Jimmy Pendarvis
Author Archive
Bio: I have been playing since 2006 when I transitioned from Yugioh to Pokémon. I wasn’t taking the game too seriously until 2010, when I won a Regionals and a State Championships. Two years later, I qualified for my first World Championships which was a really exciting moment for me. I have qualified for every World Championships since 2012 and it is always what I aim for every year.
Top 16 NA 2017
Top 32 World Championships 2012
Worlds Competitor 2013
Top 32 World Championships 2014
Top 32 World Championships 2015
World Championships Qualifier 2016(couldnt go)
Top 8 World Championships 2017
Top 16 National Championships 2012
Top 16 National Championships 2016
Top 32 North America International Championships 2017
Top 8 Place Australia International Championships 2018
1st Place Indiana Regional Championships 2016(with an undefeated record)
1st Place VA Regional Championships 2010
1st Place VA Regional Championships 2012
1st Place PA Regional Championships 2011
2nd Place VA Regional Championships 2011
Top 4 Place PA Regional Championships 2013
Top 8 VA Regional Championships 2013
2nd Place at Regional Championship Side Event Nationals 2014
Top 8 Madison Regional Championships 2017
Top 8 Dallas Regional Championships 2018
The Past (Dallas w/ ZoroToad), The Future (SUM–TEU Standard), and a Team Up Top 10 “This is the Seismitoad-EX/Zoroark-GX list that my entire group ended up playing for the event! Caleb ended up with a 2nd-place finish, and the group had great success overall, so I would say it was a very successful tournament! 1 Oranguru UPR: This is a card that was mentioned when removing stuff, but ended up being kept around, and I am super glad that is the case! Despite not playing against any mill decks or decks that featured Garbodor GRI, this Oranguru pulled its weight. It was crucial in my victory against Mega Gardevoir, and it made some big plays in…
Profiles on Zoroark/Seismitoad and Zoroark/Golisopod for Dallas Expanded “Honestly, I don’t think this card would be in the deck if it were not for the release of Faba. Faba made it so that this deck would have to include basic energies to continue being playable, and that made it very easy to include this majestic beast. Artciuno, while useless in some matchups, made some of the deck’s closer matchups substantially better. Primal Groudon was a deck that gave us a ton of trouble in Portland, and Articuno provides a strong answer to that issue. Additionally, Buzzwole was a close matchup in the past, and Articuno helps to make…
Looks at Buzzwole/Basics and Trevenant BREAK for Anaheim Expanded “This is an updated version of the list that Austin Ellis piloted to a top eight at Portland Regionals, beating me pretty badly along the way. The list is a bit of a twist on the way Buzzwole decks are usually built, not including the ever so popular Lycanroc-GX. We saw James Arnold see success with this style of deck at last year’s Virginia Regional Championship, so it certainly isn’t a brand new concept, but I feel like the deck just never caught on. This deck focuses on being aggressive and incredibly consistent, and the whole list is built around…
First Looks at Zoroark/Control, Blacephalon/Blacksmith, and Archie’s Blastoise for Anaheim Expanded “While the new set did bring a lot of exciting cards, it mostly resulted in some techs being added to already well established decks. However, these techs have shaken up the meta quite a bit. Blacephaon-GX/Naganadel is really the only archetype we have gotten out of the new set, and it is a force to be reckoned with. Faba This is easily the most influential card in Lost Thunder, even though it is just a supporter card. Due to Lusamine, Oranguru, and VS Seeker being cards, this card has completely eliminated some decks from contention. For instance, the Zoroark-GX/Seismitoad-EX deck…
A Profile of Zoroark-GX Control from the Latin American International Championships “Sableye This card is a crucial piece to the deck. The deck just didn’t feel complete until Sableye made its way into the list. It is definitely more viable in certain matchups, but it has the potential to steal pretty much any game. Sableye is mainly used as a way of preventing the opponent from ever attacking again because you can bring up a bench sitter with Guzma or Counter Catcher, and then lock it active with Limitation. This strategy is especially strong against Magcargo and Malamar. 2 Oranguru Obviously, Oranguru is the whole reason this deck works. Resource Management…
Little can stand up to its psycho cut. Unleashed from this Pokémon’s horn, the move will punch a hole right through a thick metal sheet. (Galarian Rapidash)
An Evaluation of Lost Thunder’s Change of Standard’s Pace and A Trio of Lost Thunder-Enabled Concepts “Consistency With the release of Lost Thunder, a lot of consistency was brought to the table. Blacephalon-GX/Naganadel is a very consistent archetype that was born completely out of the new set. Additionally, consistent decks like Zoroark-GX/Lycanroc-GX and Psychic Malamar are top contenders in the new format. Decks that were deemed to be a bit more inconsistent, such as Rayquaza-GX/Vikavolt, have started to be phased out of the meta. This makes playing the game a whole lot more enjoyable because both players are actually getting to play a whole lot more often. In conjunction with that, the games also feel more…
Jimmy’s Portland Regionals Winning List and Lost Thunder First Thoughts “3 Seismitoad-EX This is the main attacker of the deck without a doubt. While it doesn’t do too much damage, boosting a maximum of forty damage per turn, the Item lock it brings to the table is absolutely brutal. The goal of the deck is usually to control the game and run the opponent out of resources, so the low damage output is a non-issue. Additionally, you may have noticed the low number of outs to getting this beast in the active position. While using Quaking Punch as soon as possible remains the goal of the deck, you don’t mind…
Profiling a New Spin on Zoroark-GX/Exeggcute for Portland Expanded “The Expanded format has improved substantially after the banning of a few cards that previously dominated the format. You may have picked up on the fact that I loved standard last year, and didn’t care for expanded too much. It is now completely reversed! I love the expanded format now. It is fun and feels skillful, and allows for a variety of decks to be played. On the other side of the coin, I really don’t like the way standard format has shaped up. The lack of disruption allows for little to no comeback potential, which causes a snowball effect…
Looks at Zoroark/Golisopod, Zoroark/Lycanroc, Buzzwole/Shrine, and Empoleon/Swampert for Memphis Standard “4 Rockruff, 3 Lycanroc-GX This thicker Lycanroc line is something I have really liked in Zororoc. It makes the deck noticeably more consistent and lets the deck be as aggressive as possible. You always want at least one Rockruff on the field turn one, preferably with an energy attachment. With four Rockruff and so many ball cards, getting basics in play usually isn’t a problem. Three Lycanrocs are actually used in some games due to the low Guzma count and lack of hand disruption options, so that isn’t something I would overlook either. Diancie {*} This card was a last…
A Profile of Zoroark/Lycanroc and Rayquaza/Vikavolt for the Philly Standard “4 Rockruff, 3 Lycanroc-GX In previous lists, Brigette was the key to a strong early game setup. This meant playing a high number of ways to access Brigette, and made skimping on the secondary basic completely acceptable. 2-3 Rockruff was the norm at this time, but things have changed. With a deck that is relying on ball cards to get setup, maximizing your basic counts can go a long way. The third Lycanroc-GX is actually a bit debatable here, but I have been liking the ease of access. Not only will you actually use three Lycanrocs in a game sometimes,…
Found throughout the Galar region, this Pokémon becomes uneasy if its cheeks are ever completely empty of berries. (Skwovet)
A Final Look at Zoroark/Lycanroc and Zoroark/Gardevoir for Worlds “This is a deck we saw Tord Reklev somewhat dominate the Oceania International Championships with this year. The field had a ton of Buzzwole and some other Zoroark decks, which is close to the current meta. Buzzwole has definitely died down a bit in popularity since that tournament, as it has a stigma somewhat close to Greninja’s. Zoroark decks becoming more popular is only a great thing for this deck, as it is very strong in these slow matchups. It always has time to setup and get the ball moving, especially because the opposing Zoroark decks are no longer using…
A Primer on the Zoroark Variants of Celestial Storm, with Looks at Golisopod, Garbodor, and Magcargo “Garbodor BKP The list only plays one Garbodor, and a low tool count. This is because Garbotoxin does not always need to be online and the deck does not have room for a thicker count. It needs to dedicate space to techs for opposing Zoroark decks, and that means cuts elsewhere. With Rescue Stretcher and Puzzle of Time in the deck, you usually don’t have much trouble maintaining the ability lock when you want to. The biggest issue I have had with the singleton copy is prizing it, which can occasionally result in a rough game. Acerola and Max Potion…
Reviewing the Top Finishers from NAIC with an Eye to Worlds “I think that this deck might not be “the play” for the World Championships, but I also feel that this deck is almost never a bad choice for an event. It is incredibly consistent, and allows more experienced players to take advantage of all the options it has and outplay the opponent. 2 Tapu Lele-GX, 4 Brigette I have been asked about this a lot, so I feel I should address it here. Having the 4th Brigette instead of the fourth Tapu Lele-GX slightly increases your chance of using Brigette on the first turn of the game. This is because you…
A Pair of Looks at Buzzwole/Lycanroc and Buzzwole/Garbodor for NAIC “4 Buzzwole, 1 Buzzwole-GX Baby Buzzwole is one of the best attackers in standard currently. It’s bulkiness makes it quite hard to deal with for Zoroark decks, and they only get one prize when it is KOed. Against opposing Buzzwole and Malamar decks, having GXs on the board is a liability because the match turns into a prize race. Buzzwole-GX still serves it’s purpose though, being able to take KOs on Pokemon that are hard for baby Buzzwole to deal with, such as Golisopod-GX. 2 Rockruff, 2 Lycanroc-GX Lycanroc-GX is an incredibly powerful card in the current metagame. Bloodthirsty Eyes…
A Profile of Buzzwole/Garbodor and a “One-Prize” Malamar/Psychic List “Buzzwole FLI This is a great inclusion in the deck, and certainly isn’t special by any means. The reason that this deck only plays one copy of this card, as opposed to the heavy counts we see in Buzzwole/Lycanroc lists, is because of how the deck plays. With Buzzwole-GX/Garbodor, you aim to simply Jet Punch until you can Beast Ring, and then take over the game. This doesn’t leave much room for baby Buzzwole to be very impactful, as it is only a great attacker when your opponent is at 4 prizes. This is because you don’t have “buffs” to…
If this Pokémon senses a strong emotion, it will run away as fast as it can. It prefers areas without people. (Hatenna)