The Dark Knight Rises

smashandslash’s Top 8 SoCal Regionals Seniors Report
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“It’s not who I am underneath, but what I do that defines me.”

Hi SixPrizes, it’s Alex, or smashandslash from the forums. Before I get into this article, thought I would share some things about me: I’m a freshman in high school, and I live in Portland, Oregon. I have a younger sister, but no other siblings. I sometimes hike, and have been playing this game since the end of 2013-2014 Cities. I recently attended SoCal Regionals last weekend, and placed 8th overall. I had a blast there, meeting people in person, and playing new opponents. This report is going to be pretty long, so hold onto your Trainer caps, and make some popcorn! Here we go!

Leading up to this Regionals, I was undecided as to what to play; I had examined what had done well at Cities in SoCal (as well as the rest of the U.S.), and come to the conclusion that Vespiquen was the most popular, with Yveltal close behind. My options for this event were:

Vespiquen/Flareon: It’s consistent, fast, powerful, and fun, but I knew that a bad opening hand could easily spell defeat, such as a bunch of DCEs or VS Seekers and a Juniper. Plus, piloting a deck like that leaves little room for error. I was confident I could do ok with Flare Bees, but it just seemed really risky. Plus, I knew there was going to be a good amount of Archeops at SoCal, and I just didn’t like running Wobbuffet or having to rely on Hex Maniac to evolve my attackers; what if those crucial cards were prized? So, Flare Bees was out of the question.

Seismitoad/Giratina: I knew it had done extremely well in Seniors, claiming the gold in all but one Fall Regionals (Toad/Bats stole that one). However, whenever I played it, I always opened with plain awful hands, and I also hated the concept of the deck. I knew it was powerful, but over 1/5 of the deck consisted of cards that relied on a coin flip to do anything, and I really don’t like those kinds of decks, even though when you flip a bunch of heads you’re in for a really fun day. I had tried it with Milotic, but didn’t make it past the opening hand stage — that’s how badly I drew. So, Toad/Tina ended up getting discarded very quickly.

Seismitoad/Bats: I knew it had good matchups against Yveltal and a lot of other things, but I didn’t like opening with a bunch of Bats and/or Super Scoop Ups, and what’s more, this is one of those decks where I wish I could play 6 Ultra Ball. It was also powerful, but I also didn’t have a good list, or the time to build and get comfortable with one.

Sableye/Garbodor: It seemed like an ok call at the time (it ended up being a terrible call, and I’m glad I didn’t play this, even though there ended up being a lot of Flare Bees at the venue), but after playing in 2 Cities with this deck (with very satisfying results), I gained some valuable insight: games take very long with this deck. I wanted to be able to end matches quickly whenever possible, and I didn’t want to have to keep glancing at my watch. I also knew that some of my opponents would have stalled, and I didn’t want to have to jump that hurdle. Plus, with Sableye/Garbodor, it’s possible to lose to inexperienced people. I’ve had games like that on PTCGO; I discard an Energy, they draw and attach another one, then kill a Sableye, which continues for the whole game, and I lose.

Seismitoad/Manectric/Bats: Bigger damage cap than Toad/Bats, but it got scrapped for the same reasons. That leaves me with my last choice …

Yveltal-EX!

There are many variations of this, but I knew Archeops would be invaluable, so I ran the Maxie’s engine with Lasers (and a Gallade for Mega Manectric, even though I never actually got Gallade out the whole tourney).

Here’s my list that I used to get 8th overall. I call it, The Dark Knight:

Pokémon – 12

2 Yveltal-EX
2 Darkrai-EX DEX
1 Yveltal XY
1 Yveltal BKT
1 Seismitoad-EX
1 Keldeo-EX
1 Gallade BKT
1 Archeops NVI
1 Shaymin-EX ROS
1 Jirachi-EX

Trainers – 37

3 Professor Sycamore
2 Maxie’s Hidden Ball Trick
1 N
1 Lysandre
1 Hex Maniac

 

4 VS Seeker
4 Ultra Ball
4 Trainers’ Mail
4 Dark Patch
3 Battle Compressor
3 Hypnotoxic Laser
2 Muscle Band
2 Float Stone
1 Computer Search

 

2 Virbank City Gym

Energy – 11

7 D
4 Double Colorless

This list was very consistent (when I wasn’t getting Item locked), and it got the job done. There are some counts that I feel like I must explain:

2 Yveltal-EX

I honestly would have liked to run 3, but space is an issue. I also would usually use these to close out games, not come in guns blazing; your opponent will just laugh, kill the Yveltal, and they’re ahead on the Prize trade. Of course if you could donk, then by all means “Evil Ball for the game” is what you should be able to say!

2 Maxie’s Hidden Ball Trick

I honestly wish I could have gotten away with running 1, but I prized it a couple of times during testing, and I was forced to play 2. It helped me get the turn 1 Maxie’s off maybe 1-2 extra times, but they ended up clogging my hand multiple times. I probably would have run a 4th Sycamore instead of the 2nd Maxie’s if I could have gotten away with it, but 2 Maxie’s is for prizing issues.

3 Hypnotoxic Laser

I quote Simon Narode in his 2013 Worlds 2nd place report:

“If I used them only when they were absolutely necessary, I could get away with running just three.”

I see a lot of people misuse their Lasers (i.e., play too many turn 1 when you should save them for when you actually need them). Of course, if you were going to Sycamore it away anyway, then slap it down and hope for the best! But 3 was the perfect number for me. Simon speaks the truth. Even though he was talking about a completely different meta, the point is the same. Don’t just mindlessly throw away your Lasers; they’re valuable resources. Knowing correctly when to play your Lasers and when not to play them can mean the difference between winning or losing; don’t use them to press the advantage unless you’re sure that your opponent can’t steal the ground you’re gaining.

3 Battle Compressor, 4 Trainers’ Mail

The night before the event, this was 4 Battle Compressor, 3 Trainers’ Mail, but I received advice to switch the counts, and I frankly think it was more consistent this way, because not only did the 4th Trainers’ Mail give me an extra possible out to an early Compressor, it was also an extra out to whatever I possibly needed in that given situation, such as an Ultra Ball to complete the Maxie’s puzzle, or that last VS Seeker in my deck to grab the Lysandre for the game.


With that out of the way, let’s get to the jelly in this donut; the actual tournament report!

There were around 70 players, 7 rounds of Swiss, and a Top 8 cut.

Round 1 vs Alexander G. w/ Vespiquen/Flareon/Gallade (Kevin Baxter’s list most likely) (WLW)

Game 1 I got the turn 2 Archeops going first, and Quaking Punched him, which made him not be able to do much. What’s more, when he sent up Wobbuffet and Shaymins, I would Laser them (flipping heads while he flipped tails on the Sleep check), and Quaking Punch them, putting it so that they would be KO’d going back into my turn.

Game 2 I dead-drew and he swept me, and Game 3 I benched him.

Round 2 vs ??? w/ Vespiquen/Flareon (WLW)

Game 1, he keeps misplaying; I’m Quaking Punching him, and he keeps benching Eevees and Combees, then attaching DCEs to them. I keep Lysandre’ing and KOing them with Quaking Punch. I lose Game 2 because I whiff turn 1 Archeops going second, which allows him to evolve a bunch of things, and I’m unable to keep up. Game 3 I believe I N him, and he draws a bunch of Evolutions, then I bench him fairly quickly.

Round 3 vs Alex M. w/ Yveltal/Archeops/Gallade/Lasers (WW)

I almost lost Game 1, but luckily he couldn’t find a Supporter to kill me with Sensitive Blade, and I ended up taking the first game. My memory’s at a blank as for what happened during Game 2, but I think he made some misplays, and I ran pretty hot. His list was kind of weird. He somehow managed to fit in I believe 2 Shaymin-EX, an AZ, a Hoopa-EX, and maybe a Xerosic, but I’m not sure.

3-0, woo-hoo!

Round 4 vs Ethan C. w/ Vespiquen/Vileplume (LWL)

I lost the opening flip, GG. Ethan is someone who I only recently became friends with, and that’s a good thing, because all 3 games were quite one-sided. Game 1 he got turn 1 Vileplume, and I started with Jirachi-EX, a D Energy, and a bunch of Items. I drew for turn, and scooped at once. Game 2 I whiffed the Archeops turn 1, but managed to get Yveltal BKT active, Lysandre’d his Vileplume, and by the time he found 2-of his 4 DCEs to retreat it, I had gotten set up and managed to deck him. Game 3 I just drew Items and he got the turn 1 Vileplume.

Round 5 vs Ryan P. w/ Seismitoad/Giratina (LL)

These games were very one-sided. I didn’t get to use Evil Ball even once during both games — that’s how badly I drew. But Ryan’s a pretty cool kid so it wasn’t all bad.

Round 6 vs ??? w/ Archie’s Blastoise (WW)

He won the initial flip, but whiffed the turn 1 Blastoise. I get the turn 3 or 4 Quaking Punch, and he then says he prized both Blastoise. He then is able to Secret Sword my Toad with a 3-Energy, Muscle Banded Keldeo-EX. Armed with this information, I immediately switch gears and take him to church with a monster Yveltal.

Game 2 he actually elected to go second, then got confused when I drew for turn. He said that he had wanted to go first, but I legitimately had heard him say he wanted to go second, so he caved in and said fine, I could go first. I chained Hex Maniac for 2 turns, but eventually was forced to N him, as I had no other Supporter in hand. I discarded my Keldeo early on by mistake as Ultra Ball fuel, which eventually came back to bite me later as you will see. He got the turn 1 or 2 Blastoise, but when I got down to 2 Prizes, he started trying to stall with Chilling Sigh, and I kept flipping tails. However, about 4-5 turns after he started doing the Articuno shenanigans, I managed to wake up and take the win.

Round 7 vs Ryan C. w/ Sableye/Garbodor (WW)

I don’t know why I was nervous when I found out he was playing Sableye/Garbodor, but that evaporated quickly. We both dead-drew in the first couple of turns. I waited for a lull between Team Flare Grunts then slapped down Toad, and a DCE/Muscle Band combo to jelly the donut, and when he tried to stall by Lysandre’ing my bare Darkrai, I topdecked a D Energy. He discarded the DCE off my Toad, but I attached another one. Then, on my next turn I attached ANOTHER one, and just rolled him. Game 2 I benched his Sableye and 2 Bunnelbys. GG.

5-2-0, 8th seed going into cut

Top 8 vs Ethan C. w/ Vespiquen/Vileplume (LWL)

I actually won the critical opening flip for this one, so I thought I had a really good chance of making it into Top 4. But when I saw my opening hand, my dreams slammed on the brakes. I drew an awful hand, but I had Jirachi-EX to grab Hex Maniac … only my Hex was prized! So, I grabbed a Maxie’s to thin my deck somewhat, then Sycamore’d some stuff away. I Compressor my Lysandre away, VS Seeker for it, and I had a Fright Night Yveltal with a D Energy attached on the Bench, ready to go for next turn, but I had only a Lysandre and a Maxie’s in my hand. Then, Ethan made this really smart play; he didn’t drop down Vileplume, and sure enough, his decision paid off. I dead-drew, and he rolled me.

Game 2 I got turn 1 Archeops and he scooped at once. I think this game lasted about 45-50 seconds. On to Game 3!

Game 3 he actually whiffed the Forest of Giant Plants turn 1! I was so excited, but then I Sycamore and draw a Darkrai-EX, a Fright Night Yveltal, and a bunch of Energies, and he just got going and rolled me. Vileplume was unneeded in this game since I actually didn’t draw into any items that would have made a difference if I’d been able to play them.


GG Ethan. I wish we couldn’t have had such one-sided games, but I’m not complaining; 75 CP along with a Top 8 mat, a booster box of BREAKpoint, and a Hoopa hat is none too shabby.

Out of the box, I pulled Ho-Oh-EX FA, Gyarados-EX SR, Greninja BREAK, Togekiss-EX, Ho-Oh-EX, Golduck BREAK, M Scizor-EX, Manaphy-EX FA, and I think a Luxray BREAK. Great pulls!

Props

  • There was so much Vespiquen at the tourney; the meta was like all Vespiquen, Yveltal, Toad/Bats, and some Toad/Tina with the occasional Sableye/Garb. I didn’t see a single Mega Manectric at the top tables, which I’m very happy about.
  • My box pulls were just plain awesome. 9 things is nothing to scoff at.
  • Making Top 8 was awesome. I frankly was positive I wasn’t going to make cut. I actually yelled in surprise when the standings went up.
  • Chris Clanton (aka Mr. Raichu) for lending me some cards, even though I ended up not using them. Thanks anyway, it’s the thought that counts!
  • Josh Fernando for being a boss and FINALLY winning a Regionals! Good job Josh, you deserved that win, and you did it with Yveltal, no less; I’m really proud of you.
  • The Cali TOs did a pretty good job, everything ran really smoothly. No re-pairs this time.
  • One of the TOs from Oregon, Chris Brown, was at the venue, and his hair looked like he’d declared nuclear war on it (it was in a sort of mushroom shape). If you’re reading this, go for the Lysandre hairdo next time Chris, I’m sure you’ll be able to pull it off! But in all seriousness, nice to see a familiar face at Cali.

Slops

  • My parents made me leave the venue on Sunday earlier than I would have liked. I was having so much fun! But we then went to Bubba Gump Shrimp for lunch, so it’s all good.

I will be at Oregon Regionals this weekend, and hope to see some of you there. As for what I’m playing, well, I actually haven’t decided yet. I do have some ideas, but I don’t know how potent they are, so I am not sure I have much to offer. Good luck to everybody playing this weekend; and as a bit of advice, “Keep Calm and Junk Hunt.” Anyway that’s all. Let me know what you all think. I don’t know if I will write any other articles anytime soon, but some positive feedback would definitely help.

Cheers!

Alex

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