ATTENTION CANADIANS!!!
Canada has NEVER, EVER influenced our metagame. Not even once..... Canada is, after all, the place where Exploud/Golem won Nationals.
I am not a rocket scientist, however it seems like, if people dont see an idea here on the gym, it isnt out there. What a terrible mistake.
HELLO PEOPLE, Yanmega is good!!! For those of you who havent noticed. I am here to make sure that all of you know this before nationals.
Seriously, are you kidding me?
As I said before, people who cant think for themselves and want to follow the leader, will give up on what they have been testing, and they will choose something that they have seen played successfully in Canada. Just because it worked for them, doesnt mean it will work for you!
That is the only impact Canada will have on our metagame.
close/.>TRUTH
Jimmy
It's true, out of the past 5 Canadian National Champions, I am the worst.
In fact, I will be the first to admit that I have been hiding from the Pokegym community for the sheer shame of my words in my victory report back in 2007. I'm done hiding, I'm being ashamed and I'm done not being able to defend myself. I was 17 back then, first year playing, I didn't come close to top cut in any tournament leading up to Nationals, I WON FREAKIN' NATIONALS and had no clue what Pokegym was until ThorneOfLegends and my brother convinced me to write a report. I didn't know my poor choice of words and slander would be blasted so bad in my face, but what's done is done and I can't take it back. That was 5 Nationals ago GET OVER IT!
For those who keep knocking and knocking on Golem/Exploud, do some research and findout what the heck Golem/Exploud actually did.
I've read comments back in the day asking 'Exploud is a pokemon?!?!', 'Golem's in the format?' and STILL up until today 'he donked his way to the top'. Let's get one thing straight, I only donked 2 people that whole tournament and they both just so happened to be my top 4 and top 2 opponents, and those two times were the only times I ever started with Geodude. I didn't even think of doing it until Kant asked me 'do you have the energy to knock me out?'. Donks happen in the stupidest ways especially when all eyes are on you.
If we all go back to my report, I did a HORRIBLE job on describing what 'Golem/Expoud' did or even describe one of my matches properly.
Here's the 411 on how my deck worked (scroll down and skip this section for the ignorant people with no open mind and can't get off BDIF bandwagons)
---------- Post added 07/14/2011 at 02:20 AM ----------
Canada in 2007 was filled with Flygod, MSN, Metanite, Metavire and Infercatties, nonetheless, stage twos relying on powers and Holon Engine. Absolution wasn't known back then and I can recall only one person played it.
My deck Stantler/Golem/Exploud EX/Cessation Crystal/Cursed Stone
Stantler - Trainer-lock and confusing heavy retreating Pokemon.
Against the format where Castform would set up, discarding Windstorms, Switchs/Warp, Candies and Holon Transceiver is a must.
(Mewtrix won Worlds the year before because of Trainer-lock)
(Vileplume making such an impact by not allowing trainers)
Yes Stantler isn't the best trainer lock, but it absolutely slowed all my opponents down.
Golem/Meteor Falls - Mend allowed me to energy accelerate my deck, Meteor Falls allowed me to do damage to myself if they can't do a return knock, Enraged Linear Attack killed off all engines; Delcatty, Flygon d, Nidoqueen d, etc. Worked best when a heavy confused Pokemon was at point and I was able to snipe around
(BigChuck01's Empoleon 15-1 2008 Grinders/Wrolds run sniping killing all engines)
(Yanmega doing it big this format)
(LuxChomp/DialgaChomp sniping engines; Claydols)
Both realizing that killing engines is a better way of winning
Exploud/Boost Energy - Body damaged EXs for fun in between turns, was able to discard special enegies (DCE and Holon Castform) and if they had powers and bodies, I hit them for 80 with one boost.
(BigChuck01's Empoleon 15-1 2008 Grinders/Wrolds ER2)
(khanh le in 2008 ER2)
Both players realizing that double energy are in format and must be dealt with.
Deck Synergy
Cession Crystal + Cursed Stone - damaging and stopping Pokemon with Powers and Bodies
(GG is the forever hated deck for locking powers)
Stantler + Cession - allowed me to discard trainers that would affect my deck performance, locking powers and confusing threats for major set up failure for my opponent
Golem + Cession + Cursed Stone - sniping for little damage needed, locking powers while spreading damage for easy prizes
(Empozong's main strategy)
(Garchomp C lvX was the BCIF for the past 2 years for his sniping capibility)
Exploud + Curse Stone - being able to OHKO after Stone/Golem damage with one Energy attach and added damage to EX Pokemon. (If curse and Exploud's at point and Opponent has EX with powers they took 2 damage counters in between turns)
(Gallade+scramble cleaned up after Gardevoir's power lock)
There you have it folks! Have a history lesson and remember what all the decks did back then, match it up to my strategy, reforumlate your opinion and ridicule Golem/Exploud with an unbasis opinion =D !!! And for those ignorant people who still refuse to see it was a counter deck, I even illustrated the top tier decks strategies that succeed and how their characteristics are present in my deck. I'm done with you simple minded 'BDIF are always going to win, I don't know how to think outside the box, what Pokegym says is what goes' .
(if you didn't follow the above three steps, your opinion doesn't matter)
---------- Post added 07/14/2011 at 02:21 AM ----------
In fact, for all those who didn't know, I have met Jimmy personally. I thought we were cool but I guess not since he insist on bashing my deck 5 Nationals later. Here's the
REAL TRUTH. He was the only American to actually come up to me and tell me his two cents about me. He was also the only American to decline my challenge for me to prove to him that my deck was good against the format. In fact Jimmy looked at what my deck is able to do, he thought of my strategy against the format, and reforumlated his opinion and said that I would've spanked his deck so there's no point for a match. Jimmy, you said there was a target on my back, and that you'd show me up at worlds that year, but yet you refused to play me after I was willing to back up my poorly picked words. You of all people have no right to say Golem/Exploud expresses Canadian's poor deck choice since you're the only Amercian to refuse to face
LOSING to such an
inferior deck. You bash the deck 5 Nationals later, you're bashing the player. You are pretty much saying I am the reason why Canada will forever be known as pathetic. Offense taken.
Oh yeah, Do not take offense to the statement
above.... Disclaimer....
close/.>TRUTH
I am going to do something no Canadian is willing to admit, back in 2006-2007, Canada's player base was horrible.
I am also not going to lie, back then I was a scrub who just wanted to win a trip to Hawaii. I didn't even know what an archytype was, but what I did know was what my area was playing and what I had to do to out-smart them to win. In fact, I'm glad I didn't know what Pokegym was back then and what 'BDIF' was back then because I wouldn't have won had I known. I won because I knew the player base and the decks they would use, no one knew who I was and I played a deck that no one knew how to defend against even playing it 2 of out 3. In fact, in my first game against Bidier in finals, he discarded his Steelix EX because his friends told him that my Exploud Ex was that big of a threat.
It's true Canada had no players, BACK THEN. Gordon Coates, Sebastian S.(playing YOUR DECK), Kent Shen(America's Ace in the whole) and Greg Cresswell were the only notiable names back then, Gordon beat me like he should and had he faced me in top cut, we would've spanked me again. Players like Andrew Vincze, Sebastian Creama, and Dexter P were on leave of absence. Players who are world class players now haven't been introducted to the Pokemon TCG yet such as; Curtis Lyon, Reed Mascola, Julian Wong, Troy Naylor, and Terry K. Players like Zach Lesage, Bryan Cresswell and Alaric M-B. were still playing in Seniors.
EVERYONE was still in the developments on becoming elite level that year such as Matt K., Adam A. and Kevin L.
So yes, the playing field in 2007 was easier, I won because I played against the format, elite players didn't exist and I had the surprise factor behind me. Obviously, my lack of knowledge of the world's meta reflected my performance Worlds and I've learned a lot.
Canada as a whole has progressed after 2007, from earning no invite to earning at least 2 a year in Master. From Matt Koo's 9th finish in World's 2008 to Sebastian Creama's 7th in 2009 to Curtis Lyon's 5th in 2010, none of which are National Champions. The playing competition grew rapid and stronger with the introduction of past players and new players. Increasing our Nationals numbers from 79 to 138. From top 16 to top 32. From 1 day to 2 days. Canada is evolving faster than everyone can keep track of. Canadian National Champions do not reflect Canada as a whole, our players do. This thread title should be 'The effect on US nationals from Canadian
TOP PLAYER'S DECK CHOICE AT Nationals?'
Obviously, that would be the correct title since it obviously did. Flooded with Yanmegas. In fact, if Justin, Dylan and Jayson can please come onto this thread and tell us all that Yanmega/Zone and Yanmega/Kingdra was their first choice going into US Nationals BEFORE Canada that would be greatly appreciated. I would like to extend the invite even more to ALL the Yanmegavarient players in top 128 that knew for sure BEFORE Canada, their Yanmegavarient was the play please comment.
It's funny how the deck played by all the top players of Western Canada played Yanmega/Magnezone? Or how Reed got second in Masters, Andrew and Ethan won in Seniors and Juniors respectively with Yanmega/Kingdra? Or how Matt, Juan, Curtis, Adam and I all played Mew/Pluff/Muk/Plume and it actually made notable appearances, 3 players top 128 and one losing in top 16? I actually find it REALLY funny how there was actually 2 ZPS in top 128 out of a pool of 1100+. Coincidence?
Canada wasn't recognizable in 2007, as National Champion of that year, I have the right to say that. Don't be so blind and ignorant to see that we have gotten better and is now a factor to the today's Pokemon meta.
So from now on, if you want to bash Canada, bash Andrew Vincze, Canadian National Champion for defeating Pooka, US National Champion at Worlds 2009,
bash Reed Mascola for out-smarting the whole entire OH State by playing Champ in a LuxChomp area and taking home 1st place, OH's prize money and 2 free byes,
bash Matt Koo for playing 4 pluspowers in a GG deck and top 16ing at Worlds 2008, when Ness used Jolteon* for the same reason,
bash Sebastian Creama for leaving pokemon and comeback to top 8 at Worlds 2009 with a version of Flygon too risky to play after Matt Koo set the Canadian standards,
bash Curtis Lyon for Playing GG Healer in a format against stage 2 and placing top 8 at Worlds,
bash Jacob L. for becoming the first and only Grandslam Champion in Pokemon history winning Provincals, Regionals, Nationals and Worlds in the same year.
BASH MARVIN P., OUR Ontario PTO, AND HIS SON FOR GOING TO THE STATES AND TAKING SEVERAL CITIES THIS YEAR with non-BDIF decks!
So go ahead America bash Canada for always thinking outside the box, for not believing in 'BDIFs' and tier list; both players and decks, but most importantly America, bash Canada for having the balls to play against the format when you Americans can't!