So the Tahoe Joes (Brian = me, Thomas, and Colin) set off from Lake Tahoe. We arrived at our hotel after wearing the 8 hour drive square in the face. I was set on palkia/other koolness. I felt like I could handle everything else in swiss except the deafoner. After the houndoom tech w/ bux and random pachi/q techs the tank still dominated me. I also didn’t like feeling so low on in play energy. Tommy kept setting up backup claydols or p-sprayin critical psychic binds. My houndooms were getting crobed and ohko’d by remove lost. Awesome… Utah states had an sp infested metagame (I was one of them). I had a feeling cali would be the same. So I was like whatever, champ it is. I got in one game with champ the night before and got owned by our diagla build. Sick…
And yeah the details WILL be off the mark, my memory has serious issues. My apologies upfront.
Colin went 5-2 w/ Guardelameu
Tommy went 6-1 w/ the “deafon”er
***Round 1 vs. Omar w/ gardy-giratina-pixies
Going first counter = 1
Uxie vs. uxie. I restore for 40. He energizes, visits for 3, whiffs a much needed basic, then restores for 40…. I take it into sudden death by restoring underneath. Not really tho.
1-0
***Round 2 vs. Madhatter w/ dialga g & sp friends
Going first counter = 2
I had the donk but went first… awesome
I’m glad I finally got to meet/play against Josh. Our game was one of the most chillax games of the tournament. Btw Josh is an awesome guy/player. We were joking around the whole time while other players were locked into their matches.
This game went the distance although I think I took a prize every turn. He starts with a lonesome bronzezong g :< My starter = not a machop. He drops skuntank and is forced to cyrus. My turn: candy champ, warp point, take out skuntank. He was forced to sac some things and hit upfront with uxie for 50’s. I have one prize left. I warp point. He intelligently promotes claydol w/ an energy on it so that he can retreat it if I can’t manage to get the knockout. Duel pluspower, hurricane, duel heads. gg
2-0
***Round 3 vs. Alex W. w/ sp madness
Going first counter = 2
This was the only game of the tournament I actually went second on a coin flip. (aside from choosing who goes first after a top cut loss)
Alex’s confidence and sophisticated shuffling told me I was playing an elite player. It was in this game that I learned how awesome galactic hq is. For some reason I thought you could candy evade. It sucked to be me.
He opens with honchrow. I have chatot. He commands for a poketurn/e-gain. I “Rosezans”ibar for 2 baltoy w/ a doo-doo hand, mimic for 8ish, and hit the cosmicr. He drops G-headquarters, lookers my claydol back into my deck, flash bites my left baltoy, e-gains, targets it for knockout. No champ in sight, sick… Luckily my new hand consisted of a claydol and a beebs. I evolve into claydol, cosmic…. Wait for it…. No p spray. I hit the candy-champ, beebs for the machop and go to work. He poison structures and such but with just weavile, crow, crobes, no dialga, and no unown g in sight, I was too overpowering. I eventually hit my counter stadiums. Had he gotten out his houndoom (not sp) he might have had a chance had I not been able to continue pumping champs. I got some backup and he eventually scoops. I also hit the double drawers in this game, helping me tremendously. It turns out my intuition was right on the money, he’s played in worlds at least twice. Kool guy, great player.
3-0
***Round 4 vs. Chris G. w/ dialga g & other sp
Going first counter = 3
Props to Madhatter for somehow calling this matchup the round before it happened.
I was really feeling like scooping to a t2 deafon. I guess I have to thank my parents for blessing me w/ top tier deck cutting skills. Lol. Anyway, I open w/ unown g! Yes!!! :< Uxie, set up for 2-3, Bench chop, beef chop (beef = attach), pass. I think he opened with crobat. He retreats for skuntank, e-gains, and knocks out my unown with a double scrobe (a rebenched crobat via poketurn) I promote/beef chop, machoke, pluspower, brick break, weakness, knockout. I had a crucial wp in which he decided to sac his baltoy instead of letting me attack something else. Losing the baltoy ended up costing him in the long run. From here he started psychic restoring my champs w/ uxies-poison structure, guarded his dialga, e-gained another one, and started slowly building up his g’d dialga. Crucial warp points, claydol, an early skuntank knockout, first in vigorish level ups without dialga g x in play, and 3 machamps ended up winning me this game. My last couple of prizes consisted of an un-guarded dialga g and a warp point take out. I was impressed by Chris’s spirit of the game.
4-0
***Round 5 vs. Chris Silver w/ dialga g & other sp
Going first counter = 4
I open w/ chop, attach, pass. I might have a baltoy on the bench, don’t know tho. He has the crobebat start? and calls for the croke unown g. I zans for the chatot w/ a doo doo hand and retreat mimic for 5-6ish. He deafons me for a few turns while he’s setting up with me struggling. I sacked too many prizes (chatot, azelf, double uxie) in this game and made him knock only 2 champs. Mighta been different had it been 3. Too many special metal on a guarded dialga g x, consecutive sacrificial ohko’s, and very slow setup sealed my fate. I finally cosmic’d into the warp point, dark palm his fully beefed dialga x, but was too far behind to make a comeback. Coming back isn’t champs forte. lol
4-1
***Round 6 vs. Bulbasnore w/ kingdra
Going first counter = 5
I had seen Kim before and was glad to finally officially meet him.
I opened with chop and some other bench and once again miscalled the coin flip for the go first. This was a very close game. He opens with horsea, cycles through a decent amount of cards, but airballs the t1 kingdra. Thank the lord. I candy champ and took out horsea. He broken time spaces, gets out a couple of kingdra, and pumps me fer 60, 20 on my claydol. I get backup champs, warp point, steal a couple ko’s on basics, and maintain a couple prize lead. There was a critical point where he warped out my X to negate strong willed, whips out a zangoose, and invited and strikes my X for 20 + 60 for the knockout. I had 70 on me from a prior bux + dragon pump. Ouch...I was in awe. We were both unsure on the ruling so we got a time extension after verification from the head judge (whether or not his attack would get the no guard bonus dmg). Luckily for me I had a backup champ because that was pretty game changing. He ended up pumping my claydol for a bench ko but didn’t have enough energy for the ohko on my fresh champ with upstream a turn later. I really would have liked to finish but time was called on his turn with him at a one prize deficit. Great game tho. I look forward to seeing you at regionals. Oh and btw, amazing spirit of the game.
5-1
***Round 7 vs. Joe Sanchez w/ palkia-dialga g & other sp
Going first counter = 6
I don’t remember how well I set up. I think he opened with dialga g, maybe a crobebat. He zansibar’s for the t1 unown g/toxicroke. His dialga g x and zong g were prized. He ko’d a chatot, a champ, and a champ x. I knocked out a croke, palkia g x and something else. There was a critical level up where I needed to hit the pluspower to knockout his croke with a strong willed. He followed my whiff by scooping his croke, free retreating his crobe, and re-sending croke out for the kill. I had a feeling I’d miss my flip. Complete airball. Time was called on my turn and I took out his palkia g x to even the game. He sends up his guarded dialga g and duel flash bites, then second strikes. I had already maintanenced my x back and just needed to hit it to give myself a chance. I think he sprayed my cosmic, uxie set up for 5… whiff.. pokedex whiff, hurricane punch need 4 heads, whiff. Second strike. Gg. My next card was the x. I don’t know if it would have mattered because I believe I hit only one heads on hurricane anyway. But yeah gg.
5-2
My resistance is ridiculous at around 69.39%, rendering me the highest of the 30-40 5-2’s as the 13th seed
Decks in the cutt consisted of:
1 kingdra
1 drapion something
5 dialga g & friends
3 machamps
1 sp rando
2 palkia/dialga g
1 houndoom not sp
1 gardyevoir something
1 have no idea
During deck checks I was informed that my stark mountains would be replaced by 2 basic energy of my choice. How I failed to write them on my deck registration, I don’t know. I didn’t want any counter stadiums anyway, I mean, Who doesn't love getting poison structured for an entire game...?
x)
And the entire new tournament starts at around 9:15 P.M. I’m exhausted lol
***Top 16 vs. Chad H. w/ diagla g & other sp
Going first counter = 7
This was one of my best setups of the day, I had duel claydols and 3 champs out by t2 or 3. I think he opened w/ toxicroke (groan) I don’t remember what I started with, I just know he took a few turns to get out his skuntank /dialga g x while I was setting up a back machamp. I had a crucial diagla g x knockout with rage early game to eliminate any tanking later on. His cynthia’s and something else crucial was prized but hey it happens. I double drawered midgame to continue the champ onslaught. He was also forced to use up a bunch of rosannes early making it harder to cosmic into his maintenanced croke/unown g late game. Calculated warp points and raw power eventually landed me all my prizes. Due to the 50 minute time cap, we didn’t have any time to get in a worthwhile second game.
6-2
***Top 8 vs. Sanchez w/ palkia-dialga g & other sp
Going first counter = 8
Game 1: he had the t1 deafon lock, turning my hand of needed trainers into unplayable cosmic clutter. I scooped about 7 minutes in. I should have scooped sooner.
Game 2: He opens with pachi. I got the t2 champ in his grill and started taking things out. But he was still able to call for all his unown g, croke, baltoy and such. After a supporterless/topdeck central first few turns he decides to top deck bucks training and hits a claydol or “sets up” into one. I mounted a lead but knew I was in for a tough game. The problem with toxicroke is that if u don’t ohko the darn thing, ur chances of seeing a fresh new one are almost 1000% because poketurn is just that kool. It forces you to level up and try to hurricane it for the knock. There was a point where I had 3 energy on a champ x with 120 dmg that I warped to the bench, thinking it would finish the game later on with a rage. He just triple Scrobed it for a knockout. Sick… He ended up going through 3 champs, bringing himself within a couple of prizes. I really had nothing left besides a lone machoke. I promoted it, realized I had just prized my other machamp, and took out his (uxie?) for my last prize. I had the beeb’s in hand just in case tho.
Game 3: I may have opened w/ azelf. This game came down to me staring into the face of a guarded 120 hp crobat with a croke sneering at me from his bench. Prior to this he psychic restored my champ for 50. I knew he had a way to knock my champ next turn. Time was called. I forced out his toxicroke, leveled up, and hurricane punched for exactly 90 dmg ftw. He had the donk if he would have cyrus’d for a poketurn earlier in the game but realized it too little too late. Crazy close game.
Swiss round avenges = 1
7-2
***Top 4 vs. Chris Silver w/ dialga g & other sp
Going first counter = 9
Game 1: Altho I went first and twiddled my thumbs without a chop in play, I champed up my next turn. Again early warp point/take outs were disrupting his ability to tank up a dialga g. I mounted a nice lead. I forced him to lose a crucial baltoy. He cynthias for 8 but gets unlucky and whiffs a stadium for his time-spaced skuntank. He finally hitz it and lands the ohko on a fresh champ w/ some flash bite/toxicroke action. His dialga g was getting a bunch of special metal energy on it, and was almost in full tank mode. I was able to knock out his croke, rendering his bench un-guarded. Warp points ftw.
Game 2: His start is good, mine is riff raff. I started with azelf with a hand loaded with a bunch of energy. By turn 2 my azelf was ready to brawl with 2 fighting energy attached just in case I could try and fail it’s attack later in the game (I needed to get the energy out of my hand). By the time I mounted my first champ his dialga x was mighty tanky. It had already taken a bunch of prizes and I could tell my lone machamp wasn’t feeling up to the challenge. I removed my cards for the lossed.
Game 3: I open w/ baltoy, him w/ azelf and a benched baltoy. I zansibar for some double chop action w/ 2 choke and a claydol in hand. His hand/prizes aren’t treating him well. A croke does manage to hit the board tho. Time was called somewhere around now. I cosmic into a beebs for the champ and took out his toxicroke for nothing. It somehow “anticipated” my attack, narrowly avoiding the knock. He evolves into claydol, e-gains, and deep-poisons me for 50. I force out his claydol, hit the beeb’s in my cosmic (I also hit the double drawer), and hope my X isn’t prized. Take out for 100. Good games.
Swiss round avenges = 2
8-2
Finally it was down to 2. Little did I know the audience’s DEAD silence was an undercover summoning ritual for my duskull for the final match. As it turned out, they did well. It was either that or my duskull got so anxious for attention from not seeing play that it kept transcending through the 4th dimension into my starting hands all by its lonesome self.
***Top 2 vs. Kevin C. w/ Champion
Going first counter = 10
Game 1: I time walk into knowing that 2 beebs are prized, and pass. With a little double drawer action, he grabs his t1 champ and sends my duskull flying. I couldn’t candy into a champ if my life depended on it. I finally got one out after I sacked at least 2 prizes, but I had no backup. He didn’t have a backup champ either but he had 2 chokes, one with 2 energy. I also stupidly guarded a champ instead of an uxie. I don’t think it would have mattered. I misprized after Kevin complained because my prizes weren’t 2x2x2. He also complained about slow play. I look at my claydoless bench and scoop.
Game 2: I opt to go 2nd. Yay! He opens with unown g and passes. I open with an uxie with 2 pluspower in hand. I Beef, duel pp, and psychic restore into a grudge match.
Game 3: I open with none other than a lonely duskull… Heck yes I was forced to go first. Heck yes he opened with a chop. Heck yes he cycled through a few cards. Heck yes he donked me for the travel allowance. Good game? nah
8-3
I wish I would have had the opportunity to outplay him but this match was on duskull’s terms, not mine. ;x
Props
-Johnny Tran almost going undefeated in swiss without any decked rares.
-Back to back top 4 at cali states
-179 masters!
-A very balanced Top 16 w/ 8 northern players and 8 southern players (give or take)
-Fontes top cutting
-Everyone who contributed to my ungodly resistance, especially Silver
-2 uxie donks
-Bulbasnore’s zangoose tech, S.o.t.g., awesome compendium database on his PDA
-Encountering some of the best Sotg so far in my organized play endeavors
-Bangle’s Sombrero
-First in vigorish champ x level ups
-Sanchez calling my starting hand with 2 night maintenance before game 3.
-Glenn for top 4ing and being a kool guy
-Tommy winning 6 in a row after an illegitimate loss and still making the cut
-No sp decks in the finals
-BeagleBoy for hooking up a luxury ball to someone he doesn't even know!
Crops
- Kevin donking all day with just 2 Stormfront champs in his list (kool build tho)
Slops
-ZERO champ donks
-Having a 7 round swiss when an 8 round was needed (I know there wasn’t enough time, jus sayin)
-A judge telling Tommy he lost on an illegitimate ko when in actuality he had 10 remaining hp do to snowpoint temple. It cost him the game and forced him to win out to top cutt.
-0 for 3 w/ strong willed
-Tommy’s prizes consisting of 3 special metal & both bronzong g in top 16 ><
-Somehow not recording both stark mountains on my deck reg. sheet, thus rendering me w/ + 2 energy & -2 counter stadiums against a skuntank infested top cutt
-The dusknoir tech, don’t do it.
-Bangle claiming he’s quitting the game.
-1 for 10 on going 2nd
And yeah the details WILL be off the mark, my memory has serious issues. My apologies upfront.
Colin went 5-2 w/ Guardelameu
Tommy went 6-1 w/ the “deafon”er
***Round 1 vs. Omar w/ gardy-giratina-pixies
Going first counter = 1
Uxie vs. uxie. I restore for 40. He energizes, visits for 3, whiffs a much needed basic, then restores for 40…. I take it into sudden death by restoring underneath. Not really tho.
1-0
***Round 2 vs. Madhatter w/ dialga g & sp friends
Going first counter = 2
I had the donk but went first… awesome
I’m glad I finally got to meet/play against Josh. Our game was one of the most chillax games of the tournament. Btw Josh is an awesome guy/player. We were joking around the whole time while other players were locked into their matches.
This game went the distance although I think I took a prize every turn. He starts with a lonesome bronzezong g :< My starter = not a machop. He drops skuntank and is forced to cyrus. My turn: candy champ, warp point, take out skuntank. He was forced to sac some things and hit upfront with uxie for 50’s. I have one prize left. I warp point. He intelligently promotes claydol w/ an energy on it so that he can retreat it if I can’t manage to get the knockout. Duel pluspower, hurricane, duel heads. gg
2-0
***Round 3 vs. Alex W. w/ sp madness
Going first counter = 2
This was the only game of the tournament I actually went second on a coin flip. (aside from choosing who goes first after a top cut loss)
Alex’s confidence and sophisticated shuffling told me I was playing an elite player. It was in this game that I learned how awesome galactic hq is. For some reason I thought you could candy evade. It sucked to be me.
He opens with honchrow. I have chatot. He commands for a poketurn/e-gain. I “Rosezans”ibar for 2 baltoy w/ a doo-doo hand, mimic for 8ish, and hit the cosmicr. He drops G-headquarters, lookers my claydol back into my deck, flash bites my left baltoy, e-gains, targets it for knockout. No champ in sight, sick… Luckily my new hand consisted of a claydol and a beebs. I evolve into claydol, cosmic…. Wait for it…. No p spray. I hit the candy-champ, beebs for the machop and go to work. He poison structures and such but with just weavile, crow, crobes, no dialga, and no unown g in sight, I was too overpowering. I eventually hit my counter stadiums. Had he gotten out his houndoom (not sp) he might have had a chance had I not been able to continue pumping champs. I got some backup and he eventually scoops. I also hit the double drawers in this game, helping me tremendously. It turns out my intuition was right on the money, he’s played in worlds at least twice. Kool guy, great player.
3-0
***Round 4 vs. Chris G. w/ dialga g & other sp
Going first counter = 3
Props to Madhatter for somehow calling this matchup the round before it happened.
I was really feeling like scooping to a t2 deafon. I guess I have to thank my parents for blessing me w/ top tier deck cutting skills. Lol. Anyway, I open w/ unown g! Yes!!! :< Uxie, set up for 2-3, Bench chop, beef chop (beef = attach), pass. I think he opened with crobat. He retreats for skuntank, e-gains, and knocks out my unown with a double scrobe (a rebenched crobat via poketurn) I promote/beef chop, machoke, pluspower, brick break, weakness, knockout. I had a crucial wp in which he decided to sac his baltoy instead of letting me attack something else. Losing the baltoy ended up costing him in the long run. From here he started psychic restoring my champs w/ uxies-poison structure, guarded his dialga, e-gained another one, and started slowly building up his g’d dialga. Crucial warp points, claydol, an early skuntank knockout, first in vigorish level ups without dialga g x in play, and 3 machamps ended up winning me this game. My last couple of prizes consisted of an un-guarded dialga g and a warp point take out. I was impressed by Chris’s spirit of the game.
4-0
***Round 5 vs. Chris Silver w/ dialga g & other sp
Going first counter = 4
I open w/ chop, attach, pass. I might have a baltoy on the bench, don’t know tho. He has the crobebat start? and calls for the croke unown g. I zans for the chatot w/ a doo doo hand and retreat mimic for 5-6ish. He deafons me for a few turns while he’s setting up with me struggling. I sacked too many prizes (chatot, azelf, double uxie) in this game and made him knock only 2 champs. Mighta been different had it been 3. Too many special metal on a guarded dialga g x, consecutive sacrificial ohko’s, and very slow setup sealed my fate. I finally cosmic’d into the warp point, dark palm his fully beefed dialga x, but was too far behind to make a comeback. Coming back isn’t champs forte. lol
4-1
***Round 6 vs. Bulbasnore w/ kingdra
Going first counter = 5
I had seen Kim before and was glad to finally officially meet him.
I opened with chop and some other bench and once again miscalled the coin flip for the go first. This was a very close game. He opens with horsea, cycles through a decent amount of cards, but airballs the t1 kingdra. Thank the lord. I candy champ and took out horsea. He broken time spaces, gets out a couple of kingdra, and pumps me fer 60, 20 on my claydol. I get backup champs, warp point, steal a couple ko’s on basics, and maintain a couple prize lead. There was a critical point where he warped out my X to negate strong willed, whips out a zangoose, and invited and strikes my X for 20 + 60 for the knockout. I had 70 on me from a prior bux + dragon pump. Ouch...I was in awe. We were both unsure on the ruling so we got a time extension after verification from the head judge (whether or not his attack would get the no guard bonus dmg). Luckily for me I had a backup champ because that was pretty game changing. He ended up pumping my claydol for a bench ko but didn’t have enough energy for the ohko on my fresh champ with upstream a turn later. I really would have liked to finish but time was called on his turn with him at a one prize deficit. Great game tho. I look forward to seeing you at regionals. Oh and btw, amazing spirit of the game.
5-1
***Round 7 vs. Joe Sanchez w/ palkia-dialga g & other sp
Going first counter = 6
I don’t remember how well I set up. I think he opened with dialga g, maybe a crobebat. He zansibar’s for the t1 unown g/toxicroke. His dialga g x and zong g were prized. He ko’d a chatot, a champ, and a champ x. I knocked out a croke, palkia g x and something else. There was a critical level up where I needed to hit the pluspower to knockout his croke with a strong willed. He followed my whiff by scooping his croke, free retreating his crobe, and re-sending croke out for the kill. I had a feeling I’d miss my flip. Complete airball. Time was called on my turn and I took out his palkia g x to even the game. He sends up his guarded dialga g and duel flash bites, then second strikes. I had already maintanenced my x back and just needed to hit it to give myself a chance. I think he sprayed my cosmic, uxie set up for 5… whiff.. pokedex whiff, hurricane punch need 4 heads, whiff. Second strike. Gg. My next card was the x. I don’t know if it would have mattered because I believe I hit only one heads on hurricane anyway. But yeah gg.
5-2
My resistance is ridiculous at around 69.39%, rendering me the highest of the 30-40 5-2’s as the 13th seed
Decks in the cutt consisted of:
1 kingdra
1 drapion something
5 dialga g & friends
3 machamps
1 sp rando
2 palkia/dialga g
1 houndoom not sp
1 gardyevoir something
1 have no idea
During deck checks I was informed that my stark mountains would be replaced by 2 basic energy of my choice. How I failed to write them on my deck registration, I don’t know. I didn’t want any counter stadiums anyway, I mean, Who doesn't love getting poison structured for an entire game...?
x)And the entire new tournament starts at around 9:15 P.M. I’m exhausted lol
***Top 16 vs. Chad H. w/ diagla g & other sp
Going first counter = 7
This was one of my best setups of the day, I had duel claydols and 3 champs out by t2 or 3. I think he opened w/ toxicroke (groan) I don’t remember what I started with, I just know he took a few turns to get out his skuntank /dialga g x while I was setting up a back machamp. I had a crucial diagla g x knockout with rage early game to eliminate any tanking later on. His cynthia’s and something else crucial was prized but hey it happens. I double drawered midgame to continue the champ onslaught. He was also forced to use up a bunch of rosannes early making it harder to cosmic into his maintenanced croke/unown g late game. Calculated warp points and raw power eventually landed me all my prizes. Due to the 50 minute time cap, we didn’t have any time to get in a worthwhile second game.
6-2
***Top 8 vs. Sanchez w/ palkia-dialga g & other sp
Going first counter = 8
Game 1: he had the t1 deafon lock, turning my hand of needed trainers into unplayable cosmic clutter. I scooped about 7 minutes in. I should have scooped sooner.
Game 2: He opens with pachi. I got the t2 champ in his grill and started taking things out. But he was still able to call for all his unown g, croke, baltoy and such. After a supporterless/topdeck central first few turns he decides to top deck bucks training and hits a claydol or “sets up” into one. I mounted a lead but knew I was in for a tough game. The problem with toxicroke is that if u don’t ohko the darn thing, ur chances of seeing a fresh new one are almost 1000% because poketurn is just that kool. It forces you to level up and try to hurricane it for the knock. There was a point where I had 3 energy on a champ x with 120 dmg that I warped to the bench, thinking it would finish the game later on with a rage. He just triple Scrobed it for a knockout. Sick… He ended up going through 3 champs, bringing himself within a couple of prizes. I really had nothing left besides a lone machoke. I promoted it, realized I had just prized my other machamp, and took out his (uxie?) for my last prize. I had the beeb’s in hand just in case tho.
Game 3: I may have opened w/ azelf. This game came down to me staring into the face of a guarded 120 hp crobat with a croke sneering at me from his bench. Prior to this he psychic restored my champ for 50. I knew he had a way to knock my champ next turn. Time was called. I forced out his toxicroke, leveled up, and hurricane punched for exactly 90 dmg ftw. He had the donk if he would have cyrus’d for a poketurn earlier in the game but realized it too little too late. Crazy close game.
Swiss round avenges = 1
7-2
***Top 4 vs. Chris Silver w/ dialga g & other sp
Going first counter = 9
Game 1: Altho I went first and twiddled my thumbs without a chop in play, I champed up my next turn. Again early warp point/take outs were disrupting his ability to tank up a dialga g. I mounted a nice lead. I forced him to lose a crucial baltoy. He cynthias for 8 but gets unlucky and whiffs a stadium for his time-spaced skuntank. He finally hitz it and lands the ohko on a fresh champ w/ some flash bite/toxicroke action. His dialga g was getting a bunch of special metal energy on it, and was almost in full tank mode. I was able to knock out his croke, rendering his bench un-guarded. Warp points ftw.
Game 2: His start is good, mine is riff raff. I started with azelf with a hand loaded with a bunch of energy. By turn 2 my azelf was ready to brawl with 2 fighting energy attached just in case I could try and fail it’s attack later in the game (I needed to get the energy out of my hand). By the time I mounted my first champ his dialga x was mighty tanky. It had already taken a bunch of prizes and I could tell my lone machamp wasn’t feeling up to the challenge. I removed my cards for the lossed.
Game 3: I open w/ baltoy, him w/ azelf and a benched baltoy. I zansibar for some double chop action w/ 2 choke and a claydol in hand. His hand/prizes aren’t treating him well. A croke does manage to hit the board tho. Time was called somewhere around now. I cosmic into a beebs for the champ and took out his toxicroke for nothing. It somehow “anticipated” my attack, narrowly avoiding the knock. He evolves into claydol, e-gains, and deep-poisons me for 50. I force out his claydol, hit the beeb’s in my cosmic (I also hit the double drawer), and hope my X isn’t prized. Take out for 100. Good games.
Swiss round avenges = 2
8-2
Finally it was down to 2. Little did I know the audience’s DEAD silence was an undercover summoning ritual for my duskull for the final match. As it turned out, they did well. It was either that or my duskull got so anxious for attention from not seeing play that it kept transcending through the 4th dimension into my starting hands all by its lonesome self.
***Top 2 vs. Kevin C. w/ Champion
Going first counter = 10
Game 1: I time walk into knowing that 2 beebs are prized, and pass. With a little double drawer action, he grabs his t1 champ and sends my duskull flying. I couldn’t candy into a champ if my life depended on it. I finally got one out after I sacked at least 2 prizes, but I had no backup. He didn’t have a backup champ either but he had 2 chokes, one with 2 energy. I also stupidly guarded a champ instead of an uxie. I don’t think it would have mattered. I misprized after Kevin complained because my prizes weren’t 2x2x2. He also complained about slow play. I look at my claydoless bench and scoop.
Game 2: I opt to go 2nd. Yay! He opens with unown g and passes. I open with an uxie with 2 pluspower in hand. I Beef, duel pp, and psychic restore into a grudge match.
Game 3: I open with none other than a lonely duskull… Heck yes I was forced to go first. Heck yes he opened with a chop. Heck yes he cycled through a few cards. Heck yes he donked me for the travel allowance. Good game? nah
8-3
I wish I would have had the opportunity to outplay him but this match was on duskull’s terms, not mine. ;x
Props
-Johnny Tran almost going undefeated in swiss without any decked rares.
-Back to back top 4 at cali states
-179 masters!
-A very balanced Top 16 w/ 8 northern players and 8 southern players (give or take)
-Fontes top cutting
-Everyone who contributed to my ungodly resistance, especially Silver
-2 uxie donks
-Bulbasnore’s zangoose tech, S.o.t.g., awesome compendium database on his PDA
-Encountering some of the best Sotg so far in my organized play endeavors
-Bangle’s Sombrero
-First in vigorish champ x level ups
-Sanchez calling my starting hand with 2 night maintenance before game 3.
-Glenn for top 4ing and being a kool guy
-Tommy winning 6 in a row after an illegitimate loss and still making the cut
-No sp decks in the finals
-BeagleBoy for hooking up a luxury ball to someone he doesn't even know!
Crops
- Kevin donking all day with just 2 Stormfront champs in his list (kool build tho)
Slops
-ZERO champ donks
-Having a 7 round swiss when an 8 round was needed (I know there wasn’t enough time, jus sayin)
-A judge telling Tommy he lost on an illegitimate ko when in actuality he had 10 remaining hp do to snowpoint temple. It cost him the game and forced him to win out to top cutt.
-0 for 3 w/ strong willed
-Tommy’s prizes consisting of 3 special metal & both bronzong g in top 16 ><
-Somehow not recording both stark mountains on my deck reg. sheet, thus rendering me w/ + 2 energy & -2 counter stadiums against a skuntank infested top cutt
-The dusknoir tech, don’t do it.
-Bangle claiming he’s quitting the game.
-1 for 10 on going 2nd
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