Arkansas State Championships
By now every last one of you have no doubt went through the exact same process of making the long (3.5 hour) drive to wherever Pokémon greatness is being played, in order to participate in a tournament. For this reason I will spare you all the amazing details of our wondrous car ride and the amazing scenery of tree after tree in a continuous loop down a winding road for many hours! Just know it was early, the ride was long, and for the most part un-eventful.
The list I chose to run was the very same list I have found myself using for a long time now, I am very comfortable with it so choosing it for this tournament was a “no-brainer.” It consisted of Gengar SF with Nidoqueen RR, Spiritomb and a Dusknoir DP tech. The main objective with my deck isn’t always Gengar, actually I usually use Nidoqueen RR to “Ruthless Tail” for major damage. And since most people don’t expect DCE in a Gengar build it usually works pretty well. Plus them seeing a Gengar SF still gives you the satisfaction of seeing your opponent waste/get rid of their trainers as fast as possible expecting a “Poltergeist”. When you promote a Nidoqueen and belt that sucker, drop a DCE with the already present psychic energy and “Ruthless Tail” for 120 it usually merits a priceless look of surprise.
Pre Game Match: Roger Price – Giratina/Donphan/Mewtwo
I start the day off right, playing one of my favorite Arkansas players. Last time I played him at Cities he was running Giratina LV.X, which I thought was pretty awesome simply because I have never seen anyone make it work so well. We both get pretty decent starts. His Giratina, to my Spiritomb. He sets up as do I and we trade prizes back and forth for a really close game. His late game Donphan set up my last 2 Prizes via shadow rooming a belted benched Pokémon. This of course makes me feel great to start my day off with a win. I thank Roger for the great game and we make our way to postings just in time for our first round matches.
Round 1: ??? SP Toolbox
Can’t remember this guy’s name but he started with various SP’s to my Spiritomb and benched Baltoy. I got to go second and I had a Roseanne’s Research in my hand so I set up with the quickness and he couldn’t do anything. I get a Nidoqueen belted and active to “Ruthless Tail” my way to victory. Poor guy couldn’t draw a prize the whole game but was a really great sport about it.
1-0
Round 2: William Millard with Ampharos/Typhlosion Prime
I get a great start, he has Baltoy active and a benched Cyndaquil, I go first and immediately use Roseanne’s Research to pull a Gastly and a Nidoran, while using Spiritomb’s “Darkness Grace” to evolve my benched Baltoy into a Claydol. He eventually Knocks Out my Spiritomb and I proceed to revenge kill his Baltoy with Gengar. He gets a Typhlosion Prime set up with a benched Ampharos Prime but Nidoqueen keeps the damage off, so I pretty much sweep, he does manage to Knock Out my Gengar though, which totally throws off the awesome “Compound Pain” I was setting up.
Everything on his bench had ten health left so when he killed my Gengar, I had to use Nidoqueen to kill everything (I seriously need to start running Crobats). He played really well and did an excellent job, but Dusknoir really hurts when your bench is full and I shuffle your only backup attacker back in then KO your active. Overall it was a great game and a really awesome opponent.
2-0
Lunch Break:
I end up playing a few games with Micah P, the number one in the masters division in Arkansas. He was judging and wasn’t able to participate in the event so we decided to get a few games in while we had the chance seeing as how we have never been paired to play each other. He plays a pretty sweet Kingdra build but I am able to “Ruthless Tail” the life from his Kingdra for two straight games. We set up to play a third when pairings go up so we have to cancel it during turn one. Micah is a great guy and I’m glad we finally got to play. I’m looking forward to our next game.
Round 3: Roger Price – Giratina/Donphan/Mewtwo
Roger is an excellent guy and we always have great games, I got an excellent start and we traded hits for a minute until I established Dusknoir and shuffled away any chance he had of attacking. I then set up a multiple KO compound pain for the win. Excellent game and always a pleasure.
3-0
Round 4: ??? – Lugia Legend, Typhlosion/Ampharos Prime
Ok so this is the part where I sadly tell you I take my one and only loss of the day and end up getting 2nd place to this guy because he was undefeated. It was a horrible match and I knew I was bound to get a really crummy opening hand eventually; sadly it came to this deck. Ultimately I started with a lone Nidoran and didn’t draw into any supporters or basics for a long while, I was able to hold him off with a Nidorina for a while then drew into a Gastly.
Gastly becomes a Gengar via Rare Candy and I’m starting to feel better but then he does the whole Lugia Legend thing and gets the energy on that thing in one turn plays a Warp Point to KO my Gengar. I roll a heads on Fainting Spell and his water bird lands itself into the discard. He eventually cleans me out with another Lugia which would have found itself shuffled back into the deck with Dusknoir if I would have drawn the Rare Candy. I had 2 left in my deck and only 14 cards remained of said deck.
I Cosmic Powered for 6, no luck so I proceeded to play a Looker’s Investigation, hoping to draw the precious Rare Candy, failed so I retreat Gengar to level up my Uxie, in order to Trade Off thinking surely I could draw into it, unfortunately I didn’t so he retreated his active for Lugia Legend and killed my Uxie LV.X. I lost my first and only match of the day.
3-1
I wasn’t too upset with this because it was my understanding there was going to be a top 2 cut, but TOM messed up and there wasn’t one so I had no chance to try and reclaim 1st place. I felt robbed, but it couldn’t be helped. That’s right 6 Prizes, I lost to the kid in the fanny pack that was playing a LUGIA LEGEND deck :[ I can’t even believe it myself…
Props:
Pulling five LV.X’s from my winning packs
Team Moon Shadow
Robert Long and his brother for driving so I didn’t have to
An awesome time and almost flawless record
Mike Schell and his wife for donating the prizes even though he and the Mississippi players couldn’t make it
Slops:
Almost hitting a pack of wild dogs feeding off the rotting corpse of half a cow in the middle of the road.
Losing to LUGIA LEGEND, who would have thought?
The horrifically long drive
LOL @ The scenery pic, thats awesome and adds to the beginning narative, thanks Adam!
Bad luck bro at the loss to lugia legend,but after some testing it seems the deck is pretty good,using magnezone instead of typho prime,and hitting for 80/200 every turn.
How did you pull five Lv. Xs 0_0.
Which packs did they give you? you play in Masters I'm guessing, but only a T4 for the State Championship…?
This just seems all too weird lol, excluding the loss to Lugia Legend :(
Yeah but had i started with either a gastly or spiritomb it would have been rather difficult for him to establish anything, seeing as how the magority of the cards he played where rare candies and pokemon communication. It was just a really crummy start is all i'm confident i would have had no problems dealing with his deck if there had been a top 2 because it would have been best 2 out of 3 and i just can't see my deck giving me another bad hand again. I would have set everything up turn two like usual and done just fine. But like they say, you can't win them all.
They gave out Supreame Victors packs, I do play in masters and the low player count was the reason for their being a T4 tournout. Unfortunately they didn't get a respected approval for a Official States Tournament so thats probebly why there wasnt a very big showing. For all those that came it was an excellent event, we all had a great time. Also I played allot of side matches to make it feel more like I was having allot of pairings lol. I would definately recommend anyone interested in going to one of their events do so because they really know how to have a great time guys.
hahah glad you like the trees. :) Nice job on the day Michael, sucks you lost to a person wearing a fanny pack playing Lugia, but every dog has their day, right?
Yeah the trees are great, and your absolutely right, every dog has his day, unfortunately it wasn't this dog's day lol.
hahah glad you like the trees. :) Nice job on the day Michael, sucks you lost to a person wearing a fanny pack playing Lugia, but every dog has their day, right?
Sorry guys but on game 2 I went 2nd. I didn't catch that error until just now. he attached to Baltoy and attacked.
Brandon deserved that win. He plays with integrity and even under pressure, a shitty 2 minute turn rule enforced after the winning tide turned against you, he was able to pull off a win. Not because lugia legend is a cheap ass card to use, because frankly, Gengar Lv.X is even cheaper, with Faint Spell, but because he knows how to play, and can make a killer deck that WORKS very well, very consistanly. The only deck to beat him with any form of regularity was also constructed by him.
Everybody gets lucky playing pokemon, that is what happens when you play a card game. You get lucky when your dusknoir, gengar, and nidoqueens don't get prized. You get lucky when you get everything you need in your hand as quickly as you do. He gets lucky when ocean growth works as well as it does. He doesn't need lugia to win. He has plenty of fire power, and ways to get them set up. He wears the fanny pack because he is excited. Excited to be doing something that he really enjoys, and it's not right for you to try to make his victory look like some random fluke. He made that deck from scratch by himself, with only his ingenuity. He didn't take a world championship deck and modify it a little bit. Just because you don't understand how his deck worked doesn't mean it sucked. It just means he's on a higher playing field mentally. Afterburner gives you the fire energy, rain dance gives you a water energy, and you attach your lightning energy as your regular so that you can demolish every turn. That coupled with well balanced trainers and energys gives you an awesome deck that you couldn't understand. Have fun being a bad loser, but don't tear the winner down for beating you.
By the way, I didn't post this because I lost. I don't mind losing, at all. It happens. I thought you were a really nice person, and a humble winner, but when I saw the way you put him down like that, I coudn't leave it alone.
First off there are a couple of things you need to understand.
1st I never claimed Lugia Legend was a “cheap card” nor that he had not deserved the win.
2nd I would rather you didn't curse as much on your comments especially on my articles, sixprizes is a website in which all forms of the internet community enjoy, that means my students as well and I wouldn't like them picking up filthy language from one of their favorite sites.
3rd The two minute rule came from the judge not from me, he wanted to read every card I played and look through his discard as well as mine every turn thats why that was being enforced, that my friend is refered to as “slow playing” and is not allowed, that time rule had no effect on my playing what so ever. I lost a very important match to someone “slow playing” and winning on time I was simply not allowing it this time. Also his previous match before me, his opponent remarked to me that he had “slow played” during their match as well so I proceeded to nip that problem in the bud before it bothered our game that is all.
4th Had I started with a Spiritomb/Gastly like every other match I'm fairly confident I would have won, thats why I remarked as so by saying had we gotten to play in our top two like we were supposed to I would have taken first. I wasnt saying this because I undermind his skill levels at the game I was saying it because how would he have been able to pull both halves of Lugia let alone rare candy into Feraligatr Prime/Typhlosion Prime without the use of his trainers?
5th Gengar Lv X isnt a cheap card either, and Feinting Spell comes from the stromfront Gengar not the Lv X, your confused. My deck isnt a world championship run-off, the world chanpionship deck in which im assuming your talking about is Jason Martinez's QueenGar deck. If you honestly thought that hundreds of people didn't play the deck before he won worlds with it your mistaken. And my deck is comprised completely different than his. There are no Crobat G's/Zangoose/Unown G's/Poke Turn/Pokedex Handy/Call Energy's in my deck. My deck operates much differently than his. My Gengar line is much smaller (I only run 2) and I use Nidoqueen as the main attacker not Gengar SF. Actually there are only a handful of cards in my deck that are in his list. I have only been playing pokemon for going on 6 months and I can tell you I started playing Gengar before I had any knowledge of Jason Martinez's list.
So with all that being said I would like to thank you for your very rude criticism, may you have fun with the rest of your pokemon career and I truely hope to play you as well as Brandon again in the future, have yourself a nice day.
Okay, I didn't mean to sound so rude, for that I apologize. To your students, I apologize for the language. You may not have meant it to sound that way, but by emphasizing that your loss was, “to a kid with a fanny pack playing with a LUGIA LEGEND deck :[ I can't believe myself”, I hope you can understand how that sounded like a severe put down to his deck.
When I mentioned your Gengar Lv X, I should have clarified that I meant the coupling of the level up with your stormfront. Also my mistake.
Please bear with an untrained eye as he sees common components from certain decks supplemented with newer cards to improve. I realize that they make a good combination, and that when someone hears you have a Gengar deck that they will assume you run it like the queengar. A very mighty tactic, because it throws them off the scent of your real plot to overthrow with Nidoqueen.
I would also like to battle you again. Maybe with some good modifications and a little luck, I can win the rematch. There will probably be a prerelease for HGSS Unleashed next month in Hot Springs, and if there is, I'll be there and it could make for an exiting rematch.
I am sorry for sounding like such a jerk. It was not my intention.
No worries man. I can see where my saying that does sound condescending, that wasnt my intention. I was saying it in that manner because I couldn't believe it myself. I would have never thought to see a Lugia Legend deck win at states is all. It truely surprised me, and thats not a negative thing. The whole “fanny pack” thing was a way for me to attribute the win to him because for the life of me I couldnt remember his name. While not the smartest thing in the world to have said, I do apologize for belittling his style.
I'm not sure if I will be able to make it to the PreRelease there because there is going to be one allot closer (an hour away as opposed to the 3.5 hours it takes to get to Hot Springs) but i'm sure we will meet up again sometime soon as I just can't help but make the long drive to Hot Springs because I love playing up there. I truely do appreciate your apology and please accept mine. May there be many more fruitful games between us all. Have a great day!
Sounds great I can't hardly wait! And your very welcome, you guys always throw one heck of a pokemon tournament!
Hey Michael,
Nice report as always!!
I'm glad you had a great time and thanks for all the nice things you've said about us both in your main post and your comments above. ^^
You and your crew are always welcome at any of our Meetings/Events when you feel like making that long drive. :) And by this time next year, we'll have an Official States.
Count on it!!
Jessie ^^
No worries man. I can see where my saying that does sound condescending, that wasnt my intention. I was saying it in that manner because I couldn't believe it myself. I would have never thought to see a Lugia Legend deck win at states is all. It truely surprised me, and thats not a negative thing. The whole “fanny pack” thing was a way for me to attribute the win to him because for the life of me I couldnt remember his name. While not the smartest thing in the world to have said, I do apologize for belittling his style.
I'm not sure if I will be able to make it to the PreRelease there because there is going to be one allot closer (an hour away as opposed to the 3.5 hours it takes to get to Hot Springs) but i'm sure we will meet up again sometime soon as I just can't help but make the long drive to Hot Springs because I love playing up there. I truely do appreciate your apology and please accept mine. May there be many more fruitful games between us all. Have a great day!
Sounds great I can't hardly wait! And your very welcome, you guys always throw one heck of a pokemon tournament!
Hey Michael,
Nice report as always!!
I'm glad you had a great time and thanks for all the nice things you've said about us both in your main post and your comments above. ^^
You and your crew are always welcome at any of our Meetings/Events when you feel like making that long drive. :) And by this time next year, we'll have an Official States.
Count on it!!
Jessie ^^
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