Pokémon TCG: Sword and Shield—Brilliant Stars

"I Play Theme Decks" v.2 - ROUND 1 is UP! (see other thread)

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Wednesday which means that it starts today. I have to say though, I'm going on vacation from tomorrow to monday. I should have some small computer access at the hotel.
 
Hello, everyone following this. You'll never guess what happened to me, last Saturday: my own "I Play Theme Decks"! Besides taking care of handing out the League stamp cards, doing stamps, and promo cards, a father-son combo new to the game (Round 4 anyone?) and new to the League came to the shop. Our League Leader was busy with some things of her own, and asked me to help out with deck improvements after she was done with a game with the son. Of course, I agreed.

I had one of each deck from Undaunted, as well as the boosters that came with them, to work with. The son ran Nightfall, and the father Daybreak. The changes that ended up being made, I don't remember exactly, but I do remember adding 1 Skarmory and 1 Metagross from the boosters, and two Special Dark and Special Metal Energy. The last four from my own binder, they offered a trade for them, but I declined; I had plenty, and said it would be better for them to keep their cards, for trades with others.

I worked to explain how different cards with the same name counted as the 4-per-deck limit (regarding the two different Houndour they had), the effects and limitations of Special Energy cards, the benefits of certain Supporters (name-dropping the basic staples), and, with what time remained, introduced Vileplume to the father. Some time was spent on explaining consistency (more copies of a card to make it easier to find), some other Supporters in Undaunted (as per their question, being sure to mention Flower Shop Lady for recovery), and a few other details.

It's always a pleasure to help, and I'm glad to have had some additional experience with the contest to aid me.
 
MegaVelocibot said:
Hello, everyone following this. You'll never guess what happened to me, last Saturday: my own "I Play Theme Decks"! Besides taking care of handing out the League stamp cards, doing stamps, and promo cards, a father-son combo new to the game (Round 4 anyone?) and new to the League came to the shop. Our League Leader was busy with some things of her own, and asked me to help out with deck improvements after she was done with a game with the son. Of course, I agreed.

I had one of each deck from Undaunted, as well as the boosters that came with them, to work with. The son ran Nightfall, and the father Daybreak. The changes that ended up being made, I don't remember exactly, but I do remember adding 1 Skarmory and 1 Metagross from the boosters, and two Special Dark and Special Metal Energy. The last four from my own binder, they offered a trade for them, but I declined; I had plenty, and said it would be better for them to keep their cards, for trades with others.

I worked to explain how different cards with the same name counted as the 4-per-deck limit (regarding the two different Houndour they had), the effects and limitations of Special Energy cards, the benefits of certain Supporters (name-dropping the basic staples), and, with what time remained, introduced Vileplume to the father. Some time was spent on explaining consistency (more copies of a card to make it easier to find), some other Supporters in Undaunted (as per their question, being sure to mention Flower Shop Lady for recovery), and a few other details.

It's always a pleasure to help, and I'm glad to have had some additional experience with the contest to aid me.
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THESE THINGS REALLY DO HAPPEN!

First of all, it was so awesome for you to give all of that time and attention to the new family like that.

I started this contest because i noticed new people at leagues just showing up and having to fend for themselves. It's sad to see a convert (from Magic or Yugioh) who has all of the potential in the world but absolutely no guideance as to what the staples or popular combos are. It's sad to see a father-son team come to league and play EACH OTHER and leave because they get the vibe that they're just not good enough to play anybody else :nonono:

It's sad to see a little junior SO EXCITED about his/her theme deck and whiffing on setting up the 'big pokemon' every single game because the other kids are setting up T4 or so with heavier supporter/trainer use.

Most importantly, it's sad to see new players get pushed into "tournament mode" where they can't enjoy the randomness of PokeBall, MooMoo milk, or Professor Oaks Visit.

My daughter has like.. a personal relationship with POV. She just LOVES how it can draw in cards without getting rid of her hand; it just makes sense to her to add more and not sacrifice the hand. As a tournament player, she rarely gets to use the card. She also LOVES potion. Autoheal for 2 here and there is just good for her, she really doesn't mind it. HOWEVER, the card does her no good in tournament, so she can't enjoy that card either.

Just let those new players play. Allow them time to enjoy the game as intended; randomness and foolishness is the fun side of pokemon. That Giratina that does 80 ONLY if you flip heads - that Big Poke that flips to keep it's energy, that Life Herb flip that could make or break the game... new people enjoy that and they get smiles and laughs.

I'm so happy that you've decided to ride this contest out. It has heart and I think that your personality is compatible with the message of this event.

My wife wants me to figure out a way to make this an insane SIDE-EVENT at NATS. I don't know how the heck I'd do that, but it'd certainly be interesting.
 
Rogue Archetype said:
THESE THINGS REALLY DO HAPPEN!

First of all, it was so awesome for you to give all of that time and attention to the new family like that.

I started this contest because i noticed new people at leagues just showing up and having to fend for themselves. It's sad to see a convert (from Magic or Yugioh) who has all of the potential in the world but absolutely no guideance as to what the staples or popular combos are. It's sad to see a father-son team come to league and play EACH OTHER and leave because they get the vibe that they're just not good enough to play anybody else :nonono:

It's sad to see a little junior SO EXCITED about his/her theme deck and whiffing on setting up the 'big pokemon' every single game because the other kids are setting up T4 or so with heavier supporter/trainer use.

Most importantly, it's sad to see new players get pushed into "tournament mode" where they can't enjoy the randomness of PokeBall, MooMoo milk, or Professor Oaks Visit.

My daughter has like.. a personal relationship with POV. She just LOVES how it can draw in cards without getting rid of her hand; it just makes sense to her to add more and not sacrifice the hand. As a tournament player, she rarely gets to use the card. She also LOVES potion. Autoheal for 2 here and there is just good for her, she really doesn't mind it. HOWEVER, the card does her no good in tournament, so she can't enjoy that card either.

Just let those new players play. Allow them time to enjoy the game as intended; randomness and foolishness is the fun side of pokemon. That Giratina that does 80 ONLY if you flip heads - that Big Poke that flips to keep it's energy, that Life Herb flip that could make or break the game... new people enjoy that and they get smiles and laughs.

I'm so happy that you've decided to ride this contest out. It has heart and I think that your personality is compatible with the message of this event.

My wife wants me to figure out a way to make this an insane SIDE-EVENT at NATS. I don't know how the heck I'd do that, but it'd certainly be interesting.
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Ah, it's a pleasure to help out at the League I go to. I was the one in my group of friends that explained there were actually battles to be done with decks, and how attacks took Energy to use, back when Base Set came out.

I've seen such instances of "show up, play each other, then never come back". I explained how some cards that would be very useful (Bebe's Search!) could be obtained by playing multiple games, and how losing a game, even if it isn't fun, is a learning experience. Though part of the game is skill, knowing that certain cards exist (and how to obtain them cheaply) play roles in deck-creation.

I keep a fun deck on me, when I'm at league: Skarmory FB (league promo!), Miasma Valley, Metagross SV, and Nidoqueen RR. It has, amusingly, left a few people befuddled as their Pokemon come into play and are immediately Knocked Out. The deck does help players think outside the box, about how important Stadium cards are, getting around effects of attacks (Great Ball, for example, bypasses the damage counter effects!), and how to deal with Poke-Bodies. Of course, I also keep an HS Trainer Kit on me, in case I need to teach, or need a "weak" deck to go against a theme deck.

Randomness is fun. I ran 4 Life Herbs in the past, before OHKOs became such a common thing in decks. I ran Level-Max instead of Premier Ball, just to not have to send a Benched Giratina up to Level-Up. There's an innocence before deck-optimization, of playing the game with what limited cards you have, to see if you can pull off a win. Seeing those players do so, the joy on their faces... it's something to cherish. Still, I know many (if not all) players like to succeed, and I like to help provide the tools and knowledge to do so, if sought after. Sometimes, I even see a combination of cards that surprises me, that I can't help but end up testing myself, after League, to see if I can improve upon it, and get back to that player with suggestions.

It's been a pleasure to be a part of this contest. Fingers crossed that I manage to survive the storm of the next round.
 
MegaVelocibot said:
Hello, everyone following this. You'll never guess what happened to me, last Saturday: my own "I Play Theme Decks"! Besides taking care of handing out the League stamp cards, doing stamps, and promo cards, a father-son combo new to the game...
Click to expand...

Ha! That's my story! I came in with my son and I knew nothing. But the guys there were SO nice and helpful with my son we decided to come back. The next week, they took our pile of random cards and spent HOURS making me a SWEET deck that really came from 3 or 4 guys just pulling cards from their binders to give to me.

INSTANT FAN! Just got me two Daybreak theme decks now and trying to figure out how to put them together. I totally appreciate the time you guys give us nerds...uh...I mean, Pokedads. :biggrin:
 
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