Semi-Finalist U.S. Nationals Report and a Unique Take on Wailord
Hello, ‘Beach goers! On the weekend of the Fourth of July, I had the privilege of attending the U.S. National Championships in Indianapolis, and managed to get third place! Today I’m eager to recount my Nationals experience and talk about my deck choice, as well as share some thoughts about [card name=”Wailord-EX” set=”Primal Clash” no=”38″ c=”name”] for Worlds. You might be sick of Wail discussions by now, but I am confident that what I have to share is quite different from what you’ve heard so far. Nationals is always a fun tournament to attend because there’s so much to do, even though I’m there primarily to compete. It’s great to see people from all across the country and be able to find any card you want in a matter of minutes. Alright, enough of my rambling. Let’s get into the story!
Day 0 (Thursday, Registration)
The competitors didn’t actually have to turn in deck lists on Thursday when registering, so I naturally had no idea what to play until much later that night. I knew I was probably going to play [card name=”Suicune” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”20″ c=”name”] / [card name=”Crobat” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”33″ c=”name”] / [card name=”Landorus-EX” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”89″ c=”name”] with a heavy emphasis on Suicune, but I also wanted to play [card name=”Druddigon” set=”Flashfire” no=”70″ c=”name”] / [card name=”Latios-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”58″ c=”name”], [card name=”Heatran” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”63″ c=”name”] / [card name=”M Rayquaza-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”76″ c=”name”] / [card name=”Bronzong” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”61″ c=”name”], and [card name=”Wailord-EX” set=”Primal Clash” no=”38″ c=”name”] / [card name=”Crawdaunt” set=”Primal Clash” no=”92″ c=”name”]. Unfortunately, none of these decks gave me any sort of wow factor, and there looked to be an absurdly high amount of Metal decks. None of the above decks actually had a good Metal matchup, so that’s why I immediately became excited when my friend Hayden showed me this list:
[decklist]
[pokemon amt=”14″]
3x [card name=”M Manectric-EX” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”24″ c=”deck2″]
4x [card name=”Manectric-EX” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”23″ c=”deck2″]
2x [card name=”Garbodor” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”119″ c=”deck2″]
2x [card name=”Trubbish” set=”Legendary Treasures” no=”67″ c=”deck2″]
2x [card name=”Empoleon” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”29″ c=”deck2″]
1x [card name=”Jirachi-EX” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”60″ c=”deck2″]
[/pokemon]
[trainers amt=”37″]
4x [card name=”Professor Juniper” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”98″ c=”deck2″]
2x [card name=”N” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”96″ c=”deck2″]
2x [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”90″ c=”deck2″]
1x [card name=”Archie’s Ace in the Hole” set=”Primal Clash” no=”124″ c=”deck2″]
4x [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”109″ c=”deck2″]
4x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Flashfire” no=”99″ c=”deck2″]
3x [card name=”Acro Bike” set=”Primal Clash” no=”122″ c=”deck2″]
3x [card name=”Trainers’ Mail” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”92″ c=”deck2″]
3x [card name=”Battle Compressor” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”92″ c=”deck2″]
3x [card name=”Manectric Spirit Link” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”100″ c=”deck2″]
2x [card name=”Float Stone” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”99″ c=”deck2″]
1x [card name=”Switch” set=”XY Trainer Kit” no=”29″ c=”deck2″]
1x [card name=”Mega Turbo” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”86″ c=”deck2″]
1x [card name=”Computer Search” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”137″ c=”deck2″]
3x [card name=”Rough Seas” set=”Primal Clash” no=”137″ c=”deck2″]
[/trainers]
[energy amt=”9″]
6x [card name=”Lightning Energy” set=”XY” no=”135″ c=”deck2″]
3x [card name=”Water Energy” set=”Call of Legends” no=”90″ c=”deck2″]
[/energy]
[/decklist]
At first I thought it looked cool, but I didn’t actually build it for an hour or two. In my last article I talked about [card name=”M Manectric-EX” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”24″ c=”name”] / [card name=”Suicune” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”20″ c=”name”], and I knew from playing that deck that [card name=”Max Potion” set=”Emerging Powers” no=”94″ c=”name”] is phenomenal in decks with Manectric. I only made two changes from the above list, and they were cutting a [card name=”Mega Turbo” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”86″ c=”name”] and a [card name=”Battle Compressor” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”92″ c=”name”] for two Max Potion. After testing a full three games and rolling a die to decide between this and Suicune / Bats, I went to bed excited for the largest tournament of the year.
Matchups
[cardimg name=”M Manectric-EX” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”24″ align=”right” height=”250″ c=”none”]
I’d like to quickly go over the matchups to help you understand the deck a little bit. I would go over the card choices, but I didn’t actually make the deck, so it would be difficult to do. I know [card name=”Empoleon” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”29″ c=”name”] was a nice one-Prize attacker that was used as a consistency crutch when I didn’t need [card name=”Garbodor” set=”Legendary Treasures” no=”68″ c=”name”], and it was mostly included for the Fighting / [card name=”Crobat” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”33″ c=”name”] matchup. For specific card counts, you’d have to ask Alex Snape and Hayden Cameron-Jacobus, the players who made this amazingly consistent list. Because I haven’t played this deck very much, I’m only going to talk about the matchups I experienced in my limited testing and in the tournament.
Metal
Metal comes in three main variations (Techs, [card name=”M Rayquaza-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”76″ c=”name”], and [card name=”Klinklang” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”90″ c=”name”]), but this deck easily defeats them all. [card name=”Manectric-EX” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”23″ c=”name”]’s Resistance combined with [card name=”Rough Seas” set=”Primal Clash” no=”137″ c=”name”] and [card name=”Max Potion” set=”Emerging Powers” no=”94″ c=”name”] makes it almost impossible for Metal to take KOs, and [card name=”Garbodor” set=”Legendary Treasures” no=”68″ c=”name”] completely shuts down their deck by locking [card name=”Bronzong” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”61″ c=”name”], [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name”], and Klinklang. I didn’t play against any Metal decks Day One, but I played against Klinklang Day Two and Metal Ray in top 8. Out of the four games played, my opponents took one or two Prizes collectively, if I remember correctly.
Manectric-EX
[card name=”M Manectric-EX” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”24″ c=”name”] decks were surprisingly popular, but my version has two distinct advantages. Unlike the Manectric decks I played against, my list ran two [card name=”Max Potion” set=”Emerging Powers” no=”94″ c=”name”]. This helped me in the “mirror,” because I could wipe away any two of my opponent’s attacks almost whenever I wanted. My other advantage was the fact that I don’t run [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name”]. Most other Manectric decks run Shaymin, which gives me two easy Prizes with a use of [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”90″ c=”name”]. My opponents could not pick off my Shaymins (because I didn’t play any), and I rarely had to use [card name=”Jirachi-EX” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”60″ c=”name”]. One neat trick that I picked up throughout my various mirror matches was the fact that Assault Laser actually 2HKOs a Spirit Linked Mega after [card name=”Rough Seas” set=”Primal Clash” no=”137″ c=”name”], as opposed to the 3HKO that Turbo Bolt offers. This led me to the conclusion that manually Mega Evolving occasionally is actually a better play than attaching Spirit Links willy-nilly so that my opponent can’t use this trick against me. I also made sure to have a Basic [card name=”Manectric-EX” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”23″ c=”name”] ready to go to pull this play off when my opponent does Mega Evolve through a Spirit Link.
Seismitoad-EX
My deck has a high reliance on Item cards. Every Item card in this deck is either a consistency card, a Tool, or a [card name=”Max Potion” set=”Emerging Powers” no=”94″ c=”name”]. This means that [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”name”]’s Item lock makes this deck much less consistent. Thankfully, Seismitoad can’t do all that much to [card name=”M Manectric-EX” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”24″ c=”name”], so long as I’m able to get a Mega or two out and win the Stadium war. It all comes down to how well I can get going before I get Item Locked, and hopefully I can get resources after that when I need to. The matchup is favorable thanks to [card name=”Rough Seas” set=”Primal Clash” no=”137″ c=”name”], but it’s not as lopsided as I originally thought, with my list’s reliance on Item cards. I prefer playing against the [card name=”Crobat” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”33″ c=”name”] version of Toad more, since it doesn’t typically run disastrous disruption cards such as [card name=”Crushing Hammer” set=”Legendary Treasures” no=”111″ c=”name”] and [card name=”Head Ringer” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”97″ c=”name”].
Fighting / Crobat
I was told that [card name=”Empoleon” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”29″ c=”name”] wins me this matchup, but that’s not really the case. This matchup is unfavorable no matter which way you look at it, but if Empoleon comes out soon enough, the game becomes easier. The only thing that can handle Empoleon in the typical Fighting / [card name=”Crobat” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”33″ c=”name”] deck is [card name=”Lucario-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”54″ c=”name”] (which is usually a one-of). If you can get rid of Lucario, even at the expense of one or two [card name=”Manectric-EX” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”23″ c=”name”], you should be in decent shape. Empoleon can easily defeat [card name=”Landorus-EX” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”89″ c=”name”], [card name=”Hawlucha” set=”Furious Fists” no=”63″ c=”name”], and [card name=”Crobat” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”33″ c=”name”] with the help of [card name=”Rough Seas” set=”Primal Clash” no=”137″ c=”name”] and [card name=”Max Potion” set=”Emerging Powers” no=”94″ c=”name”].
[cardimg name=”Landorus-EX” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”89″ align=”right” height=”250″ c=”none”]
Sounds good, right? Well, the problem is that Lucario-EX happens to be the only Pokemon in their deck that my deck cannot possibly OHKO. Go figure. This means that the Fighting player will always get a chance to use [card name=”Super Scoop Up” set=”Furious Fists” no=”100″ c=”name”] or [card name=”AZ” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”91″ c=”name”] to heal their Lucario, which is a huge problem. Another problem is that you need to get out [card name=”Garbodor” set=”Legendary Treasures” no=”68″ c=”name”] to prevent [card name=”Golbat” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”32″ c=”name”]’s Sneaky Bite and [card name=”Crobat” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”33″ c=”name”]’s Surprise Bite damage from adding up onto Empoleon. Not only does this shut off Empoleon’s nifty Diving Draw, but it also shuts off [card name=”Hawlucha” set=”Furious Fists” no=”63″ c=”name”]’s Shining Spirit, allowing it to hit Manectric for Weakness and easily OHKO it.
Night March
This matchup is better than I thought it would be at first. [card name=”Garbodor” set=”Legendary Treasures” no=”68″ c=”name”] turns off [card name=”Mew-EX” set=”Legendary Treasures” no=”RC24″ c=”name”]’s Versatile, and less importantly, [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name”]’s Set Up and [card name=”Mr. Mime” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”47″ c=”name”]’s Bench Barrier. This means that the Night March player can only stream attacks with their four [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”Next Destinies” no=”92″ c=”name”], and cannot use Mew plus [card name=”Dimension Valley” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”93″ c=”name”] to attack using basic Energy. Another bonus is that it’s nearly impossible for a Night Marcher to OHKO [card name=”M Manectric-EX” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”24″ c=”name”], leading to a fair Prize trade and potentially allowing [card name=”Max Potion” set=”Emerging Powers” no=”94″ c=”name”] abuse. The final factor working in my favor is [card name=”Empoleon” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”29″ c=”name”], which can be used to score an OHKO on a Night Marcher and force the seven Prize game, all while wasting one of their precious DCE. As a side note, don’t make the mistake of getting cheeky and using Overrun on two [card name=”Joltik” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”26″ c=”name”], a play that is disastrous when you have [card name=”Rough Seas” set=”Primal Clash” no=”137″ c=”name”] out. I’ll just leave that there…
Now that we know how the deck’s matchups are, let’s dive into how my Nationals run went down, analyzing how I was able win my matches and make it all the way to third place. After that, I will give you the scoop on a special version of [card name=”Wailord-EX” set=”Primal Clash” no=”38″ c=”name”] and some cool tricks I’ve picked up on the deck. But first, make sure to hit that subscribe button! I assure you it is worth it. I along with the other PokeBeach Premium Writers will be providing you with competitive tips and decks in our articles every week, and giving you our very best tips in the Subscriber’s Secret Hideout. I look forward to helping you with your deck lists and discussing the game with you! See you there!
[premium]
Day 1 (Friday, Swiss)
Round 1 – Bye
I got a bye for winning South Carolina States. I walked around the play area to observe decks and was startled by the amount of [card name=”Manectric-EX” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”23″ c=”name”] and Fighting / [card name=”Crobat” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”33″ c=”name”] decks. There was about as much Metal as was expected based on the night before, but a lot less [card name=”Raichu” set=”XY” no=”43″ c=”name”] than I was anticipating. For some reason, I expected 15-20% of the meta to be Raichu decks. I also a saw sprinkling of [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”name”] and Night March, and I did not see the [card name=”Wailord-EX” set=”Primal Clash” no=”38″ c=”name”] deck, nor was I expecting to.
Round 2 – Ross C. M Manectric-EX / Ninetales / Techs
[cardimg name=”Ninetales” set=”Primal Clash” no=”21″ align=”right” height=”250″ c=”none”]
I played a lot of Pokemon at Nationals, so I may get some rounds mixed up. I’ll try my best to remember the order of which I played each opponent, but it’s possible that some are mixed around. The techs that Ross played were [card name=”Suicune” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”20″ c=”name”], [card name=”Articuno” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”17″ c=”name”], and [card name=”Mewtwo-EX” set=”Next Destinies” no=”54″ c=”name”]. [card name=”Ninetales” set=”Primal Clash” no=”21″ c=”name”] was a clever addition to help against things such as [card name=”Raichu” set=”XY” no=”43″ c=”name”] and Night March mostly, but also any deck with a different Stadium card. Fortunately for me, his line of 2-2 Ninetales were completely dead cards in this matchup where I also played [card name=”Rough Seas” set=”Primal Clash” no=”137″ c=”name”]. Ross also played a copy or two of [card name=”Enhanced Hammer” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”94″ c=”name”], also a dead card because I only used basic Energy. Guess what? He also played multiple [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name”] for me to take advantage of, and he didn’t run any [card name=”Max Potion” set=”Emerging Powers” no=”94″ c=”name”]!
We played a long, drawn-out game one, in which I came out on top due to the advantages that I mentioned in the matchups section. However, he was able to hang in there for a time because he ran a tech [card name=”Pokémon Center Lady” set=”Flashfire” no=”93″ c=”name”], which really messed with my math. I think he used [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”109″ c=”name”] for it twice after its initial use, which frustrated me. I also hadn’t figured out the Assault Laser trick by this time, and opted to get all of my Megas out in this game. Fortunately, I don’t think Ross knew it either, or maybe he just opted not to use it. Time was called shortly into game two (maybe 10 minutes or so?), so I won the match. Early into game two I [card name=”Battle Compressor” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”92″ c=”name”]’d away my [card name=”Garbodor” set=”Legendary Treasures” no=”68″ c=”name”] pieces because I thought they would not be as helpful as [card name=”Empoleon” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”29″ c=”name”] in this matchup. Then I saw Suicune for the first time and started to get worried. I may have been able to deal with it through [card name=”Empoleon” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”117″ c=”name”]’s Attack Command, but probably not because of his Rough Seas and Pokemon Center Lady. It was a good thing time was called.
Round 3 – Dean N. M Manectric-EX / Keldeo-EX / Empoleon
I wasn’t even aware that [card name=”M Manectric-EX” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”24″ c=”name”] decks were a thing, so to face two right off the bat was interesting. I believe he played [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name”] and no [card name=”Max Potion” set=”Emerging Powers” no=”94″ c=”name”], just like last time, so I had the advantage once again. He played fewer dead cards because of the lack of [card name=”Ninetales” set=”Primal Clash” no=”21″ c=”name”] though.
Game one went back and forth. It was somewhat boring and I don’t remember anything noteworthy about it except the ending. I know that I was going to win the next turn, but if he [card name=”N” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”96″ c=”name”]’d me out of it, he could win. I thinned my deck out enough so that I knew I had a extremely high chance of drawing out of N and into the win. [card name=”Trainers’ Mail” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”92″ c=”name”] and [card name=”Acro Bike” set=”Primal Clash” no=”122″ c=”name”] shine late game, because they improve my odds of drawing into a game-winning [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”90″ c=”name”] or [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”109″ c=”name”]. Of course, my opponent does N me, and I whiff what I need, resulting in my first game loss of the tournament.
Game two goes much better for me. I think it goes fast because I know we had time for most of game three, but I don’t remember exactly what happened. Game three is like game one, but I remember I pulled ahead this time and wind up in a similar situation as game one. I have the win in hand and I again thin my deck so an N by my opponent should still get me what I need. However, time was called, and my opponent has absolutely no way to win. My draws off N determine whether I win or tie. Of course, I whiff once again and end up tying. I was salty afterwards.
Round 4 – Carson R. M Manectric-EX / Leafeon / Water
Once again, I am playing against a [card name=”M Manectric-EX” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”24″ c=”name”]-based deck with [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name”] and no [card name=”Max Potion” set=”Emerging Powers” no=”94″ c=”name”]. His Water Pokemon were [card name=”Articuno” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”17″ c=”name”] and [card name=”Kyurem” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”31″ c=”name”]. I don’t think I saw any Water-type Eeveelutions, but there might have been there. Unfortunately for my opponent, both games were uneventful because he drew somewhat poorly and I drew almost perfectly. Articuno scared me with a Tri Edge that could have done some damage if he hit three heads, but I think he ended up with three tails or something like that.
Round 5 – ??? Fighting / Crobat
[cardimg name=”Lucario-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”107″ align=”right” height=”250″ c=”left”]
I don’t remember my opponent’s name for this round, but he played a standard Fighting / [card name=”Crobat” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”33″ c=”name”] list, with the exception of [card name=”Sacred Ash” set=”Flashfire” no=”96″ c=”name”]. Sacred Ash turned out to be a problem, because my win condition of KO’ing his lone [card name=”Lucario-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”54″ c=”name”] was no longer viable, as Sacred Ash gave him another use of it.
Game one is a one-sided slaughter. He gets two very early KOs on my [card name=”Manectric-EX” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”23″ c=”name”]s due to its Fighting Weakness. I do get [card name=”Empoleon” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”29″ c=”name”] out and KO his Lucario, but he Ashes it back and doesn’t really lose his momentum. I don’t remember if he got to KO my Empoleon or just used [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”90″ c=”name”] on something for his remaining Prize cards.
Game two went much better, I got a turn one [card name=”Archie’s Ace in the Hole” set=”Primal Clash” no=”124″ c=”name”] and rolled him with Empoleon. In game three, we didn’t have much time because the first two games were long, even though they weren’t very exciting. I was content with a tie against this scary matchup.
Round 6 – Sam C. M Manectric-EX / Ninetales / Techs
I’m almost sure I’m mixing up rounds somewhere in this long day, but we’ll just say I played Sam this round. As far as I could tell, my opponent’s deck was the exact same as the one I faced in round two. I knew I had the advantage here, and I also knew how to play the matchup, thanks to all the experience I gained from the previous rounds of playing mirrors.
I hate to say this again, but I don’t remember much about this match. All of these games against [card name=”M Manectric-EX” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”24″ c=”name”] decks just blend together for me, and not many of my Swiss rounds were all that exciting. I know I won this match, but I don’t even remember if it was 2-0 or 2-1.
Round 7 – Ihana M. Yveltal-EX / Garbodor
I sure wasn’t expecting any [card name=”Yveltal-EX” set=”XY” no=”79″ c=”name”] decks coming into this tournament, but I certainly wasn’t complaining. Yveltal is a fantastic matchup for [card name=”M Manectric-EX” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”24″ c=”name”], as they have barely any ways of actually winning. M Manectric can mow down Yveltals left and right, and [card name=”Rough Seas” set=”Primal Clash” no=”137″ c=”name”] keeps it alive if the opponent uses other attackers like [card name=”Darkrai-EX” set=”Legendary Treasures” no=”88″ c=”name”] or [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”name”].
Both games went very well for me, and my opponent didn’t draw very well either. I saw a [card name=”Shadow Circle” set=”XY” no=”126″ c=”name”] come out in game two, but it wasn’t enough to turn the match around. I felt a little bad, as I had also played Ihana at last year’s Nationals with a similarly lopsided matchup: [card name=”Pyroar” set=”Flashfire” no=”20″ c=”name”] vs. Plasma. I have definitely been lucky with my pairings so far, and my deck has been extremely consistent with absolutely no dead draws happening. We’ll see how long that lasts.
Round 8 – Jeremy G. Night March / Empoleon
I was surprised that a Night March deck could have done this well, but if anyone could pull it off, it’s Jeremy. He is one of the best Seniors who aged up into Masters this year. This round also happened to be an up-pair for me, as I was 5-0-2 and he was 6-1. Other than [card name=”Silver Bangle” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”88″ c=”name”] and [card name=”Exeggcute” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”4″ c=”name”] being included, this was a standard Night March deck.
[cardimg name=”Mew-EX” set=”Dragons Exalted” no=”46″ align=”left” height=”250″ c=”none”]
Game one of this match was probably the most exciting game of Day One. My opponent was unable to consistently KO my [card name=”M Manectric-EX” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”24″ c=”name”]s, so that helped me in the Prize race. [card name=”Garbodor” set=”Legendary Treasures” no=”68″ c=”name”] came out and shut off [card name=”Mew-EX” set=”Dragons Exalted” no=”46″ c=”name”]’s Versatile, which assisted me in this matchup. He never opted to [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”90″ c=”name”] and KO Garbodor to turn Mew’s Ability back on, because that would have forced him into a seven Prize game. Later on, when he had enough Night Marchers discarded to KO anything I had and both of us at two Prizes, I sent up [card name=”Empoleon” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”29″ c=”name”] and took a KO with Attack Command. He miraculously didn’t have a Lysandre and had to KO Empoleon with his last attacking option. I returned the KO with a [card name=”Manectric-EX” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”23″ c=”name”] and won soon after that because my opponent was out of Energies. This is a great example of the seven Prize rule and why you should always have a non-EX attacker.
Game two I started [card name=”Manectric-EX” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”23″ c=”name”] and went first. I attached an Energy to my Active Manectric and was scared out of my mind that he would get a turn one Night March for the KO. Fortunately, he only Marched for 140 or so and I started to set up. I didn’t get going as well as game one and he conserved his resources a little more. One funny slip up I made was when he had two [card name=”Joltik” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”26″ c=”name”]s with one of them Active, and a Mew-EX with 100 damage on his Bench. I could’ve either KO’d the Active Joltik with anything, or used Overrun to snipe and KO the Mew. No, I just had to be cheeky and use Overrun to hit both Joltiks for 20, trying to set up a double-KO for next turn. This is where my lack of testing hurt me, as he just used my own [card name=”Rough Seas” set=”Primal Clash” no=”137″ c=”name”] to heal his Joltiks and completely erase my last attack! I got steamrolled from there and lost handily.
I don’t remember anything about game three, except that everything went well for me and he Prized three Night Marchers. This win cemented my place in Day Two, even if I lost the last round.
Round 9 – Jeff G. Fighting / Crobat
Great, a terrible matchup. I had no chance to begin with because my opponent ran three [card name=”Lucario-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”54″ c=”name”]. Yowza. This is one of the precious few decks in the tournament that I had an auto-loss to, so I’m glad I faced it in a round where the outcome didn’t matter too much. I would have liked to get a better placing going into Day Two, but my opponent didn’t want to accept an Intentional Draw (and rightfully so).
Game one my opponent opened lone [card name=”Zubat” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”53″ c=”name”]. I was immediately worried that it was a Fighting deck, and I hoped that it was [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”name”] or [card name=”Raichu” set=”XY” no=”43″ c=”name”] with [card name=”Crobat” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”33″ c=”name”] instead. He drew well this game and destroyed me in minutes. Game two I got two [card name=”Empoleon” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”29″ c=”name”] out in the first two or three turns and won quickly because my opponent drew poorly and never found even one of his Lucario-EX. Game three was a repeat of game one, meaning I lost my first match of the tournament.
Later
I finished Day One with a decent record of 6-1-2, and placed 12th in the Sapphire Pod. I was surprised that I didn’t play against any [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”name”] decks or Metal decks, both of which were favorable matchups. The tournament ran smoothly, props to the staff for that, and we finished earlier than I was expecting. I was excited for Day Two and was extremely confident in my deck. I didn’t dead draw once the entire day and I knew my matchups were favorable against everything except Fighting decks (and apparently [card name=”Wailord-EX” set=”Primal Clash” no=”38″ c=”name”]). Another funny thing is that I didn’t win a single opening flip… ever. I’m not superstitious or anything, but I couldn’t help but think that the trend will either continue or reverse on the second day.
Day 2 (Saturday, Top 64)
Round 10 – Brandon C. Klinklang / Bronzong
I was especially excited going into Day Two of Nationals. This was my first year of Masters and I knew I’d be playing against the most renowned players in the game, potentially even more than in Day One. I was confident going into this round, because I knew I should have an easy time against an Ability-based deck like [card name=”Klinklang” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”90″ c=”name”] / [card name=”Bronzong” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”61″ c=”name”]. For some reason, I happen to remember game one of this match vividly. Maybe this is because it was early in the morning and I was rested, refreshed, and ready to go.
[cardimg name=”Klinklang” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”90″ align=”left” height=”250″ c=”none”]
Game one I lost the opening flip and started [card name=”Manectric-EX” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”23″ c=”name”] to my opponent’s [card name=”Jirachi-EX” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”60″ c=”name”]. He got [card name=”Klink” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”88″ c=”name”] and [card name=”Bronzor” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”60″ c=”name”] out and attached a [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”111″ c=”name”] to his Jirachi! I had [card name=”Garbodor” set=”Legendary Treasures” no=”68″ c=”name”], [card name=”Professor Juniper” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”98″ c=”name”], and [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Flashfire” no=”99″ c=”name”] in my opening hand. I wanted to Ultra Ball for something useful and just use Juniper, but I had to use Ultra Ball to check to see if my other Garbodor wasn’t prized before discarding the one in my hand. It turned out that my other Garbodor was prized, so I grabbed my own Jirachi-EX and used Stellar Guidance for [card name=”N” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”96″ c=”name”]. I then used Overrun and dealt 20 to Klink, which turned out to be important. My opponent actually got a Metal Energy and a [card name=”Muscle Band” set=”XY” no=”121″ c=”name”] onto Jirachi and used Hypnostrike for 60 (with Metal Resistance) and put my Manectric Asleep. I think I got Garbodor either this turn or the next, and also managed a turn two Turbo Bolt for the KO on his Jirachi.
My opponent spent his next few turns setting up, he got a [card name=”Klinklang” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”90″ c=”name”] and a [card name=”Klang” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”89″ c=”name”] out, and tried to build up an [card name=”Aegislash-EX” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”65″ c=”name”] so he could eventually use [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”90″ c=”name”] to KO Garbodor with Slash Blast. In the meantime, he used [card name=”Cobalion-EX” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”93″ c=”name”] and something else as a meat shield for me to hit into. After I Turbo Bolted the Cobalion once, I Lysandre’d it and cashed in on two more Prizes. My opponent couldn’t KO my Garbodor yet, so he sent in his Klinklang with a [card name=”Float Stone” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”99″ c=”name”] to take a Turbo Bolt. However, my opponent disregarded my Basic Manectric-EX on my Bench, and I used Assault Laser for the perfect 120 to KO Klinklang, thanks to that 20 from Overrun already present. This put me down to one remaining Prize, but that Prize was my second Garbodor! If my opponent could KO my Garbodor and evolve Klang into Klinklang, he would instantly win. He KO’d my Garbodor, but couldn’t get another Klinklang out, so I used Lysandre on Klang and used Turbo Bolt for my last Prize.
Game two was fairly easy as well. My opponent didn’t waste any attachments on Jirachi-EX this time, and went straight to Aegislash. However, he was unlucky in the fact that he just couldn’t draw his Lysandres when he could KO Garbodor! Turn after turn he used a draw Supporter instead of Lysandre, so I just rolled him with Manectrics and won quickly.
Round 11 – Vance K. Seismitoad-EX / Crobat
At this point, it seems like I’m playing against all the decks I didn’t see Day One, which is fine by me, because it means I won’t be facing any Fighting / [card name=”Crobat” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”33″ c=”name”]. From what I could tell, this was a standard [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”name”] / [card name=”Crobat” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”33″ c=”name”] deck, but I think he did run a [card name=”Silent Lab” set=”Primal Clash” no=”140″ c=”name”] or two.
This was an uneventful match, as both games I was able to set up [card name=”Manectric-EX” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”23″ c=”name”]s and plow through the Toads. My opponent didn’t draw well enough to keep up, and the matchup is tough for Toad when it doesn’t run disruptive cards. [card name=”Rough Seas” set=”Primal Clash” no=”137″ c=”name”] is especially helpful in negating the bunches of small damage that can accumulate between Sneaky and Surprise Bites, [card name=”Hypnotoxic Laser” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”123″ c=”name”]s, and Quaking Punches.
Round 12 – Jason K. Seismitoad-EX / Garbodor
I was confident in this match, because I knew Jason was playing [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”name”], and I had just destroyed a Toad deck the round before. It seems like Jason has a knack for beating unfavorable matchups lately, and he did run [card name=”Crushing Hammer” set=”Legendary Treasures” no=”111″ c=”name”] and [card name=”Head Ringer” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”97″ c=”name”], a devastating combo against decks like mine. One thing I found interesting is that he didn’t run [card name=”Super Scoop Up” set=”Furious Fists” no=”100″ c=”name”].
Game one I actually won the opening flip and literally draw passed with a [card name=”Trubbish” set=”Legendary Treasures” no=”67″ c=”name”] Active and nothing else. Of course, my deck has not drawn dead the entire tournament, and then decided to start doing so against the most recognized player of all time. Okay, sure. Jason said “right back at you,” with a draw, [card name=”Muscle Band” set=”XY” no=”121″ c=”name”] to lone Toad, and a pass. This went on for a couple turns and I somehow stayed in the game and avoided an early loss. This turned out to be a really well-fought game once we both set up, and I don’t really know what happened that resulted in my loss. Crushing Hammers and Head Ringers did play a big part though, and this game sapped up much of the clock.
Game two I had an explosive start, getting two [card name=”Manectric-EX” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”23″ c=”name”]s out along with an Energy. This is followed by Head Ringer from my opponent, though, as I don’t think I was able to get a Tool in play. Jason also had a decent start if I remember correctly, and this turns into another long game. Once again, I somehow end up in a losing spot thanks to some key Crushing Hammer heads and suboptimal draws due to Item lock.
Round 13 – Matt M. Yveltal-EX / Seismitoad-EX / Garbodor
[cardimg name=”Garbodor” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”119″ align=”right” height=”250″ c=”none”]
This round I was against another [card name=”Yveltal-EX” set=”XY” no=”79″ c=”name”] deck, but this time with [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”name”]. I think he only played one or two Seismitoad. He also ran a copy of [card name=”Darkrai-EX” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”63″ c=”name”], along with copious amounts of [card name=”Crushing Hammer” set=”Legendary Treasures” no=”111″ c=”name”]. I don’t think he ran [card name=”Shadow Circle” set=”XY” no=”126″ c=”name”] at all, but ran [card name=”Hypnotoxic Laser” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”123″ c=”name”]s with two or three [card name=”Virbank City Gym” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”126″ c=”name”].
Somehow, I lost the first game. I have absolutely no idea how that happened given that this matchup is as close to an auto-win as I can get. He used his Toads and Darkrai very well, and maybe some sleep flips or Crushing Hammer flips came into it. I also had to bench [card name=”Jirachi-EX” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”60″ c=”name”], and that was a devastating two-Prize liability. It was eventually KO’d by residual Night Spear snipes.
Games two and three went better for me. He didn’t go off with any Hammer or Laser flips, and I was able to use [card name=”M Manectric-EX” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”24″ c=”name”]s and [card name=”Rough Seas” set=”Primal Clash” no=”137″ c=”name”] to win a surprisingly close game. I didn’t feel in any danger, but Darkrai can actually put in some work. Game three he prized his Darkrai and a baby [card name=”Yveltal” set=”XY” no=”78″ c=”name”], and that was that. Rough Seas is actually a much more important card in this matchup than it would seem. Bumping opposing Virbanks is crucial to surviving Evil Balls, and Rough Seas goes a long way in reducing the potency of Oblivion Wing and Night Spear.
Round 14 – Austin B. Raichu / Seismitoad-EX / Landorus-EX / Crobat
He called his deck something like “Everything Bats,” though it was mostly [card name=”Raichu” set=”XY” no=”43″ c=”name”] / [card name=”Crobat” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”33″ c=”name”] with [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”name”] and [card name=”Landorus-EX” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”89″ c=”name”] for support. I suppose those EXs came in handy in certain matchups, like the mirror match and Fighting / Bats decks. I couldn’t believe that this was the first Raichu deck I was facing, because, as I said earlier, I was expecting them to appear in droves.
I don’t remember the match clearly at all, but I think both the games went in a similar fashion. As soon as I was able to get out [card name=”Garbodor” set=”Legendary Treasures” no=”68″ c=”name”] (which was early enough), my opponent’s deck lost most of its steam. Without [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name”] or Crobat available to support Raichu and allow it to stream KOs, my swarm of [card name=”M Manectric-EX” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”24″ c=”name”]s was enough to overpower the deck. Once again, [card name=”Rough Seas” set=”Primal Clash” no=”137″ c=”name”] proved to be extremely useful. It bumped [card name=”Sky Field” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”89″ c=”name”] to handicap Raichu, and it also messed with Landorus math. Oftentimes I could use [card name=”N” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”96″ c=”name”], and without [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Flashfire” no=”99″ c=”name”] and Shaymin-EX to facilitate draw-power, my opponent would be unable to find all the pieces for a response attack.
Round 15 – Jake J. Seismitoad-EX / Garbodor
Welp, this is it, the “win and in” round. Of course, I’m against [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”name”] / [card name=”Garbodor” set=”Legendary Treasures” no=”68″ c=”name”], with all the annoying cards Jason used against me and more. Among those present were: [card name=”Crushing Hammer” set=”Legendary Treasures” no=”111″ c=”name”], [card name=”Hypnotoxic Laser” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”123″ c=”name”], [card name=”Head Ringer” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”97″ c=”name”], [card name=”Super Scoop Up” set=”Furious Fists” no=”100″ c=”name”], and even [card name=”Trainers’ Mail” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”92″ c=”name”] to get them all quickly. This looked to be a fast variant of Toad / Garb, with a heavy emphasis on [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name”] and four Trainers’ Mail. Interestingly, my opponent opted to go second in both games, which is a move that I still don’t understand even after thinking about it. The only reason I would go second with the deck is to get the first Quaking Punch in the mirror match, something that often decides the winner of the game.
[cardimg name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”106″ align=”right” height=”250″ c=”none”]
My opponent was nice and pleasant to play against, but the poor guy couldn’t flip a heads to save his life. Crushing Hammer… Tails. Hypnotoxic Laser… Tails. On and on and on. The only heads I remember him getting was with Super Scoop Up to reuse Shaymin’s Set Up. Of course, when he tried to heal his Toads, only tails would show up. Normally I’d be all for my opponents getting bad luck, but this was truly ridiculous. Game one I could actually set up to an extent despite Item lock, because of the fact that all of the tails meant I wasn’t being disrupted otherwise. Once a couple [card name=”M Manectric-EX” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”24″ c=”name”] get going with [card name=”Rough Seas” set=”Primal Clash” no=”137″ c=”name”] in play, there’s really nothing Toad can do but hope I mess up and say pass instead of Turbo Bolt or something.
Game one was long and well fought, so there wasn’t a whole lot of time for the rest of the match. Game two I got some Megas up quickly and my opponent conceded shortly after that when seeing the all-tails streak continue. He said that he knew he couldn’t KO the two Megas in the remaining time. I think we both knew that even if he did, we would end in a tie, which would result in a minuscule chance of either of us making top cut.
Later
For Day Two I went 5-1, which brought my overall record to 11-2-2. This landed me in second place going into top 8 on Sunday. Getting done on Saturday much earlier than on Friday was nice because it gave me more time to relax. The judges told the top cut players that our deck lists would be posted online, and I was a little annoyed at this. However, all the players got the same advantage by looking at the others’ lists, and it was beneficial to me to learn about the [card name=”Wailord-EX” set=”Primal Clash” no=”38″ c=”name”] deck. I also noticed that my top 8 opponent would not be running [card name=”Startling Megaphone” set=”Flashfire” no=”97″ c=”name”] or [card name=”Xerosic” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”110″ c=”name”], which meant my [card name=”Garbodor” set=”Legendary Treasures” no=”68″ c=”name”] lock would likely stick once established. I built the Wailord deck as soon as I could with some proxies so that I could test against it. I knew that both Enrique and I had a favorable matchup in top 8, and that we would face each other in top 4 if we both won. Thanks to Alex Smetana and Stephan Mayer for the late-night testing so I could start to figure out the matchup!
Day 3 (Sunday, Top 8)
Top 8 – Geoffrey S. M Rayquaza-EX / Bronzong
[cardimg name=”M Rayquaza-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”76″ align=”right” height=”250″ c=”none”]
This was a rather quick match. I was able to get [card name=”Garbodor” set=”Legendary Treasures” no=”68″ c=”name”] out in both games, which is devastating to his deck, because it shuts down [card name=”Bronzong” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”61″ c=”name”] and [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name”]. [card name=”M Manectric-EX” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”24″ c=”name”] is difficult to KO for Metal decks because it resists them, and I use healing cards like [card name=”Max Potion” set=”Emerging Powers” no=”94″ c=”name”] and [card name=”Rough Seas” set=”Primal Clash” no=”137″ c=”name”] to deny Prizes. [card name=”M Rayquaza-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”76″ c=”name”] can OHKO M Manectric, but Geoffrey was hesitant to use it due to its Lightning Weakness. One thing I found handy was that a turn one Overrun followed by a Turbo Bolt is the perfect amount of damage to KO a [card name=”Heatran” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”63″ c=”name”], which was his go-to attacker in the match. Unfortunately for my opponent, this matchup was just stacked in my favor, and I don’t think he even took a single Prize card. A Manectric may have went down at some point, but I don’t remember for sure. I was just glad that I didn’t have to play against [card name=”Hippowdon” set=”Primal Clash” no=”88″ c=”name”].
Top 4 – Enrique Avila Wailord-EX
Finally, the long awaited match against [card name=”Wailord-EX” set=”Primal Clash” no=”38″ c=”name”]. Before I had tested the matchup the night before, I thought I’d have an easy time. It turned out that the matchup was closer to 50-50, and as Enrique accurately put it: “very much how the cards fall.” My strategy going into the matchup was to draw pass until I got two Megas and a [card name=”Trubbish” set=”Legendary Treasures” no=”67″ c=”name”] or [card name=”Garbodor” set=”Legendary Treasures” no=”68″ c=”name”] out, and start Turbo Bolting when I had enough Energies to not worry about [card name=”Team Flare Grunt” set=”XY” no=”129″ c=”name”]. I wanted to have two Energy on each Mega, and get the rest onto Garbodor. I would only attach a Tool to Garbodor on the turns I had to attack [card name=”Suicune” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”20″ c=”name”] or if [card name=”Float Stone” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”99″ c=”name”] was my only way to retreat Garbodor.
[cardimg name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”104″ align=”left” height=”250″ c=”none”]
Game one went exceptionally well from the get-go. I’ll spare you the details of all the draw pass turns, but I was eventually able to get everything going and take four Prize cards. At some point, I attached [card name=”Manectric Spirit Link” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”100″ c=”name”] to Garbodor instead of my second Float Stone when I was about to KO a Suicune. I was worried about his [card name=”Xerosic” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”110″ c=”name”] coming out to get rid of my last Float Stone (he had used [card name=”Startling Megaphone” set=”Flashfire” no=”97″ c=”name”] on my first Float Stone), so I tried to get him to use it on a Spirit Link instead. My Garbodor also had three Energies on it, so I thought it was relatively safe. Somehow, Enrique managed to draw three [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”90″ c=”name”] outs immediately after I [card name=”N” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”96″ c=”name”]’d him, and he Lysandre’d Garbodor on three consecutive turns. I found the Energy drops to retreat it two turns in a row and I kept Turbo Bolting to bring Energy back to it, but the math didn’t work out. Garbodor requires three Energy to retreat, and Turbo Bolt only recovers two. Eventually, I decked out because I had no way to get Garbodor back to the Bench for the third time, and it obviously can’t attack on its own.
I felt robbed of that game, because if my opponent hadn’t drawn three Lysandre outs off my N, I would have probably won the game. In hindsight, the better play would have been to attach my second Float Stone to Garbodor instead of the Spirit Link. Enrique’s Xerosic was prized, so he would not have been able to lock Garbodor Active and win the game. Of course, I didn’t know that during the game, so I’m not sure if that was still the superior play with the knowledge I had at the time.
Game two was much less exciting. I wasn’t even able to drag it out until time was called. I Prized one of my precious Float Stones along with a whopping two Lightning Energy, so it was fairly easy for Enrique to lock my Garbodor Active during that game without anything really important Prized on his side. I lost game two in a similar fashion to game one, with a Garbodor stuck Active while I’m helpless to do anything besides deck out. The game was not as close, as I was unable to take many Prize cards. I don’t remember how many Prizes I took, but I know it was two or less.
Overall
I was elated to have finished third place in the largest tournament of the year, especially with it being my first year as a Masters division player. My deck ran smoothly the entire time when not disrupted, which is a rare treat these days. [card name=”Garbodor” set=”Legendary Treasures” no=”68″ c=”name”] was a huge player that weekend due to [card name=”Crobat” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”33″ c=”name”] and [card name=”Bronzong” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”61″ c=”name”] being popular, and it also had minor usefulness in most other matchups. It was a fantastic weekend and of course was a lot of fun. I tried to keep my report exciting, so hopefully it was! Congratulations to Jason Klaczynski for winning with an exceptional [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”name”] / [card name=”Garbodor” set=”Legendary Treasures” no=”68″ c=”name”] list and congratulations to Enrique Avile for second place with a rogue! I love rogues, so there’s no shame for me in losing to one.
More on Wailord
I know this card has been discussed to death since Nationals, but I feel that I can add quite a bit to the discussion of the Wail. I also hold the unpopular opinion that the Wail lives. Here is why: Everyone is writing off [card name=”Wailord-EX” set=”Primal Clash” no=”38″ c=”name”] as a legitimate threat simply because its surprise factor is gone and that it’s out in the open. It’s as if people assume that by being aware of its existence, they can beat it easily. This is just plain silly and ridiculous. Sure, you know Wailord is a thing and you know not to play your [card name=”Professor Juniper” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”98″ c=”name”]s and [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Flashfire” no=”99″ c=”name”]s like you normally would, but there is no such thing as simply “knowing how to play against it” and expecting to win. Going into the top 4 of Nationals, I knew my opponent’s exact list and I had tested against it. I knew somewhat well how to play the matchup, and I was even using a deck with a perceived favorable matchup against it! However, I was still handily 2-0’d.
The Psychology of Wailord
[cardimg name=”Wailord-EX” set=”Primal Clash” no=”147″ align=”right” height=”250″ c=”none”]
[card name=”Wailord-EX” set=”Primal Clash” no=”38″ c=”name”]’s popularity at Nationals introduces some interesting psychology, similar to how [card name=”Gothitelle” set=”Emerging Powers” no=”47″ c=”name”] / [card name=”Accelgor” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”11″ c=”name”] did in 2013. There are going to be three groups of players at Worlds.
- Those who disregard Wailord because of its surprise factor vanishing, and/or choose not to worry about it because they think others will disregard it as well.
- Those who think Wailord will stay popular, and will play a tech [card name=”Bunnelby” set=”Primal Clash” no=”121″ c=”name”] or something like Metal [card name=”M Rayquaza-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”76″ c=”name”] so that they have a decent chance at beating Wailord.
- Those who play Wailord, expecting to prey on a majority of players who fall into the first group.
This is very much like what happened after Accelgor won Nationals in 2013. There were plenty of Plasma players who accepted their auto-loss to Accelgor and turned out fine, such as Kaiwan Cabbabe and Simon Narode. There were also plenty of [card name=”Darkrai-EX” set=”Legendary Treasures” no=”88″ c=”name”] decks that played two [card name=”Keldeo-EX” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”49″ c=”name”] as an easy fix to the Accelgor matchup. However, we also saw Ian Whiton blaze through the Senior division with Accelgor because he correctly predicted the meta and hit some expected favorable matchups.
If 2013 is any indication, we will definitely see players in all three groups show up at Worlds. Wailord is incredibly powerful (capping at a whopping zero damage), and the only simple way to counter it is to add a [card name=”Bunnelby” set=”Primal Clash” no=”121″ c=”name”]. If I were to guess, I’d say that most players will end up in the first group, with less players in the second group, and even less players playing Wailord. I do think that Wailord could definitely go far into the tournament, because if enough people play it, it’s almost certain that one will run hot enough to place highly. Of course, we will see Metal Ray being played whether or not the users of that deck think about Wailord, just because Metal Ray is such an efficient and popular meta deck. That is definitely something to consider before choosing Wailord.
My Wail
Since Nationals, I have come up with my own Wailord list, for which I used Enrique’s list to start with and changed a few things.
[decklist]
[pokemon amt=”9″]
4x [card name=”Wailord-EX” set=”Primal Clash” no=”38″ c=”deck2″]
3x [card name=”Suicune” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”20″ c=”deck2″]
2x [card name=”Landorus-EX” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”89″ c=”deck2″]
[/pokemon]
[trainers amt=”49″]
4x [card name=”Cassius” set=”XY” no=”115″ c=”deck2″]
4x [card name=”AZ” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”91″ c=”deck2″]
4x [card name=”Team Flare Grunt” set=”XY” no=”129″ c=”deck2″]
3x [card name=”Pokémon Fan Club” set=”Flashfire” no=”94″ c=”deck2″]
3x [card name=”Skyla” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”134″ c=”deck2″]
3x [card name=”N” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”96″ c=”deck2″]
2x [card name=”Hugh” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”130″ c=”deck2″]
2x [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”90″ c=”deck2″]
1x [card name=”Xerosic” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”110″ c=”deck2″]
1x [card name=”Shauna” set=”XY” no=”127″ c=”deck2″]
4x [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”109″ c=”deck2″]
4x [card name=”Max Potion” set=”Emerging Powers” no=”94″ c=”deck2″]
4x [card name=”Hard Charm” set=”XY” no=”119″ c=”deck2″]
2x [card name=”Startling Megaphone” set=”Flashfire” no=”97″ c=”deck2″]
1x [card name=”Sacred Ash” set=”Flashfire” no=”96″ c=”deck2″]
1x [card name=”Dowsing Machine” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”128″ c=”deck2″]
4x [card name=”Rough Seas” set=”Primal Clash” no=”137″ c=”deck2″]
2x [card name=”Silent Lab” set=”Primal Clash” no=”140″ c=”deck2″]
[/trainers]
[energy amt=”2″]
2x [card name=”Fighting Energy” set=”Base Set” no=”97″ c=”deck2″]
[/energy]
[/decklist]
As you can see, this list is similar, yet different, to the list that took second at Nationals. I only changed five cards, but the deck takes on a different feel now that it can actually attack. The most obvious difference is the inclusion of two [card name=”Landorus-EX” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”89″ c=”name”] and two Fighting Energy. These are used almost exclusively for [card name=”Bunnelby” set=”Primal Clash” no=”121″ c=”name”] techs, though they have some other uses too. Literally any deck besides the mirror match can easily slide in a single Bunnelby and instantly have an auto-win against [card name=”Wailord-EX” set=”Primal Clash” no=”38″ c=”name”]. This is rather silly and frightening at the same time, so I didn’t want to worry about it. Games go by extremely slowly, so you won’t usually have to worry about drawing into Fighting Energy, it’s bound to happen sooner or later. Once the Bunny dies, the game is basically over.
[cardimg name=”Landorus-EX” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”144″ align=”right” height=”250″ c=”none”]
Landorus also provides the deck with the option to actually apply pressure, something that is useful in many random circumstances. Of course, if you start with Landorus, your opponent will play their [card name=”Professor Juniper” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”98″ c=”name”]s and [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Flashfire” no=”99″ c=”name”]s and hopefully go through their deck because they will expect something more traditional like [card name=”Landorus-EX” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”89″ c=”name”] / [card name=”Crobat” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”33″ c=”name”]. Landorus-EX is something that this deck needs now that it’s known about. Another small bonus is being able to use Wailord’s Water Veil by attaching a Fighting Energy. This is useful against [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”name”] and [card name=”Yveltal-EX” set=”XY” no=”79″ c=”name”] that run [card name=”Hypnotoxic Laser” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”123″ c=”name”]. An Energy on Wailord is another card to [card name=”Cassius” set=”XY” no=”115″ c=”name”] into the deck as well, making your odds of decking out before your opponent just that much smaller.
To make space for the Landorus, I made the questionable call of cutting all of the [card name=”Enhanced Hammer” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”94″ c=”name”]. To be honest, I just didn’t find them useful when playing the deck. The only matchup that can justify three spaces for them is Metal, and I’d rather just have my Landorus in the deck. I also cut the single [card name=”Trick Shovel” set=”Flashfire” no=”98″ c=”name”], which I found silly and unnecessary. Trick Shovel never makes much of a difference in the outcome of a game, and the only merit I found for it in Enrique’s list was in scaring your opponents and making them think you had more than one Trick Shovel. This, in turn, could cause them to use [card name=”N” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”96″ c=”name”], [card name=”Colress” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”118″ c=”name”], and [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”109″ c=”name”] prematurely.
The final difference between my list and Enrique’s is that I cut the fourth [card name=”Pokémon Fan Club” set=”Flashfire” no=”94″ c=”name”] for a second [card name=”Startling Megaphone” set=”Flashfire” no=”97″ c=”name”]. I found four Fan Club to be excessive. Two of the few matchups that Wailord can actually lose against are Metal Ray and [card name=”M Manectric-EX” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”24″ c=”name”] / [card name=”Garbodor” set=”Legendary Treasures” no=”68″ c=”name”]. Startling Megaphone is instrumental in both of these matchups to remove [card name=”Float Stone” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”99″ c=”name”] from [card name=”Keldeo-EX” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”49″ c=”name”] and Garbodor in their respective decks. I figured two would be nice, simply to improve these matchups, and it can be used against anything else, as most decks use Pokemon Tools.
To Wail or not to Wail?
This is the million dollar question. Here is where I’m going to quickly go over the arguments against [card name=”Wailord-EX” set=”Primal Clash” no=”38″ c=”name”] and offer counter-arguments, most of which I’ve already talked about. I am personally considering Wailord as a serious option for Worlds. I find the arguments against Wailord to be flat-out weak. It placed second and ninth in the largest tournament, and the deck overall performed phenomenally when you consider how many people played the deck. Metal and [card name=”Manectric-EX” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”23″ c=”name”], perceived bad matchups, were represented in huge numbers at Nationals, yet Wailord was able to succeed anyway. Yes, its surprise factor is gone, but that doesn’t mean that people will magically know how to beat it with their meta decks. Because, the thing is, there’s no special way to play that will ensure you a win against Wailord. The one card on every Wailord players’ mind is of course [card name=”Bunnelby” set=”Primal Clash” no=”121″ c=”name”], which is why I suggested the list above. It retains the effectiveness of the Wailord deck that showed up at Nationals, while providing a mildly consistent answer to counter Bunnelby, along with the other benefits that I mentioned above.
[cardimg name=”AZ” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”117″ align=”left” height=”250″ c=”none”]
As for matchups, if you’re scared of Metal Ray, it’s not as bad as it looks. From my somewhat limited testing and from what I gathered from Enrique, the Metal matchup is about even. Two [card name=”Startling Megaphone” set=”Flashfire” no=”97″ c=”name”] and two [card name=”Silent Lab” set=”Primal Clash” no=”140″ c=”name”] are great to have if you can get them at the right time. [card name=”Xerosic” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”110″ c=”name”] is also a helpful card in the matchup. If those aren’t doing it for you, find a way to add those [card name=”Enhanced Hammer” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”94″ c=”name”]s back in and you should be in or around favorable territory. One thing I noticed is that if the Metal Ray player is out of [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”111″ c=”name”], they probably won’t be able to take many more Prize cards. They need two Energy on [card name=”Keldeo-EX” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”49″ c=”name”] for mobility, three on [card name=”Cobalion-EX” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”93″ c=”name”] (or four on [card name=”Heatran” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”63″ c=”name”]) to KO [card name=”Suicune” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”20″ c=”name”], and three on [card name=”M Rayquaza-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”76″ c=”name”] to hit into your Wails. And how many Metal Ray decks run eight basic Metal Energy? One problem card in Metal Ray is [card name=”AZ” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”91″ c=”name”], because it essentially adds five switch outs. I have played a bit against Metal Ray with AZ with the list above (meaning no Enhanced Hammer), and it’s still very winnable. It is important to keep track of your opponent’s [card name=”Float Stone” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”99″ c=”name”]s, [card name=”Sky Field” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”89″ c=”name”]s, [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”109″ c=”name”]s, and other potential switching cards when playing the matchup.
People claim that things like [card name=”M Manectric-EX” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”24″ c=”name”], [card name=”Primal Groudon-EX” set=”Primal Clash” no=”86″ c=”name”], [card name=”Primal Kyogre-EX” set=”Primal Clash” no=”55″ c=”name”], and other decks can beat Wailord without much trouble, but if you play the matchups, you’ll see that it’s not really the case. [card name=”Suicune” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”20″ c=”name”] is underrated and can win matchups on its own. One potential problem that I’ve given a little thought is M Manectric-EX being used with [card name=”Articuno” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”17″ c=”name”], but I don’t know how the matchup goes in practice. I also don’t think it’s popular enough to deter you from playing Wailord. To Wail or not to Wail? I’m leaning toward the former.
Conclusion
Well, this marks the end of my rant about how strong a play [card name=”Wailord-EX” set=”Primal Clash” no=”38″ c=”name”] is. I’m sorry if the discussion on Wailord came out a bit scattered, but I did not originally plan to write nearly as much about the deck. As I started, I found that I had quite a bit to say about the big ball of blue blubber (say that five times fast). I hope you enjoyed reading about my tournament experience as well as hearing about my unpopular opinion on Wailord. Please leave me any feedback or questions you have in the comments, or feel free to PM me. If you are looking for deck list advice or just want to talk, hit me and the other writers up in the Subscriber’s Secret Hideout. Thanks so much for reading!
[/premium]