Okemos, MI BR – An Extended Layoff to a Fine First Place Performance

Ring-ring: the 2010-2011 Pokémon Organized Play season is now in session. This past Sunday marked my first match-play action – tournament or otherwise – since U. S. Nationals in late June.

But simply because I had a lack of in-round experience during the young season did not imply that the MD-on format, metagame would serve as an unpleasant surprise. I kept a tab on the competition from the Great Lakes region (Michigan, Indiana, Ohio) online, making note of what decks were being played with great success, i.e. LuxChomp, DialgaChomp, Machamp. In fact, the night before, I learned that decks featuring the “Take Out” fighter had swept the top four at the South Bend, IN Battle Road – which suggested that a Machamp counter could not hurt in the following day’s tournament.

I opted to run LuxChomp with a 1-1 line of a psychic friend. I altered my Nats’ Top 128 decklist by removing the Roseanne’s Research, 1-1 Claydol, and Night Maintenance, due to the rotation. Of note, though I had placed highly in several high-profile tournaments within the past couple of seasons, I had not topped the standings since ’08 Cities. Here is how my fall return went down:

pokemon-paradijs.comRound 1 – Vs. Michael Green with Blastoise/Delcatty

I got set up nicely with an early Garchomp C, while my opponent opened with Azelf and struggled to string together anything of importance. He could only manage to bench two Skitty and an Uxie for most of the game. Garchomp C LV.X plowed through the weak line of defense as expected. I saw one Squirtle the entire game. In his defense, he prized three of ’em along with his second Uxie. His only source of offense came from the likes of Delcatty. Auto pilot FTW!

Win (1-0)

Round 2 – Vs. Corey Saylor with DialgaGarchomp/Blaziken FB LV.X

Control of the field belonged to me in the beginning stages and persisted throughout. My opponent made a few noticeable mistakes, such as electing to send up a Poké with one Retreat Cost instead of my Bronzong G with Blaziken FB’s “Luring Flame” attack. An active ‘zong would have compelled my use of a Poké Turn or Warp Energy. I found it interesting that he did not opt for the “Deafen” lock scheme, seeing as it is a general – and effective – strategy of the deck. 70 damage made its way onto Dialga G before it headed for a not-so-comfy seat on the bench; ‘chomp sniped it the following turn. No worries here.

Win (2-0)

Round 3 – Vs. Alex Hill with Donphan Prime/Kingdra Prime

On face, the match up seems like a daunting challenge. But if one were to invest some thought, it may appear that perhaps the end of the world is not in sight. Now, in terms of the current Claydol-less format, decks that are reliant on Stage 2 Pokés and even those that juggle many Stage 1 lines are vulnerable to the “clunk factor,” as I tend to describe it. Cut to the chase: Alex goes all-in with an active Phanpy + Expert Belt + Rainbow Energy a few turns into the game. Due to the lack of a Donphan Prime, the defenseless two-for basic fell at the mercy of ‘chomp. I had KO’d his starter, Smeargle UD, with Earthquake + Flash Bite the turn before. With a 3-Prize advantage, my strategy for the remainder was to set up snipe shots with ‘chomp and Luxray. The ability of Luxray to 1HKO Kingdra Prime with Trash Bolt was a nice asset. Alex made a run toward the end – Donphan tends to do that against SP – but no dice. Smooth sailing through three rounds.

Win (3-0)

pokebeach.comRound 4 – Vs. Tracy Key with LuxChomp/Staraptor FB LV.X/Dialga G LV.X

In our first battle since my Regionals upset, Tracy had a rough start. She won the dice roll and did sixty damage to my lone ‘chomp. Thankful to survive, I dropped a Pokémon Collector, sniffing out a second ‘chomp, a Luxray, and an Uxie. I am able to take a commanding lead with the consultation expertise of ‘chomp and ‘ray. Tracy’s Smeargle UD served as an annoyance throughout, assisting her effort to make a comeback. Fortunately a colossal collapse was not in the cards on this beautiful autumn day. Trailing 5-1 on the final turn (3) of the game, Tracy mustered a KO on my active ‘ray. Even though there was not a way that she could pull it out, I commend her for trying until the very end. I would have done the same… on certain occasions. Win streak vs. Tracy: 2 games!

Win (4-0)

Round 5 – Vs. Robert Hall with LuxChomp/Staraptor FB LV.X/Blaziken FB LV.X

I had the displeasure of going first with a less-than-ideal starter, which led to an empty turn. He proceeded to play a Pokémon Collector. So already I was in a hole. Wise moves and good draw (I run several supporters like heavy counts of Looker’s Investigation and Bebe’s Search) brought me back into the mix. Key snipes via ‘chomp and ‘ray along with sloppy play on the part of my opponent certainly helped my cause. When time was called, I trailed by a prize. Quickly thereafter I KO’d his Dragonite FB with Toxicroak G to tie the score. He had the opportunity to win a couple of turns later with a fresh ‘nite thanks to Aaron’s Collection, but he lacked the necessary Energy Gain. Next, I attached a third energy to ‘chomp and used “Dragon Rush” on a benched foe to end it.

Win (5-0)

After five rounds of Swiss, I was the one and only undefeated player in Master’s. Would the so-called ‘curse of the first’ commence, or would my hot streak continue?

Top 4 – Vs. Scott Faust with Machamp/Dusknoir/Ditto

Scott figured he had the good life because he was running Machamp and the other three finalists had SP variants. Little did he know, I was prepared for a potential onslaught of the Stage 2 basic-crusher given the result of the previous day’s BR (see opening paragraph). Still, a quick ‘champ
coupled with a mediocre start on my end could imply doom and gloom for the top seed.

Game 1: Misdreavus was my lone basic against his Machop. This could be bad; thoughts of re-shuffling, beginning anew crept into my head. Fortunately Scott wiffed on the ‘champ on his first turn, which afforded me the opportunity to retreat the psychic tech for a ‘chomp that I fetched with Pokémon Collector. A DCE, an Energy Gain, and a “Flash Bite” later spelled trouble for the ‘chop. The first prize can be crucial in such a match up because Machamp has a fair rebound potential on its side. I knew what I needed to do: get out Mismagius and prepare two Uxie for a future level-up on the bench. Ironically Uxie’s services were not wanted. (I believe the purple fairies might have begun paying property tax on my bench!) When the time was right, ‘magius used “Crash Chant” for the 1HKO of Machamp via the discard of Scott’s two attached Unown Q and an Energy Gain of mine + “Flash Bite” + 30 damage for weakness. I also sent a Machamp LV.X packing thanks to “Poison Revenge” + another Crobat (it already had 10 damage from Rainbow Energy). A Dusknoir was also KO’d at some point. Granted, Scott did whiff on a F Energy for awhile, including a six-card “Set Up.” He appropriately scooped with several minutes left, though he could have justified doing so a tad sooner.

Win (1-0)

Game 2: Scott chooses to go second. I do not remember too much, aside from the fact that I took the only prize of the game with ‘ray. When time was called, it was apparent that he could not claim victory. On to the finals!

Win (2-0; 6-0 overall)

*Side commentary: A discussion was initiated by Scott himself in which he declared that he “[had] to be one of the best players never to make Worlds.” I was at first shocked to hear that he had not previously qualified for Worlds! Off hand, I cannot name anyone that would rank higher on such a list than him. Thoughts?

Top 2 – Vs. Robert Hall with LuxChomp/Staraptor FB LV.X/Blaziken FB LV.X

pokemon-paradijs.comGame 1: My start is a little smoother compared to our swiss bout. Toxicroak G was key, allowing me to 1HKO Blaziken LV.X after a “Jet Shoot.” I jumped out to a two or 3 Prize lead and never looked back. To fill space, I will discuss what I learned from this tournament: 1) Staraptor FB/LV.X makes for an easily obtainable and tasty treat for ‘ray; 2) Too many LuxChomp lists run too many colorless Pokés; 3) Staraptor FB/LV.X does not belong in LuxChomp – the power alone does not warrant inclusion! Oh, and my opponent finally scooped with around ten minutes remaining.

Win (1-0)

Game 2: When time was called, I had a 3-Prize cushion. I drew and passed during the “+ 3” turns knowing that I had won. My opponent persisted, hoping that he could draw another prize for good measure – and he did, for what it was worth. First place for the first time in awhile!

Win (2-0; 7-0 overall)

Props

• A fellow Spartan and previous stranger, for offering to drive a couple of friends and me to the tournament. Thanks man!
• Secret notes are now allowed in-game. Works wonders, especially for Azelf’s “Time Walk.” Just hope that the luxury will not be abused.
• New Victory Medal design; it was about time.

Slops

• Machamp for its inability to roll through SP decks without Unown G. It is a disgrace to all things Fighting!
• “30 + 3” and “45 + 3”: Enough said. As a fine alternative, I would prefer to have Swiss rounds extended to 45 minutes and top cut restored to 60 minutes; and “+ 1” to satisfy the powers that be at Pokémon USA.
• Prereleases for being a waste of time and money. Remember the good ol’ days when first place netted a box of product? No prizes, no competitiveness, no fun!

Let’s see if I can keep up my fantastic run with LuxChomp, as I have won thirteen of my last fourteen tournament matches with the deck (Nats ‘10 and Okemos BR). Look for an update after Cities – and best of luck with your own card-playing endeavors!

Nick Kowalski can be reached via email at nicholas.kowalski@rocketmail.com and Twitter (@NKowalski).