A Day at a Time — A National Championship Review and Commentary on Time

By: Jimmy Pendarvis · Posted Posted onJul 20, 2016 at 2:43 PM · 0 Comments

Hello PokeBeach readers! With the National Championships coming and going once again, I am here to write about my experience at the 2016 National Championships, review some of the successful decks from the event, and go on a short rant about time and its effect on Pokemon as a whole. I hope all of you guys enjoyed your Nationals weekend, whether you spent it in Columbus battling it out, or watching the action from home! I know I really enjoyed it, it truly is an incredible experience. Anyways, without further ado, lets dive right in.

My Nationals Water Box List

[decklist name=”Waterbox” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”106″][pokemon amt=”11″]3x [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”106″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Manaphy-EX” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”32″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Hoopa-EX” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”36″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Articuno” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”17″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Regice” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”24″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”38″]4x [card name=”Professor Sycamore” set=”XY” no=”122″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”N” set=”Noble Victories” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”90″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”AZ” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”91″ 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=”VS Seeker” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”109″ 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]4x [card name=”Max Elixir” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”102″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Energy Switch” set=”EX Ruby and Sapphire” no=”82″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”Fighting Fury Belt” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”99″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]1x [card name=”Super Rod” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”149″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Startling Megaphone” set=”Flashfire” no=”97″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Rough Seas” set=”Primal Clash” no=”137″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”4″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”11″]11x [card name=”Water Energy” set=”Diamond and Pearl” no=”125″ c=”deck2″ amt=”11″][/card][/energy][/decklist]

Card Choices

Three Shaymin-EX

[cardimg name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

This usually isn’t so I can Set Up three times in the first turn or two, but I have done that before for sure. The main reason as to why I included an “extra” [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card] is to avoid only having one to work with in the early game if I start or prize a Shaymin-EX. In addition to this, having the third Shaymin-EX around at the end of the game helps to play around cards such as [card name=”N” set=”Fates Collide” no=”105″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Judge” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”143″ c=”name”][/card], and [card name=”Delinquent” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”98″ c=”name”][/card]. I will end this short explanation by saying I think three Shaymin-EX was absolutely correct in the format Nationals was played in and will probably always be the correct amount in Water Box.

Hex Maniac

It actually blows my mind when I see Water Box lists that don’t include this card. It has a bunch of clutch uses, such as slowing down Night March decks, opposing Water Box decks, and [card name=”Vespiquen” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”10″ c=”name”][/card] decks. In addition to this, it makes it pretty hard to lose to Metal because you can Hex Maniac on the turn you clear their board of Energy. Another reason I have found Hex Maniac to be so strong is because it gives you a turn of Items against [card name=”Vileplume” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”3″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Trevenant” set=”XY” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card] decks, which is usually all you need to secure a win.

Trainers’ Mail

This card is one that wasn’t in all of the Nationals deck lists, which I personally think is just wrong. It removes a lot of consistency and explosiveness from the deck. In this situation, I actually think the explosiveness is actually the more important piece that is being lost, which some people don’t seem to realize.

Matchups

Night March

This is pretty favorable as long as you manage the board correctly. This means retreating between [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”name”][/card] at the right time while manipulating damage with [card name=”Rough Seas” set=”Primal Clash” no=”137″ c=”name”][/card]. In addition to this, aiming to use Hex Maniac if you go first is definitely something that should be done. Finishing the game off with [card name=”Articuno” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”17″ c=”name”][/card] is a viable strategy, but honestly it doesn’t happen as much as one might think. I personally play pretty defensively though so a more aggressive player might be willing to use Articuno a bit more often.

Metal

This is a matchup that you want to abuse [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”78″ c=”name”][/card] and Hex Maniac in. They are key for preventing your opponent from taking Prizes, and allow you to build up quite the board while you Quaking Punch a [card name=”Bronzor” set=”Fates Collide” no=”60″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Bronzong” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”61″ c=”name”][/card] for two to three turns. In addition to this, whenever you take a Knock Out and clear your opponent’s field of Energy, Hex Maniac can be used to prevent Metal Links from powering up another attacker that turn. Another key card in this matchup is [card name=”Startling Megaphone” set=”Flashfire” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card], as [card name=”Float Stone” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”137″ c=”name”][/card] sitting on their hefty Bench sitters really swings the matchup if they get a good enough start.

Trevenant

This is the matchup that I wish I could have played against every single round. I ended up only playing against one, and got the expected outcome of a 2-0 win. It is just really hard for the Trevenant player to overcome Quaking Punch while you are able to heal a ton of the damage they do via [card name=”Rough Seas” set=”Primal Clash” no=”137″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Manaphy-EX” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”32″ c=”name”][/card]’s Mineral Pump.

Darkrai-EX / Giratina-EX

In theory, this matchup actually seems like it should be pretty favored for the [card name=”Darkrai-EX” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”74″ c=”name”][/card] deck, however, when the matchup is actually played, it is in favor of the Water Box deck. Some of the finer details and seemingly minuscule interactions between these decks are pretty key when it comes to the damage output of the Darkrai-EX deck. Rough Seas and [card name=”Fighting Fury Belt” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card] make it so that your [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”name”][/card] are much beefier than they seem, in addition to this, Startling Megaphone reduces your opponent’s damage output while also making it significantly easier to take KO’s yourself. Quaking Punch is definitely the way to go in the early game, and it should always be used when setting up for a KO with Grenade Hammer. Water Box also has the option of using [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”78″ c=”name”][/card] on a Pokemon-EX with no Energy attached, and trapping it by repeatedly using Quaking Punch. The Pokemon will always be stuck there for at least one turn, unless the opponent happens to have the one [card name=”AZ” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”91″ c=”name”][/card] they sometimes play. This allows you to get a few more Energy on the board before having to combat their scarier attackers, which can make all of the difference if you start trading attacker for attacker.

My Nationals Recap

I would like to start by saying that if you want to watch me play some Pokemon, I played three matches and gave an interview on the official Pokemon stream last weekend. You can watch all this action and more under the past broadcast section on Twitch. Here’s how my National Championship run went.

• Round 1: [card name=”Vespiquen” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”10″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Vileplume” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”3″ c=”name”][/card] 1-0 Win
• Round 2: [card name=”Yveltal-EX” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY08″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Zoroark” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”91″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Gallade” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”84″ c=”name”][/card] 2-0 Win
• Round 3: [card name=”Yveltal-EX” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY08″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Zoroark” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”91″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Gallade” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”84″ c=”name”][/card] 2-1 Win
• Round 4: [card name=”Aromatisse” set=”XY” no=”93″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”M Rayquaza-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”76″ c=”name”][/card] / Techs 0-2 Loss
• Round 5: Night March 2-0 Win
• Round 6: [card name=”Darkrai-EX” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”74″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Giratina-EX” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Garbodor” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] 2-0 Win
• Round 7: Fighting / [card name=”Vileplume” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”3″ c=”name”][/card] 2-0 Win
• Round 8: Fighting 2-0 Win
• Round 9: Water Box Intentional Draw
• Round 10: Night March 2-0 Win
• Round 11: Fighting 1-1 Tie
• Round 12: Night March 1-1 Tie
• Round 13: [card name=”Trevenant” set=”XY” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card] 2-0 Win
• Round 14: Night March 1-1 Tie
• Round 15: [card name=”Darkrai-EX” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”74″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Giratina-EX” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”57″ c=”name”][/card] 1-1 Tie

My final record was 9-1-5. Even if I could do it over again, I would 100% play the exact same 60 cards I played the first time around. I absolutely love Water Box, and think it was the strongest play for the event.

Naionals Overview

The most popular decks of day two of U.S. Nationals were Night March, [card name=”Trevenant” set=”XY” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card], and Water Box. With these decks having the most success, they will be the ones I take a look at in this article. Since I have already shared my Water Box deck list and gave some analysis on it, I will now go over Trevenant and Night March.

[premium]

Trevenant

This is the decklist I was testing for Trevenant heading into Nationals, and even looking back on it, is the one I would have played if I thought Trevenant was the strongest choice for the tournament.

[decklist name=”Trevenant” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Trevenant BREAK” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”66″][pokemon amt=”14″]3x [card name=”Trevenant BREAK” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”66″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]4x [card name=”Trevenant” set=”XY” no=”55″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Phantump” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”64″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Wobbuffet” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”36″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”38″]4x [card name=”Professor Sycamore” set=”XY” no=”122″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]3x [card name=”Wally” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”94″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]3x [card name=”N” set=”Noble Victories” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]1x [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”90″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Delinquent” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”98″ 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=”Plasma Blast” no=”90″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Trainers’ Mail” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Bursting Balloon” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”97″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Battle Compressor” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Float Stone” set=”Plasma Freeze” no=”99″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Super Rod” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”149″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Startling Megaphone” set=”Flashfire” no=”97″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Dimension Valley” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”93″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”4″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”8″]5x [card name=”Psychic Energy” set=”EX Ruby and Sapphire” no=”107″ c=”deck2″ amt=”5″][/card]3x [card name=”Mystery Energy” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”112″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card][/energy][/decklist] 

Card Choices

Wobbuffet

Wobbuffet is another good starter and provides some extra damage output. The Psychic Assault attack can pack on quite a bit of damage, which can be really relevant in some matchups such as against Dark Pokemon.

Delinquent

[cardimg name=”Delinquent” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”98″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

This swings the Stadium war heavily in your favor in matchups where they are quite important, such as versus [card name=”Greninja” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”40″ c=”name”][/card] or Water Box. [card name=”Rough Seas” set=”Primal Clash” no=”137″ c=”name”][/card] is honestly a huge killer, so being able to remove them with ease is really solid. In addition to this, if you ever catch your opponent with just three cards in hand, you can make them discard all of their cards and force them into top deck mode.

Two Battle Compressor

This is a pretty unique inclusion, but I have always been a fan of them in my Trevenant list. Not only do they boost consistency in terms of getting the turn one Trevenant, but it also allows you to thin the deck of unwanted cards. In certain matchups, you can toss away stuff like Delinquent and Wobbuffet to make it easier for you to setup. Along with this, you can dump stuff like the second [card name=”Battle Compressor” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”92″ c=”name”][/card] and extra [card name=”Wally” set=”Radiant Collection 2″ no=”RC27″ c=”name”][/card] once you reach middle to end game.

Matchups

Night March

You are very favored against Night March. This is probably the deck’s best matchup. The turn one Item-lock when paired with spread damage and [card name=”Bursting Balloon” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card] is too much for Night March to overcome, even if they can occasionally break the lock with [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”78″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Hex Maniac” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”75″ c=”name”][/card].

Metal

Once again this is a match where the Item-lock is absolutely crippling. They rarely setup a full board under the lock, which lets you easily pick it apart with Lysandre and Silent Fear.

Water Box

This matchup is not one that the Trevenant wants to be play. The Item-lock is not as effective in this matchup as it is in other matchups, especially if Water Box goes first. A situation is created where Water Box begins attacking on their second turn and never looks back. The way to win this matchup is to slow down the Water Box deck to the point where a bunch of damage is spread across the board before Water Box can start taking KO’s and progressing the board.

Darkrai-EX / Giratina-EX

At a quick glance, this matchup seems absolutely horrible. However, the games are much closer when they are actually played. The Item-lock makes it difficult for the Dark deck to setup. Once they are slowed down, you can start spreading damage onto their attackers. This sets up for [card name=”Wobbuffet” set=”Radiant Collection 2″ no=”RC11″ c=”name”][/card] KO’s later in the game.

Night March

This is the Night March list I was testing into Nationals, and this variant of the deck was the most popular at U.S. Nationals. However, Nick Robinson ended up winning the tournament with a list that included a [card name=”Vespiquen” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”10″ c=”name”][/card] line. In my opinion, this wasn’t worth it for the event. It helps your matchup against Water Box quite a bit, but it hurts your mirror match and lowers consistency. Not only am I all about consistency, but Night March was much more popular than Water Box.

[decklist name=”Nightmarch” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Joltik” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”26″][pokemon amt=”17″]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]3x [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]2x [card name=”Mew” set=”Fates Collide” no=”29″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”37″]4x [card name=”Professor Sycamore” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”101″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Flashfire” no=”90″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”N” set=”Noble Victories” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Teammates” set=”Primal Clash” no=”141″ 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=”VS Seeker” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”109″ 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]4x [card name=”Battle Compressor” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”92″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Puzzle of Time” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”109″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Fighting Fury Belt” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”99″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Pokémon Catcher” set=”Kalos Starter Set” no=”36″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Startling Megaphone” set=”Flashfire” no=”97″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Float Stone” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”137″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]3x [card name=”Dimension Valley” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”93″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”3″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”6″]4x [card name=”Double Colorless Energy” set=”HeartGold and SoulSilver” no=”103″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Lightning Energy” set=”EX Ruby and Sapphire” no=”109″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card][/energy][/decklist] 

Card Choices

Pokemon Catcher

A lot of people seemed to have cut this card from the deck, but I still think it is a very strong inclusion considering it only takes up one spot and can be reused via [card name=”Puzzle of Time” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”109″ c=”name”][/card]. It allows for [card name=”Shaymin-EX” set=”Roaring Skies” no=”77″ c=”name”][/card] to get targeted even after a Professor Sycamore gets played, which is definitely a good option to have.

Float Stone

The deck has to have a way to get Shaymin-EX out of the Active if it starts with it. I prefer [card name=”Float Stone” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”137″ c=”name”][/card] because it lasts throughout the game and can be played down even when a switching effect isn’t necessary.

Matchups

Trevenant

Usually I just talk about how badly [card name=”Trevenant” set=”XY” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card] destroys Night March, but there is actually something for me to talk about this time. Against regular Trevenant lists, Night March is still highly unfavored. The Item-lock in addition to the spread damage and [card name=”Bursting Balloon” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card] is too much to overcome. However, lists at Nationals, such as Micheal Bergerac’s, decided to run disruption cards such as [card name=”Crushing Hammer” set=”Generations” no=”60″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Team Flare Grunt” set=”Generations” no=”73″ c=”name”][/card] instead of Bursting Balloon. Throughout the day, he ended up taking three or four losses to Night March because of it. With that being said, the matchup is definitely winnable against those lists but it is still fairly unfavorable.

Water Box

[cardimg name=”Seismitoad-EX” set=”Furious Fists” no=”20″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

This matchup really isn’t one you want to be playing against a lot. It is winnable, especially if the Water Box player takes any sort of risk that doesn’t pay off, or makes a mistake. What I am saying here is that the Water Box deck can’t really miss a beat in this matchup, or Night March can take over the game pretty easily. When I played this matchup from the Water Box side at nationals, I realized the best way for Night March to play this matchup is to go for 2HKO’s early and then transition into OHKO’s as the game goes on. One of the players I played against during the tournament adopted the strategy of getting eleven Night Marchers in the discard on the first turn in order to be able to OHKO a Seismitoad-EX with a [card name=”Fighting Fury Belt” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”99″ c=”name”][/card] on it. I can assure you this is not the best strategy, because after I killed that last Marcher while using Quaking Punch, my opponent could no longer attack for a relevant amount of damage.

Metal

This is definitely one of the better matchups for this deck. It is really easy to just kill three Pokemon-EX in a relatively quick manner. By using [card name=”Hex Maniac” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”75″ c=”name”][/card] to hit through [card name=”Aegislash-EX” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”65″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Lysandre” set=”Ancient Origins” no=”78″ c=”name”][/card] to ignore non-EX Pokémon, it really only takes three Night March attacks to win the game. All the opponent can really do to interfere with this is use [card name=”N” set=”Fates Collide” no=”105″ c=”name”][/card], but with the amount of resource recovery and draw power in a Night March deck, along with its amazing deck thinning ability, N usually isn’t too big of a problem.

Darkrai-EX / Giratina-EX

This matchup is very difficult with the list I would have played. However, it is definitely winnable. What needs to occur with the current list is the prevention of Giratina-EX attacking. If it ever successfully attacks, the game is usually over. Especially if it is a list like Sorina Radu’s that plays [card name=”Enhanced Hammer” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”94″ c=”name”][/card]. However, the deck can be teched to make the matchup much more favorable, by adding some combination of [card name=”Xerosic” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”110″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Enhanced Hammer” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”94″ c=”name”][/card], or [card name=”Jirachi” set=”XY Black Star Promos” no=”XY67″ c=”name”][/card].

All About Time

Time has become more and more relevant as Pokemon has evolved. At this year’s Pokemon National Championships, I realized just how big of a role time plays in the outcome of matches. I will be providing every last drop of information I have in relation to time in this segment, along with reviewing my tied matches from the tournament.

My Ties

[cardimg name=”Zoroark” set=”BREAKthrough” no=”91″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

So if we take a look at my matches from the National Championships, I went to game three five times and tied four of them. I am going to review those games and potentially provide some insight as to why they ended in a tie.

Round 3: Yveltal-EX / Zoroark / Gallade 2-1 Win

This game was literally the only time in the tournament in which I completed three entire games. I will also say that the only “real” game in this series was game two. I won game one on turn two by using Grenade Hammer on my second turn to KO his only Pokemon. I won game three in a similar way, except he had two or three Basics for me to deal with. Point being, I feel like the match probably would have ended in a tie if he had drawn playable cards in game three.

Round 11: Fighting 1-1 Tie

I actually played this same player during day one of swiss and won the match 2-0. I was very confident that I would get a similar result here, but obviously that didn’t happen. During game two, I feel like I took an unnecessary risk towards the end of the game by using Grenade Hammer to setup the win instead of just slowly chipping away with Quaking Punch. My opponent had one card in his hand, and needed a [card name=”VS Seeker” set=”Phantom Forces” no=”109″ c=”name”][/card] for game if I used Grenade Hammer. I used Grenade Hammer because the odds of my opponent having the VS Seeker were pretty low, but he had it and we moved onto game three. What I didn’t ask myself before taking the risk is “How do I lose if I don’t take the risk?” This is normally what I ask myself before taking a riskier path and a lot of the time it makes me fully understand how necessary the risk is. That being said, I think that this is one of the cases where the tie only occurred because one of the players played poorly at some point during game one or two. If I didn’t make that mistake, it was very possible for me to simply have won the match 2-0.

Round 12: Night March 1-1 Tie, Round 14: Night March 1-1 Tie, Round 15: Darkrai-EX / Giratina-EX 1-1 Tie

I have lumped these three ties together because the story for all of them are pretty much the same. I won game one, they won game two, time got called very early on in game three, to the point where it was literally impossible for game three to finish. I don’t think that any of my opponents or I played particularly slow, but that the time limit of 50 minutes was simply not enough. I will also say that it is very likely that if I had lost any of the game two matches where I won 2-0, that those matches would have reached the same fates as these ones. It just goes to show how incredibly difficult it is to finish three games. Some people might say “just play a faster deck, then you wont tie”. Not only is that statement one I hate to hear due to how negative of an effect it has on competitive play, but I would also like to point out that I tied twice with Night March. That right there points out yet another flaw in the faster deck theory, you don’t have control over what your opponent is going to play.

Problems With Time

This is taking into account the current 50 minute plus three turns time limit. These issues will always be around, but currently are truly creating a serious problem due to the low time limit.

It Limits Deck Choice

[cardimg name=”Puzzle of Time” set=”BREAKpoint” no=”109″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

If we look at some of the slower decks in the past, such as [card name=”Accelgor” set=”Dark Explorers” no=”11″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Vileplume” set=”Undaunted” no=”24″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Mew” set=”Triumphant” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Chandelure” set=”Noble Victories” no=”60″ c=”name”][/card], people were always afraid to play them due to time. This is an understandable thought, as the decks are incredible slow, and pretty difficult to play correctly. Where the deck choice limitation becomes a problem is when people are playing decks like Night March instead of a deck they believe to be a better play for the tournament, simply because they are afraid of ties. Now, I have heard of the “play a faster deck” concept, and heavily disagree with it for many reasons. First of all, you will most likely still be effected by time, even with a faster deck such as Night March. This is because you have no control over what decks your opponents play, and because you have very little control over your opponent’s pace of play. If the theory was correct, I think that would probably be even worse. That would mean that it is strategically the right move to play a worse deck simply because it handles the time limit better. This is not something that a competitive game should have occurring in its tournaments.

It Creates Stressful Situations in Tournament Play

A lot of the more casual players say that the game is all about fun, and to be honest, I also play the game to have fun. I obviously want to win and try my best to do so, but I don’t want to be playing Pokemon just to win while my opponents are rushing me to play faster so we can finish game three. That shouldn’t be what a friendly community such as the one we have in Pokemon is about. In a more competitive manner, if I am playing a 15 round tournament, I would hope that I am not having to worry about time all 15 rounds. This would most likely cause me to play faster and worse, and make it much harder for me to remain in a good state of mind. That being said, I will say that I was constantly worried about time during this year’s U.S. National Championships. However, I have been playing this game since 2007 and was able to handle the stress that was created by this, but I could easily see this stress deterring players from consistently playing in tournaments.

It Does Not Allow for Matches to Finish a Legitimate Game Three

When I went over my ties at the National Championships earlier in this article, I stressed how hard it is to finish three “real” games of Pokemon in 50 minutes. In my mind, it is ridiculously hard, and definitely happens less than 50% of the time. This is the biggest reason why the current time limit sucks, the games can’t even finish! A time limit should not be so extreme that the game it is timing is more likely to not finish than it is to finish.

It Encourages the Manipulation of Time in Order to Help Control the Result of the Match

While I am specifically referencing stalling here, I am also talking about playing at an insanely quick pace. Both of these methods help to control the amount of time left in the game, and should both be illegal. I am not saying that playing quickly is unacceptable, but I will say that playing so fast that the game state could be easily messed up, or so that it may be difficult for your opponent to understand what you are doing is unacceptable. This could be someone trying to finish game two when they lost game one so that they can get a tie instead of a loss, someone trying to avoid a tie in game three, etc. No matter what the situation is, a player should never have to play at a certain pace in order to achieve their desired result. Stalling and rushing should both be illegal, but they are heavily practiced at nearly every Pokemon tournament and something needs to be done about it.

Positives of Time

[cardimg name=”Broken Time-Space” set=”Platinum” no=”104″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

It Rewards Experienced Players

Due to the time limit, a player has a relatively small amount of time to decide on what play they want to make. This makes it so that players who haven’t played as much with their deck are more likely to make mistakes because they don’t have all day to figure out the correct play. This heavily rewards solid tournament preparation, and is the greatest thing that stems from timed matches.

It Keeps the Tournament Moving

While I understand that this is 100% necessary, I hate this reason with a fiery passion. This makes it seem as if completing the event in a timely manner is more important than allowing the best player to win the tournament because they played well and chose the right deck for the day. Time often interferes with the outcome of matches as expressed earlier in this article, so it displeases me to think that this is happening partially due to the fact that the tournament has to end as soon as possible. To be honest, at least with the current time limit, the integrity of the tournaments and matches are compromised. The event length is being valued just as much as the quality of the tournament, which is why the time limit needs to be extended.

My Solution to the Time Predicament

Taking all of the above information into account, it is clear to me that the cons of time clearly outweigh the pros. I definitely think a time limit should be in place, so here is what I think needs to happen in order for the time limit issue to be fixed. As it currently stands, the current time limits are as follows.

• 30 minutes plus three turns, best of one
• 50 minutes plus three turns, best of three

I think that these time limits should be larger, so my ideal time limits would be:

• 40 minutes plus three turns, best of one
• 65 minutes plus three turns, best of three

I feel like extending the time limit to these times would prevent time from having a significant effect on the outcome of matches. It would go from people thinking about time nearly every round to people only having a random tie every once in a while.

Conclusion

In conclusion, I would like to thank all of you PokeBeachers for supporting me through this year’s Pokemon season. I hope all of you enjoyed your Nationals experience just like I did! I am looking forward to Worlds, so if you see me there don’t be afraid to come up and say hi, I love talking to other players so don’t be a stranger. I will hopefully be writing a World Championship preparation article between now and then, so you will have that to look forward to as well.

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