SuperWooper
New Member
It's really unlike me, but this is going to be a short one.
3/10 @ Woodbridge, VA
So my dad drives the four of us up there, and we meet up with cool people and fill out our decklists. The registration line is huge, so Devon freaks trying to get people to loan him Transceivers. He finally does and we register and get deckchecked with time to spare. Dan plays Metanite, Devon plays Banette, Ryan gets Leftovers.dec (Meganium/Arcanine). I go with Delta, which I had never played before in my life.
Round 1: Brian L (Banette/Houndoom)
He starts very slow with Houndour, poisoning my Castform. I get the Mentor, playing the second Transceiver to get Mentor back right away in case he T2s Houndoom. He does, but I Mentor for Tauros and hold it in hand (this game is much easier to play since Admin got rotated ;p). I struggle to do much, he really messes with me, getting good ER2 and Tight Jaw flips. My Castform somehow finds its way to the bench with 40 HP, which would be big later. I struggle to do much of anything, waiting for the kill, but he's careful not to make the first move with the knowledge that Tauros is in hand. His Scientist is prized, but eventually he kills something with Banette, and I Tauros/Scramble/Thunder for 90 and 2 prizes. He plays the Scientist for big, fifteen or something, and Shady Moves, killing the Castform and knocking Raichu. I can't respond with another Tauros immediately, so I hide behind something (Castform?) for a turn because my hand isn't really great. He kills that, I nab the Briney for Tauros and Scramble again to make it 2-2. He kills Raichu with a Houndoom, and has a Banette waiting on the bench, and a third Beach in play, sealing the game. Outplayed.
0-1
Lunch break. Sean (comeback tour!!!) is a poor college student who can't afford to go anywhere awesome for Spring Break, so he's at a Pocket Monsters tournament. He takes the four of us in his tiny little car with zero leg room to Burger King, where I ask for cheese on my Angus Burger and don't get any. Next time I'll definitely order en español. We head back with plenty of time for the second round.
Round 2: Max P (Vibrava/Raichu/Zangoose)
He gets a quick Raichu d but notices that I'm not packing any powers or bodies. I sweep up with an Eggs and a Raichu finishes the Vibrava. Not an amazing game, but I love the mohawk.
1-1
Round 3: Jon A (Metanite)
He gets like all the Stage 2s in his deck out on the field by Turn 3. I have an average setup, but I can't draw into Scramble or Cessation Crystals behind my Castform. My Cursed Stones were put to rest by Windstorms promptly every turn. I spread lots of damage but it amounts to next to nothing in the end, as he simply overpowers me with a superior start. GG.
1-2
So now I'm all emo and whiny because I don't think I'm going to make the cut. Well, I'm emo, anyway. Mike and I get into a discussion about what it truly means to be emo, and he manages to convince me that I'm not really emo, either, which means I'm really not anything at all. ="(
I probably ten-stack five times or something because I need to go 3-0 to make it, and even then my odds aren't good. I expect myself to make the playoffs, but one bad start can do you in. Luke and Ryan are both 1-2, though, so I might be in for a rough match. Pairings go up...
Round 4: Alex S (Camerupt ex/Magcargo/Delcatty/ex)
He gets set up behind a Numel, Collecting slowly, while I get Castform/Mentor again (donks it). He kills my Castform with Camerupt ex, putting loads of energy in the discard, so I put up an Eggs and Scramble, hitting Camerupt for 30 and Magcargo for 30. He kills that, and I Scramble the Camerupt for 90 and the KO. He KOs Raichu with Delcatty ex with damage to spare, but I just DRE Eggs and count my Delta Pokemon, Mentor, and find a couple delta basics. After that I power up an Eggs manually and Split Bomb for my last 2 with the help of Cursed Stone. GG.
2-2
Round 5: [name] (Feraligatr/Nidoqueen/Meganium)
Ugh, Meganium is a nightmare for Delta. Thankfully, she doesn't play any Windstorms or gyms. Whoops. I get a bad start and her Brineys are annoying, but I pull it out because Cessation Crystal is amazing when your opponent can't do anything about it.
3-2
Can he do it?!
Round 6: Dan C (Metanite)
Great, I have to play a friend in the deciding round. Well, we both set up behind Castform, but I get Cessation Crystals and Cursed Stones out the wazoo in my opening Delta Draw. He burns his four Windstorms very quickly, and takes a couple prizes in the process, but after that I spread damage while he's under the Cess + Cursed Stone lock. I take two prizes in one turn to tie it up, and time is called on his turn. He can't do anything, so I Split Bomb again for the game. Not as simple as it sounded, but the Cess lock is just brutal.
4-2
So we wait around forever for the Top 8, and I get my deck in order just in case. So does Devon, who was also 4-2 with Banette. Dan wins the door prize, a Pink DS Lite with Pokemon Ranger game. He told me he would sell it on eBay for 100 and save up for the trip to Nats, but he's never going to get around to that. ;/
So they announce the Top 8, and I make it in as the 8th seed. My opponent's win % is just barely a point about the ninth place player Josh's. He would get his revenge on me the next day, though.
Since I'm in at 8th seed, I play the X-0, Jordan H. He's playing a really nice Delta list. And having never played Delta before, much less the mirror, I'm in for a rough time.
Top 8: Jordan H (Delta)
I start with Holon's Magnemite, him with Eggs. He goes first for 10, I Mentor and fill my bench but do nothing. He draws and uses Rollout again. I Mentor again and start Delta Drawing for big. He topdecks the Mentor, so he's a turn behind in setup, but we're both Delta Drawing. He discards his [tech] for Holon Adventurer, which takes me by surprise. =D He's setting up, but he's not getting much. I think I sense weakness, and I foolishly decide to Split Bomb with Eggs, killing Castform and hitting something else for 30. Well, now I've done it. He goes nuts and starts Split Bombing me for all he's worth, staying behind but not too far behind the whole time. Obviously what I thought was a bad hand was just a playable one in disguise (in other words, I got outclassed). I concede at a 2-2 deadlock because he can Split Bomb for the game and I can't.
We only have 20 minutes or so for Game 2 because Game 1 took far too long. Me and Jordan both took turns that were far too long at times, but I basically knew as soon as he got both my Eggs to 60 that I had lost. Hindsight is 20-20, though. Neither of us get great setups in Game 2, either, but his is good enough, he gets off a T2 Mentor starting with a Pikachu because of Raichu's free retreat, and I can't find my DREs for the aggro game I need to play. I wouldn't have pulled it out either way, though. Not even my Cessation Crystals could save me in this one. ;p
4-3 (bleh)
Not extremely satisfied with the way I played. I might have had a better chance versus Jordan if I hadn't been an idiot, but he was and is the superior player. He goes on to win the whole thing versus Jon with Metanite in the finals. Mike P and Will F place 3rd/4th.
Props: :thumb:
- The Virginia PTO, Mr. T, for a smooth, problem-free tournament.
- Jav for judging.
- Sean for the comeback!! Thanks for driving us to BK. <3 "What does Metagross do?"
- Jordan for being an outstanding player and overall awesome guy.
- Dan, Ryan, and Devon for being Dan, Ryan and Devon.
- Tauros/Briney for being the play.
- My opponents for putting up with me.
- All the cool people/things that I forgot.
- The Walrein ex that I pulled in my 4 packss (rips it).
Slops: are for losers.
Ugh, I'm so exhausted. It's 2:15 in the morning. @_@ I'll do Maryland tomorrow.
The next day...
3/11 @ Rockville, MD
Mr. Conn drives us up, and we plug Dan's iPod into the car's stereo system and listen to some tunes. Good times. We get there with time to spare and I run around trying to find translations for my Japanese Banette exs and Medicham exs. In exchange for the Banettes I took from Devon, I gave him my Delta list. Unfortunately, he couldn't find Transceivers today, so he had to play Lanette's Net Search. And, of course, I forget to sub Voltorbs for Magnemites. Devon ends up going 4-2 on the day with our terrible, last-minute Delta list, though, so whatever. ;/
Luke and Mike make fun of me for a while for playing Bancham, since it's "not good anymore." Well, that turned out to be true. I fill out my weird, techy decklist and wait around for the first set of pairings to come up, hoping that I don't have to take another first round loss today. Well, guess what...
Round 1: Mike M [I think I got that right] (Flygon/ex/Gardevoir ex)
He starts strong with Holon's Castform versus my Holon's Magnemite start. I see like 2-3 energy the whole game, and even though Holon Legacy shuts down his powers, it doesn't matter, because I have nothing going for me. GG.
0-1
Lunch break at Wendys. We get there really late because I think somebody goes into Sudden Death in our little group, and the line is huge. Melody has already plopped down in a booth and is munching on a burger or something, and I decide that I don't want to have to wait, so I get out of line, sit down next to her and steal her fries. I get about 10 down before Ryan grabs them out of my hand. So I play some Diddy Kong Racing on the good ol' DS and a bunch of younguns gather round to watch. I'm so popular. =D I tell Devon to get a cup full of water for me since he's next in line, and Mr. T (playing today!) offers me his fries so I won't die of starvation. We hurry on back to Dream Wizards for the second set of pairings.
Round 2: Josh R (Metanite)
This guy is from the Carolinas, and a pretty good player. I start with a Lickitung, and he with Holon's Castform. Unfortunately for him, he benched Dratini and Beldum behind his Castform, so I stomp on the Beldum for 30 with Lickitung. He Mentors, filling his bench and Delta Drawing for 5. I Mentor and grab a Shuppet and 2 Meditite I think, lay Holon Legacy, then kill the Beldum. He Candies to a Metagross, Windstorms, Delta Controls, and DDs for 4. I attach, lay another Legacy, hit something for 30, a Dratini I think. Well, he goes nuts with Candies, Windstorms again =(, and KOs my Lickitung. So I can't Sky Uppercut, and he has 1 Metal on his Medicham. I Pure Power the bench, and he hits for 30 with Metagross. Next turn I realize that he can go for 90 and KO me. Smart play, especially since I can't KO the Metagross and leave him energy-less. From here on it just gets messy in my head, but I have a little trouble drawing energy, and he gets down to 2 prizes, while I still have 3-4 left to take. Eventually it just gets out of reach. Medicham didn't assist me as much as I would have hoped in the Metanite matchup. Josh got his revenge on me today for beating him out in the 8th seed spot in VA. =)
0-2
Blehhhhhh. Oh well, might as well play it out. I came to play the Pokemanz, I'm going to play the Pokemanz.
Round 3: Bye (Bye)
This was a tough one, but I manage to hit every boost pad on the final lap in Diddy Kong Racing DS. GG.
1-2
So the bye gives me a 6-0 for my resistance. I figure that I can probably make it if all my R4, 5 and 6 opponents do well (after I beat them, of course ;p). Although optimism seems foolish at 1-2, I made it yesterday, so we'll see how I end up.
Round 4: [name] (Mareep.dec)
He starts with a 40 HP Mareep d, I start with Lickitung. He goes first, hits for 10, no bench. I draw, attach Rainbow to Lickitung, Mentor for Jolt *, play it, and Delta Mind for the FTKO. After the match, [name] says "I finally find an opponent I can beat, and he kills me on turn one!" Hey, all I can say is, "YOU PLAY TO WIN THE GAME!"
2-2
Round 5: Cool guy (Blaziken/Nuzleaf/Cacturne/Zangoose?)
This guy's deck wasn't very well-constructed, but he was a great opponent. I 6-0 him pretty easily. GG, hope to see you at future events!
3-2
From the jaws of defeat...
Round 6: Aaron R (Flygon ex/Eeveelution exs)
This is the guy I lent my Latios ex d to before the tournament. He was 4-1, paired down against me, which can only help my resistance. So we shuffle up and I draw, and I start Lickitung. He starts a 40 HP delta basic (!), Trapinch, going first! So now I'm freaking out. He attaches and hits my Licki for 10, no bench! I draw, attach the psychic energy, Mentor for the Jolt *... I'm going through my deck, praying that Jolt is in there, and it IS! THE LAST CARD! I get the FTKO again, and he's just sitting there, speechless. I felt pretty bad about it afterwards, and said GG and that I hoped to see him at future events.
4-2 (MIRACLES)
Devon and I get our decks in order, even though we both know that we didn't make it. Dan gets in at 5-1 against a terrible matchup, Metalix, played by Michael R. Mike got a terrible Voltorb start and Dan just steamrolled him. =( So we hang around waiting for the Top 8 to be announced, and I eventually just wander off because I know there's not a chance in...
"Hey Spencer, it's you and me," comes a voice from across the room. I look and it's Luke, the only X-0 at the tournament. Which means...
I made it in at 8th seed AGAIN. I'm such a lucksacking FIEND! Bad beat for Michael, who came in 9th, less than a single % point underneath me. Sorry bro, knock 'em dead at Regionals! =) So the eight of us turn in our decks, and more waiting ensues. Jordan shows up to check on his little brother and sister, who both made the Top 8 in the Senior division, which was eventually won by the biggest 14-year-old I've ever seen (6'2"?! ridiculous!), SuicidalPikachu. His report is on here somewhere.
On to the match...
Top 8: Luke R (Mewtric/Eeveelutions)
First game I get a Lickitung start, he opens with Mew ex. So he attaches lightning and copies Lap Up to draw 2. I do the same. He Laps Up again, so do I. Eventually I find a Mentor, and stupidly grab only 1 Shuppet (misplay of the century =/), which he, of course, Umbreon gusts + OHKOs. From this point on I just struggle around randomly, losing basics to whatever attack he decides to copy on the field. Safeguard Banette is prized this game, and even if it weren't, Vaporeon ex would run through it. I scoop very early, realizing that I can do nothing to come back, and we have 45 minutes for the next game (or two, as the case may have been).
Game 2, I can't remember who I start. All I remember is Luke just completely outplaying me. I don't think I made any giant mistakes this game, but his deck just ran like clockwork. I build a couple Banettes, but they're both taken down handily by Umbreon locks. Eventually I am forced to put up Medicham ex for a turn to stall, or else he'll take his last prize, but he uses Mew to copy Umbreon's Black Cry and lock me in place for a turn, then follows it up with Disconnect for the win.
I bow out of the playoffs early to the superior player again. Luke gets stuck against Mike P's Politoed/Fossils in the Top 4 (Fossils > Disconnect lock?!) somehow. Dan beats my first round opponent in Top 8, but loses to the eventual winner, Chris K with Flariados, in Top 4. Hoping for the Origins Badge trickle-down since Mike already had his, Dan faces Luke in the consolation match, but loses in a close Game 3.
So while all this is happening, me and Jordan sit around and discuss a variety of topics, most of which involved the Pokemon TCG in some way (gee, Beav). Dan, Devon, and Ryan's padre brings some cheesy-crust pizza and we pig out while Dan finishes his 3rd/4th match. Ryan nabs a couple Rayquaza ex d in trades, and Devon and I try to explain how Pokemon works to him but he's just too uninterested/unintelligent to care about/grasp what we were saying. =D Just kidding, Mr. Conn is the coolest.
Eventually we head home, and Dan decides that we should listen to "How Could This Happen To Me?" turned up way too far, as it was a fitting song after what happened over the past two days.
Emo music can't be defeated! I decide 8-6 over two weekends is pretty darn bad (the worst record you can possibly have in making the cut twice), and that I can't win legit games. But oh well. Hopefully I'll do better at Regionals. Optimism for the W?
Props:
- Laurel and Dream Wizards for hosting.
- 100+ attendance.
- Dan for making the Top 4.
- Flariados guy that nobody knew for playing Shuckle in a tournament-winning deck.
- Giant 14-year-old for winning with Mercury (somehow). 19-0 at premiere events - can't shake a stick at that.
- Mr. T for WILLINGLY giving me, the poor man, some fries.
- Melody for not killing me after I STOLE hers.
- Diddy Kong Racing.
- Lickitung.
- Jolteon *.
- Lickitung and Jolteon *.
- All the cool people I forgot.
Slops:
- Jon for going to Delaware. BOOOOO. =/
See you all at Regionals.
The Truth IS Out There...
3/10 @ Woodbridge, VA
So my dad drives the four of us up there, and we meet up with cool people and fill out our decklists. The registration line is huge, so Devon freaks trying to get people to loan him Transceivers. He finally does and we register and get deckchecked with time to spare. Dan plays Metanite, Devon plays Banette, Ryan gets Leftovers.dec (Meganium/Arcanine). I go with Delta, which I had never played before in my life.
Round 1: Brian L (Banette/Houndoom)
He starts very slow with Houndour, poisoning my Castform. I get the Mentor, playing the second Transceiver to get Mentor back right away in case he T2s Houndoom. He does, but I Mentor for Tauros and hold it in hand (this game is much easier to play since Admin got rotated ;p). I struggle to do much, he really messes with me, getting good ER2 and Tight Jaw flips. My Castform somehow finds its way to the bench with 40 HP, which would be big later. I struggle to do much of anything, waiting for the kill, but he's careful not to make the first move with the knowledge that Tauros is in hand. His Scientist is prized, but eventually he kills something with Banette, and I Tauros/Scramble/Thunder for 90 and 2 prizes. He plays the Scientist for big, fifteen or something, and Shady Moves, killing the Castform and knocking Raichu. I can't respond with another Tauros immediately, so I hide behind something (Castform?) for a turn because my hand isn't really great. He kills that, I nab the Briney for Tauros and Scramble again to make it 2-2. He kills Raichu with a Houndoom, and has a Banette waiting on the bench, and a third Beach in play, sealing the game. Outplayed.
0-1
Lunch break. Sean (comeback tour!!!) is a poor college student who can't afford to go anywhere awesome for Spring Break, so he's at a Pocket Monsters tournament. He takes the four of us in his tiny little car with zero leg room to Burger King, where I ask for cheese on my Angus Burger and don't get any. Next time I'll definitely order en español. We head back with plenty of time for the second round.
Round 2: Max P (Vibrava/Raichu/Zangoose)
He gets a quick Raichu d but notices that I'm not packing any powers or bodies. I sweep up with an Eggs and a Raichu finishes the Vibrava. Not an amazing game, but I love the mohawk.
1-1
Round 3: Jon A (Metanite)
He gets like all the Stage 2s in his deck out on the field by Turn 3. I have an average setup, but I can't draw into Scramble or Cessation Crystals behind my Castform. My Cursed Stones were put to rest by Windstorms promptly every turn. I spread lots of damage but it amounts to next to nothing in the end, as he simply overpowers me with a superior start. GG.
1-2
So now I'm all emo and whiny because I don't think I'm going to make the cut. Well, I'm emo, anyway. Mike and I get into a discussion about what it truly means to be emo, and he manages to convince me that I'm not really emo, either, which means I'm really not anything at all. ="(
I probably ten-stack five times or something because I need to go 3-0 to make it, and even then my odds aren't good. I expect myself to make the playoffs, but one bad start can do you in. Luke and Ryan are both 1-2, though, so I might be in for a rough match. Pairings go up...
Round 4: Alex S (Camerupt ex/Magcargo/Delcatty/ex)
He gets set up behind a Numel, Collecting slowly, while I get Castform/Mentor again (donks it). He kills my Castform with Camerupt ex, putting loads of energy in the discard, so I put up an Eggs and Scramble, hitting Camerupt for 30 and Magcargo for 30. He kills that, and I Scramble the Camerupt for 90 and the KO. He KOs Raichu with Delcatty ex with damage to spare, but I just DRE Eggs and count my Delta Pokemon, Mentor, and find a couple delta basics. After that I power up an Eggs manually and Split Bomb for my last 2 with the help of Cursed Stone. GG.
2-2
Round 5: [name] (Feraligatr/Nidoqueen/Meganium)
Ugh, Meganium is a nightmare for Delta. Thankfully, she doesn't play any Windstorms or gyms. Whoops. I get a bad start and her Brineys are annoying, but I pull it out because Cessation Crystal is amazing when your opponent can't do anything about it.
3-2
Can he do it?!
Round 6: Dan C (Metanite)
Great, I have to play a friend in the deciding round. Well, we both set up behind Castform, but I get Cessation Crystals and Cursed Stones out the wazoo in my opening Delta Draw. He burns his four Windstorms very quickly, and takes a couple prizes in the process, but after that I spread damage while he's under the Cess + Cursed Stone lock. I take two prizes in one turn to tie it up, and time is called on his turn. He can't do anything, so I Split Bomb again for the game. Not as simple as it sounded, but the Cess lock is just brutal.
4-2
So we wait around forever for the Top 8, and I get my deck in order just in case. So does Devon, who was also 4-2 with Banette. Dan wins the door prize, a Pink DS Lite with Pokemon Ranger game. He told me he would sell it on eBay for 100 and save up for the trip to Nats, but he's never going to get around to that. ;/
So they announce the Top 8, and I make it in as the 8th seed. My opponent's win % is just barely a point about the ninth place player Josh's. He would get his revenge on me the next day, though.
Since I'm in at 8th seed, I play the X-0, Jordan H. He's playing a really nice Delta list. And having never played Delta before, much less the mirror, I'm in for a rough time.
Top 8: Jordan H (Delta)
I start with Holon's Magnemite, him with Eggs. He goes first for 10, I Mentor and fill my bench but do nothing. He draws and uses Rollout again. I Mentor again and start Delta Drawing for big. He topdecks the Mentor, so he's a turn behind in setup, but we're both Delta Drawing. He discards his [tech] for Holon Adventurer, which takes me by surprise. =D He's setting up, but he's not getting much. I think I sense weakness, and I foolishly decide to Split Bomb with Eggs, killing Castform and hitting something else for 30. Well, now I've done it. He goes nuts and starts Split Bombing me for all he's worth, staying behind but not too far behind the whole time. Obviously what I thought was a bad hand was just a playable one in disguise (in other words, I got outclassed). I concede at a 2-2 deadlock because he can Split Bomb for the game and I can't.
We only have 20 minutes or so for Game 2 because Game 1 took far too long. Me and Jordan both took turns that were far too long at times, but I basically knew as soon as he got both my Eggs to 60 that I had lost. Hindsight is 20-20, though. Neither of us get great setups in Game 2, either, but his is good enough, he gets off a T2 Mentor starting with a Pikachu because of Raichu's free retreat, and I can't find my DREs for the aggro game I need to play. I wouldn't have pulled it out either way, though. Not even my Cessation Crystals could save me in this one. ;p
4-3 (bleh)
Not extremely satisfied with the way I played. I might have had a better chance versus Jordan if I hadn't been an idiot, but he was and is the superior player. He goes on to win the whole thing versus Jon with Metanite in the finals. Mike P and Will F place 3rd/4th.
Props: :thumb:
- The Virginia PTO, Mr. T, for a smooth, problem-free tournament.
- Jav for judging.
- Sean for the comeback!! Thanks for driving us to BK. <3 "What does Metagross do?"
- Jordan for being an outstanding player and overall awesome guy.
- Dan, Ryan, and Devon for being Dan, Ryan and Devon.
- Tauros/Briney for being the play.
- My opponents for putting up with me.
- All the cool people/things that I forgot.
- The Walrein ex that I pulled in my 4 packss (rips it).
Slops: are for losers.
Ugh, I'm so exhausted. It's 2:15 in the morning. @_@ I'll do Maryland tomorrow.
The next day...
3/11 @ Rockville, MD
Mr. Conn drives us up, and we plug Dan's iPod into the car's stereo system and listen to some tunes. Good times. We get there with time to spare and I run around trying to find translations for my Japanese Banette exs and Medicham exs. In exchange for the Banettes I took from Devon, I gave him my Delta list. Unfortunately, he couldn't find Transceivers today, so he had to play Lanette's Net Search. And, of course, I forget to sub Voltorbs for Magnemites. Devon ends up going 4-2 on the day with our terrible, last-minute Delta list, though, so whatever. ;/
Luke and Mike make fun of me for a while for playing Bancham, since it's "not good anymore." Well, that turned out to be true. I fill out my weird, techy decklist and wait around for the first set of pairings to come up, hoping that I don't have to take another first round loss today. Well, guess what...
Round 1: Mike M [I think I got that right] (Flygon/ex/Gardevoir ex)
He starts strong with Holon's Castform versus my Holon's Magnemite start. I see like 2-3 energy the whole game, and even though Holon Legacy shuts down his powers, it doesn't matter, because I have nothing going for me. GG.
0-1
Lunch break at Wendys. We get there really late because I think somebody goes into Sudden Death in our little group, and the line is huge. Melody has already plopped down in a booth and is munching on a burger or something, and I decide that I don't want to have to wait, so I get out of line, sit down next to her and steal her fries. I get about 10 down before Ryan grabs them out of my hand. So I play some Diddy Kong Racing on the good ol' DS and a bunch of younguns gather round to watch. I'm so popular. =D I tell Devon to get a cup full of water for me since he's next in line, and Mr. T (playing today!) offers me his fries so I won't die of starvation. We hurry on back to Dream Wizards for the second set of pairings.
Round 2: Josh R (Metanite)
This guy is from the Carolinas, and a pretty good player. I start with a Lickitung, and he with Holon's Castform. Unfortunately for him, he benched Dratini and Beldum behind his Castform, so I stomp on the Beldum for 30 with Lickitung. He Mentors, filling his bench and Delta Drawing for 5. I Mentor and grab a Shuppet and 2 Meditite I think, lay Holon Legacy, then kill the Beldum. He Candies to a Metagross, Windstorms, Delta Controls, and DDs for 4. I attach, lay another Legacy, hit something for 30, a Dratini I think. Well, he goes nuts with Candies, Windstorms again =(, and KOs my Lickitung. So I can't Sky Uppercut, and he has 1 Metal on his Medicham. I Pure Power the bench, and he hits for 30 with Metagross. Next turn I realize that he can go for 90 and KO me. Smart play, especially since I can't KO the Metagross and leave him energy-less. From here on it just gets messy in my head, but I have a little trouble drawing energy, and he gets down to 2 prizes, while I still have 3-4 left to take. Eventually it just gets out of reach. Medicham didn't assist me as much as I would have hoped in the Metanite matchup. Josh got his revenge on me today for beating him out in the 8th seed spot in VA. =)
0-2
Blehhhhhh. Oh well, might as well play it out. I came to play the Pokemanz, I'm going to play the Pokemanz.
Round 3: Bye (Bye)
This was a tough one, but I manage to hit every boost pad on the final lap in Diddy Kong Racing DS. GG.
1-2
So the bye gives me a 6-0 for my resistance. I figure that I can probably make it if all my R4, 5 and 6 opponents do well (after I beat them, of course ;p). Although optimism seems foolish at 1-2, I made it yesterday, so we'll see how I end up.
Round 4: [name] (Mareep.dec)
He starts with a 40 HP Mareep d, I start with Lickitung. He goes first, hits for 10, no bench. I draw, attach Rainbow to Lickitung, Mentor for Jolt *, play it, and Delta Mind for the FTKO. After the match, [name] says "I finally find an opponent I can beat, and he kills me on turn one!" Hey, all I can say is, "YOU PLAY TO WIN THE GAME!"
2-2
Round 5: Cool guy (Blaziken/Nuzleaf/Cacturne/Zangoose?)
This guy's deck wasn't very well-constructed, but he was a great opponent. I 6-0 him pretty easily. GG, hope to see you at future events!
3-2
From the jaws of defeat...
Round 6: Aaron R (Flygon ex/Eeveelution exs)
This is the guy I lent my Latios ex d to before the tournament. He was 4-1, paired down against me, which can only help my resistance. So we shuffle up and I draw, and I start Lickitung. He starts a 40 HP delta basic (!), Trapinch, going first! So now I'm freaking out. He attaches and hits my Licki for 10, no bench! I draw, attach the psychic energy, Mentor for the Jolt *... I'm going through my deck, praying that Jolt is in there, and it IS! THE LAST CARD! I get the FTKO again, and he's just sitting there, speechless. I felt pretty bad about it afterwards, and said GG and that I hoped to see him at future events.
4-2 (MIRACLES)
Devon and I get our decks in order, even though we both know that we didn't make it. Dan gets in at 5-1 against a terrible matchup, Metalix, played by Michael R. Mike got a terrible Voltorb start and Dan just steamrolled him. =( So we hang around waiting for the Top 8 to be announced, and I eventually just wander off because I know there's not a chance in...
"Hey Spencer, it's you and me," comes a voice from across the room. I look and it's Luke, the only X-0 at the tournament. Which means...
I made it in at 8th seed AGAIN. I'm such a lucksacking FIEND! Bad beat for Michael, who came in 9th, less than a single % point underneath me. Sorry bro, knock 'em dead at Regionals! =) So the eight of us turn in our decks, and more waiting ensues. Jordan shows up to check on his little brother and sister, who both made the Top 8 in the Senior division, which was eventually won by the biggest 14-year-old I've ever seen (6'2"?! ridiculous!), SuicidalPikachu. His report is on here somewhere.
On to the match...
Top 8: Luke R (Mewtric/Eeveelutions)
First game I get a Lickitung start, he opens with Mew ex. So he attaches lightning and copies Lap Up to draw 2. I do the same. He Laps Up again, so do I. Eventually I find a Mentor, and stupidly grab only 1 Shuppet (misplay of the century =/), which he, of course, Umbreon gusts + OHKOs. From this point on I just struggle around randomly, losing basics to whatever attack he decides to copy on the field. Safeguard Banette is prized this game, and even if it weren't, Vaporeon ex would run through it. I scoop very early, realizing that I can do nothing to come back, and we have 45 minutes for the next game (or two, as the case may have been).
Game 2, I can't remember who I start. All I remember is Luke just completely outplaying me. I don't think I made any giant mistakes this game, but his deck just ran like clockwork. I build a couple Banettes, but they're both taken down handily by Umbreon locks. Eventually I am forced to put up Medicham ex for a turn to stall, or else he'll take his last prize, but he uses Mew to copy Umbreon's Black Cry and lock me in place for a turn, then follows it up with Disconnect for the win.
I bow out of the playoffs early to the superior player again. Luke gets stuck against Mike P's Politoed/Fossils in the Top 4 (Fossils > Disconnect lock?!) somehow. Dan beats my first round opponent in Top 8, but loses to the eventual winner, Chris K with Flariados, in Top 4. Hoping for the Origins Badge trickle-down since Mike already had his, Dan faces Luke in the consolation match, but loses in a close Game 3.
So while all this is happening, me and Jordan sit around and discuss a variety of topics, most of which involved the Pokemon TCG in some way (gee, Beav). Dan, Devon, and Ryan's padre brings some cheesy-crust pizza and we pig out while Dan finishes his 3rd/4th match. Ryan nabs a couple Rayquaza ex d in trades, and Devon and I try to explain how Pokemon works to him but he's just too uninterested/unintelligent to care about/grasp what we were saying. =D Just kidding, Mr. Conn is the coolest.
Eventually we head home, and Dan decides that we should listen to "How Could This Happen To Me?" turned up way too far, as it was a fitting song after what happened over the past two days.
Emo music can't be defeated! I decide 8-6 over two weekends is pretty darn bad (the worst record you can possibly have in making the cut twice), and that I can't win legit games. But oh well. Hopefully I'll do better at Regionals. Optimism for the W?Props:
- Laurel and Dream Wizards for hosting.
- 100+ attendance.
- Dan for making the Top 4.
- Flariados guy that nobody knew for playing Shuckle in a tournament-winning deck.
- Giant 14-year-old for winning with Mercury (somehow). 19-0 at premiere events - can't shake a stick at that.
- Mr. T for WILLINGLY giving me, the poor man, some fries.
- Melody for not killing me after I STOLE hers.
- Diddy Kong Racing.
- Lickitung.
- Jolteon *.
- Lickitung and Jolteon *.
- All the cool people I forgot.
Slops:
- Jon for going to Delaware. BOOOOO. =/
See you all at Regionals.
The Truth IS Out There...
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