HoloDragonMaster
New Member
(HDM): Hey to all - this is Greg (a.k.a. HDM) and Justin (a.k.a BondiBorg). We are coming together to give you a City Championship report from Charlotte, NC. We figured we would try to do the first team-up report and hope ya’ enjoy. If you don’t like long reports – then here you go -- we had fun!! The rest of you should get a kick out of this – read on.
(BondiBorg): For anyone who hasn't heard, I placed 1st in the Winston-Salem City Championships a few weeks ago. While I hoped to place well in Charlotte, there was nothing more to gain than some fun. Having already earned my bye at States, I had nothing to lose.
(HDM): As I said before…congrats ;p. A few weeks ago, I decided to travel up to NC to take another shot at Cities and Charlotte was the main choice, because I wanted to meet Bondi and players I had seen on the sites for years, but never met in person. Basically, I was down to using either the Blaziken or Guardy deck. Bondi and I started talking’ about the decks and began preparing for the big day.
(BondiBorg): My straight Blaziken/Rayquaza deck, for whatever reason, proved to be faster than both BDR (Blaziken/Delcatty/Rayquaza) decks at Winston. For this reason, I made only a few modifications, and decided to run it again. Most of my playtesting was done against Ampharos EX and Sceptile/Wailord...I came out on top almost every match, against both.
(HDM): Bondi had a slight issue with Guardy decks, so we spent some time play-testing, though I didn’t give him much of a strong competition with my Guardy deck
.
So anyway, I drove up from Georgia on Friday. It was going to be about a 5 hour drive – so I wanted to get there the night before and get rested for Saturday. I got there early enough to scope out the card shop and met some Magic players in the process – man would I have loved to play… I went back to the hotel and play-tested for a few hours then hit the hay.
(BondiBorg): The night before the tourney? Ehh...I live only 2 hours from Charlotte, so I slept.
(HDM): Lucky you -- So… basically Bondi and I went to the tourney – both – with Blaziken/Rayquaza – must we really waste your time posting the decks? =/.
Well, I won’t waste space with mine, but I’ll give ya’ a link – heck you may even have some suggestions – not really needed. Greg’s BDR link>>>
Here’s BondiBorg’s:
4 Torchic (Peck)
4 Combusken (Flare)
4 Blaziken (Firestarter)
3 Rayquaza ex
1 Dunsparce (Strike and Run)
1 Ditto (Copy)
4 Desert Shaman
4 TV Reporter
4 Warp Point
3 Juggler
2 Oran Berry
2 PETM
2 ER2
2 High Pressure System
1 Pokemon FanClub
15 Fire
4 Electric
(HDM): I slid two Crystal Shards in the last minute to TecH for any mirror matches. I got to the shop about 11:00 AM – knowing they had delayed the event 1 hour because of all the snow that hit NC – giving others enough time to get there. I did some minor trading and hung around hoping that Bondi would show up. I also wondered if my double-age difference would affect the way we would connect, but it never seemed like a problem. I’m actually a big kid at heart Later, I was talking to a few people when I turned around and saw this tall guy in black. I swear – I don’t meet too many people taller than me, but I never would have guessed that Bondi was 2 inches taller than me!!! We hit it off right away and began trading a few cards as well as help Bondi testing against the Guardy deck, which – again – didn’t give him much competition =/. He introduced me to “One Energy” Nick – that’s what we call him now, lol – more later… I hit it off with him very well, too. Bondi, what was he playing?
(BondiBorg): Nick was actually attempting a metagame deck, Espeon/Houndoom. We spent most of the drive to Charlotte working on it, trying to stomp out the flaws.
(HDM): hmm…We then spent a few minutes meeting other people – hi there Stephanie and Brian - and I spent a few minutes talking to Jeff “The Judge” (a.k.a. Feraligatr) – thanks Jeff for a very nice Tourney .
On to the Tourney:
ROUND 1
(HDM): Jeff spent the first few minutes givin’ us all the rules and answering any questions from the players. For the first time in history did I here the rule Jeff announced about prizes. Basically – If you forget to pull your prize when you KO an opponent’s Poke – you can’t pull it later. Well – no big deal – I NEVER forget to pull a prize - =/
(HDM):
Round 1 vs. Kyle ( Guardy/Wobb?/Mewtwo ex )
Very nice kid. He had a standard, yet different Guardy build. I got set-up extremely fast and took the game quite easily. 1-0
(BondiBorg):
Round 1 vs. Brian Leary ( Slaking )
I saw just one Combusken throughout this entire game, meaning I was sitting with a few Torchics and a Rayquaza when Brian pulled out a fourth-turn Slaking. To put it bluntly, I got steamrolled. Not a fun way to start a tourney. x_X 0-1
ROUND 2
(HDM):
Round 2 vs. Andrew ( Guardy/Wobb )
He and his sister are good people. I was very confident playing against any Guardy decks – that’s mainly what I spent most of my time play-testing against. I was very confident that I would give Andrew a run for his money. I had a great start – as is most of the time – my deck is very consistent that way. But – that was as far as I got. I simply could not pull any cards I needed and spent the rest of the time trying to top-deck to no avail. I also made a huge mistake that probably sealed the loss. 1-1
(BondiBorg):
Round 2 vs. Really Cool Mom (Salamence/Camerupt/Crawdaunt)
Once again, my evolutions came irritatingly slow, during this match. By about my 8th turn, I finally got the deck going. Thankfully, this was just before she dropped Crawdaunt, which could have thoroughly messed me up. One shot from Rayquaza punted the Crawdaunt, and it was pretty much just cleanup from there on out. 1-1
(BondiBorg): I heard from Brian in between rounds that the kid he had played against had cheated. Apparently, the kid picked up a game-altering di that had just been rolled heads, and refused to concede the result of the roll. After a few minutes of squabbling back and forth, Brian just rolled again, and of course got tails. This eventually cost him the match. It really bugs me to hear about people pulling that kind of junk...
(HDM): I think that was pretty jacked-up, too. That’s why I always make sure I use my own stuff, yet at the same time I’m not too fond of having my opponents use mine either.
ROUND 3
(HDM): Bondi and I both knew that we would battle each other sometime that day, but this was not the time for it, lol. With both of us at 1-1, it would be tough for the loser of this round to slide into T8. We sucked it up…and wished each other good luck. We were really excited to play each other anyway, because that’s where true competition really shines – two great players and friends battling for the Championship! We both agreed that we did not want a quick KO game – we wanted it to come down to the last prize.
(HDM):
Round 3 vs. Justin/BondiBorg ( Blaziken/Rayquaza )
This is where I wanted to slap Jeff, lol – for saying anything about the prizes!!! I started of a bit quicker than Justin and had Ko’d 2 of his Pokes before nailing one of his Ray’s with a Sharded Blaziken, though he kept Shaman’n me to keep me from using it, lol. I then realized that I had forgotten to pull a prize!!!!!! I could not believe it! I think that is where I lost the game. It bothered me immensely that I would forget such a thing. Bondi was kind enough to offer that I pull it anyway, but I could not accept – this had to be a battle where every mistake counted and strict rules had to be applied. My hand slowed down and I simply couldn’t pull anything else while he blasted the rest of his prizes for the game. 1-2
(BondiBorg):
Round 3 vs Greg/HDM (Blaziken/Delcatty/Rayquaza)
Hey, it wasn't quite THAT one-sided. While I did get started just a little slower than Greg, his main downfall came when he absolutely could NOT pull Delcatty. Without his main drawpower source, he just wasn't able to keep up. I played a lot of Desert Shamans in a short amount of time, to keep him from keeping anything useful in his hand; during one of these, he accidentally flashed a Crystal Shard right before shuffling it in. This put me on guard, and ensured that I wouldn't rely too heavily on Rayquaza. While I still drew a few prizes with Ray, the main hitter I ended up using was Blaziken.
2-1
(BondiBorg): Oh, and for the record, it was tempting to grab the prize Greg should have drawn, and stick it in his hand. Tourney play or not, I don't want something like that to change the outcome of the game.
ROUND 4
(HDM): By now, I feel pretty s.o.l. I was 1-2 and my chances seemed pretty slim to T8, but I was determined to enjoy the rest of the day anyway. I spoke to Jeff for a couple of minutes and he stated that I could still win the next three rounds for a chance to the T8. I know what he was doin’, but that’s what a good judge does – he motivated me to suck-it-up and move on – Thanks Jeff.
(HDM):
Round 4 vs. Earlene – I hope I spelled it right ( Guardy/Wobb )
I don’t see many elderly players and this was a breath of fresh air. I was so happy to come to a tourney with such well-rounded ages. I’m glad her daughter had her come to play. Now I was a bit nervous, because here was another good Guardy deck and I had no idea of her experience. We both got set-up very fast and the game went on until I pulled 6 prizes to none. 2-2
(BondiBorg):
Round 4 vs Kid Who Cheated Against Brian ( Hariyama/Kingdra EX)
Going into this match, I was (righteously) ready to stomp the kid into the asphalt. Brian is a good friend of mine, and didn't deserve somebody cheating and getting away with it. The match started with my lone Torchic and Rayquaza against his Horsea, 2 Corphish, and a Dunsparce. I left Rayquaza out front, abusing his Water Resistance to keep the kid from taking any advantage, and using Juggler and TV Reporter to get Fire in the discard. Spiral Growth didn't fail me even once, and I absolutely obliterated all of his critters; Seadra didn't even hit the field, not to mention Kingdra. Brian was avenged. ^_^ 3-1
(HDM): Yeah – I think we all felt a bit of justice there ;p
----BREAK----
(HDM): Finally…. I was starv’n – I hadn’t eaten all morning and I was beginning to feel a bit wheezy. Justin, Nick and I walked to Blimpie – or was it Subway?... oh well – and Nick began telling us what had happened to him. This appeared to be a day of the Omen, because I have NEVER forgotten’ to pull a prize and Nick thought having two ties in one day would be impossible till now… Bondi, explain the “One Energy” Nick story, lol
(BondiBorg): Long story short, in Nick's last match, he and his opponent were tied when time was called; Nick was to finish his turn, and it would be a tie unless he could pull just one prize. He had two Fire on Houndoom, and with just a single Energy, could Flamethrower for the win. He had 4 cards in his hand, including Desert Shaman; 5 cards left in the deck. When he used Shaman, he had very good odds of pulling his last remaining Fire out of a deck of 8 cards...he draws four...and it's not in there. That cements his second tie game for the day. x_X
(HDM): We pretty-much messed with him the rest of the night. We then began to discuss decks, what other people were playing and our feelings about what we each played. I basically stated that I believe that the deck you play is a reflection of the type of person you are. I considered for weeks playing a Guardy deck, but explained to Justin and Nick why I simply could not bring myself to play it. I mean – come-on!’ -- a grown man playing sweet and very fine Guardy?...Me? Just couldn’t do it. I made some motions of how I would play the deck if I had to play it and they both agreed that it was best left alone, lol. We took some pictures and began preparing for the next round.
(BondiBorg):
I'm refusing comment on Greg's thoughts about Garde. =P
(HDM): ROFL – better left unsaid.
ROUND 5
(HDM):
Round 5 vs. Scott, Kyle’s dad ( Blaziken/Rayquaza )
This was a fairly quick battle. His deck was not quite as strong as mine and with my TecH Shards, it was over. After the battle, we spent some time talking about his deck and I helped him with making it better as well as explaining the true strategy of the deck – hey… I do this on many boards anyway – why not in person. He and his son are also very good people. 3-2
(BondiBorg):
Round 5 vs. Chris ( Kabutops ex/Omastar )
As a guy playing a deck mostly composed of Fire, I wasn't exactly happy to see so much water sitting on the opponent's side of the field. On the other hand, I was content with my strategies against Mysterious Fossil decks. On top of Energy shortage problems, I got heads on both of my Energy Removal 2's; his Pokémon didn't stand a chance. Rayquaza pulled most of the weight in the match; three times in a row, I was able to Spiral Growth for three Fires, then Dragon Burst the next turn for 120 damage. By the time he got some Energy, I was picking off his high-HP Pokémon left and right. 4-1
ROUND 6
(BondiBorg): Right before the match started, I realized that I had the win percentage to be almost guaranteed a spot in the Top 8. Since I had just scored a win at Table 2, I knew my next match was against somebody who hadn't lost at all. Steph and I talked it over, and both of us agreed to try to get our opponents to ID (Intentional Draw), to ensure that everybody made it to T8. When I talked to Andrew, however, he wouldn't agree to it. This didn't sit well with me; win or lose, he was going into the T8 with the highest seed. I didn't argue with him about it, though...I just shuffled and prepared for the round.
(HDM):
Round 6 vs. Chris ( Kabutops ex/Omastar )
Okay – here was an all-water deck. I basically expected to be slaughtered, but did not have a clue of how badly it would be. I thought I set-up quickly, lol – I saw so much water Pokes and Kabutops by turn 3; it was amazing! It’s odd how this can’t be a Tier1 deck. He lacked one thing….. energy. I kept swinging with Rayquaza for the win. 4-2
(BondiBorg):
Round 6 vs. Andrew ( Garde )
For whatever reason, I seem to play more efficiently when I'm irritated; as I explained a moment ago, I wasn't happy that he was attempting to knock me out of a T8 spot. I honestly don't remember too much of the match...all I know is that I was able to keep him from getting Garde or Garde EX on the field for long. He still had three or four prizes left when I drew my sixth one. 5-1
TOP8
(HDM): By a few %’s I actually slid into the T8 by the hair of my chinni-chin-chin. To my surprise BondiBorg was nervous!! What the heck. He couldn’t explain why, but hey – competition does that to you. To my astonishment, most people were happy to see me at the T8 as was I.
(BondiBorg): From a first-round loss to T8...not bad. I was happy that Greg made T8; he had a long drive from Georgia, it was cool to see that it was worth it for him.
T8 - ROUND 1
(HDM):
T8 Round 1 vs. Andrew ( Guardy/Wobbu )
The LAST person I wanted to battle right away in the T8, lol. The amazing thing is that I still felt very confident that I could take the win. Well, I won’t bore you with the details… I got set-up as quickly as usual, but worse than the last game against him – I had dead hands and no energy!! I was a sitting duck -- I was out. =/
(BondiBorg):
T8 Round 1 vs Insanely Cocky Kid ( No-Trainer Dragon )
Jeff had us look through the opponent's decklist before the match...I was stunned, not to mention somewhat amused, to see that he was running no Trainers whatsoever, just maxed-out lines of every Colorless Dragon that exists today. How it actually worked is very, very far beyond me...he got every Energy he needed, and every Evolution, at just the right time. I'm something of a lucky player, but stock market analysts and gamblers would tear out their hair, if they had made bets on this kid. x_X *Out*
(HDM): I heard of the concept of an all Dragon and Energy deck with no trainers at TN that made the T8 and here we see it again. Though I wouldn’t consider it Tier1, I definitely think it’s amazing how it makes it, lol. It was also sad to see that Stephanie got beat out of the T8 – heck, I think she was undefeated until now. So…all the Blaziken/Rayquazas were out for the day.
T8 - ROUND 2/3
(HDM): I really have no idea what happened from there. I was havin’ too much fun taking pictures with the buds. I do know that Andrew and his sister made it to the T2 – go figure, lol. She was playing a Aggron ex and Veporeon/Espeon. I have no idea who took the City – Bondi and I left before it was over.
(BondiBorg): I stopped back into the shop a little later; Andrew ended up winning.
(HDM): That’s cool -- Well, some took home the medals and a bunch of packs, but I left with a GREATER prize than anyone – great friends and the best Tourney ever!! Thanks to all!!! Well, it’s time for our Props n’ Slops, but before we do, here are some pictures for your pleasure.
Justin/Greg/Nick>>> Justin/Greg/Nick(no names)>>>
Do we look like scrubs or what?? We were even asked if we planned to look so “dark”, lol. They were both wearing their shades – so I thought I would slam mine for this pic.
The Crew>>>
Very nice group picture.
GamePlace>>>
Very cool place.
Stephanie>>>
Hey…!!! I had to have one with Bondi and Stephanie!!!
TheMotleyCrew>>>
Man… I caught this shot at the perfect time. Oh – go and grab your Slaking and place it next to Brian. Do you not see the resemblance??? That’s the deck he played – Hey, I told you your deck represented YOU. They got a kick out of that one. Brian is another great friend I acquired – way to go Maverick/TeamBlackthorn007 ;p
TheJudge>>>
Ahhhhhhhhhhh!!! “THE Judge” Hey Jeff, I was going to use the other picture, but I had to be nice. Great Tourney man – look forward to seeing you again.
CharizardGirl>>>
Yes – ladies and Gents – Chris and the “CHARIZARD Girl” – excellent people.
TheToppers>>>
Yep – the Number 1 and 2 for the day…great job.
PROPS:
(HDM):
To the wife and kids for letting me go alone, lol
To a great TO and Judge
Very cool store!
Cool monitor used for posting the pairings!
Kudos to Bondi for giving me half his winning packs – you didn’t have to man… oh—and for the 2 Latias’
Congrats to Andrew and the sis.
(BondiBorg):
Greg, for being such an incredibly l33t guy.
Nick and Brian, for being really cool guys.
Jeff, for running a great tourney both in Charlotte and Winston.
Steph, for looking better in my hat than I do. _
Steph, again, for looking better in Greg's shades than he does. x_X
Andrew, for winning...I may not have agreed with his decision on the ID thing, but no hard feelings here.
SLOPS:
(HDM):
For a very low prize support
Tons of snow and ice that kept others from coming
Getting up at 4:30am the next morning to drive to GA and run a Tourney =/
(BondiBorg): That one kid for cheating...yeah, I paid him back, but still. =/
(HDM): Well...till next time - "May you battle much and loose little." Hope you enjoyed it
(y4
ltr
(BondiBorg): For anyone who hasn't heard, I placed 1st in the Winston-Salem City Championships a few weeks ago. While I hoped to place well in Charlotte, there was nothing more to gain than some fun. Having already earned my bye at States, I had nothing to lose.
(HDM): As I said before…congrats ;p. A few weeks ago, I decided to travel up to NC to take another shot at Cities and Charlotte was the main choice, because I wanted to meet Bondi and players I had seen on the sites for years, but never met in person. Basically, I was down to using either the Blaziken or Guardy deck. Bondi and I started talking’ about the decks and began preparing for the big day.
(BondiBorg): My straight Blaziken/Rayquaza deck, for whatever reason, proved to be faster than both BDR (Blaziken/Delcatty/Rayquaza) decks at Winston. For this reason, I made only a few modifications, and decided to run it again. Most of my playtesting was done against Ampharos EX and Sceptile/Wailord...I came out on top almost every match, against both.
(HDM): Bondi had a slight issue with Guardy decks, so we spent some time play-testing, though I didn’t give him much of a strong competition with my Guardy deck
. So anyway, I drove up from Georgia on Friday. It was going to be about a 5 hour drive – so I wanted to get there the night before and get rested for Saturday. I got there early enough to scope out the card shop and met some Magic players in the process – man would I have loved to play… I went back to the hotel and play-tested for a few hours then hit the hay.
(BondiBorg): The night before the tourney? Ehh...I live only 2 hours from Charlotte, so I slept.
(HDM): Lucky you -- So… basically Bondi and I went to the tourney – both – with Blaziken/Rayquaza – must we really waste your time posting the decks? =/.
Well, I won’t waste space with mine, but I’ll give ya’ a link – heck you may even have some suggestions – not really needed. Greg’s BDR link>>>
Here’s BondiBorg’s:
4 Torchic (Peck)
4 Combusken (Flare)
4 Blaziken (Firestarter)
3 Rayquaza ex
1 Dunsparce (Strike and Run)
1 Ditto (Copy)
4 Desert Shaman
4 TV Reporter
4 Warp Point
3 Juggler
2 Oran Berry
2 PETM
2 ER2
2 High Pressure System
1 Pokemon FanClub
15 Fire
4 Electric
(HDM): I slid two Crystal Shards in the last minute to TecH for any mirror matches. I got to the shop about 11:00 AM – knowing they had delayed the event 1 hour because of all the snow that hit NC – giving others enough time to get there. I did some minor trading and hung around hoping that Bondi would show up. I also wondered if my double-age difference would affect the way we would connect, but it never seemed like a problem. I’m actually a big kid at heart
Later, I was talking to a few people when I turned around and saw this tall guy in black. I swear – I don’t meet too many people taller than me, but I never would have guessed that Bondi was 2 inches taller than me!!! We hit it off right away and began trading a few cards as well as help Bondi testing against the Guardy deck, which – again – didn’t give him much competition =/. He introduced me to “One Energy” Nick – that’s what we call him now, lol – more later… I hit it off with him very well, too. Bondi, what was he playing? (BondiBorg): Nick was actually attempting a metagame deck, Espeon/Houndoom. We spent most of the drive to Charlotte working on it, trying to stomp out the flaws.
(HDM): hmm…We then spent a few minutes meeting other people – hi there Stephanie and Brian
- and I spent a few minutes talking to Jeff “The Judge” (a.k.a. Feraligatr) – thanks Jeff for a very nice Tourney . On to the Tourney:
ROUND 1
(HDM): Jeff spent the first few minutes givin’ us all the rules and answering any questions from the players. For the first time in history did I here the rule Jeff announced about prizes. Basically – If you forget to pull your prize when you KO an opponent’s Poke – you can’t pull it later. Well – no big deal – I NEVER forget to pull a prize - =/
(HDM):
Round 1 vs. Kyle ( Guardy/Wobb?/Mewtwo ex )
Very nice kid. He had a standard, yet different Guardy build. I got set-up extremely fast and took the game quite easily. 1-0
(BondiBorg):
Round 1 vs. Brian Leary ( Slaking )
I saw just one Combusken throughout this entire game, meaning I was sitting with a few Torchics and a Rayquaza when Brian pulled out a fourth-turn Slaking. To put it bluntly, I got steamrolled. Not a fun way to start a tourney. x_X 0-1
ROUND 2
(HDM):
Round 2 vs. Andrew ( Guardy/Wobb )
He and his sister are good people. I was very confident playing against any Guardy decks – that’s mainly what I spent most of my time play-testing against. I was very confident that I would give Andrew a run for his money. I had a great start – as is most of the time – my deck is very consistent that way. But – that was as far as I got. I simply could not pull any cards I needed and spent the rest of the time trying to top-deck to no avail. I also made a huge mistake that probably sealed the loss. 1-1
(BondiBorg):
Round 2 vs. Really Cool Mom (Salamence/Camerupt/Crawdaunt)
Once again, my evolutions came irritatingly slow, during this match. By about my 8th turn, I finally got the deck going. Thankfully, this was just before she dropped Crawdaunt, which could have thoroughly messed me up. One shot from Rayquaza punted the Crawdaunt, and it was pretty much just cleanup from there on out. 1-1
(BondiBorg): I heard from Brian in between rounds that the kid he had played against had cheated. Apparently, the kid picked up a game-altering di that had just been rolled heads, and refused to concede the result of the roll. After a few minutes of squabbling back and forth, Brian just rolled again, and of course got tails. This eventually cost him the match. It really bugs me to hear about people pulling that kind of junk...
(HDM): I think that was pretty jacked-up, too. That’s why I always make sure I use my own stuff, yet at the same time I’m not too fond of having my opponents use mine either.
ROUND 3
(HDM): Bondi and I both knew that we would battle each other sometime that day, but this was not the time for it, lol. With both of us at 1-1, it would be tough for the loser of this round to slide into T8. We sucked it up…and wished each other good luck. We were really excited to play each other anyway, because that’s where true competition really shines – two great players and friends battling for the Championship! We both agreed that we did not want a quick KO game – we wanted it to come down to the last prize.
(HDM):
Round 3 vs. Justin/BondiBorg ( Blaziken/Rayquaza )
This is where I wanted to slap Jeff, lol – for saying anything about the prizes!!! I started of a bit quicker than Justin and had Ko’d 2 of his Pokes before nailing one of his Ray’s with a Sharded Blaziken, though he kept Shaman’n me to keep me from using it, lol. I then realized that I had forgotten to pull a prize!!!!!! I could not believe it! I think that is where I lost the game. It bothered me immensely that I would forget such a thing. Bondi was kind enough to offer that I pull it anyway, but I could not accept – this had to be a battle where every mistake counted and strict rules had to be applied. My hand slowed down and I simply couldn’t pull anything else while he blasted the rest of his prizes for the game. 1-2
(BondiBorg):
Round 3 vs Greg/HDM (Blaziken/Delcatty/Rayquaza)
Hey, it wasn't quite THAT one-sided.
While I did get started just a little slower than Greg, his main downfall came when he absolutely could NOT pull Delcatty. Without his main drawpower source, he just wasn't able to keep up. I played a lot of Desert Shamans in a short amount of time, to keep him from keeping anything useful in his hand; during one of these, he accidentally flashed a Crystal Shard right before shuffling it in. This put me on guard, and ensured that I wouldn't rely too heavily on Rayquaza. While I still drew a few prizes with Ray, the main hitter I ended up using was Blaziken. 2-1
(BondiBorg): Oh, and for the record, it was tempting to grab the prize Greg should have drawn, and stick it in his hand. Tourney play or not, I don't want something like that to change the outcome of the game.
ROUND 4
(HDM): By now, I feel pretty s.o.l. I was 1-2 and my chances seemed pretty slim to T8, but I was determined to enjoy the rest of the day anyway. I spoke to Jeff for a couple of minutes and he stated that I could still win the next three rounds for a chance to the T8. I know what he was doin’
, but that’s what a good judge does – he motivated me to suck-it-up and move on – Thanks Jeff.(HDM):
Round 4 vs. Earlene – I hope I spelled it right ( Guardy/Wobb )
I don’t see many elderly players and this was a breath of fresh air. I was so happy to come to a tourney with such well-rounded ages. I’m glad her daughter had her come to play. Now I was a bit nervous, because here was another good Guardy deck and I had no idea of her experience. We both got set-up very fast and the game went on until I pulled 6 prizes to none. 2-2
(BondiBorg):
Round 4 vs Kid Who Cheated Against Brian ( Hariyama/Kingdra EX)
Going into this match, I was (righteously) ready to stomp the kid into the asphalt. Brian is a good friend of mine, and didn't deserve somebody cheating and getting away with it. The match started with my lone Torchic and Rayquaza against his Horsea, 2 Corphish, and a Dunsparce. I left Rayquaza out front, abusing his Water Resistance to keep the kid from taking any advantage, and using Juggler and TV Reporter to get Fire in the discard. Spiral Growth didn't fail me even once, and I absolutely obliterated all of his critters; Seadra didn't even hit the field, not to mention Kingdra. Brian was avenged. ^_^ 3-1
(HDM): Yeah – I think we all felt a bit of justice there ;p
----BREAK----
(HDM): Finally…. I was starv’n – I hadn’t eaten all morning and I was beginning to feel a bit wheezy. Justin, Nick and I walked to Blimpie – or was it Subway?... oh well – and Nick began telling us what had happened to him. This appeared to be a day of the Omen, because I have NEVER forgotten’ to pull a prize and Nick thought having two ties in one day would be impossible till now… Bondi, explain the “One Energy” Nick story, lol
(BondiBorg): Long story short, in Nick's last match, he and his opponent were tied when time was called; Nick was to finish his turn, and it would be a tie unless he could pull just one prize. He had two Fire on Houndoom, and with just a single Energy, could Flamethrower for the win. He had 4 cards in his hand, including Desert Shaman; 5 cards left in the deck. When he used Shaman, he had very good odds of pulling his last remaining Fire out of a deck of 8 cards...he draws four...and it's not in there. That cements his second tie game for the day. x_X
(HDM): We pretty-much messed with him the rest of the night
. We then began to discuss decks, what other people were playing and our feelings about what we each played. I basically stated that I believe that the deck you play is a reflection of the type of person you are. I considered for weeks playing a Guardy deck, but explained to Justin and Nick why I simply could not bring myself to play it. I mean – come-on!’ -- a grown man playing sweet and very fine Guardy?...Me? Just couldn’t do it. I made some motions of how I would play the deck if I had to play it and they both agreed that it was best left alone, lol. We took some pictures and began preparing for the next round. (BondiBorg):
I'm refusing comment on Greg's thoughts about Garde. =P
(HDM): ROFL – better left unsaid.
ROUND 5
(HDM):
Round 5 vs. Scott, Kyle’s dad ( Blaziken/Rayquaza )
This was a fairly quick battle. His deck was not quite as strong as mine and with my TecH Shards, it was over. After the battle, we spent some time talking about his deck and I helped him with making it better as well as explaining the true strategy of the deck – hey… I do this on many boards anyway – why not in person. He and his son are also very good people. 3-2
(BondiBorg):
Round 5 vs. Chris ( Kabutops ex/Omastar )
As a guy playing a deck mostly composed of Fire, I wasn't exactly happy to see so much water sitting on the opponent's side of the field. On the other hand, I was content with my strategies against Mysterious Fossil decks. On top of Energy shortage problems, I got heads on both of my Energy Removal 2's; his Pokémon didn't stand a chance. Rayquaza pulled most of the weight in the match; three times in a row, I was able to Spiral Growth for three Fires, then Dragon Burst the next turn for 120 damage. By the time he got some Energy, I was picking off his high-HP Pokémon left and right. 4-1
ROUND 6
(BondiBorg): Right before the match started, I realized that I had the win percentage to be almost guaranteed a spot in the Top 8. Since I had just scored a win at Table 2, I knew my next match was against somebody who hadn't lost at all. Steph and I talked it over, and both of us agreed to try to get our opponents to ID (Intentional Draw), to ensure that everybody made it to T8. When I talked to Andrew, however, he wouldn't agree to it. This didn't sit well with me; win or lose, he was going into the T8 with the highest seed. I didn't argue with him about it, though...I just shuffled and prepared for the round.
(HDM):
Round 6 vs. Chris ( Kabutops ex/Omastar )
Okay – here was an all-water deck. I basically expected to be slaughtered, but did not have a clue of how badly it would be. I thought I set-up quickly, lol – I saw so much water Pokes and Kabutops by turn 3; it was amazing! It’s odd how this can’t be a Tier1 deck. He lacked one thing….. energy. I kept swinging with Rayquaza for the win. 4-2
(BondiBorg):
Round 6 vs. Andrew ( Garde )
For whatever reason, I seem to play more efficiently when I'm irritated; as I explained a moment ago, I wasn't happy that he was attempting to knock me out of a T8 spot. I honestly don't remember too much of the match...all I know is that I was able to keep him from getting Garde or Garde EX on the field for long. He still had three or four prizes left when I drew my sixth one. 5-1
TOP8
(HDM): By a few %’s I actually slid into the T8 by the hair of my chinni-chin-chin. To my surprise BondiBorg was nervous!! What the heck. He couldn’t explain why, but hey – competition does that to you. To my astonishment, most people were happy to see me at the T8 as was I.
(BondiBorg): From a first-round loss to T8...not bad. I was happy that Greg made T8; he had a long drive from Georgia, it was cool to see that it was worth it for him.
T8 - ROUND 1
(HDM):
T8 Round 1 vs. Andrew ( Guardy/Wobbu )
The LAST person I wanted to battle right away in the T8, lol. The amazing thing is that I still felt very confident that I could take the win. Well, I won’t bore you with the details… I got set-up as quickly as usual, but worse than the last game against him – I had dead hands and no energy!! I was a sitting duck -- I was out. =/
(BondiBorg):
T8 Round 1 vs Insanely Cocky Kid ( No-Trainer Dragon )
Jeff had us look through the opponent's decklist before the match...I was stunned, not to mention somewhat amused, to see that he was running no Trainers whatsoever, just maxed-out lines of every Colorless Dragon that exists today. How it actually worked is very, very far beyond me...he got every Energy he needed, and every Evolution, at just the right time. I'm something of a lucky player, but stock market analysts and gamblers would tear out their hair, if they had made bets on this kid. x_X *Out*
(HDM): I heard of the concept of an all Dragon and Energy deck with no trainers at TN that made the T8 and here we see it again. Though I wouldn’t consider it Tier1, I definitely think it’s amazing how it makes it, lol. It was also sad to see that Stephanie got beat out of the T8 – heck, I think she was undefeated until now. So…all the Blaziken/Rayquazas were out for the day.
T8 - ROUND 2/3
(HDM): I really have no idea what happened from there. I was havin’ too much fun taking pictures with the buds. I do know that Andrew and his sister made it to the T2 – go figure, lol. She was playing a Aggron ex and Veporeon/Espeon. I have no idea who took the City – Bondi and I left before it was over.
(BondiBorg): I stopped back into the shop a little later; Andrew ended up winning.
(HDM): That’s cool -- Well, some took home the medals and a bunch of packs, but I left with a GREATER prize than anyone – great friends and the best Tourney ever!! Thanks to all!!! Well, it’s time for our Props n’ Slops, but before we do, here are some pictures for your pleasure.
Justin/Greg/Nick>>> Justin/Greg/Nick(no names)>>>
Do we look like scrubs or what?? We were even asked if we planned to look so “dark”, lol. They were both wearing their shades – so I thought I would slam mine for this pic.
The Crew>>>
Very nice group picture.
GamePlace>>>
Very cool place.
Stephanie>>>
Hey…!!! I had to have one with Bondi and Stephanie!!!
TheMotleyCrew>>>
Man… I caught this shot at the perfect time. Oh – go and grab your Slaking and place it next to Brian. Do you not see the resemblance??? That’s the deck he played – Hey, I told you your deck represented YOU.
They got a kick out of that one. Brian is another great friend I acquired – way to go Maverick/TeamBlackthorn007 ;pTheJudge>>>
Ahhhhhhhhhhh!!! “THE Judge” Hey Jeff, I was going to use the other picture, but I had to be nice
. Great Tourney man – look forward to seeing you again. CharizardGirl>>>
Yes – ladies and Gents – Chris and the “CHARIZARD Girl” – excellent people.
TheToppers>>>
Yep – the Number 1 and 2 for the day…great job.
PROPS:
(HDM):
To the wife and kids for letting me go alone, lol
To a great TO and Judge
Very cool store!
Cool monitor used for posting the pairings!
Kudos to Bondi for giving me half his winning packs – you didn’t have to man… oh—and for the 2 Latias’
Congrats to Andrew and the sis.
(BondiBorg):
Greg, for being such an incredibly l33t guy.
Nick and Brian, for being really cool guys.
Jeff, for running a great tourney both in Charlotte and Winston.
Steph, for looking better in my hat than I do. _
Steph, again, for looking better in Greg's shades than he does. x_X
Andrew, for winning...I may not have agreed with his decision on the ID thing, but no hard feelings here.
SLOPS:
(HDM):
For a very low prize support
Tons of snow and ice that kept others from coming
Getting up at 4:30am the next morning to drive to GA and run a Tourney =/
(BondiBorg): That one kid for cheating...yeah, I paid him back, but still. =/
(HDM): Well...till next time - "May you battle much and loose little." Hope you enjoyed it
(y4
ltr
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