe to toe with Blaziken for quite some time.
Above all else, one strategy dominated the last format, using one card from the E sets and one card from the EX sets, and would be remembered by every Pokemon player that’s still playing to this day. That’s right, I'm talking about the Oracle/Delcatty combo. It was simple, you use Oracle to get two cards that you needed to put on top of your deck, used Delcatty's power to draw up to 3 cards from the top of your deck and discarded an energy card. It blended perfectly with Blaziken, where discarding energies helped it set up even faster. With the help of Rare Candy from Sandstorm and “The Gift from God” staple card, Dunsparce, it was almost easy to get set up.
With people attending Prereleases, PUI really was shaping up the game a little, and new players were coming into the game as well as old players too. By the time November and December arrived EX: Dragon was released. There were a few cards in this set that made the current decks 100 times better. What made Blaziken even more powerful and more effective was Rayquaza ex. It had 100 HP, double resistance and the power to combine with Blaziken with no problem. Rayquaza ex had the power to do unlimited amounts of damage with Firestarter Blaziken. It was the missing link in all of the Blaziken decks. With TV Reporter being released, and it being combined with the Ampharos from Expedition, BAR was born.
With the new archetypes being created, players soon grabbed on to the new strategy of Blaziken and quickly grew the seed that was planted.
And so it began, 2004...
The year began with a huge bang, with players battling with the new archetypes and people preparing for the first ever City Championships. PUI started up their Organized Play program with the first line of City Championships. Across the whole nation, there was a City Championship in almost every state, and it gave the chance for players to be recognized and win a shiny medal. PUI was doing a fair job of bringing back the major tournaments back into the places where players could rise up.
Every type of Blaziken deck imaginable dominated almost every single City Championship across the entire nation. There was no stopping this beast at all. Mirror matches were everywhere, and Blaziken was simply sweeping up. Many players played Gardevoir which was simply made to be a counter to Blaziken. It had Wobbuffet from Sandstorm which was to block Rayquaza ex and Boost Energy to power up the almighty Gardevoir ex. The Gardevoir variants were consistent, but not good enough to match up with what Blaziken had. Simply put, there was no stopping Blaziken at all. The Blaziken variants had become one of the most remembered deck eras ever in the Pokemon Trading Card Game.
Then, around March, the set EX: Team Magma & Team Aqua was released and it included new Pokemon that centered on the Teams of Magma and Aqua Pokemon. The set was divided into both Aqua and Magma Pokemon that had their various trainers along with some new EX Pokemon. People took hold of the new EX Pokemon, Blaziken ex, that finished what the Blaziken decks had started. Some people called it broken, some said it’s the best ex Pokemon ever to be played, but it was sure was the one card that made all Blaziken decks Tier 1. With 150 HP, and 100 damage to any of your opponent’s Pokemon, Blaziken ex was the way to win. And when the State Championships started, Blaziken dominated just like it did in the City Championships. Mirror matches were everywhere and some players tried to counter with their own ideas. At this time a new deck was created. Swampert/Suicune was made to be a pure counter to Blaziken. The deck included Suicune ex and the new Swampert ex from EX: TM & TA. It set up with a couple of Water Call Swamperts, energy piled on either Swampert ex or Suicune ex and then the damage was unloaded. Many people overcame the Blaziken swarm with either Gardevoir or Swampert, but Blaziken just was too good. There were many other decks built around Wailord ex, and even Kingdra ex. Without a doubt, Blaziken was still dominating everywhere. The motto was you either hate the deck or you love it, but it was the way to win at that time.
After the State Championships had finished, Gym Challenges soon began and sure enough was dominated by Blaziken. Many other decks tried to stand up to it. Some succeeded but some were too weak to match its consistency. But then right after Gym Challenges had ended, a set was released that nearly turned everything around.
The Hidden Hope
Right after Gym Challenges had ended, the new set EX: Hidden Legends was released. At first many people didn’t notice the new strategies that were “hidden” but soon people grasped them. Strategies such as Gorebyss, Milotic, Walrein, Shifty, Machamp, Crobat, Exploud, and Metagross. So many new decks were created along with the new trainer called Steven’s Advice. It was the perfect supporter to match the level of Blaziken. It was simple, draw the number of cards equal to the number of your opponent’s Pokemon out in play. You couldn’t have more than 7 cards in your card, but you had a consistent draw even with that because of the number of Pokemon that people usually had in Play.
Right after Hidden Legends was released, the National Championship took place on June 26th. I didn’t attend the big tournament but I did read what went down there. The tournament had some controversy about the staff trying out a beta version of the new tournament software right before the event. I think I do recall the event being delayed. So anyway, the tournament got under way and of course the players had the usual deck archetypes, Swampert, Gardevoir and Blaziken. Surprisely, the game’s best deck didn’t even make it in the Top 4. Gardevoir came 1st place by Jacy Sturkie who beat Kyle aka Pooka with Walrein/Milotic. After the tournament, Pooka’s deck became well known for its consistency and was a great counter to Blaziken nonetheless. But everybody thought that was the end for Blaziken. Many players believed that Blaziken was weakening with the new cards that had been released.
Once the Stadium Challenges began, new decks were played including Metabyss, Crobyss, and the Shiftry variant. I attended the East Coast Stadium Challenge, and many recognized players were there. The most exciting part of the tournament was the level of competition. The tournament was won by Shiftry by Eric Craig and right after the tournament everybody wanted to build a Shiftry deck. Chris Fulop came second with Metagross, and John Wetz in third with Walrein/Milotic. Many new decks had taken Blaziken from its Tier 1 spot. Everyone was now convinced that Blaziken was weakened and soon players turned to other decks. But when the World Championships started in August, everything turned upside down…
The 2004 World Pokemon Championships
The event took place in Orlando, Florida and players from countries across the globe attended. The current metagame at this time was basically Shiftry, Metagross, Walrein/Milotic, a little bit of Blaziken, and others. The event was a huge success but what decks succeeded shocked and surprised everyone including myself.
The Japanese players were playing the now famed Magma deck that dominated the whole tournament. The 15+ World Champion went undefeated that entire day, and at the event, Magma swept every age group and simply slaughtered everything in its path. Japanese players were everywhere and the U.S.’s best deck’s couldn’t stand up to what Magma had to offer. Even though Japan swept World’s, the U.S. stood up to Japan with their best decks of the metagame. Surprisingly in each age group, the United States came in second wiht decks revolving around Swampert, Gardevoir, and the famous Blaziken. Reed Weichler came second in the 10 and under division with a Swampert/Suicune ex deck. Kevin Nguyen came second in the 11-14 with a Gardevoir ex deck. And Chris Fulop came second in the 15+ division with the deck that dominated our game, the deck that was criticized for being so consistent and then for being weak. That deck was Blaziken. Blaziken was the deck that highlighted the 2003-2004 season. It was the best deck no doubt about it. Nevertheless, this season was an outstanding year, we shall remember the great players, the great decks, and most importantly the great time that we all had.
2003 -- The Prelude to 2004
The stage was set for 2004 when in late 2003 Pokemon USA Inc. (PUI) took over the Pokemon license. Wizards continued the tradition of Pokemon battling until the end. A good amount of people quit playing Pokemon by the end of the Super Battle Zones and soon drifted into YuGiOh. But soon, in the second half of the year, PUI began with Prereleases and new sets were released.
The first two sets of PUI were EX: Ruby and Sapphire and EX: Sandstorm. These two sets planted the small seed that would change Pokemon TCG playing for a very long time. Most notably, there were a lot of cards that were included in these sets. One of the most revolutionary cards was, of course, Firestarter Blaziken. At this early stage, Blaziken wasn't used that much, but still was recognized by many players as a card that could power a very great strategy. I do recall many people playing Blaziken with Aquapolis Exeggutor, which wasn't bad. But not only Blaziken was played; a little psychic Pokemon by the name of Gardevoir was introduced. This card had a power that made the new format even more playable. It went toe to toe with Blaziken for quite some time.
Above all else, one strategy dominated the last format, using one card from the E sets and one card from the EX sets, and would be remembered by every Pokemon player that’s still playing to this day. That’s right, I'm talking about the Oracle/Delcatty combo. It was simple, you use Oracle to get two cards that you needed to put on top of your deck, used Delcatty's power to draw up to 3 cards from the top of your deck and discarded an energy card. It blended perfectly with Blaziken, where discarding energies helped it set up even faster. With the help of Rare Candy from Sandstorm and “The Gift from God” staple card, Dunsparce, it was almost easy to get set up.
With people attending Prereleases, PUI really was shaping up the game a little, and new players were coming into the game as well as old players too. By the time November and December arrived EX: Dragon was released. There were a few cards in this set that made the current decks 100 times better. What made Blaziken even more powerful and more effective was Rayquaza ex. It had 100 HP, double resistance and the power to combine with Blaziken with no problem. Rayquaza ex had the power to do unlimited amounts of damage with Firestarter Blaziken. It was the missing link in all of the Blaziken decks. With TV Reporter being released, and it being combined with the Ampharos from Expedition, BAR was born.
With the new archetypes being created, players soon grabbed on to the new strategy of Blaziken and quickly grew the seed that was planted.
And so it began, 2004...
The year began with a huge bang, with players battling with the new archetypes and people preparing for the first ever City Championships. PUI started up their Organized Play program with the first line of City Championships. Across the whole nation, there was a City Championship in almost every state, and it gave the chance for players to be recognized and win a shiny medal. PUI was doing a fair job of bringing back the major tournaments back into the places where players could rise up.
Every type of Blaziken deck imaginable dominated almost every single City Championship across the entire nation. There was no stopping this beast at all. Mirror matches were everywhere, and Blaziken was simply sweeping up. Many players played Gardevoir which was simply made to be a counter to Blaziken. It had Wobbuffet from Sandstorm which was to block Rayquaza ex and Boost Energy to power up the almighty Gardevoir ex. The Gardevoir variants were consistent, but not good enough to match up with what Blaziken had. Simply put, there was no stopping Blaziken at all. The Blaziken variants had become one of the most remembered deck eras ever in the Pokemon Trading Card Game.
Then, around March, the set EX: Team Magma & Team Aqua was released and it included new Pokemon that centered on the Teams of Magma and Aqua Pokemon. The set was divided into both Aqua and Magma Pokemon that had their various trainers along with some new EX Pokemon. People took hold of the new EX Pokemon, Blaziken ex, that finished what the Blaziken decks had started. Some people called it broken, some said it’s the best ex Pokemon ever to be played, but it was sure was the one card that made all Blaziken decks Tier 1. With 150 HP, and 100 damage to any of your opponent’s Pokemon, Blaziken ex was the way to win. And when the State Championships started, Blaziken dominated just like it did in the City Championships. Mirror matches were everywhere and some players tried to counter with their own ideas. At this time a new deck was created. Swampert/Suicune was made to be a pure counter to Blaziken. The deck included Suicune ex and the new Swampert ex from EX: TM & TA. It set up with a couple of Water Call Swamperts, energy piled on either Swampert ex or Suicune ex and then the damage was unloaded. Many people overcame the Blaziken swarm with either Gardevoir or Swampert, but Blaziken just was too good. There were many other decks built around Wailord ex, and even Kingdra ex. Without a doubt, Blaziken was still dominating everywhere. The motto was you either hate the deck or you love it, but it was the way to win at that time.
After the State Championships had finished, Gym Challenges soon began and sure enough was dominated by Blaziken. Many other decks tried to stand up to it. Some succeeded but some were too weak to match its consistency. But then right after Gym Challenges had ended, a set was released that nearly turned everything around.
The Hidden Hope
Right after Gym Challenges had ended, the new set EX: Hidden Legends was released. At first many people didn’t notice the new strategies that were “hidden” but soon people grasped them. Strategies such as Gorebyss, Milotic, Walrein, Shifty, Machamp, Crobat, Exploud, and Metagross. So many new decks were created along with the new trainer called Steven’s Advice. It was the perfect supporter to match the level of Blaziken. It was simple, draw the number of cards equal to the number of your opponent’s Pokemon out in play. You couldn’t have more than 7 cards in your card, but you had a consistent draw even with that because of the number of Pokemon that people usually had in Play.
Right after Hidden Legends was released, the National Championship took place on June 26th. I didn’t attend the big tournament but I did read what went down there. The tournament had some controversy about the staff trying out a beta version of the new tournament software right before the event. I think I do recall the event being delayed. So anyway, the tournament got under way and of course the players had the usual deck archetypes, Swampert, Gardevoir and Blaziken. Surprisely, the game’s best deck didn’t even make it in the Top 4. Gardevoir came 1st place by Jacy Sturkie who beat Kyle aka Pooka with Walrein/Milotic. After the tournament, Pooka’s deck became well known for its consistency and was a great counter to Blaziken nonetheless. But everybody thought that was the end for Blaziken. Many players believed that Blaziken was weakening with the new cards that had been released.
Once the Stadium Challenges began, new decks were played including Metabyss, Crobyss, and the Shiftry variant. I attended the East Coast Stadium Challenge, and many recognized players were there. The most exciting part of the tournament was the level of competition. The tournament was won by Shiftry by Eric Craig and right after the tournament everybody wanted to build a Shiftry deck. Chris Fulop came second with Metagross, and John Wetz in third with Walrein/Milotic. Many new decks had taken Blaziken from its Tier 1 spot. Everyone was now convinced that Blaziken was weakened and soon players turned to other decks. But when the World Championships started in August, everything turned upside down…
The 2004 World Pokemon Championships
The event took place in Orlando, Florida and players from countries across the globe attended. The current metagame at this time was basically Shiftry, Metagross, Walrein/Milotic, a little bit of Blaziken, and others. The event was a huge success but what decks succeeded shocked and surprised everyone including myself.
The Japanese players were playing the now famed Magma deck that dominated the whole tournament. The 15+ World Champion went undefeated that entire day, and at the event, Magma swept every age group and simply slaughtered everything in its path. Japanese players were everywhere and the U.S.’s best deck’s couldn’t stand up to what Magma had to offer. Even though Japan swept World’s, the U.S. stood up to Japan with their best decks of the metagame. Surprisingly in each age group, the United States came in second wiht decks revolving around Swampert, Gardevoir, and the famous Blaziken. Reed Weichler came second in the 10 and under division with a Swampert/Suicune ex deck. Kevin Nguyen came second in the 11-14 with a Gardevoir ex deck. And Chris Fulop came second in the 15+ division with the deck that dominated our game, the deck that was criticized for being so consistent and then for being weak. That deck was Blaziken. Blaziken was the deck that highlighted the 2003-2004 season. It was the best deck no doubt about it. Nevertheless, this season was an outstanding year, we shall remember the great players, the great decks, and most importantly the great time that we all had.