Hi : This is Jim, father of William Shand who took third place in the Juniors. We really enjoyed reading the report from Pooka in the nationals and thought we would put something out with a first hand report on the Worlds. The words below are mainly from William, his memories ,although he cannot remember every game. His Dad (me) was too nervous to watch several of the games from last 32 onwards!
First of all : I'll follow a trend started by Pooka. We won't give all the details of the deck although you'll get the idea from the games below. William decided a couple of weeks before the Worlds to play Palkia Lock. This deck was developed by some guys from Colorado Springs - thanks to Ian Brander, Breton Brander, Adrian Montoya for your help! William had been playing t-tar the entire season and decided he needed to do something different for Worlds. The main strategy of this deck is to prevent the opponent from using any powers and to snipe the bench as much as possible.
This is my first time at worlds and it is just a great experience and a great time. Really well organized (thanks all you organizers!).
Round 1 : Played against Jayson C from Australia. First turn, Jayson goes 2nd . .. I think you know the story. Rare candy, Rampardos, energy . . . Donk! So after 10 seconds of the 2009 worlds William thinks it is pretty much already all over! . 0-1
Round 2 : Played Kyle G from USA. Don't remember what happened … but now I am 1-1
Round 3 : Played Josh B, USA - He was playing Luxape and I snipe his Baltoy on the first turn. Then he brings up his last pokemon, his rayquaza but uses TSD to recover Baltoy. Puts it down but during my next turn I snipe it again. From there it just use target attack on rayquaza for the win.
Round 4 : Played Simone L from Italy who was playing a GeChamp deck. Sniped Gastlys and Baltoys, he didn't manage to get out his Machamp until the end of the game. Got lucky when he rolled tails four times on four Super Scoops! 4-1
Round 5 : Drew F. who was playing a Mother Gengar deck. Used the same strategy as in the last game to snipe his Gastly and his Baltoy. Was doing really well but ran out of time . . . If we just had a few more minutes I think I would have won! 4-2
Round 6 playing Timothy W from the US. Karma happens . . . I get to donk his unown G with Honchkrow G and its all over pretty quickly. 4-2
Ok - absolutely HAVE to win the last game to get through
Round 7 : James L. I've played him before in the Nationals so we know each other. We start and he's playing dark Flygon. I snipe a few of his trapinches but he brings up Flygon to Lv X and it ends up going down to the last prize card. He brings up Vibrava with 10 damage on it and I bring up Crobat G. Now he uses energy typhoon and puts my only Psychic energy I have back in my deck. Now I really need some luck. I bring up my Banette which already has a call energy attached and used Uxie/Set-up to get 3 cards. The second card is . . . A psychic energy! Attach…temper tantrum…loneliness…Game over! An incredible squeaker! But I am now 5-2 and in the last 32!
Last 32. William has now qualified to receive a Nintendo Dsi which was pretty much the BIG GOAL coming in to the event. Yeah! Plays Nadia B (I think her brother is on the next table playing a boy from Japan). Nadia is playing a really fast Gengar deck with loads of poke turns, pokedexes and so on. First game, Honchkrow G to snipe her Baltoys to finish off the game. Next game I snipe a Claydol or 2. She ends up using too many too many cosmic powers, pokedexes and so on and she decks out. I'm through!
Last 16 : Pretty impressive that Japan has about 10 kids in the final 16, 6 of whom are in my bracket of 8. I have not played a single one until now. From what we have seen and heard the Japanese kids in Juniors are all playing similar SP decks - variants that all pretty much use Luxray. This is where my deck really comes into its own. I manage to lock her down in both games and she can barely do anything at all in both games. Downer Material becomes a key Body and stops her being able to attack at all. In game 2 I really lock her down when I bring out Downer Material on turn 2. Then things get even worse when I manage to power spray two of her uxies in a row in a single turn - she can hardly draw any cards at all. So now she is locked down and with a bit of Honchkrow sniping and Pearl Breaths I am through to the last 8!
Last 8 : Playing a boy from Japan who is the National Champion (although my Dad doesn't tell me this until after the game). He is playing Luxape. First game I draw dead and although it gets down to the last prize card he uses zen blade for the win. Game 2 is over pretty quickly : I go first, put down psychic bind and then use psychic restore for 20 damage on his lone luxray GL. He uses Roseannes research for electric energy and Uxie and puts them both in his hand. He attached the energy but doesn't put down Uxie because of Psychic bind. Now it’s my turn again. I use Roseanne to get two 2 crobat G's and use two flash bites on luxray gl, then flash bite him twice more with two poke turns … psychic restore for the win! Now it's 1-1. Final game I use pearl breath and Honchkrow G to completely overrun my opponent. Can't believe it! Final 4!
Final 4 : Jason Martinez from the US. He is playing mother gengar. Game 1 I get a really bad start and lose pretty quickly. Game 2 : I get a bad start. He brings out one gastly and uses trick gas about 10 turns in a row pretty much shutting me down but he is able to build himself up. Once he has a couple of charged Gengars and a Nidoqueen on the bench it becomes too much, but it ends up with his Nidoqueen, then he uses warp point to make me switch out my pokemon, brings up nidoqueen again and it is over.
Good luck Jason in the final!
Playing for 3rd place against Heikki from Finland. He is playing a luxape deck. Game 1 I complete lock him down and manage to overrun him. Game 2 I discover I've managed to do something pretty silly . . .when I go to take my first prize card I discover two prize cards are stuck together so I have 7 prize cards out. In case you are wondering . . .the penalty for this is that although I got to draw my prize card (and shuffle the stuck one into my deck) my opponent also drew a prize card. In the end I scoop when I know I am going to lose. Game 3 I lock down my opponent for a couple of turns and spread damage on his bench. He uses Luxray GL Lv X a couple of times but I manage to take out each one with a one-strike hit each time. I get ahead in prize cards pretty quickly and use pearl breath a few times. He now has quite a bit of damage on the bench but retreats his uxie, and brings up luxray GL lv x and uses flash impact for the KO. Unfortunately for him it is too late and I am too far ahead, I bring up Honchkrow G and take out his Bronzong G for the win.
THIRD PLACE!
So - I GOT MY NINTENDO Dsi - Yeah !! Ok, and lots of other incredible stuff as well. Just a fantastic time, loved the whole experience.
Footnote : William wanted to battle me in our hotel room this evening! I was hoping he would be pokemon-ed out, but he is ready to go again. For my own part I haven't been able to eat much the last day or so but now the nerves are gone and I'm looking forward to a good sleep!
(Need to thank Janique of course who knows nothing about Pokemon TCG but was actually able to watch the games that I could not!)
First of all : I'll follow a trend started by Pooka. We won't give all the details of the deck although you'll get the idea from the games below. William decided a couple of weeks before the Worlds to play Palkia Lock. This deck was developed by some guys from Colorado Springs - thanks to Ian Brander, Breton Brander, Adrian Montoya for your help! William had been playing t-tar the entire season and decided he needed to do something different for Worlds. The main strategy of this deck is to prevent the opponent from using any powers and to snipe the bench as much as possible.
This is my first time at worlds and it is just a great experience and a great time. Really well organized (thanks all you organizers!).
Round 1 : Played against Jayson C from Australia. First turn, Jayson goes 2nd . .. I think you know the story. Rare candy, Rampardos, energy . . . Donk! So after 10 seconds of the 2009 worlds William thinks it is pretty much already all over! . 0-1
Round 2 : Played Kyle G from USA. Don't remember what happened … but now I am 1-1
Round 3 : Played Josh B, USA - He was playing Luxape and I snipe his Baltoy on the first turn. Then he brings up his last pokemon, his rayquaza but uses TSD to recover Baltoy. Puts it down but during my next turn I snipe it again. From there it just use target attack on rayquaza for the win.
Round 4 : Played Simone L from Italy who was playing a GeChamp deck. Sniped Gastlys and Baltoys, he didn't manage to get out his Machamp until the end of the game. Got lucky when he rolled tails four times on four Super Scoops! 4-1
Round 5 : Drew F. who was playing a Mother Gengar deck. Used the same strategy as in the last game to snipe his Gastly and his Baltoy. Was doing really well but ran out of time . . . If we just had a few more minutes I think I would have won! 4-2
Round 6 playing Timothy W from the US. Karma happens . . . I get to donk his unown G with Honchkrow G and its all over pretty quickly. 4-2
Ok - absolutely HAVE to win the last game to get through
Round 7 : James L. I've played him before in the Nationals so we know each other. We start and he's playing dark Flygon. I snipe a few of his trapinches but he brings up Flygon to Lv X and it ends up going down to the last prize card. He brings up Vibrava with 10 damage on it and I bring up Crobat G. Now he uses energy typhoon and puts my only Psychic energy I have back in my deck. Now I really need some luck. I bring up my Banette which already has a call energy attached and used Uxie/Set-up to get 3 cards. The second card is . . . A psychic energy! Attach…temper tantrum…loneliness…Game over! An incredible squeaker! But I am now 5-2 and in the last 32!
Last 32. William has now qualified to receive a Nintendo Dsi which was pretty much the BIG GOAL coming in to the event. Yeah! Plays Nadia B (I think her brother is on the next table playing a boy from Japan). Nadia is playing a really fast Gengar deck with loads of poke turns, pokedexes and so on. First game, Honchkrow G to snipe her Baltoys to finish off the game. Next game I snipe a Claydol or 2. She ends up using too many too many cosmic powers, pokedexes and so on and she decks out. I'm through!
Last 16 : Pretty impressive that Japan has about 10 kids in the final 16, 6 of whom are in my bracket of 8. I have not played a single one until now. From what we have seen and heard the Japanese kids in Juniors are all playing similar SP decks - variants that all pretty much use Luxray. This is where my deck really comes into its own. I manage to lock her down in both games and she can barely do anything at all in both games. Downer Material becomes a key Body and stops her being able to attack at all. In game 2 I really lock her down when I bring out Downer Material on turn 2. Then things get even worse when I manage to power spray two of her uxies in a row in a single turn - she can hardly draw any cards at all. So now she is locked down and with a bit of Honchkrow sniping and Pearl Breaths I am through to the last 8!
Last 8 : Playing a boy from Japan who is the National Champion (although my Dad doesn't tell me this until after the game). He is playing Luxape. First game I draw dead and although it gets down to the last prize card he uses zen blade for the win. Game 2 is over pretty quickly : I go first, put down psychic bind and then use psychic restore for 20 damage on his lone luxray GL. He uses Roseannes research for electric energy and Uxie and puts them both in his hand. He attached the energy but doesn't put down Uxie because of Psychic bind. Now it’s my turn again. I use Roseanne to get two 2 crobat G's and use two flash bites on luxray gl, then flash bite him twice more with two poke turns … psychic restore for the win! Now it's 1-1. Final game I use pearl breath and Honchkrow G to completely overrun my opponent. Can't believe it! Final 4!
Final 4 : Jason Martinez from the US. He is playing mother gengar. Game 1 I get a really bad start and lose pretty quickly. Game 2 : I get a bad start. He brings out one gastly and uses trick gas about 10 turns in a row pretty much shutting me down but he is able to build himself up. Once he has a couple of charged Gengars and a Nidoqueen on the bench it becomes too much, but it ends up with his Nidoqueen, then he uses warp point to make me switch out my pokemon, brings up nidoqueen again and it is over.
Good luck Jason in the final!
Playing for 3rd place against Heikki from Finland. He is playing a luxape deck. Game 1 I complete lock him down and manage to overrun him. Game 2 I discover I've managed to do something pretty silly . . .when I go to take my first prize card I discover two prize cards are stuck together so I have 7 prize cards out. In case you are wondering . . .the penalty for this is that although I got to draw my prize card (and shuffle the stuck one into my deck) my opponent also drew a prize card. In the end I scoop when I know I am going to lose. Game 3 I lock down my opponent for a couple of turns and spread damage on his bench. He uses Luxray GL Lv X a couple of times but I manage to take out each one with a one-strike hit each time. I get ahead in prize cards pretty quickly and use pearl breath a few times. He now has quite a bit of damage on the bench but retreats his uxie, and brings up luxray GL lv x and uses flash impact for the KO. Unfortunately for him it is too late and I am too far ahead, I bring up Honchkrow G and take out his Bronzong G for the win.
THIRD PLACE!
So - I GOT MY NINTENDO Dsi - Yeah !! Ok, and lots of other incredible stuff as well. Just a fantastic time, loved the whole experience.
Footnote : William wanted to battle me in our hotel room this evening! I was hoping he would be pokemon-ed out, but he is ready to go again. For my own part I haven't been able to eat much the last day or so but now the nerves are gone and I'm looking forward to a good sleep!
(Need to thank Janique of course who knows nothing about Pokemon TCG but was actually able to watch the games that I could not!)
