Matchup Guides for Malamar & Friends and Ability ReshiZard for Origins + NAIC, and Some Words on the Final Stretch of the Season “This list is one that Grant Manley recently posted and had success with at League Cups, so all credit goes to him. I’ve never played Malamar to a major event before, so it would be weird having Origins or NAIC as the first time I’ve played it in a grand setting. However, after careful consideration and testing, I think that Malamar might actually be worth it this time. This matchup is one of your easier ones, but if the Green’s ReshiZard player draws well and plays the matchup correctly then you could see some issues. The way they should be…
A Reflection on League Cups and Look at Buzzwole/Garbodor “I decided to play Buzzwole/Lycanroc because it performed well for me in Madison and I wanted a deck I knew how to use. I didn’t think anyone would play the mono-Psychic Malamar deck with Mewtwo SM77 either. What resulted from this safe choice was a quick 0-2 drop, then a trip to Chipotle and a local bubble tea place. It was pretty demoralizing, seeing how I could go from a very good weekend to a bad one with the same deck. The few card changes weren’t the reason why the deck failed, it was just bad luck or bad matchups,…
Podcast Ep. 20: Getting a Grip on Standard “This week, join Mike and his guests as they discuss Standard ahead of this weekend’s Sheffield Regionals. He was able to find 4 very strong players attending the event, namely Robin Schulz, Alex Dao, Frank Percic and Eric Gansman! Listen in if you’re fiending to beat Buzzwole at your upcoming League Cups or you want a leg up on the competition for next month’s North American International Championship! Download ? iTunes ? SoundCloud ☁
Adjusting to a More Methodical Format, The Rise (and development) of Zoroark, and Owls Reborn “After Danny Altavilla’s top 4 performance at Madison Regionals, my focus quickly shifted from Lurantis to the new deck. I watched the official stream for most of the event, and Daniel’s list seemed to have minimal difficulty against everything except for the other new contender, Metagross-GX. This problem, I thought, could be easily remedied by adding in Flareon AOR into the deck. Theoretically, this would give the deck a stronger matchup against Metagross, and any Decidueye-GX deck that might still be lingering around. For reference, here is the list that Danny played in Madison (and would go on to win…
How the Pokémon TCG Became More Popular by Becoming Worse “This is the story of how the Pokémon TCG changed from being a game ruled by powerful groups of elite players to what it is today – a far more open and accessible experience. But that process of change has had consequences, not all of which may have been intended: we may have ended up with the game we deserve, but have we really ended up with the game we wanted? I want to start this story by taking you back to my very first World Championships in 2008. I was 12 years old and we made a last-minute decision…
Its shell is overflowing with its heightened otherworldly energy. The ectoplasm serves as protection for this Pokémon’s core spirit. (Cursola)
This Pokémon has a jaw that’s as sharp as a spear and as strong as steel. Apparently ___________’s flesh is surprisingly tasty, too. (Barraskewda)
Known as a legendary hero, this Pokémon absorbs metal particles, transforming them into a weapon it uses to battle. (Zacian)