Kyle Sabelhaus
Author Archive
Bio: Hey everyone! My name is Kyle Sabelhaus and i’ve been playing the Pokémon TCG for over a decade now with my brother, Ryan. I currently live and play in the Carolinas.
Nats Recap, Emergences Explained, and the Top 10 Decks for Worlds “Wow. This year was one of the most obscure, yet oddly entertaining, US National Championships to date. With the demise of Lysandre’s Trump Card, the canvas was wiped clean. It was obvious within hours of the tournament’s start that players had really began to test the limits of this new format. As I walked around for the first couple of rounds (thanks to 2 byes), I was hearing all sorts of wild stories from players. “Why is everyone running Manectric?” “Did you see that Wailord thing?!” “I just lost to Bunnelby…” The shift was real. It’s amazing how many of…
A Pokémon Journey with Raichu Post Roaring Skies “We overslept! We have to hurry to Professor Oak’s place to get our first Pokémon. It looks like Squirtle, Bulbasaur and Charmander cards are already gone, so we get a Pikachu! With a Pokémon by our side and the world in the palm of our hand, it’s finally time to set out. Unlike Ash Ketchum, we understand that to win in this world, power is the key. In the immortal words of Lt. Surge, “If you want to become a Pokémon Master, you should make your Pokémon evolve as soon as you catch it.” Time to use this Thunder Stone…
A Pokémon Progress Report and Top 10 List for State Championships “A Pokémon season is much like a school year, in that both will test your abilities and those who give their best effort are likely to find success. Think of the decks of the 2015 season as students, being tested on all different levels. League Challenges are homework; you can miss some assignments but these will prepare you for future tests. Fall and Winter Regionals were our first real tests covering the opening chapters of the year, and Cities were quizzes thrown in between. Now we are in March and it’s time for midterms, also known as State Championships. It…
The Georgia Marathon and Metagame Prophecy “Training for the Marathon Setting the Pace (Day 1) A Slip Up (Day 2) Finding Rhythm (Day 3) A Major Checkpoint (Day 4) A Body in Motion (Day 5) Fighting Through (Day 6) Reality Check (Day 7) Rest Day (Day 8) Finishing Strong (Day 9) Victory Lap (Day 10) Final Thoughts I have attended the Georgia Marathon from its inauguration almost a decade ago. Ever since the late, great Gary Warren and other tournament organizers in Georgia began this style of back-to-back City Championships during the winter holidays, my friends and I have been cracking the code to achieve the…
Voting Phantom Forces into Office and the Top 10 Decks for City Championships “Election Ballot Mayor Senate Presidential Ticket The Top 10 Decks for Cities Conclusion With the official release of Phantom Forces yesterday, there are over 120 new cards (including other rarities) to consider when building new decks. In the spirit of Election Day this past Tuesday, I have a ballot for us to decide who the real standout candidates are in their respective areas. Let’s get to the booth and close that curtain! When looking at the Mayor, we are looking for a candidate we can trust. The Mayor has to be a card that has proven itself in the past…
If this weak Pokémon is by itself, a mere child could defeat it. But if ______ has friends to help it train, it can evolve and become much stronger. (Dreepy)
Relevant Techs, RPS Reborn, and This or That Deck Building “Tech Cards: Relevant Again! RPS: No Gun Deck Building: This or That? Conclusion Benjamin Franklin once said, “By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.” When you start to prepare for an event, the first question you always should ask yourself is, “Which decks am I expecting to see?” You could look up won recently in that area, or check up on the established players in that region to get a good idea of the current metagame. Once you have a good understanding of what you are getting yourself into, the next question to rush to your head is,…
Kyle Sabelhaus’ 2014 US Nationals Report and Nine Top Plays for the Grinder “I’d like to start with a short recap of my Nationals experience before we look ahead to the World Championships. I came into the weekend with 360 Championship Points and two byes for the main event. After countless hours of testing every deck imaginable, I found myself stuck on Charizard/Raichu. It had everything I wanted for the main event: consistency, power, a Pyroar counter, and a good Yveltal matchup. Most players paired Charizard with Pyroar and/or Mewtwo-EX, but I felt any matchup where Pyroar would seal my opponent’s fate was a positive matchup anyway. Raichu (and his friends) gave me…
Streaming Through Time and The Top Five Basic-and-Stage 1 Decks of NXD–FLF “Pokémon TCG Live Streaming Through Time The Past The Present The Future The Top Five Basic-and-Stage 1 Decks of NXD-FLF Conclusion The Top Cut // YouTube, Twitch I would like to start this look back by thanking the founding members of The Top Cut: Kyle “Pooka” Sucevich, Michael Pramawat, Josue “Crimz” Rojano, and Drew Holton. As players for years with a true love for the game, they took it into their own hands to solve a major issue facing the TCG: How can we provide more Pokémon TCG coverage to the community? During the summer of 2011, they cemented their plans and…
1st Place 2014 North Carolina State Championship Report “Coming into this weekend I felt that Ryan and I had a strong grasp on the metagame for the Carolinas. After Ryan placed 3rd at the Virginia State Championships with Aromatisse/Genesect while I took the weekend off, we went back to the drawing board in preparation for the upcoming event in Tennessee. With my mind set on playing an unusual deck that weekend my options were either Kingdra/Greninja or Flygon/Dusknoir/Accelgor. Both decks have their place in the format, and the surprise factor at an event where almost nobody had testing against anything like them was sure to be advantageous. I…
Its mighty legs are capable of running at speeds exceeding 40 mph, but this Pokémon can’t breathe unless it’s underwater. (Dracovish)
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