I'm in Seniors, fyi.
PICTURES AT THE BOTTOM WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
I'm gonna start from the beginning of the week:
Monday -
My Dad and I arrive at Kona around 2 PM (not staying at Hilton). Later that night we went down to a bay and took pictures of sea turtles.
Tuesday -
We wake up at 4 AM and head to a pier on the other side of the airport. We spend 4 or 5 hours fishing for marlin. None of the six people aboard the boat caught anything. We saw dolphins and a whale, though. I go to the Hilton later and hang out with Bergerac and some other people. I met the Singapore Nats' Master runner-up and he's pretty cool. He ends up top 32'ing. Good Job!
Wednesday -
Can't really remember what I did. I think I slept in and later met up with Zach Mirman and his family. I went for sushi with them and realized I hate fish. After dinner, Zach, his brother Joshua and I go to playtest. We see Diaz, Krekeler and some others and say hi. They open the side event room later and that's where we head. I playtested a lot that night and learned that my deck hates me. I meet Greg and play his amazing Flygon/Dustox rogue.
Thursday -
FINALLY my friend Amelia and some other Washington people show up weeee. I pretty much hang with Amelia up 'til 7 PM when we meet up with Kevin and Zach's family. We walk about 20 mins to my place and my Dad grills some burgers. We test a little more before everyone leaves. Cohen forgot about it and never showed up. That loser.
Friday -
I spend the whole day with Amelia pretty much lol. I had ordered each of us a custom t-shirt with a picture of Abomasnow and Cacturne. Above them, it says "... I hate this game." She and I decorate mine, since we left hers in her hotel room ftl. The back of it says "Go Amelia" in Unown letters. Anyways, we test a lot and put together Flygon/Dustox. It does pretty well in testing, but I'm still weary to play it. She ends up deciding to use it, and David decides to use Jumpluff - even though he went 5-4 at Nats with it.
TOURNAMENT: DAY 2
Sorry if I get these games confused. My brain is like fried lol.
Round 1: Me vs Damien H. (USA)
Unfortunately, he was one of the people I had played against in the side event room. Because of this, I knew his deck pretty well. Anyway, he starts with a Crobat G IIRC. I open Spiritomb, Gastly and Baltoy. I go first, attach to Gastly and then DGrace to Claydol. He does some stuff and ends up getting a Luxray and Garchomp Benched. My turn comes around and I evolve into Haunter, attach to it, and instead of DGracing to Cursegar (prized!), I DGrace into Manectric. Pretty sure he is able to Bright Look Haunter and Trash Bolt + Flash Bite for the KO. Somehow I'm able to set up a Cursegar and here comes probably my best play of the day: He has just Cyrus'd for a Power Spray and I have no Tomb active. I have 5 cards in my hand. I Bebe's Search for Gengar LV.X and announce "Level Down". He sprays it. I then proceed to play the 3 cards in my hand - Duskull, Rare Candy, Dusknoir. I announce "Dark Palm" and hope for no spray. He doesn't have it. Yes! I Dark Palm his benched Luxray GL LV.X that has two Energy and a Gain. I then do 60 to his Garchomp C LV.X and switch to Spiritomb. Next turn I get an E-Belt. I curse 10 to his Garchomp C LV.X (now benched) and Level Down it. I then Shadow Skip for a double KO. Later one it's 1-1 on prizes. If he topdecks a Lux X or Garchomp C X he wins. He whiffs. Dark Palm saved me this game! GG!
Round 2: Me vs. Seiya T. (JPN)
He opens with an Uxie, I with a Spiritomb and Call. I go first and get a Gastly/Baltoy. He plays PONT, plays down a Regirock (playing Donphan, I assume) and then does Psychic Restore knocking my tomb to 20. A few turns later and it's 6-2 prizes, him taking 4. However, I let him take each prize. I then proceed to Shadow Skip and switch to my two Gengar SF and my Dusknoir. For my last two prizes this game, I Warp Point him and KO his Entei / Raikou LEGEND with Shadow Skip and previous Curse damage etc. GG!
Round 3: Me vs. Karri M. (FIN)
I open Baltoy and he Garchomp C. I draw a Shiny Duskull and play it. He then proceeds to DCE + E-Gain + Cyrus for stuff to KO my Baltoy. Shortly after, I lose. GG!
Round 4: Me vs. Jason A. (USA)
He's playing Cursegar too! However, he has Nidoqueen, which can be a serious problem. I'm able to get the first Shadow Room on his Gengar SF and KO it pretty quickly. He then brings up a Queen which I am able to Shadow Skip + Curse + E-Belt KO. It goes downhill for him fast. I later find out he took out his Unown G. Without G, I was free to KO his SF Gar and Claydol etc. GG!
Round 5: Me vs. Toya N. (JPN)
Dang these Japanese players! They're too cute! This game goes much like my R2 match. Manectric stopped his ERL and Cursegar switching to Gengar SF was too much for his deck. At one point in the game, I need a Stark Mountain translation and he needs a Manectric translation, so we both end up waiting for the godbook or something. Anyways, I win with him having 2-3 prizes left. GG!
Round 6: Me vs. Ty Wheeler (US)
Last season, I came up to Ohio States and beat Ty in the finals. I guess this is his revenge. I open Electrike and attach Psychic. He goes... Uxie start. Plays Communication for Crobat G, Flash Bites, then Poke Turns and Flash Bites again. He then plays Cyrus's Conspiracy for a SP Radar and an Energy. He attached, plays SP Radar for Crobat and Flash Bites again. Now he uses Psychic Restore. Yay, donked! GG, nonetheless!
After he wins we get called for deck checks and wait patiently. We see Takuto is playing vs. a girl who we think is his girlfriend. Anyway, I get my deck back and go check how my friends are doing.
Round 7: Me vs. Aylam R. (US)
Oh come on. Neither of us wanted to play vs each other, and especially when it would decide to makes top cut. However, we have to, so whatever. He gets a quick Gyara up as I set up a Cursegar and some Gengar SF. I get up Dusknoir pretty early, however I decide not to Dark Palm right away. I didn't want him to be able to play down another Gyarados. This way, after I KO'd his active GDos, he'd have a 3 bench, not including a Gyarados. Anyway, I don't really remember how exactly this game went. I know at one point it's 3-2 (him taking 4) in prizes. He E-Belt's his GDos and KOs my active Gengar SF. As usual, I flip tails on Fainting Spell. I do 80 to his E-Belt'd GDos, after setting up another Gengar SF and E-Belting both it and my Dusknoir. I switch to the Dusknoir, as I had a Warp Point, Moonlight Stadium and Warp Energy in my hand. I can't remember how exactly this happened, but I'm pretty sure he Rescues a Karp and BTS's to Gyarados. At this point, I see I have a small chance to win. He attacks with the non-belted GDos. I Warp Point and D-Palm the non-belted GDos I think. I then Shadow Skip his active Uxie and keep my Cursegar with 130 HP active. I know if he can discard a Magikarp and attach to PlusPower, he wins. Turns out he can't, and I Shadow Skip his GDos for game. Sorry for knocking you out, Aylam. Good luck next year and REALLY GG!
I find out I make top 16, coming in 9th place. I go with Amelia to see The Other Guys. Funny movie. I go to sleep as soon as I get home lol. So tired.
TOURNAMENT: DAY 3
Top 16: Me vs. Öjvind S. (FIN)
I find out a few minutes before we play that he's using Donphan. I know I'm in for a tough match for sure now. I know if it comes down to a game 3 and time is called, I'll most likely be down in prizes, so I've gotta play quickly. Anyway, onto the games.
Game 1: Well this starts out great. I grab a die and ask him "heads/tails?" He then makes me wait as he gets his own die and asks me "heads/tails?" I clearly announce "heads" and he roles. He roles a 5 and then tells me that I go first. I tell him I called heads and he tells me that he heard tails. He calls a judge and ends up rolling again. This time I pretty much shout "heads" and he roles a 4. Great. He opens Relicanth and I with Spiritomb and Call. I Call for Baltoy/Gastly and he uses Judge. I get a good hand off of the Judge and proceed to get up a quick Cursegar. He takes 3-4 quick prizes, though, and I know I gotta work hard to win. I'm able to Dark Palm his Claydol and KO a Donphan the same turn which really hurt him. I end up winning, but barely. GG.
Game 2: I honestly cannot remember this game. I know that I prized both Baltoy and had to get a quick Azelf. I remember not being able to draw into a Manectric or Bebe's Search for a while, and he's able to KO my Electrike. This ends up hurting me later on. Later in the game it's 2-1 (him taking 5) on prizes, and I have whiff'd three straight turns on a Rare Candy for my Duskull/Dusknoir. He plays down an Entei / Raikou LEGEND and attaches. He has no way to retreat his Donphan, so he he just does Earthquake. I KO the Donphan and then he brings up Entei / Raikou LEGEND and uses Thunder Fall. It sends us to Sudden Death to decide the winner of game 2. Apparently he didn't understand Sudden Death or something, so we got a 7 minute time extension as the translator/judges explained to him etc. The translator told him several times, however, that we got the 7 minute time extension. Anyways, onto Sudden Death.
Game 2: Sudden Death: I honestly have no clue what I was trying to do. He goes first and opens with Ditto. All I know is his Relicanth takes him a prize next turn, thanks to my stupid trying to think ahead skills. GG.
Game 3: I know there's not much time, so I shuffle as quickly as I can. I'm able to get a quick Gengar SF up and Shadow Room his Uxie twice. There's my first prize. He gets up a Claydol and plays down some more Uxie. He does EQuake and his Benched Dol takes 10. I level up my Gengar and Shadow Room the Dol. Time is called (in English) during his turn, and we continue playing (7 minute extension, remember?). He takes a long turn now. He knows if he does EQuake it kills his Dol, so for some reason he E-Belts his Dol and does a Warp Point. I bring up Uxie and he passes. As soon as I attach an Energy to Uxie, he scoops. GG.
Top 8: Me vs. Edmund K. (US)
I know Edmund from last year's Worlds, where he made top 8. He's playing PLOX this year. I know he plays Healers and Queen, so I assume no Dark Palm. Anyways, the matches.
Game 1: I open Uxie to his Ralts. I play down an Unown G and Spiritomb (just drew it). Since I'm going first, I attach to Uxie and Psychic Restore for 30. He Rare Candies into Gardevoir and attaches a DCE IIRC. He plays Judge and then passes. I get bad draws of the Judge and end up Psychic Restoring for 50 this time. He doesn't get anything good either, except a Tomb or something. I know he retreats and then I topdeck a Roseanne's Research. I get Baltoy/Gastly, attach to Gastly and then DGrace to Claydol. After that, I'm able to get a Cursegar up relatively easily. I'm able to Curse twice from his Tomb to his Gardy with 80, and KO both Tomb and Gardy at the same time. Later on in the game, there's one turn he attacks with Gallade to KO a Tomb. I then Duskull/Candy/Dusknoir. He scoops. GG.
Game 2: I don't remember the start of this game. I do, however, remember that once again, I prized 2 Baltoy so I had to go for a quick Azelf. I know at one point after I Shadow Skip his Tomb for the first prize, he uses a Judge and says "Good-bye Expert Belt" haha. He was right, I did have it. Unfortunately I didn't draw it off the Judge and he levels up and uses Psychic Lock. Now I really wish I had the belt. I use Shadow Skip, and he has a Queen in play. He starts charging it up. He retreats to a Tomb or something and lets the Gardy heal off some damage. I get one turn of Powers and still whiff on the E-Belt. He brings out Gardy later on and does Psychic Lock. I play Judge and the last card is an Expert Belt. I had three in the deck still, so meh. I'm able to KO his Gardy. Later on it's 2-3 (him having 3) on prizes. He E-Belt's his Queen and KOs my Gengar SF. I flip tails as usual on Fainting Spell. Next turn I Shadow Skip and switch to my second Gengar SF. He evolves to Gallade. Unless he E-Belt's his Gallade, Gallade cannot KO my Gengar SF. He goes all in again with Nidoqueen and does Ruthless Tail. I flip for Fainting Spell... what's this?! Heads?! I FINALLY get Heads?! Just when I needed it, my horrible flipping skills turned out to be enough. I still think that without the heads on Fainting Spell I had the game. He tells me that he had two Gardy and Azelf prized that game! Dang. Sorry Edmund, but congrats on top 8! GG!
At this point I'm really happy, even if I don't show it lol. We see them setting up cameras so we assume that they're going to film top 4 (we were wrong, yes). I went looking with Zach to find a theme deck playmat, since I said if I top 4'd/2'd, I'd use one. I try asking Takuto and some other Japanese players if the JPN starter deck things came with mats, but that didn't go so well haha. We come back into the main room and realize that the league has some theme decks. I offer $20 for one but apparently I had to actually play in league to get it. </3. I go back to my group of people and Zane comes over holding a theme deck playmat lol. I dunno how he got it, but thanks!
Anyway, we wait for top 4 and here it goes.
Top 4: Me vs. Michael B.
These are going to be short, because well, they were very quick games.
Game 1: I open w/ Azelf, 3 Psychic, 2 Belt and Judge. Draw a Palmer's. He opens with Sableye and 3-4 Magikarp. He said he topdecked Felicity's Drawing IIRC. I scoop shortly after he KOs my Dol and my Uxie draws 4 Energy.
Game 2: I set up a SF Gar quickly and KO a GDos. He can't get BTS so he scoops.
Game 3: He opens pretty good and I open decently. He wins by Bright Looking up and KOing all my stuff. I took 3 prizes that game.
So now the dream of top 2'ing and maybe getting my deck printed has pretty much died lol. Oh well, you win some and you lose some. You can only use the cards the deck gives you. Sometimes you get what you need, and other times you don't. Congrats to Jacob for winning and Michael for coming in second place! Congratulations to everyone who made top cut in all divisions! This format was very tough.
After I filled out all the paperwork and stuff, I went with a group of friends to eat at the food court in Queen's marketplace. Of course as we're leaving the lobby David backs out. When we get to Queen's, Kevin shows us that if you stick your hand in the fish water that little fishies will nibble on your hand. A lady later told us that by touching those fish, we probably killed them. Kevin was pretty freaked, seeing as he's a fish-loving freak.
I had an AMAZING time in Hawaii. I met so many new people and was able to spend time with old friends. I really enjoy the Pokémon community.
Props:
TEAM ASYLUM - I LOVE ALL OF YOU GUYS.
Christian Haas - dude you are AMAZING. Even if you did quit this year. </3. It's bcuz of you that I even put this deck together that fateful night. HOPE YOU COME BACK TO US POKEMON NERDS.
Sam L - dude you helped me choose this deck. I did flip the coin, and it told me to play this deck, however, that's not the *only* reason I played it. Thanks for being a cool friend.
Amelia - you're amazing and I had a great time seeing you in Hawaii. Even though you age up next year, I'm sure you'll do well. Hope you can make it to Nats and Worlds next year!
David C - Even though you forgot the grill, backed out of the group lunch/dinner thing, and played Jumpluff for Worlds, I still love you
Zane - It was really cool meeting you and I hope to see you again next year!
Zach - You've been my online friend for like 3-4 years now? I'm glad I met you last year at Nats/Worlds. Your parents are amazing, and your bro is cool too. It's cool that you watched all my top cut matches and were cheering for me. Thanks for being a good friendddd.
Jacob L - Dude, congrats on winning! It was great meeting you and you really deserved to win. You're a great player, and looking forward to seeing you next year in San Diego!
Jack - I thought you'd be weird lol, but you were actually cool haha. Sucks that you didn't do too well, but you've still got like what, 2 more years in seniors? Good luck and hope to see you again soon!
Andrew K - I enjoyed meeting you and helping you get that Palmer's lol. Sucks that you had to face Diaz in top 16, but congrats on making it that far dude.
Michael D - had fun seeing you again. Was hoping to play you in top 4, but oh well. Congrats on winning Nats and hope to see you at Worlds next year.
Chuck L - at first I thought you were gonna be some snob or something lol, no idea why. Really cool meeting you. Sucks that you got donked round 7. Better luck next year dude!
Andrew M - we've been friends since I started going to pokemon websites 3 or 4 years ago. Thanks for helping me choose the right deck to play, even if you are too lazy to download redshark.
Kevin - lol Kevin. Had a blast seeing you again and seeing Steven torture you with fish. Sucks that you barely missed grinding in. Hope you come to the GA Marathon again this year!
Greg - Thanks for telling me about that Dusknoir/Shedinja deck. I'll definitely be sure to play it this year!
Steven R - lol. Had a great time meeting you. Sucks that I lost those cards you signed. Hope to see you at Nats next year.
Rick Mitchell and your family - You guys are just amazing! Thanks for letting me borrow cards when I need to! GL Evan in Masters.
Clay - It was because of your Spiritomb that I made it that far. Pretty sure that's why.
Yuka Furusawa - congrats on being the first(?) girl to win Worlds! GJ winning!
Yuta Komatsuda - amazing job going undefeated the whole tournament. Congrats on winning!
Parents - thanks for supporting my hobby and taking me to tournaments.
Staff - AMAZING job. I had no problems with any Judges or anything.
3rd place
Shiny Trophy
Free Trip to Cali
Cursegar for being amazing
Slops:
Why would I have any?
If I left you off my props and you want to be in it, just send me a message.
And if you guys really think I hate this game, you're insane.
Too bad my birthday is this week and not last
PICTURES AT THE BOTTOM WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
I'm gonna start from the beginning of the week:
Monday -
My Dad and I arrive at Kona around 2 PM (not staying at Hilton). Later that night we went down to a bay and took pictures of sea turtles.
Tuesday -
We wake up at 4 AM and head to a pier on the other side of the airport. We spend 4 or 5 hours fishing for marlin. None of the six people aboard the boat caught anything. We saw dolphins and a whale, though. I go to the Hilton later and hang out with Bergerac and some other people. I met the Singapore Nats' Master runner-up and he's pretty cool. He ends up top 32'ing. Good Job!
Wednesday -
Can't really remember what I did. I think I slept in and later met up with Zach Mirman and his family. I went for sushi with them and realized I hate fish. After dinner, Zach, his brother Joshua and I go to playtest. We see Diaz, Krekeler and some others and say hi. They open the side event room later and that's where we head. I playtested a lot that night and learned that my deck hates me. I meet Greg and play his amazing Flygon/Dustox rogue.
Thursday -
FINALLY my friend Amelia and some other Washington people show up weeee. I pretty much hang with Amelia up 'til 7 PM when we meet up with Kevin and Zach's family. We walk about 20 mins to my place and my Dad grills some burgers. We test a little more before everyone leaves. Cohen forgot about it and never showed up. That loser.
Friday -
I spend the whole day with Amelia pretty much lol. I had ordered each of us a custom t-shirt with a picture of Abomasnow and Cacturne. Above them, it says "... I hate this game." She and I decorate mine, since we left hers in her hotel room ftl. The back of it says "Go Amelia" in Unown letters. Anyways, we test a lot and put together Flygon/Dustox. It does pretty well in testing, but I'm still weary to play it. She ends up deciding to use it, and David decides to use Jumpluff - even though he went 5-4 at Nats with it.
TOURNAMENT: DAY 2
Sorry if I get these games confused. My brain is like fried lol.
Round 1: Me vs Damien H. (USA)
Unfortunately, he was one of the people I had played against in the side event room. Because of this, I knew his deck pretty well. Anyway, he starts with a Crobat G IIRC. I open Spiritomb, Gastly and Baltoy. I go first, attach to Gastly and then DGrace to Claydol. He does some stuff and ends up getting a Luxray and Garchomp Benched. My turn comes around and I evolve into Haunter, attach to it, and instead of DGracing to Cursegar (prized!), I DGrace into Manectric. Pretty sure he is able to Bright Look Haunter and Trash Bolt + Flash Bite for the KO. Somehow I'm able to set up a Cursegar and here comes probably my best play of the day: He has just Cyrus'd for a Power Spray and I have no Tomb active. I have 5 cards in my hand. I Bebe's Search for Gengar LV.X and announce "Level Down". He sprays it. I then proceed to play the 3 cards in my hand - Duskull, Rare Candy, Dusknoir. I announce "Dark Palm" and hope for no spray. He doesn't have it. Yes! I Dark Palm his benched Luxray GL LV.X that has two Energy and a Gain. I then do 60 to his Garchomp C LV.X and switch to Spiritomb. Next turn I get an E-Belt. I curse 10 to his Garchomp C LV.X (now benched) and Level Down it. I then Shadow Skip for a double KO. Later one it's 1-1 on prizes. If he topdecks a Lux X or Garchomp C X he wins. He whiffs. Dark Palm saved me this game! GG!
Round 2: Me vs. Seiya T. (JPN)
He opens with an Uxie, I with a Spiritomb and Call. I go first and get a Gastly/Baltoy. He plays PONT, plays down a Regirock (playing Donphan, I assume) and then does Psychic Restore knocking my tomb to 20. A few turns later and it's 6-2 prizes, him taking 4. However, I let him take each prize. I then proceed to Shadow Skip and switch to my two Gengar SF and my Dusknoir. For my last two prizes this game, I Warp Point him and KO his Entei / Raikou LEGEND with Shadow Skip and previous Curse damage etc. GG!
Round 3: Me vs. Karri M. (FIN)
I open Baltoy and he Garchomp C. I draw a Shiny Duskull and play it. He then proceeds to DCE + E-Gain + Cyrus for stuff to KO my Baltoy. Shortly after, I lose. GG!
Round 4: Me vs. Jason A. (USA)
He's playing Cursegar too! However, he has Nidoqueen, which can be a serious problem. I'm able to get the first Shadow Room on his Gengar SF and KO it pretty quickly. He then brings up a Queen which I am able to Shadow Skip + Curse + E-Belt KO. It goes downhill for him fast. I later find out he took out his Unown G. Without G, I was free to KO his SF Gar and Claydol etc. GG!
Round 5: Me vs. Toya N. (JPN)
Dang these Japanese players! They're too cute! This game goes much like my R2 match. Manectric stopped his ERL and Cursegar switching to Gengar SF was too much for his deck. At one point in the game, I need a Stark Mountain translation and he needs a Manectric translation, so we both end up waiting for the godbook or something. Anyways, I win with him having 2-3 prizes left. GG!
Round 6: Me vs. Ty Wheeler (US)
Last season, I came up to Ohio States and beat Ty in the finals. I guess this is his revenge. I open Electrike and attach Psychic. He goes... Uxie start. Plays Communication for Crobat G, Flash Bites, then Poke Turns and Flash Bites again. He then plays Cyrus's Conspiracy for a SP Radar and an Energy. He attached, plays SP Radar for Crobat and Flash Bites again. Now he uses Psychic Restore. Yay, donked! GG, nonetheless!
After he wins we get called for deck checks and wait patiently. We see Takuto is playing vs. a girl who we think is his girlfriend. Anyway, I get my deck back and go check how my friends are doing.
Round 7: Me vs. Aylam R. (US)
Oh come on. Neither of us wanted to play vs each other, and especially when it would decide to makes top cut. However, we have to, so whatever. He gets a quick Gyara up as I set up a Cursegar and some Gengar SF. I get up Dusknoir pretty early, however I decide not to Dark Palm right away. I didn't want him to be able to play down another Gyarados. This way, after I KO'd his active GDos, he'd have a 3 bench, not including a Gyarados. Anyway, I don't really remember how exactly this game went. I know at one point it's 3-2 (him taking 4) in prizes. He E-Belt's his GDos and KOs my active Gengar SF. As usual, I flip tails on Fainting Spell. I do 80 to his E-Belt'd GDos, after setting up another Gengar SF and E-Belting both it and my Dusknoir. I switch to the Dusknoir, as I had a Warp Point, Moonlight Stadium and Warp Energy in my hand. I can't remember how exactly this happened, but I'm pretty sure he Rescues a Karp and BTS's to Gyarados. At this point, I see I have a small chance to win. He attacks with the non-belted GDos. I Warp Point and D-Palm the non-belted GDos I think. I then Shadow Skip his active Uxie and keep my Cursegar with 130 HP active. I know if he can discard a Magikarp and attach to PlusPower, he wins. Turns out he can't, and I Shadow Skip his GDos for game. Sorry for knocking you out, Aylam. Good luck next year and REALLY GG!
I find out I make top 16, coming in 9th place. I go with Amelia to see The Other Guys. Funny movie. I go to sleep as soon as I get home lol. So tired.
TOURNAMENT: DAY 3
Top 16: Me vs. Öjvind S. (FIN)
I find out a few minutes before we play that he's using Donphan. I know I'm in for a tough match for sure now. I know if it comes down to a game 3 and time is called, I'll most likely be down in prizes, so I've gotta play quickly. Anyway, onto the games.
Game 1: Well this starts out great. I grab a die and ask him "heads/tails?" He then makes me wait as he gets his own die and asks me "heads/tails?" I clearly announce "heads" and he roles. He roles a 5 and then tells me that I go first. I tell him I called heads and he tells me that he heard tails. He calls a judge and ends up rolling again. This time I pretty much shout "heads" and he roles a 4. Great. He opens Relicanth and I with Spiritomb and Call. I Call for Baltoy/Gastly and he uses Judge. I get a good hand off of the Judge and proceed to get up a quick Cursegar. He takes 3-4 quick prizes, though, and I know I gotta work hard to win. I'm able to Dark Palm his Claydol and KO a Donphan the same turn which really hurt him. I end up winning, but barely. GG.
Game 2: I honestly cannot remember this game. I know that I prized both Baltoy and had to get a quick Azelf. I remember not being able to draw into a Manectric or Bebe's Search for a while, and he's able to KO my Electrike. This ends up hurting me later on. Later in the game it's 2-1 (him taking 5) on prizes, and I have whiff'd three straight turns on a Rare Candy for my Duskull/Dusknoir. He plays down an Entei / Raikou LEGEND and attaches. He has no way to retreat his Donphan, so he he just does Earthquake. I KO the Donphan and then he brings up Entei / Raikou LEGEND and uses Thunder Fall. It sends us to Sudden Death to decide the winner of game 2. Apparently he didn't understand Sudden Death or something, so we got a 7 minute time extension as the translator/judges explained to him etc. The translator told him several times, however, that we got the 7 minute time extension. Anyways, onto Sudden Death.
Game 2: Sudden Death: I honestly have no clue what I was trying to do. He goes first and opens with Ditto. All I know is his Relicanth takes him a prize next turn, thanks to my stupid trying to think ahead skills. GG.
Game 3: I know there's not much time, so I shuffle as quickly as I can. I'm able to get a quick Gengar SF up and Shadow Room his Uxie twice. There's my first prize. He gets up a Claydol and plays down some more Uxie. He does EQuake and his Benched Dol takes 10. I level up my Gengar and Shadow Room the Dol. Time is called (in English) during his turn, and we continue playing (7 minute extension, remember?). He takes a long turn now. He knows if he does EQuake it kills his Dol, so for some reason he E-Belts his Dol and does a Warp Point. I bring up Uxie and he passes. As soon as I attach an Energy to Uxie, he scoops. GG.
Top 8: Me vs. Edmund K. (US)
I know Edmund from last year's Worlds, where he made top 8. He's playing PLOX this year. I know he plays Healers and Queen, so I assume no Dark Palm. Anyways, the matches.
Game 1: I open Uxie to his Ralts. I play down an Unown G and Spiritomb (just drew it). Since I'm going first, I attach to Uxie and Psychic Restore for 30. He Rare Candies into Gardevoir and attaches a DCE IIRC. He plays Judge and then passes. I get bad draws of the Judge and end up Psychic Restoring for 50 this time. He doesn't get anything good either, except a Tomb or something. I know he retreats and then I topdeck a Roseanne's Research. I get Baltoy/Gastly, attach to Gastly and then DGrace to Claydol. After that, I'm able to get a Cursegar up relatively easily. I'm able to Curse twice from his Tomb to his Gardy with 80, and KO both Tomb and Gardy at the same time. Later on in the game, there's one turn he attacks with Gallade to KO a Tomb. I then Duskull/Candy/Dusknoir. He scoops. GG.
Game 2: I don't remember the start of this game. I do, however, remember that once again, I prized 2 Baltoy so I had to go for a quick Azelf. I know at one point after I Shadow Skip his Tomb for the first prize, he uses a Judge and says "Good-bye Expert Belt" haha. He was right, I did have it. Unfortunately I didn't draw it off the Judge and he levels up and uses Psychic Lock. Now I really wish I had the belt. I use Shadow Skip, and he has a Queen in play. He starts charging it up. He retreats to a Tomb or something and lets the Gardy heal off some damage. I get one turn of Powers and still whiff on the E-Belt. He brings out Gardy later on and does Psychic Lock. I play Judge and the last card is an Expert Belt. I had three in the deck still, so meh. I'm able to KO his Gardy. Later on it's 2-3 (him having 3) on prizes. He E-Belt's his Queen and KOs my Gengar SF. I flip tails as usual on Fainting Spell. Next turn I Shadow Skip and switch to my second Gengar SF. He evolves to Gallade. Unless he E-Belt's his Gallade, Gallade cannot KO my Gengar SF. He goes all in again with Nidoqueen and does Ruthless Tail. I flip for Fainting Spell... what's this?! Heads?! I FINALLY get Heads?! Just when I needed it, my horrible flipping skills turned out to be enough. I still think that without the heads on Fainting Spell I had the game. He tells me that he had two Gardy and Azelf prized that game! Dang. Sorry Edmund, but congrats on top 8! GG!
At this point I'm really happy, even if I don't show it lol. We see them setting up cameras so we assume that they're going to film top 4 (we were wrong, yes). I went looking with Zach to find a theme deck playmat, since I said if I top 4'd/2'd, I'd use one. I try asking Takuto and some other Japanese players if the JPN starter deck things came with mats, but that didn't go so well haha. We come back into the main room and realize that the league has some theme decks. I offer $20 for one but apparently I had to actually play in league to get it. </3. I go back to my group of people and Zane comes over holding a theme deck playmat lol. I dunno how he got it, but thanks!
Anyway, we wait for top 4 and here it goes.
Top 4: Me vs. Michael B.
These are going to be short, because well, they were very quick games.
Game 1: I open w/ Azelf, 3 Psychic, 2 Belt and Judge. Draw a Palmer's. He opens with Sableye and 3-4 Magikarp. He said he topdecked Felicity's Drawing IIRC. I scoop shortly after he KOs my Dol and my Uxie draws 4 Energy.
Game 2: I set up a SF Gar quickly and KO a GDos. He can't get BTS so he scoops.
Game 3: He opens pretty good and I open decently. He wins by Bright Looking up and KOing all my stuff. I took 3 prizes that game.
So now the dream of top 2'ing and maybe getting my deck printed has pretty much died lol. Oh well, you win some and you lose some. You can only use the cards the deck gives you. Sometimes you get what you need, and other times you don't. Congrats to Jacob for winning and Michael for coming in second place! Congratulations to everyone who made top cut in all divisions! This format was very tough.
After I filled out all the paperwork and stuff, I went with a group of friends to eat at the food court in Queen's marketplace. Of course as we're leaving the lobby David backs out. When we get to Queen's, Kevin shows us that if you stick your hand in the fish water that little fishies will nibble on your hand. A lady later told us that by touching those fish, we probably killed them. Kevin was pretty freaked, seeing as he's a fish-loving freak.
I had an AMAZING time in Hawaii. I met so many new people and was able to spend time with old friends. I really enjoy the Pokémon community.
Props:
TEAM ASYLUM - I LOVE ALL OF YOU GUYS.
Christian Haas - dude you are AMAZING. Even if you did quit this year. </3. It's bcuz of you that I even put this deck together that fateful night. HOPE YOU COME BACK TO US POKEMON NERDS.
Sam L - dude you helped me choose this deck. I did flip the coin, and it told me to play this deck, however, that's not the *only* reason I played it. Thanks for being a cool friend.
Amelia - you're amazing and I had a great time seeing you in Hawaii. Even though you age up next year, I'm sure you'll do well. Hope you can make it to Nats and Worlds next year!
David C - Even though you forgot the grill, backed out of the group lunch/dinner thing, and played Jumpluff for Worlds, I still love you
Zane - It was really cool meeting you and I hope to see you again next year!
Zach - You've been my online friend for like 3-4 years now? I'm glad I met you last year at Nats/Worlds. Your parents are amazing, and your bro is cool too. It's cool that you watched all my top cut matches and were cheering for me. Thanks for being a good friendddd.
Jacob L - Dude, congrats on winning! It was great meeting you and you really deserved to win. You're a great player, and looking forward to seeing you next year in San Diego!
Jack - I thought you'd be weird lol, but you were actually cool haha. Sucks that you didn't do too well, but you've still got like what, 2 more years in seniors? Good luck and hope to see you again soon!
Andrew K - I enjoyed meeting you and helping you get that Palmer's lol. Sucks that you had to face Diaz in top 16, but congrats on making it that far dude.
Michael D - had fun seeing you again. Was hoping to play you in top 4, but oh well. Congrats on winning Nats and hope to see you at Worlds next year.
Chuck L - at first I thought you were gonna be some snob or something lol, no idea why. Really cool meeting you. Sucks that you got donked round 7. Better luck next year dude!
Andrew M - we've been friends since I started going to pokemon websites 3 or 4 years ago. Thanks for helping me choose the right deck to play, even if you are too lazy to download redshark.
Kevin - lol Kevin. Had a blast seeing you again and seeing Steven torture you with fish. Sucks that you barely missed grinding in. Hope you come to the GA Marathon again this year!
Greg - Thanks for telling me about that Dusknoir/Shedinja deck. I'll definitely be sure to play it this year!
Steven R - lol. Had a great time meeting you. Sucks that I lost those cards you signed. Hope to see you at Nats next year.
Rick Mitchell and your family - You guys are just amazing! Thanks for letting me borrow cards when I need to! GL Evan in Masters.
Clay - It was because of your Spiritomb that I made it that far. Pretty sure that's why.
Yuka Furusawa - congrats on being the first(?) girl to win Worlds! GJ winning!
Yuta Komatsuda - amazing job going undefeated the whole tournament. Congrats on winning!
Parents - thanks for supporting my hobby and taking me to tournaments.
Staff - AMAZING job. I had no problems with any Judges or anything.
3rd place
Shiny Trophy
Free Trip to Cali
Cursegar for being amazing
Slops:
Why would I have any?
If I left you off my props and you want to be in it, just send me a message.
And if you guys really think I hate this game, you're insane.
Too bad my birthday is this week and not last
Last edited:
