PokeBeach Writer’s Expanded Tournament — Lists and Results from the Best in the Game
Hello once again PokeBeach readers! It has been a while since my last article, but I’m back at it trying to prepare you for Spring Regionals! I’ve been on a bit of a hiatus simply due to school. I’ve had quite a few projects to finish up here toward the end of the school year as well as organizing a bassoon recital to showcase the work I’ve done over the course of my first two semesters in graduate school. On top of that, I’ve maintained a busy performance schedule with concerts here in Cleveland as well as with orchestras in Sandusky and Ann Arbor. Taking care of all that has made it difficult for me to fit in Pokemon! However, I am so pleased to share that I recently wrapped up my Worlds invitation. I was able to attend a couple League Challenges to put the finishing touches on my season. I’ll likely head into Worlds with my current total of 307 points. I think I am the biggest advocate of TPCi’s adjustment of the Worlds qualifying point total change from 500 to 300. As a college student, it just wasn’t feasible for me to attend a high enough amount of tournaments to reasonably garner 500 points. I didn’t perform particularly poorly at any one event and the 300 point barrier really rewards consistent play while stipend money and paid trips reward those who are able to attend and have strong showings at a large number of events.
In any case, I wanted to run over two decks I played in Expanded League Challenges. I also wanted to give you a full run down of the PokeBeach tournament that our writers and editors participated in. We used this tournament to help us prepare for Spring Regionals as well as to give our readers an look at what could do well this weekend!
League Challenge #1 – Turbo Darkrai
To start, let’s take a look at the list I used at an Expanded League Challenge this past weekend!
[decklist name=”Darkrai” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Darkrai-EX” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”118″][pokemon amt=”13″]2x [card name=”Darkrai-EX” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”118″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Darkrai-EX” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”107″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Yveltal-EX” set=”XY” no=”144″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Malamar-EX” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”115″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Keldeo-EX” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”142″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Jirachi-EX” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”60″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Yveltal” set=”XY” no=”78″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Yveltal” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”94″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”35″]4x [card name=”Professor Juniper” set=”Black and White” no=”101″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”N” set=”Noble Victories” no=”101″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Colress” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”118″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”90″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”AZ” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”117″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”EX FireRed and LeafGreen” no=”100″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”102″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Max Elixir” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”102″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Dark Patch” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”93″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Fighting Fury Belt” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”99″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Battle Compressor” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Float Stone” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”99″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Dowsing Machine” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”128″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Tool Scrapper” set=”Dragons Exalted” no=”116″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Reverse Valley” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”110″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”12″]10x [card name=”Darkness Energy” set=”HeartGold and SoulSilver” no=”121″ c=”deck2″ amt=”10″][/card]2x [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”HeartGold and SoulSilver” no=”103″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card][/energy][/decklist]
This list is very straightforward without a lot of frills, which is exactly the way I wanted it. There are a plethora of attackers, and important cards like [card name=”Dark Patch” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Max Elixir” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”102″ c=”name”][/card], and [card name=”Fighting Fury Belt” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card] are played as four-ofs. In past articles, I’ve written about identifying the goal of a deck and streamlining your card choices to maximize that goal. I feel like this list is a perfect example of that concept.
The main goal of this deck is to get a [card name=”Darkrai-EX” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”74″ c=”name”][/card] up attacking as quickly and efficiently as possible. It is necessary then to not only get Energy on Darkrai-EX, but also to ensure that his first attack, Dark Pulse, hits for enough damage. Since you are likely to 2HKO most Pokemon-EX in the early game, I’ve maxed out counts of Fighting Fury Belt to guarantee that your attackers survive as long as possible. With a Fury Belt attached, Darkrai-EX can usually withstand at least two or more attacks.
Tournament Result
With the above list, I ended up going 3-2 with losses to [card name=”Vespiquen” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”10″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Flareon” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”12″ c=”name”][/card] and a [card name=”Trevenant” set=”XY” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card] deck that played [card name=”Weakness Policy” set=”Primal Clash” no=”142″ c=”name”][/card]! I felt fine about every round I played, but the deck sputtered in my two losses. I was a bit taken aback by the Trevenant decks inclusion of Weakness Policy as it messed with my math, but I felt that I could have beaten it if I played a bit more aggressively during my first turn.
I beat two [card name=”Raikou” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card] / Eelektrik decks, and an [card name=”Yveltal-EX” set=”XY” no=”79″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Gallade” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”84″ c=”name”][/card] deck. I feel the deck is solid and warrants a look for Spring Regionals simply because it is quite consistent. I enjoyed playing a deck with so many four-ofs and I always had a hand that was highly playable. I definitely want to fit in more [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”90″ c=”name”][/card] and a [card name=”Hex Maniac” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”75″ c=”name”][/card], but doing so might come at the expense of Energy. 10 Darkness and two Double Colorless were the perfect number of Energy as I rarely missed finding them off Max Elixir. In all, I think Turbo Darkrai is a strong contender for Spring Regionals.
League Challenge #2 – Vespiquen / Flareon
The card store hosted a second League Challenge immediately following the first League Challenge. [card name=”Vespiquen” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”10″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Flareon” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”12″ c=”name”][/card] was the deck that had just won League Challenge #1 so I figured if I can’t beat them, why not join them? I played the list below for the League Challenge where I ended up securing my invite!
[decklist name=”Vespiquen / Flareon” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Vespiquen” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”10″][pokemon amt=”27″]4x [card name=”Vespiquen” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”10″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Combee” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”9″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Flareon” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”12″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]1x [card name=”Jolteon” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”26″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]2x [card name=”Eevee” set=”Furious Fists” no=”80″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Eevee” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”90″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]4x [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Unown” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”30″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]1x [card name=”Wobbuffet” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”36″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Jirachi-EX” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”60″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”26″]4x [card name=”Professor Sycamore” set=”XY” no=”122″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]1x [card name=”Xerosic” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”110″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Blacksmith” set=”Flashfire” no=”88″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Hex Maniac” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”75″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”90″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”EX FireRed and LeafGreen” no=”100″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Battle Compressor” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”102″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Float Stone” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”99″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Silver Bangle” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”88″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Computer Search” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”137″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]2x [card name=”Tropical Beach” set=”Black and White Black Star Promos” no=”BW28″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”7″]4x [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”HeartGold and SoulSilver” no=”103″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Fire Energy” set=”EX Emerald” no=”102″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card][/energy][/decklist]
[cardimg name=”Flareon” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”12″ align=”right” c=”custom”]Thanks for the invite, Flareon![/cardimg]
The primary reason I played this deck was because it won the first League Challenge. There’s a lot to like about Vespiquen / Flareon – it hits for high damage, it attacks with non-EX Pokemon, and it is generally consistent. I wasn’t as interested in playing it in the first LC because I figured there could be people running [card name=”Archeops” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”54″ c=”name”][/card] which I didn’t really want to deal with. I also knew Trevenant would be a terrible matchup and figured that enough people would run Trevenant to make Vespiquen a poor choice. It ended up that the metagame was full of people trying out random decks with cards from BREAKpoint. There were no people playing Archeops, and one person who played Trevenant so I figured Vespiquen would be worth running.
I ended up going 4-1 with this list, losing only to the single Trevenant player in the room. I felt comfortable with the choice of deck, but the metagame wasn’t the ideal testing scenario as I played one modified theme deck and a subpar [card name=”Darkrai-EX” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”107″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Yveltal-EX” set=”XY” no=”144″ c=”name”][/card] list.
Looking Ahead
I will be attending Canada’s Regionals and I couldn’t be more excited! I will be unable to make it to U.S. Nationals this year due to my participation in a summer classical music festival, so Canada will be my last tournament before Worlds! I’m looking forward to hanging with my MSU friends once again playing some Pokemon and winding down from a fulfilling yet busy school year.
I want to take the rest of this article to break down the PokeBeach Expanded Tournament. This tournament was held these last couple of weeks to prepare both our PokeBeach staff and our readers for Spring Regionals. I’ll give you the decklists our writers and editors used in the tournament, as well as provide insight into the various matchups they played, cards they wish they included, and in-game strategies. I’ll highlight only the matchups I think will be the most interesting and helpful to you as a reader. I’ll then make some final predictions about what I think will see play this upcoming weekend. Ready? Let’s go!
[premium]
Competitors and Decklists
Matt Price (M Rayquaza-EX)
Matt decided to go with a traditional [card name=”M Rayquaza-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”76″ c=”name”][/card] build for the tournament. The strategy behind this deck is to get a Mega Rayquaza-EX attacking on the first turn using Double Colorless and [card name=”Mega Turbo” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”86″ c=”name”][/card] for Energy acceleration. When it gets the optimal set up, this deck can coast, hitting upwards of 180 from turn one. The interesting inclusion in this list was the singleton [card name=”Jolteon-EX” set=”Generations” no=”28″ c=”name”][/card] which likely was included to help against Night March decks.
[decklist name=”Mega Rayquaza” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”M Rayquaza-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”76″][pokemon amt=”14″]3x [card name=”M Rayquaza-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”76″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Rayquaza-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”60″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Rayquaza-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”104″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]3x [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Hoopa-EX” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”89″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Jirachi-EX” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”98″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Jolteon-EX” set=”Generations” no=”28″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Keldeo-EX” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”49″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”39″]2x [card name=”Professor Juniper” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”98″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Hex Maniac” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”75″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”90″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Ghetsis” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”101″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”N” set=”Noble Victories” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Colress” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”118″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”EX FireRed and LeafGreen” no=”100″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”102″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Puzzle of Time” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”109″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Trainers’ Mail” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Rayquaza Spirit Link” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”87″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Mega Turbo” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”86″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Float Stone” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”99″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Battle Compressor” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Sacred Ash” set=”Flashfire” no=”96″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Tool Scrapper” set=”Dragons Exalted” no=”116″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Computer Search” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”137″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]3x [card name=”Sky Field” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”89″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”7″]4x [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”HeartGold and SoulSilver” no=”103″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Lightning Energy” set=”EX Holon Phantoms” no=”108″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card][/energy][/decklist]
Alex Koch (Sableye / Garbodor)
Alex, one of our newest writers, opted for a sneaky play in the tournament, [card name=”Sableye” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY92 ” c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Garbodor” set=”Dragons Exalted” no=”54″ c=”name”][/card]. This deck attempts to lock your opponent from attacking using various strategies such as Energy-denial, stalling with timely [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”104″ c=”name”][/card], and blocking opponent’s Abilities. Ideally, the deck wins when the opponent has exhausted all of their resources and is literally unable to attack. Alternatively, Sableye / Garbodor decks can also control what their opponent top decks. [card name=”Trick Shovel” set=”Flashfire” no=”98″ c=”name”][/card] is important not only for the ability to discard cards that might help the opponent, but it can also lock them into drawing a card they otherwise wouldn’t need to advance their board. Trick Shovel also can fulfill a deck out strategy.
[decklist name=”Sableye / Garbodor” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Sableye” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”62″][pokemon amt=”12″]4x [card name=”Sableye” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”62″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Bunnelby” set=”Primal Clash” no=”121″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Garbodor” set=”Legendary Treasures” no=”68″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Trubbish” set=”Noble Victories” no=”48″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”42″]4x [card name=”Professor Juniper” set=”Black and White” no=”101″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Team Flare Grunt” set=”XY” no=”129″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”104″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Xerosic” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”110″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Delinquent” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”98″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”N” set=”Noble Victories” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Ace Trainer” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”69″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Ghetsis” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”101″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Crushing Hammer” set=”Legendary Treasures” no=”111″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Puzzle of Time” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”109″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”102″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”EX FireRed and LeafGreen” no=”100″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Float Stone” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”99″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Trick Shovel” set=”Flashfire” no=”98″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Super Rod” set=”Noble Victories” no=”95″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Head Ringer” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”97″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Tool Scrapper” set=”Dragons Exalted” no=”116″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Enhanced Hammer” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”94″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Life Dew” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”107″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”6″]6x [card name=”Darkness Energy” set=”HeartGold and SoulSilver” no=”121″ c=”deck2″ amt=”6″][/card][/energy][/decklist]
Sam VerNooy (Turbo Darkrai)
Sam VerNooy and I were thinking along the same wavelength when we decided to play Turbo Darkrai. Though it is difficult to get too different with Pokemon lists of the same concept, Sam was able to include [card name=”Hex Maniac” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”75″ c=”name”][/card] and a second [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”78″ c=”name”][/card], which are both cards I should have had in my League Challenge list. Sam opted for a higher count of Darkness Energy at the expense of playing [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”HeartGold and SoulSilver” no=”103″ c=”name”][/card] which I think is a fine trade off. Sam would end up going far in this tournament with a highly straightforward list and concept.
[decklist name=”Turbo Darkrai” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Darkrai-EX” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”74″][pokemon amt=”11″]2x [card name=”Darkrai-EX” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”74″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Darkrai-EX” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”107″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Yveltal” set=”XY” no=”78″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Yveltal” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”94″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Yveltal-EX” set=”XY” no=”79″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Keldeo-EX” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”49″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”38″]3x [card name=”Professor Juniper” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”98″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”N” set=”Noble Victories” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”104″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Colress” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”118″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”AZ” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”117″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Hex Maniac” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”75″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”102″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Max Elixir” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”102″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Dark Patch” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”93″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Trainers’ Mail” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”EX FireRed and LeafGreen” no=”100″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Acro Bike” set=”Primal Clash” no=”122″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Fighting Fury Belt” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”99″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]1x [card name=”Float Stone” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”99″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]2x [card name=”Reverse Valley” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”110″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”11″]11x [card name=”Darkness Energy” set=”HeartGold and SoulSilver” no=”121″ c=”deck2″ amt=”11″][/card][/energy][/decklist]
Oliver King (Vileplume and Friends)
I love Oliver’s deck choice. Though I haven’t played [card name=”Vileplume” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”3″ c=”name”][/card] decks at all this season, I feel they are primed to do well in upcoming tournaments. Oliver used a nasty mix of attackers that all block slightly different Pokemon – [card name=”Jolteon-EX” set=”Generations” no=”28″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Regice” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”24″ c=”name”][/card] for denying Pokemon-EX the ability to attack, and [card name=”Aegislash-EX” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”65″ c=”name”][/card] for denying Pokemon with Special Energy attached to attack. Combine these attack effects with the Item-locking Ability of [card name=”Vileplume” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”3″ c=”name”][/card] and you have quite a potent combination.
[decklist name=”Vileplume & Friends” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Vileplume” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”3″][pokemon amt=”21″]3x [card name=”Vileplume” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”3″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Gloom” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”2″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Oddish” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”1″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”106″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Jolteon-EX” set=”Generations” no=”28″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Regice” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”24″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Mew-EX” set=”Legendary Treasures” no=”RC24″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Aegislash-EX” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”65″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Yveltal-EX” set=”XY” no=”144″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Jirachi-EX” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”98″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Bunnelby” set=”Primal Clash” no=”121″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”31″]2x [card name=”Professor Sycamore” set=”XY” no=”122″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”N” set=”Noble Victories” no=”101″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”AZ” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”117″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Olympia” set=”Generations” no=”66″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”104″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Trainers’ Mail” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”102″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Float Stone” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”99″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Acro Bike” set=”Primal Clash” no=”122″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Muscle Band” set=”XY” no=”121″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Level Ball” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”76″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Computer Search” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”137″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Forest of Giant Plants” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”74″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”8″]4x [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”HeartGold and SoulSilver” no=”103″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Rainbow Energy” set=”EX Ruby and Sapphire” no=”95″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Prism Energy” set=”Next Destinies” no=”93″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card][/energy][/decklist]
Treynor Wolfe (M Rayquaza-EX)
Interestingly, Treynor also decided to play [card name=”M Rayquaza-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”76″ c=”name”][/card]! Treynor has extensive experience with the deck and has played it at a number of tournaments this year so it is no surprise that he busted it out for this informal tournament. I love how many draw-Pokemon Treynor included in his deck, and I think it really adds to the deck’s synergy. Not only does Treynor max out his count of [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card], but he also includes a [card name=”Jirachi-EX” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”98″ c=”name”][/card] for good measure. These Pokemon allow him to go through the deck quickly and easily. He also plays four [card name=”Sky Field” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”89″ c=”name”][/card] so that his Bench always has room for more Pokemon. Though this over emphasis on Ability based draw can make the deck susceptible to cards that prevent Abilities like [card name=”Silent Lab” set=”Primal Clash” no=”140″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Hex Maniac” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”75″ c=”name”][/card], and [card name=”Wobbuffet” set=”Radiant Collection 2″ no=”RC11″ c=”name”][/card], Treynor decided to play his deck as ballsy as possible!
[decklist name=”Mega Rayquaza” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”M Rayquaza-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”76″][pokemon amt=”17″]4x [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”106″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”M Rayquaza-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”76″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Rayquaza-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”75″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Hoopa-EX” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”89″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]1x [card name=”Keldeo-EX” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”142″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Virizion-EX” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”96″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Jirachi-EX” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”98″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Exeggcute” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”4″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”36″]2x [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”104″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Hex Maniac” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”75″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”N” set=”Noble Victories” no=”101″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Ghetsis” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”101″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Colress” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”118″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Xerosic” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”110″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”Supreme Victors” no=”140″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”102″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Trainers’ Mail” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Battle Compressor” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Rayquaza Spirit Link” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”87″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Float Stone” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”99″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Mega Turbo” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”86″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Sacred Ash” set=”Flashfire” no=”96″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Computer Search” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”137″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Sky Field” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”89″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”7″]4x [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”HeartGold and SoulSilver” no=”103″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Grass Energy” set=”EX Ruby and Sapphire” no=”104″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card][/energy][/decklist]
Ryan Moorhouse (Maxie’s Dark)
Ryan loves Dark decks and went with a highly teched out version of [card name=”Yveltal-EX” set=”XY” no=”144″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Gallade” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”84″ c=”name”][/card]. His list contains 17 cards that have only one copy! This variety gives Ryan many options at the expense of consistency. In our best of three format, he figured that would be valuable. Will Ryan’s unique list carry him deep into the tournament?
[decklist name=”Yveltal / Gallade” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Yveltal-EX” set=”XY” no=”144″][pokemon amt=”12″]2x [card name=”Yveltal-EX” set=”XY” no=”144″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Yveltal” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”94″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”106″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Darkrai-EX” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”107″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Yveltal” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY06″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Archeops” set=”Noble Victories” no=”67″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Gallade” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”84″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Jirachi-EX” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”98″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Hoopa-EX” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”89″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Keldeo-EX” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”142″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”37″]3x [card name=”Professor Sycamore” set=”XY” no=”122″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]1x [card name=”Maxie’s Hidden Ball Trick” set=”Primal Clash” no=”133″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”N” set=”Noble Victories” no=”101″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Colress” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”118″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”104″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Hex Maniac” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”75″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”AZ” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”117″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”Supreme Victors” no=”140″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”102″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Dark Patch” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”93″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Trainers’ Mail” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Battle Compressor” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Fighting Fury Belt” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”99″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Float Stone” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”99″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Tool Scrapper” set=”Dragons Exalted” no=”116″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Computer Search” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”137″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]2x [card name=”Reverse Valley” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”110″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Parallel City” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”145″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”11″]7x [card name=”Darkness Energy” set=”Diamond and Pearl” no=”129″ c=”deck2″ amt=”7″][/card]4x [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”HeartGold and SoulSilver” no=”103″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card][/energy][/decklist]
Steve Guthrie (Archie’s Blastoise)
Old habits die hard and Steve has a major habit of playing [card name=”Blastoise” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”31″ c=”name”][/card]. Arguably the deck’s creator, Steve has played Archie’s Blastoise since before U.S. Nationals last year. He’s back at it again with a few new tricks. Most notable of his unique additions is a [card name=”M Gyarados-EX” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”115″ c=”name”][/card] which he is able to get on board via [card name=”Archie’s Ace in the Hole” set=”Primal Clash” no=”157″ c=”name”][/card]. M Gyarados-EX gives Steve a powerful attacker that has a whopping 240 HP. This mammoth Pokemon is difficult for opponents to take down, so if he is able to get it on board, he will create a lot of distress for his opponent!
[decklist name=”Archie’s Blastoise” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Blastoise” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”16″][pokemon amt=”14″]3x [card name=”Keldeo-EX” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”142″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Blastoise” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”16″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Exeggcute” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”4″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Jirachi-EX” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”98″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”106″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Articuno” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”17″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”M Gyarados-EX” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”115″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”35″]2x [card name=”Professor Sycamore” set=”XY” no=”122″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Archie’s Ace in the Hole” set=”Primal Clash” no=”157″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”N” set=”Noble Victories” no=”101″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”104″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Trainers’ Mail” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Acro Bike” set=”Primal Clash” no=”122″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”EX FireRed and LeafGreen” no=”100″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Battle Compressor” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”102″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Superior Energy Retrieval” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”103″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]1x [card name=”Town Map” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”136″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Computer Search” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”137″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Float Stone” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”99″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Muscle Band” set=”XY” no=”121″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Parallel City” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”145″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”11″]11x [card name=”Water Energy” set=”EX Emerald” no=”103″ c=”deck2″ amt=”11″][/card][/energy][/decklist]
Andrew Mahone (Night March / Vespiquen)
Does Andrew play anything but Night March these days? Apparently not since he played with a version of Night March that also incorporates [card name=”Vespiquen” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”10″ c=”name”][/card]. Vespiquen is a bit bulkier of an attacker than [card name=”Joltik” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”26″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Pumpkaboo” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”44″ c=”name”][/card] and since it’s an evolution, it does not have to worry about effects like those from [card name=”Jolteon-EX” set=”Generations” no=”28″ c=”name”][/card]. Andrew chose not to include any [card name=”Dimension Valley” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card], thus his only attackers are Joltik and Vespiquen.
[decklist name=”Night March / Vespiquen” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Vespiquen” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”10″][pokemon amt=”27″]4x [card name=”Joltik” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”26″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Pumpkaboo” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”44″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Lampent” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”42″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Vespiquen” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”10″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Combee” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”9″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Unown” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”30″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”106″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”29″]4x [card name=”Professor Sycamore” set=”XY” no=”122″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]1x [card name=”N” set=”Noble Victories” no=”101″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”104″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Teammates” set=”Primal Clash” no=”160″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”EX FireRed and LeafGreen” no=”100″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”102″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Puzzle of Time” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”109″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Battle Compressor” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]1x [card name=”Pokémon Catcher” set=”Emerging Powers” no=”95″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Float Stone” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”99″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Escape Rope” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”120″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Target Whistle” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”106″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Town Map” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”136″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Computer Search” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”137″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”4″]4x [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”HeartGold and SoulSilver” no=”103″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card][/energy][/decklist]
Here is a link to the bracket for the tournament:
Matt Price vs Alex Koch (M Rayquaza-EX vs Sableye / Garbodor)
Our first matchup featured Matt Price and Alex Koch. Alex prevailed 2-1. After the game, I asked Alex to give me a rundown of how the matchup went.
Game one went quite poorly for me. I opened [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card] and he opened [card name=”Hoopa-EX” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”36″ c=”name”][/card]. I then proceeded to draw into absolutely nothing, while he ran and got set up. The only thing that really kept me in the game was the heavy Energy-denial. He dug through his deck quite hard, and at one point ended up with six cards in his deck and two in his hand. It was kinda close at the end, but I got stomped game one.
Game two was a very different story. He opened [card name=”Rayquaza-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”60″ c=”name”][/card], and I turn one Ghetsis’d him. His hand was left with a DCE, [card name=”Sky Field” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”89″ c=”name”][/card], and [card name=”Colress” set=”Plasma Storm” no=”118″ c=”name”][/card]. Next turn he played Skyfield and passes. From there I control top decks and get rid of Energy until he scoops. He didn’t take a Prize.
Game three he just started dead. It went [card name=”Jolteon-EX” set=”Generations” no=”28″ c=”name”][/card], Energy, [card name=”Keldeo-EX” set=”Legendary Treasures” no=”45″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Float Stone” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”137″ c=”name”][/card], Mega Evolve with two cards left in his hand, neither an [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card] or Supporter. I then promptly Xerosic’d the Float Stone and replaced it with a [card name=”Head Ringer” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card]. He then dead draws into oblivion. Late game he managed to take a Prize with the Jolteon, but on the next turn I was able to Enhance Hammer and [card name=”Team Flare Grunt” set=”Generations” no=”73″ c=”name”][/card] and he was back to square one. Finished off games two and three in style!
As you can see from Alex’s testimony, the games came down to Energy and Trainer denial. As the [card name=”M Rayquaza-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”76″ c=”name”][/card] deck relies heavily on Items, [card name=”Ghetsis” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”101″ c=”name”][/card] was important to limit the Rayquaza player from getting off to too explosive a start. M Rayquaza-EX decks also play so few Energy and are extremely affected by Energy-removal cards such as [card name=”Team Flare Grunt” set=”XY” no=”129″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Crushing Hammer” set=”Emerging Powers” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card] .
Matt gave his insight into the matchup. I would tend to agree that it is not a favorable matchup for M Rayquaza-EX given all of the disruption available to the [card name=”Sableye” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”62″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Garbodor” set=”Legendary Treasures” no=”68″ c=”name”][/card] player.
I tried to go fast to beat it, but I dead drew and that didn’t pan out. I think if you can out-speed it and hit everything you need every turn you can beat it, but it’s not a good matchup at all.
Alex also gave insight into the matchup.
[card name=”M Rayquaza-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”76″ c=”name”][/card] is almost a layup matchup for Sableye. The low counts of Energy combined with the ease that I can scrape them off make for an easy time. Their speed means nothing most of the time, since they will end up only taking one (or zero) Prizes at a time. Even with [card name=”Puzzle of Time” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”109″ c=”name”][/card] to get back Energy it’s an uphill battle for the Rayquaza player. Even after losing game one, I knew I was going to be able to run it back. [card name=”Garbodor” set=”Legendary Treasures” no=”68″ c=”name”][/card] does a great job at slowing their set up mid game, and [card name=”Head Ringer” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card] vastly serves its purpose. Having to attach four Energy to a Rayquaza is nobody’s idea of fun.
If you’re planning on playing either of these two decks for Spring Regionals, it would be safe to say that Sableye / Garbodor beats M Rayquaza-EX.
Sam VerNooy vs Oliver King (Turbo Darkrai vs Vileplume and Friends)
This matchup featured our two main editors, Sam and Oliver. While Sam opted for a straightforward deck, Oliver went with a deck that has a few more options. I assumed this matchup came down to whether Oliver would be able to get a [card name=”Jolteon-EX” set=”Generations” no=”28″ c=”name”][/card] attacking with a [card name=”Vileplume” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”3″ c=”name”][/card] out. If he’s able to do that, he severely limits Sam’s attacking options. Here’s how the matches went according to Oliver.
Game one I go first. I get the turn one lock and start [card name=”Regice” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”24″ c=”name”][/card]. I’m pretty sure he is playing Turbo Dark which is an amazing matchup. He has to discard a [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”78″ c=”name”][/card] early. He kills the [card name=”Jolteon-EX” set=”Generations” no=”28″ c=”name”][/card] I’ve been building up. I’m a bit scared of a [card name=”Malamar-EX” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”58″ c=”name”][/card] which would be very bad for me. I whiff some and things turn very bad for me. I have no Vileplume and he only has two Prizes. He just kind of outskilled me. If I played better I’m pretty sure I would have won.
Game two I go first. I hit the perfect turn one again. I get the turn two Flash Ray. He tries to [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”78″ c=”name”][/card] stall but that doesnt really work well against this deck.
Game three he goes first. I start [card name=”Regice” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”24″ c=”name”][/card] again which is probably my worst starter. He loads up an [card name=”Yveltal” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”94″ c=”name”][/card] which is really scary. I whiff the turn one [card name=”Vileplume” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”3″ c=”name”][/card] and decide to completely disregard the Vileplume strategy. I get the turn two Jolteon-EX and start swinging. I’m aiming to set up my board so he can’t take six Prizes without killing Jolteon and so he can’t Lysandre stall to the point where I will whiff a Flash Ray. I do so. I have only a Jolteon-EX and a Regice with all Energy attached. We both have four Prizes. Things are looking very good for me. He only has five cards in deck to my ten. I don’t really see a way he can win. The [card name=”Muscle Band” set=”XY” no=”121″ c=”name”][/card] on Jolteon makes my math really good but it doesnt really matter. I just sweep with Jolteon because it’s a free matchup.
[cardimg name=”Vileplume” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”3″ align=”right” c=”custom”]Irritating right?[/cardimg]
From Oliver’s summary, it is safe to say that the matchup favors [card name=”Vileplume” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”3″ c=”name”][/card]. Getting a turn one Vileplume down can completely shut down a Turbo Darkrai deck. Add on to the fact that Jolteon-EX completely shuts down every attacker in Darkrai decks and you have a potent combination. What techs can you include to bolster Turbo Darkrai’s matchup against a Jolteon-EX? Here is Sam’s thoughts:
One tech Oliver suggested after the match was [card name=”Malamar-EX” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”58″ c=”name”][/card]. If Hyper Hypnosis can keep a Jolteon-EX Asleep for even one turn, that will be enough time to Knock Out the Jolteon and steal the game. The unfortunate part about Malamar is it is not useful in many other matchups besides Jolteon decks. [card name=”Escape Rope” set=”Primal Clash” no=”127″ c=”name”][/card] might have come in handy in game three of this match, but most of the time Vileplume is in play to block this card. Escape Rope is useful in other matchups though, so there isn’t much harm in removing the singular [card name=”Float Stone” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”137″ c=”name”][/card] for Escape Rope if you predict that anyone will play Jolteon for a given tournament.
I do believe that Turbo Darkrai will be a popular play for week one of Spring Regionals to counter [card name=”Trevenant” set=”XY” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card] decks, so I also expect Vileplume decks to see play.
Treynor Wolfe vs Ryan Moorhouse (M Rayquaza-EX vs Yveltal / Archeops)
In my experience with these two decks, [card name=”M Rayquaza-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”76″ c=”name”][/card] has a considerable advantage. When asked, both Treynor and Ryan agreed that the matchup is shifted in Rayquaza’s favor. However, Ryan ended up taking the overall series between the two. Here’s what he had to say about his games:
In game one, I opened [card name=”Darkrai-EX” set=”Black and White Black Star Promos” no=”BW46″ c=”name”][/card] with a [card name=”Jirachi-EX” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”60″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card], and [card name=”N” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”96″ c=”name”][/card] in hand, going second. Treynor used [card name=”Ghetsis” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”101″ c=”name”][/card] on turn one but only finds a [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”109″ c=”name”][/card] Seeker to shuffle in. However he is able to create a strong field with a clean [card name=”M Rayquaza-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”76″ c=”name”][/card] Active and full Bench. I drew into a [card name=”Dark Patch” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card], and opted to Jirachi-EX for a Sycamore over playing the N, as Treynor only had four cards in hand, had only drawn a single card off of the Ghetsis and had a full Bench. I found a Fright Night [card name=”Yveltal” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”94″ c=”name”][/card], a [card name=”Float Stone” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”137″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Fighting Fury Belt” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card], and an Ultra Ball. I decided to Ultra Ball for [card name=”Keldeo-EX” set=”Legendary Treasures” no=”45″ c=”name”][/card] (this was a misplay – I should of saved this for an [card name=”Yveltal-EX” set=”XY” no=”79″ c=”name”][/card]), attach Float Stone to Keldeo-EX, Fighting Fury Belt to Darkrai-EX, Darkness Energy to Fright Night Yveltal and pass. Treynor is able to find a [card name=”Sky Field” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”89″ c=”name”][/card], DCE, and [card name=”Mega Turbo” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”86″ c=”name”][/card], plus give himself a full Bench to OHKO the 220 HP Darkrai-EX I had Active. The next turn I was unable to find an Yveltal-EX to bench for pressure, or anything else too useful other than a DCE. I attached to the Fright Night Yveltal and used Pitch Black Spear, with 60 being placed on a Shaymin-EX. Treynor takes a KO on the Fright Night Yveltal, and in the next turn I still can’t find a Yveltal-EX, forcing me to give up the benched Jirachi-EX, and attach to Keldeo-EX. Treynor OHKO’s the Jirachi-EX, leaving me with just Keldeo-EX in play. I find my [card name=”N” set=”Black and White Black Star Promos” no=”BW100″ c=”name”][/card] to put Treynor down to a single card and drop my [card name=”Parallel City” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”145″ c=”name”][/card] to limit his Bench to three, and limit Treynor’s options the next turn. I drew into a Yveltal-EX, but didn’t have the Energy to take a OHKO, so just attached to Keldeo-EX and used Secret Sword. Treynor hits for 90 with Emerald Break, and I take a KO with Yveltal-EX after powering it up with DCE and Dark Patch. Treynor finds a second Mega Rayquaza EX in the next two turns, a Sky Field and enough Pokemon to take a OHKO and win the game.
In game two, I went first, and opened Fright Night Yveltal. I played down Ultra Ball for Yveltal-EX, Shaymin-EX Set Up for three and missed any way to get a turn one Archeops, so opted to N. I attached a Darkness Energy to Fright Night Yveltal and passed. Treynor got a mediocre setup, hindered by the Fright Night Ability. I attached to the Active and used Pitch Black Spear on his Active, and 60 to a benched M Rayquaza-EX. Treynor couldn’t get his Active out due to the Fright Night shutting off Float Stone, and with a bad hand was forced to pass. This continued for enough turns for me to control the game.
In game three, Treynor decides to go first, and I was able to open Fright Night Yveltal, hampering his setup from turn one. Treynor fills up his Bench to seven with Skyfield in play, and just manually Mega Evolves to end the turn. I opt to use a Colress in my hand for seven, but miss a Basic! I attached a Darkness and passed. This ended up being a strong play, as Treynor could not [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”78″ c=”name”][/card] anything on the Bench to regain the use of Float Stone. He again cannot Retreat, and is forced to pass. I Sycamore into DCE, [card name=”Yveltal-EX” set=”XY” no=”79″ c=”name”][/card] and a [card name=”Tool Scrapper” set=”Dragons Exalted” no=”116″ c=”name”][/card] to remove Treynor’s Spirit Link off a Rayquaza-EX and Float Stone off Keldeo-EX, and then Pitch Black Spear the Active and one of the M Rayquaza-EX. Treynor is then able to Lysandre the Yveltal-EX I benched, Float Stone the Keldeo-EX and takes a OHKO with Emerald Break. I’m able to set up an [card name=”Archeops” set=”Noble Victories” no=”67″ c=”name”][/card] this turn, as Treynor only has one M Rayquaza-EX in play. I draw five, bench a Darkrai-EX, attach a DCE to it and Pitch Black Spear to the Active M Rayquaza-EX and a benched Rayquaza-EX. Treynor gets off a Hex this turn, and takes a KO on the Fright Night Yveltal. I am able to Colress for 12 cards this turn, and get a Yveltal-EX with enough Energy to OHKO the active plus a [card name=”Parallel City” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”145″ c=”name”][/card] to limit his Bench to three. I take the KO, and leave Treynor with only three Pokemon in play. Treynor sends up a M Rayquaza-EX he evolved while under Hex Maniac, and Computer Searches. Unfortunately for Treynor his [card name=”Sacred Ash” set=”Flashfire” no=”96″ c=”name”][/card] is prized, leaving him with zero other Pokemon in deck to bench. Treynor gets [card name=”Exeggcute” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”4″ c=”name”][/card] out from the discard, benches it and uses Emerald Break for 90. I take a KO on the M Rayquaza-EX, leaving him with no other options, and Treynor scoops.
We can see from Ryan’s depiction that he benefitted from fortuitous draws and timely whiffs from Treynor. Even so, Ryan pulled off some impressive strategies including attacking with only an [card name=”Yveltal” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”94″ c=”name”][/card] to stymie the use of Treynor’s Float Stone. In all, this series was indicative of what can happen when the cards fall in just the right way.
Steve Guthrie vs Andrew Mahone (Blastoise vs Night March / Vespiquen)
Since Steve played a deck that has not shown up on many peoples radar for Regionals, a full description of the games between him and Andrew may not be an effective use of space. Both Andrew and Steve are creatures of habit and both turned to highly familiar decks in their quest for PokeBeach bragging rights. Steve took his beloved [card name=”Blastoise” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”16″ c=”name”][/card] deck against a version of the deck that Andrew piloted to a Top 16 placement at Worlds last year. Steve’s tricks couldn’t take down the Night March King as Andrew would win the match 2-1.
Alex Koch vs Oliver King (Sableye / Garbodor vs Vileplume and Friends)
Both players entered the matchup at 1-0 in the standings. The winner would move on into Top 4, while the loser would have to win one more game to advance.
[cardimg name=”Crushing Hammer” set=”Legendary Treasures” no=”111″ align=”right” c=”custom”]Making you salty one flip at a time.[/cardimg]
This series went three games with the player going first winning every time. Oliver was able to win the initial coin flip and opted to play first. In the first game, he was able to get a [card name=”Vileplume” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”3″ c=”name”][/card] up and it was pretty much over for Alex at that point since Alex’s deck is highly reliant on Items. In the next game, Alex begins and is able to play a [card name=”Float Stone” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”137″ c=”name”][/card] on a [card name=”Trubbish” set=”Noble Victories” no=”48″ c=”name”][/card] which can ensure that he won’t be affected by Item-lock once he evolves into [card name=”Garbodor” set=”Dragons Exalted” no=”54″ c=”name”][/card]. Game three was a little more interesting. In Oliver’s words:
I go first. I hit turn one [card name=”Vileplume” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”3″ c=”name”][/card] but no Supporter. I topdeck a [card name=”N” set=”Black and White Black Star Promos” no=”BW100″ c=”name”][/card] turn two and whiff an Energy. I had to discard two Olympia / [card name=”AZ” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”91″ c=”name”][/card] early. He tries to [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”78″ c=”name”][/card] stall the Vileplume but I always draw into outs. Lategame it’s so close. I only have one Energy left and I’m close to decking. I’m lucky so I top deck the last Energy and get a [card name=”Bunnelby” set=”Primal Clash” no=”121″ c=”name”][/card] down getting back an AZ and Energy. I roll off that momentum and eventually deck him. This was an insane game and was extremely close.
After reading descriptions of the games, it really feels like this matchup is a coin flip. Oliver mentioned that including a copy of [card name=”Chatot” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card] would help him against Garbodor decks, though I feel like that space might be better used elsewhere. Since the matchup mostly comes down to who wins the flip and the fact that Sableye / Garbodor likely will be an underrepresented deck at Spring Regionals, I would be hesitant to include any matchup specific techs.
With the win, Oliver moves into the final four, while Alex slides into the Loser’s bracket.
Ryan Moorhouse vs Andrew Mahone (Yveltal / Archeops vs Night March / Vespiquen)
On paper, Ryan appears to have a big advantage in this matchup simply because of the strength of [card name=”Archeops” set=”Noble Victories” no=”67″ c=”name”][/card]. If Ryan can get a quick Archeops out, Andrew will have no choice but to abandon [card name=”Vespiquen” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”10″ c=”name”][/card] as an attacker, leaving only [card name=”Joltik” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”26″ c=”name”][/card] which are hugely susceptible to getting KO’d by Pokemon like [card name=”Yveltal” set=”XY” no=”78″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Darkrai-EX” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”63″ c=”name”][/card]. Ryan gave a fantastic breakdown of the games, so I’ll include that below.
In game one, Andrew started with a strong setup of three [card name=”Combee” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”9″ c=”name”][/card], an Active [card name=”Joltik” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”26″ c=”name”][/card] with a DCE attached, and a benched Joltik. I get the perfect turn one, getting a baby [card name=”Yveltal” set=”XY” no=”78″ c=”name”][/card] Active with an Energy, a turn one Maxie’s into Archeops and a one-Energy Darkrai with [card name=”Fighting Fury Belt” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card] attached. I use Oblivion Wing for a KO. Andrew then sends up another Joltik and takes a KO on the the Yveltal, but had to bench a Joltik due to the Archeops preventing Combee from evolving into the free-Retreat Vespiquen. I take advantage of this by Battle Compressing an Energy and using two [card name=”Dark Patch” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card] to power up the Darkrai, and take two KO’s onto the Active and Benched Joltik. Andrew doesn’t have any options after this, and scoops.
In game two, I open my baby Yveltal, while Andrew opens Combee. Andrew goes through all four [card name=”Battle Compressor” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card] on his turn one, really putting the pressure. I get a mediocre setup, drawing into a [card name=”Yveltal-EX” set=”XY” no=”79″ c=”name”][/card] which I bench, then use Battle Compressor to discard Archeops, Darkness and an AZ, and then Dark Patch to the Yveltal EX. I drop a [card name=”Reverse Valley” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”110″ c=”name”][/card], and then Oblivion Wing the Active Combee for a KO. Andrew makes some really strong plays next turn, using all four of his [card name=”Puzzle of Time” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”109″ c=”name”][/card] to get back cards like Double Colorless Energy, and use [card name=”Pokemon Catcher” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”105″ c=”name”][/card] twice, hitting one heads to bring up the Yveltal-EX and OHKO it with Joltik’s Night March. Andrew had used a [card name=”Town Map” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”150″ c=”name”][/card], of which he chose a Shaymin-EX and DCE to add to his hand of a single [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”109″ c=”name”][/card] he got back with Puzzle of Time. Because of this I opt to N. I use Hoopa-EX into Darkrai-EX, Keldeo-EX, and Shaymin-EX and set up Darkrai with a [card name=”Fighting Fury Belt” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card] and a Darkness Energy. I Oblivion Wing for a KO, attaching a Darkness Energy to Darkrai-EX. Andrew gets two [card name=”Vespiquen” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”10″ c=”name”][/card] set up, and then uses [card name=”Escape Rope” set=”Primal Clash” no=”127″ c=”name”][/card]. Andrew had at least 12 Pokemon in the discard by now, so I sent up the 220 HP Darkrai as a wall, hoping he didn’t have a way to remove the Fighting Fury Belt. Andrew doesn’t have the Night Marchers or Pokemon in the discard to take a KO, so he just opts to Sky Return a Shaymin-EX into one of the Vespiquen. I Ultra Ball for my Jirachi-EX and Stellar Guidance for Lysandre. I bring up a Shaymin-EX, and use Night Spear paired with the Reverse Valley and Fighting Fury Belt for a OHKO. I have a baby Yveltal with two Energy, with a Dark Patch in Hand and a Trainer’s Mail to try and search for a VS Seeker to take a KO on another benched Shaymin-EX for the game next turn. Andrew has a tough decision to make, and opts to Set Up for four to get his last VS Seeker for a N. He draws the VS Seeker, and then N’s me into a Double Colorless Energy. However, Andrew can only use Bee Revenge for 180, which is 10 short of a KO. Without a way to remove the Fighting Fury Belt, Andrew scoops
After the match, I asked Ryan about his experience with the matchup. He explains why it is so important to get a [card name=”Darkrai-EX” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”63″ c=”name”][/card] swinging with a [card name=”Fighting Fury Belt” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card].
[cardimg name=”Fighting Fury Belt” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”99″ align=”right” c=”custom”]HP and Damage modifier? Gross.[/cardimg]
This matchup really revolves around using baby Yveltal and then Darkrai-EX with a Fighting Fury Belt to try and get favorable trades. Since the deck only uses Joltik as the Night March attacker, the 30 snipe from Darkrai-EX is huge, letting you remove a Joltik from play. If the opponent overwhelms you in the early game, N is the saving grace; an N to one followed up by a KO can leave the opponent without any options to return a KO.
With that win, Ryan solidifies his places in the tournaments Top 4, while Andrew moves into the Loser’s bracket at 1-1.
Sam VerNooy vs Matt Price (Turbo Darkrai vs Mega Rayquaza)
With both players having 0-1 records, the loser of this match would be eliminated from the tournament. If you had asked me how the matches would have gone, I would have guessed that Matt would win with [card name=”M Rayquaza-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”76″ c=”name”][/card] as it is such a speedy and hard hitting deck. Sam’s Turbo Darkrai relies on Pokemon-EX to attack and with M Rayquaza-EX able to OHKO almost any Pokemon-EX, it would seem the matchup is tilted in Matt’s favor. In actuality, Sam ended up taking the series 2-0. Sam shared his thoughts on the matchup afterwards.
I’m not particularly confident in this matchup. M Rayquaza’s high HP and disruptive Supporters are a hassle for you to deal with. You essentially have to go all-in for KO’s and hope for the best. The best way to win the matchup is simply to go fast! The M Rayquaza-EX deck has the strongest end-game setup, so Turbo Darkrai needs to beat them to the punch. Fright Night Yveltal is your best option for your first attacker, both to remove Spirit Link’s effect and to soften up multiple Rayquaza-EX. It’s not easy, but with a poor start from the opponent or some big Dark Pulse attacks, it is winnable.
Poor starts are exactly what happened to Matt, as he folded under Sam’s consistent pressure. Sam takes the win and moves to 1-1, while Matt is eliminated.
Treynor Wolfe vs Steve Guthrie (M Rayquaza-EX vs Archie’s Blastoise)
Unfortunately for Steve, he was paired against the only deck in the field that ran two [card name=”Hex Maniac” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”75″ c=”name”][/card]. As such, Steve promptly bowed out of the tournament with an 0-2 record. There was not much Steve could do to turn this matchup around. Treynor gives a summary of the two games they played:
In game one, I couldn’t get a turn one [card name=”Ghetsis” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”101″ c=”name”][/card] off, however, later in the game, I nailed him with a Ghetsis and made him pretty much lose his hand. He loaded up a [card name=”Keldeo-EX” set=”Boundaries Crossed” no=”49″ c=”name”][/card] with nine Energy in one turn and OHKO’d a M Rayquaza-EX. I responded with another M Rayquaza-EX and he couldn’t recover, even though he managed to get out his [card name=”M Gyarados-EX” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”27″ c=”name”][/card].
In game two, I Ghetsis’d him turn one and destroyed his hand, however he top decked an [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card] and got the Blastoise out. I Ghetsis’d him twice and both times, I got rid of the [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”109″ c=”name”][/card] in his hands and he was top decking on two separate occasions. He used M Gyarados-EX to good effect in this game, but I OHKO’d it when it came out. Overall, this is not a good matchup for Steve.
With that Treynor would move to 1-1.
Sam VerNooy vs Andrew Mahone (Turbo Darkrai vs Night March / Vespiquen)
When I first learned that Sam took this win from Andrew, I was extremely curious as to how he did it. I assumed that a [card name=”Darkrai-EX” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”107″ c=”name”][/card] with a [card name=”Fighting Fury Belt” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card] might be enough to take a game, but I figured that the speed of Andrew’s Night March could overtake the Turbo Darkrai deck from the outset. Sam gave great insight into his victory.
[cardimg name=”Joltik” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”26″ align=”right” c=”custom”]I’m no match for Darkrai[/cardimg]
Game one he started taking Pokemon-EX Knock Outs from turn one. I was only able to take one Prize each turn. Once he gets down to two Prizes, I N’d him and he whiffs the final KO. He can only send up [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card] from there and I secure game one.
Game two he starts taking quick Pokemon-EX Knock Outs. I’m barely able to keep pace, only taking one Prize each turn. He quickly over runs me.
Game three I take the first Prize, but he’s able to [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”78″ c=”name”][/card] a [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card] and take the KO. I N him to four and retaliate against his [card name=”Vespiquen” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”10″ c=”name”][/card] with a Darkness Blade. He makes a risky play of using all the cards in his hand to Lysandre my [card name=”Darkrai-EX” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”63″ c=”name”][/card] for the KO, going down to two Prizes. After I KO this Vespiquen, all he can do is promote two [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card] two turns in a row, and I win the game from there.
Andrew missed a few opportunities to seal games. [card name=”N” set=”Black and White Black Star Promos” no=”BW100″ c=”name”][/card] is a deadly card and I am torn on my feeling of seeing it return to the Standard format. In any case, Andrew was eliminated from the tournament at 1-2, while Sam secured his place in Top 4.
Alex Koch vs Treynor Wolfe (Sableye / Garbodor vs M Rayquaza-EX)
These games went very similarly to the games Alex and Matt played. [card name=”M Rayquaza-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”76″ c=”name”][/card] simply has a terrible matchup against decks built around Hammers. Alex is able to beat two M Rayquaza-EX decks en route to a Top 4 placement, while Treynor is eliminated from the tournament.
Top 4
Our top four competitors were Oliver with [card name=”Vileplume” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”3″ c=”name”][/card], Ryan with [card name=”Yveltal” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”94″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Archeops” set=”Noble Victories” no=”67″ c=”name”][/card], Alex with [card name=”Sableye” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”62″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Garbodor” set=”Legendary Treasures” no=”68″ c=”name”][/card], and Sam with Turbo Darkrai. In a metagame that includes only eight people, it is difficult to get a full representation of the format for Spring Regionals. There were two M Rayquaza-EX decks in the field and zero [card name=”Trevenant” set=”XY” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card]. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to see how a [card name=”Trevenant” set=”XY” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card] deck would have done in our small field, however, the results do support that Dark will be a significant archetype in the field.
Oliver King vs Ryan Moorhouse (Vileplume and Friends vs Yveltal / Archeops)
This matchup seems to favor Oliver simply because of the strength of [card name=”Jolteon-EX” set=”Generations” no=”28″ c=”name”][/card] in the matchup. If Oliver is able to get a [card name=”Vileplume” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”3″ c=”name”][/card] and a Jolteon-EX out before Ryan can get an established board, Oliver can take the game easily as Ryan doesn’t have any evolved Pokemon to attack with. However, Ryan was able to take the series 2-0. Here is a game recap from Oliver’s perspective.
I go first. This is the first game I whiff the turn one [card name=”Vileplume” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”3″ c=”name”][/card] in the whole tournament. He whiffs the Maxie’s. I hit the Vileplume and not much else. My [card name=”Jirachi-EX” set=”Plasma Blast” no=”60″ c=”name”][/card] is prized otherwise I would have been in an amazing spot. I get rolling fairly decently and only need a Colored Energy. I whiff all game and lose.
Game two I whiff the turn one [card name=”Vileplume” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”3″ c=”name”][/card] again. He misses the [card name=”Gallade” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”84″ c=”name”][/card] again though, which is great. The [card name=”Rainbow Energy” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”152″ c=”name”][/card] math actually mattered a lot because it forced me to attach a DCE to a Vileplume with only 10 HP remaining instead of a Colored Energy. I also had to discard my [card name=”AZ” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”91″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Olympia” set=”Generations” no=”66″ c=”name”][/card] early. I’d definitely play another one of those if I were to take this deck to Regionals.
It seemed as though Oliver’s deck just didn’t hold up in crunch time. If they played this matchup 100 times, I think Oliver might win 65, but anything can happen in a three game series. Oliver was unable to get the turn one Vileplume in both games which is crucial to winning just about every matchup with his deck. Congratulations to Ryan for making the finals!
Sam VerNooy vs Alex Koch (Turbo Darkrai vs Sableye / Garbodor)
For Alex to win this matchup, he must get a [card name=”Garbodor” set=”Legendary Treasures” no=”68″ c=”name”][/card] online as quickly as possible. It is not ideal to allow Sam to use Abilities such as Rush In and Dark Cloak. Alternatively, if Sam can just limit his Bench and use his Energy correctly, he may be able to breeze through the matchup. Here’s a summary of the matchup from Sam’s point of view. He was able to win a quick game one while Alex drew horribly, but games two and three were more interesting.
Game two I got a quick start. I was able to pile a ton of Energy onto a [card name=”Darkrai-EX” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”74″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”78″ c=”name”][/card] around his [card name=”Life Dew” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”107″ c=”name”][/card] a few times. I got down to two Prizes when Alex finally got Garbodor into play, then Lysandred my [card name=”Darkrai-EX” set=”Black and White Black Star Promos” no=”BW46″ c=”name”][/card] with a [card name=”Head Ringer” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card] attached. I couldn’t find a [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”109″ c=”name”][/card] for my [card name=”AZ” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”91″ c=”name”][/card], so my Energy in play slowly diminished from his [card name=”Crushing Hammer” set=”Generations” no=”60″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Team Flare Grunt” set=”Generations” no=”73″ c=”name”][/card]. I was too low on resources to pull this one back, so I conceded. It’s amazing how one strong play from the Sableye deck can lead to a crushing loss.
Game three I got another blazing fast start. Darkrai-EX DEX got four Energy and a [card name=”Fighting Fury Belt” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card] by the second turn, then went to town on Alex’s field. He found Crushing Hammer and [card name=”Puzzle of Time” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”109″ c=”name”][/card] to chip away at my Energy, but I was able to replace them without issue, thanks to some slightly under average coin flips from Alex. Even worse for Alex, he couldn’t find Life Dew. After just four or five turns, I claimed all of my Prizes with Night Spear.
Though Sam played extremely well, it seems that luck was not favoring Alex. Alex dead drew game one and then proceeded to flip poorly in game three. One tech card Sam said he wished he had played was a [card name=”Ghetsis” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”101″ c=”name”][/card] to disrupt Alex’s hand. As Sableye decks always want to keep their hands stocked with Items, it makes sense to include a Ghetsis to help this matchup. Sam also wished he played a [card name=”Tool Scrapper” set=”Dragons Exalted” no=”116″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Xerosic” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”110″ c=”name”][/card] to dodge Life Dew.
[cardimg name=”Darkrai-EX” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”107″ align=”right” c=”custom”]Will this card ever leave?[/cardimg]
Alex’s best chance of winning is to deny Energy as much as possible. Constantly reusing Crushing Hammer or Team Flare Grunt to remove Energy is Alex’s path to victory. However, since Sam plays so many Basic Energy, doing that may be difficult. Additionally, if Sam is able to get a quick [card name=”Darkrai-EX” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”107″ c=”name”][/card] up, the bench damage from Night Spear might be too much for the Sableye / Garbodor deck to over come. Sam advances to the finals while Alex bows out in Top 4.
Tournament Conclusions
Unfortunately, we were not able to finish the final round by the time of the posting of this article, but it is interesting to note that both Dark based decks survived the previous rounds to make it to the finals. Though the meta only included seven different decks, to see Dark players go a combined 13-5 indicates choosing a Dark based deck would be a great choice for the first week of Regionals.
I am happy to say that I will be attending Canadian Provincials. My choice at the moment is between Turbo Darkrai and [card name=”Trevenant BREAK” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”66″ c=”name”][/card]. Both decks can beat a lot of the metagame and give the pilot a chance in every matchup.
That wraps it up for me today! Enjoy your Regionals experience and feel free to message me with questions about your list, your next tournament, or anything at all. Talk to you soon!
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